The Journal of Agricultural Sciences is a peer reviewed journal aiming to publish high quality articles on topical issues in Agriculture. The journal provides a forum for Sri Lankan and international scholars especially in Asia and Africa to publish authoritative and well referenced articles in agriculture related areas. The journal publishes original research works, book reviews, short communications and comparative articles. JAS is published by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Read more

As the new school year ramps up, teachers and parents need to be reminded of a well-kept secret: Across all grade levels and academic subjects, girls earn higher grades than boys. Not just in the United States, but across the globe, in countries as far afield as Norway and Hong Kong.   This finding is reflected in a recent study by psychology professors Daniel and Susan Voyer at the University of New Brunswick. The Voyers based their results on a meta-analysis of 369 studies involving the academic grades of over one million boys and girls from 30 different nations. The findings are unquestionably robust: Girls earn higher grades in every subject, including the science-related fields where boys are thought to surpass them. Read more

An election is usually a competition between different parties.[5] Some examples of political parties worldwide are: the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, the Democratic Party (D) in the United States, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany and the Indian National Congress in India which has the highest number of political parties in the world (2546 political parties) [6]. Politics is a multifaceted word. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and nonjudgmental (such as "the art or science of government" and "political principles"), but does often colloquially carry a negative connotation.[1][7][8] The word has been used negatively for many years: the British national anthem as published in 1745 calls on God to "Confound their politics",[9] and the phrase "play politics", for example, has been in use since at least 1853, when abolitionist Wendell Phillips declared: "We do not play politics; anti-slavery is no half-jest with us."[10] A variety of methods are deployed in politics, which include promoting one's own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries.[11][12][13][14][15] Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level. During the past decade two tendencies (1.Concern for theoretical explication and methodological rigor, and 2. The emphasis on field studies of the “emerging,” “new,” and “non-Western” nations) made it possible to overlook comparative politics. [16] Read more

Consumers want more control over what they eat, but also want to be adventurous with their meal choices at home. Online restaurants, where the startup prepares, cooks and delivers meals to customers, are opening access to new types of foods for consumers to enjoy, often with a particular angle or theme like a special diet or vegan menu. In the same category, we include meal kit companies that prepare pre-portioned ingredients for consumers to cook at home. Read more

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Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately 200 kilometres east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 metres above sea level. The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna Read more

Are you a environmentalists , this an opportunity for you REF:  Test grant :  RELATED 10 Examples of a Natural Ecosystem Updated March 13, 2018 By Amy Harris An ecosystem consists of all the living and non-living things in a specific natural setting. Plants, animals, insects, microorganisms, rocks, soil, water and sunlight are major components of many ecosystems. All types of ecosystems fall into one of two categories: terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems are land-based, while aquatic are water-based. The major types of ecosystems are forests, grasslands, deserts, tundra, freshwater and marine. The word “biome” may also be used to describe terrestrial ecosystems which extend across a large geographic area, such as tundra. Keep in mind, however, that within any ecosystem, specific features vary widely – for instance, an oceanic ecosystem in the Caribbean Sea will contain vastly different species than an oceanic ecosystem in the Gulf of Alaska.   Forest Ecosystems Forest ecosystems are classified according to their climate type as tropical, temperate or boreal. In the tropics, rainforest ecosystems contain more diverse flora and fauna than ecosystems in any other region on earth. In these warm, moisture-laden environments, trees grow tall and foliage is lush and dense, with species inhabiting the forest floor all the way up to the canopy. In temperate zones, forest ecosystems may be deciduous, coniferous or oftentimes a mixture of both, in which some trees shed their leaves each fall, while others remain evergreen year-round. In the far north, just south of the Arctic, boreal forests – also known as taiga – feature abundant coniferous trees. Grassland Ecosystems Different types of grassland ecosystems can be found in prairies, savannas and steppes. Grassland ecosystems are typically found in tropical or temperate regions, although they can exist in colder areas as well, as is the case with the well-known Siberian steppe. Grasslands share the common climactic characteristic of semi-aridity. Trees are sparse or nonexistent, but flowers may be interspersed with the grasses. Grasslands provide an ideal environment for grazing animals.         Desert Ecosystems The common defining feature among desert ecosystems is low precipitation, generally less than 25 centimeters, or 10 inches, per year. Not all deserts are hot – desert ecosystems can exist from the tropics to the arctic, but regardless of latitude, deserts are often windy. Some deserts contain sand dunes, while others feature mostly rock. Vegetation is sparse or nonexistent, and any animal species, such as insects, reptiles and birds, must be highly adapted to the dry conditions.   Read more

