Agriculture

Anak berkebutuhan khusus merupakan anak yang mengalami gangguan dalam perkembangan baik secara interindividual maupun intra-individual sehingga memerlukan program layanan khusus untuk mengembangkan potensinya secara optimal. Panti Asuhan Bina Siwi yang berada di daerah Pajangan, Bantul, Yogyakarta merupakan salah satu panti asuhan di Yogyakarta yang mengasuh anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus, yang sebagian besar terdiri dari anak-anak dengan keterbatasan mental (anak berkebutuhan khusus), dan beberapa merupakan anak-anak dengan keterbatasan fisik (tunadaksa) dan keterbatasan pendengaran (tunarungu). Jumlah anak berkebutuhan khusus yang terdapat di panti asuhan Bina Siwi saat ini adalah 30 orang, mulai dari anak-anak sampai dewasa. Untuk meningkatkan kemampuan motorik dan keterampilan anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus, pengasuh panti asuhan secara rutin memberikan pelatihan untuk membuat berbagai kerajinan tangan, seperti aneka asesoris dan boneka sederhana dari kain flanel, merangkai bunga, menyablon, membatik, dan kerajinan tangan lainnya. Selain untuk meningkatkan kemmapuan motorik anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus di panti asuhan ini, produk kerajinan tangan anak-anak ini djual/dipasarkan di outlet-outlet terdekat oleh para pengurus panti guna menambah penghasilan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sehari-hari. Sebab jumlah subsisi dana dari desa yang didapatkan masih relatif kecil dan belum dapat mem-back up kebutuhan panti asuhan.
Sejauh ini, pelatihan yang diberikan oleh para pengasuh panti asuhan adalah pelatihan tersebut diatas. Hal tersebut cepat atau lambat akan membuat anak berkebutuhan khusus merasa bosan, sehingga diperlukan pelatihan lain yang dapat dijadikan sebagai variasi kegiatan anak berkebutuhan khusus sehari-hari. Pelatihan tentang tata cara berkebun aneka sayur menggunakan metode vertikultur merupakan salah satu alternatif yang dapat diberikan. Metode vertikultur dipilih sebagai jawaban dari permasalahan lahan di panti asuhan Bina Siwi yang cukup sempit. Anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus di panti asuhan ini akan dilatih menanam berbagai jenis sayur yang dapat ditanam dengan metode vertikultur seperti kangkung, tomat, cabai, bayam dan kemangi yang tidak membutuhkan waktu lama untuk dipanen. Pelatihan dimulai dari penyiapan media tanam, menyemaikan benih, penanaman bibit sayuran hasil semaian, pemeliharaan yang meliputi penyiraman dan pemupukan, serta pemanenan
Tanaman hasil panen dari kegiatan ini dapat dimanfaatkan secara pribadi oleh pengelola panti asuhan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sayur sehari-hari, sehingga dapat mengurangi pengeluaran dana panti. Selain itu, diharapkan kegiatan berkebun sayur dengan metode vertikultur ini dapat terus ditingkatkan sehingga tidak hanya dimanfaatkan secara pribadi melainkan dapat dijadikan sebagi sumber penghasilan tambahan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sayur masyarakat sekitar/pasar. Lebih dari itu, kegiatan ini juga berpotensi bisnis untuk dikembangkan sebagai salah satu objek agrowisata yang dapat dikelola secara mandiri oleh anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus dan pengasuh panti asuhan Bina Siwi Bantul Yogyakarta.

The aim of the study was to ascertain the effect of liberalising the Nigerian financial system on credit components in the private sector of the economy, therein investigating the possibility of credit crunch. Employing data from 1970 to 2009, sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletins, on an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model to test for the long and short run impacts of financial liberalization and the presence of credit crunch in the private sector,
the results revealed that liberalising the Nigerian financial system had boomerang effects on the credits allocated to the sub-sector in the long run (except for mining and quarrying), and in the short run, financial liberalization was in all insignificant and negative. On investigating the presence of credit crunch in the long and short run, the results lead to the conclusion that Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria had a strong discriminating credit behaviour towards the real
sectors (Agriculture, Manufacturing and Mining and Quarrying) and the SMEs, as credit crunch was present in these sectors in both the short and long run as indicated by the inverse relationship between increasing deposit liabilities that make up savings and the credit that flows to these sub-sectors. However, their preference was observed in the significant positive flow of savings in form of credits to services, real estate, commerce and others (private individuals, professional, and government). Suggesting that credit crunch does not exist in this sectors as reflected when aggregate credit is reported. 

The Virginia State Water Control Board reissues the VPA Program’s general permit every ten years. The current general permit is set to expire on November 15, 2014. The public comment period on the proposed amendments to the VPA General Permit Regulation for Animal Feeding
Operations opened on November 18, 2013 and will close on January 21, 2014.
Given the permit’s lengthy duration, these revisions present a rare opportunity to ensure that the permit’s terms are aligned with Virginia’s legal and regulatory commitments and obligations, and are as effective as possible in supporting the largest Chesapeake Bay restoration effort: the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (“Bay TMDL”) and the Virginia Watershed Implementation Plan ("WIP" Phase I and II). While Virginia is currently on track to meeting some of its 2013 milestone targets under the Bay TMDL, to reach the 2025 goal for agriculture, the state must reduce 22.45% of its load for nitrogen, and 52.86% of its load for phosphorus.
This white paper concludes that the SWCB has both the ability and obligation to include additional requirements to strengthen the Virginia Pollution Abatement Program’s general permit because:
• Virginia law requires the SWCB to implement the Bay TMDL and WIPs.
• The VPA Permit Program is the primary implementation tool for Virginia to incorporate identified BMPs to provide reasonable assurances that AFO pollution reductions meet WIP milestones and the Bay TMDL 2025 goals.
• Although the VPA provisions in Virginia’s State Water Control Law limit the contents of the VPA general permit, the law still allows for the inclusion of important Phase I WIP BMPs. For example, Virginia has also committed to have 45% of its streams fenced by 2017 in its Phase 1 WIP. The permit should be revised to better ensure that Virginia meets this goal.