Ref : https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/IDL-57456.pdf     The overall objective of the project ‘Making agri-food systems work for the rural poor in Eastern and Southern Africa’ was to improve food security and promote sustainable management of natural resources through enhanced adoption of pro-poor agri-food system innovations. To achieve this goal, the project aimed at achieving the following four specific objectives; (i) to identify and promote local innovations and adaptation strategies that work for the poor rural men and women to cope with food security vulnerabilities; (ii) to adapt and scale up technologies and market innovations for promoting orphan crops that enhance food security, increase incomes and ecosystem integrity in selected areas of Malawi, Kenya and Uganda; (iii) to analyze and promote specific policies and governance mechanisms for sustainable agri-food systems; and (iv) to determine mechanisms for scaling up agri-food systems and sustainable agriculture. The project was implemented in 3 countries, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda with the participation of five partner institutions, i.e., National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda; Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kenya; Bunda College of Agriculture, Malawi; Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), Uganda; and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development (TEGEMEO), Kenya. ASARECA’s main task was to coordinate regional activities and provide a platform for the participating countries and institutions to share lessons. Over the project implementation period, ASARECA facilitated a series of regional meetings to discuss among other issues a common approach to project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, management of knowledge and communication products and final regional fora to disseminate the research findings. In addition, ASARECA organized two sets of training courses on scientific writing and communication, which were attended by the scientists from the participating institutions. To enable the project partners widely disseminate the research findings, ASARECA provided a platform at its 2nd General Assembly where over 16 papers were presented not only from this particular project but also papers based on findings from other IDRC supported projects in the region (Annex II). Overall, the project has demonstrated that orphan crops have the potential to diversify the farming systems, spread risks, contribute to food security, and provide income opportunities for the most vulnerable and women in particular Read more

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241757597_Implications_of_agri-food_standards_for_Sri_Lanka_Case_studies_of_tea_and_fisheries_export_industries     Dear Colleagues, Agri-food economies are socio-technical systems converting natural resources into food and ecosystem services and distributing them to consumers mainly through supply chains and markets. This book considers agri-food economies as “economies on their own” distinct to economies in general since they deliver food, which is indispensable for the continuity and quality of human life, and they are located at the complex interface between nature and society. Today, technological global agri-food economies dominated by vertically integrated, large enterprises are failing in meeting the challenge of feeding a growing global population within the limits of “planetary boundaries” and they are characterized by a “triple fracture” between agri-food economies and their three constitutive elements: nature, consumers and producers. In parallel to this crisis, new eco-ethical driven agri-food economies are built around new farming and food distribution practices. By exploring these new emerging agri-food economies in both developing and developed countries, this book develops a multidisciplinary discussion on the re-construction of local and regional agri-food economies as a solution to existing global agri-food economy crises. At a farm level, in contrast with the specialization and productivism of the modernized farming model, new farming practices grounded in ecological and biocultural principles and multifunctional diversification have emerged. At the supply chain and market level, in the last twenty years, we have witnessed the emergence of alternative food networks (AFNs) and/or short food supply chains (SFSCs,): alternative arrangements to the more standardized or conventional food supply and distribution chains, which relies on the notions of ‘ diversity’ ‘equity’ ‘transparency’, ‘quality’, ‘place’, and ‘sustainability’ and ‘community’. In alterity to the deterritorialization of the global agro-industrial food chain, the reterritorialization processes of AFNs/SFSCs moves towards food re-localization and re-socialization. Read more