A new biodegradation process called Novcom composting method and its end product quality was evaluated in Maud tea estate, Assam. Fifteen compost heaps were made with garden weeds and cow dung and samples were taken for different quality parameters viz. physico-chemical, fertility, microbial population, stability, maturity and phytotoxicity. The analytical value were more or less matched with the standard reference range indicating the possibility of obtaining a stable, mature  and quality end product can be obtained through this new biodegradation process within a period of 21 days. The most significant findings was the high microbial population in order of 1016 in the compost samples which may influence its post soil effectivity.

Organic soil amendment plays the key role both during conversion and for practicing organic agriculture. However, major limiting factor towards large scale organic agriculture is their huge quantitative requirement on the basis of N, P, K replacement theory. The present study at Maud tea estate (Assam), India under CFC-TBI Project, 2008-2011; aims to evaluate whether good quality compost in lower dosage can support crop yield without any soil mining through rejuvenation of soil microbial population. Four organic soil amendments viz. vermicompost (VC), indigenous (IC), Biodynamic (BDS) and Novcom compost (NOV) were produced using on- farm resources and analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological properties, nutrient content, stability, maturity and phytotoxicity status.
The different compost were applied singly and VC was also applied in combination with bio-fertilizer in the experimental plots (dose calculated on N requirement for target yield) in Randomized Block Design with three replications. Analysis of soil before and 150 days post compost application indicated enhancement in microbial status (post application) and significantly positive correlation (r=0.607**, 0.577** and 0.577**) between soil- N converters and status of differential forms of N. Green leaf data collected at regular plucking interval indicated higher yield (25.2, 21.8, 12.8, 11.6, and 6.4 percent higher than control for NOV, vermicompost+bio-fertilizer [VCBF], IC, VC and BDS respectively) under different types of compost application. However, VCBF influenced no significant variation on crop yield or soil status as compared to other treatments (except BDS).
In second part of study, only NOV (considered for its very high microbial population in the order of 1016, being at least 104 times higher than the values obtained for any other compost) was applied at the rate of 9, 6 and 3 ton/ ha, to assess whether lower dose of compost can support crop yield without deteriorating soil quality. Soil microbial population and status of differential forms of N was found to increase even at application of 3 ton/ha of Novcom compost. Although green leaf yield decreased under reducing dose of compost but the values were higher than target yield. Multiple regression study considering soil physicochemical properties, fertility, differential forms of N and N converters was done to assess their influence on crop yield and the results indicated that up to 46 percent (Adj. R square 0.46) variability can be predicted.

Chemical farming through its compartmental approach has caused severe negativities on soil and surrounding ecology as a whole. The situation now demands nature harnessed agriculture, but the present organic practices mostly follow the same compartmental approach substituting chemical components by organic inputs. This has resulted in both delayed or lesser effectivity and simultaneously huge hike in cultivation cost. To achieve ecological sustainability, a comprehensive organic method is necessary, which will take into account the intertwined and interrelated relationships of the ecology. While such composite organic farming methods are relatively very few, wide variety of organic inputs is available. Several studies have been done regarding the effectivity of these individual organic inputs however, to chalk out an effective organic pathway there is need for formulation of a package of practice through combination of individual inputs following the organic principle and simultaneously to evaluate their collective effectivity. 
The present study at Maud tea estate (Assam), India under CFC-TBI Project during 2008-2011 also aims at finding out an effective pathway for sustainable organic tea production through evaluation of different organic methods/ package of practices in terms of crop response and economic viability. While laying out experiments available organic methods viz. Biodynamic farming (BD) and Inhana Rational Farming (IRF), which are widely practiced in organic tea gardens in India, were taken up for evaluation. Different inputs viz. vermicompost, bio-fertilizer, bio-pesticides, herbal formulations, etc., which are used in Indian tea industry (for attending their respective criteria) were taken up for study. However, these inputs were not studied individually but combined to form different ‘Package of Practices’ based on scientific rationale.
The experiment was laid out as per randomized block design, with 11 treatments and three replications. Highest crop yield was obtained under IRF followed by vermicompost+bio-fertilizer+bio-pesticides (VMI), conventional organic practice and BD. All the treatments achieved target yield, where IRF4, IRF2 and VMI showed significantly higher (41.8, 37.9 and 36.2 percent respectively) yield over control. Soil fertility and microbial population also showed a positive trend of development. Strong correlation was observed between crop yield and soil quality parameters viz. viz. available N (r=0.417*), available K2O (r=0.365*), bacterial population (r=0.379**), total phosphate solubilizing bacteria (r= 0.368*) etc.