Arti lambang dan fungsi tata rias tradisional pengantin daerah Nusa Tenggara Timur

Dengan menelaah berbagai masalah di atas maka terasa betapa pentingnya untuk diadakan inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi tata rias pengantin daerah yang dikenal oleh masyarakat di seluruh pelosok Nusantara, khususnya tata pengantin daerah dari suku-suku bangsa di Propinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur. Dalam penulisan ini ditetapkan 5 kelompok etnis untuk mewakili kelompok-kelompok etnis yang ada di Nusa Tenggara Timur. Kelima kelompok etnis/suku bangsa tersebut masing-masing: Suku bangsa Tetun di Kabupaten Belu (Timor), suku bangsa Lama holot di Kabupaten F1ores Timur, suku bangsa Sumba di pulau Sumba (Kabupaten Sumba Timur), suku bangsa Dawan di Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara dan suku bangsa Sikka di Kabupaten Sikka, (Flores). Dalam hal tata rias pengantin kelima kelompok etnis tersebut masihjuga memperlihatkan/mempertahankan tata rias pengantin yang bercorak tradisional terutama dalam hubungan dengan tata cara perkawinan adat bagi masing- masing daerah. Di samping itu mulai nampak pula gejala atau kecenderungan dalam pemakaian tata rias modem. Hal ini adalah sebagai akibat dari pengaruh perkembangan kebudayaan modern sehingga membawa pula dampak bagi pegeseran nilai budaya

Agricultural extension messages using video on portable devices increase knowledge about seed selection, storage and handling among smallholder potato farmers in southwestern Uganda

Open Access JournalTo feed a growing population, agricultural productivity needs to increase dramatically. Agricultural extension information, with its public, non-rival nature, is generally undersupplied, and public provision remains challenging. In this study, simple agricultural extension video messages, delivered through Android tablets, were tested in the field to determine if they increased farmers’ knowledge of recommended practices on (i) potato seed selection and (ii) seed storage and handling among a sample of potato farmers in southwestern Uganda. Using a field experiment with ex ante matching in a factorial design, it was established that showing agricultural extension videos significantly increased farmers’ knowledge. However, results suggested impact pathways that went beyond simply replicating what was shown in the video. Video messages may have triggered a process of abstraction, whereby farmers applied insights gained in one context to a different context

Integrated Soil Fertility Management: Contributions of framework and practices to climate-smart agriculture

Updated on 13/09/2016. Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) is a set of practices related to cropping, fertilizers, organic resources and other amendments on smallholder farms to increase production and input use efficiency. ISFM delivers productivity gains, increased resilience, and mitigation benefits. ISFM benefits food security and incomes enhances yield stability in rainfed systems, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from soils and fertilizers making it of value to climate-smart agriculture

Compositional dynamics of multilevel innovation platforms in agricultural research for development

Article purchasedInnovation platforms (IPs) form a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D) to facilitate stakeholder interaction, agenda setting, and collective action toward sustainable agricultural development. In this article, we analyze multilevel stakeholder engagement in fulfilling seven key innovation system functions. Data are gathered from experiences with interlinked community and (sub)national IPs established under a global AR4D program aimed at stimulating sustainable agricultural development in Central Africa. Our findings show that all innovation systems functions required multilevel action, but that fulfillment of specific functions demands for strategic involvement of specific stakeholders at specific levels. We observed that a research- and dissemination-oriented sequence in the functions was prioritized in AR4D IPs and argue that such a sequence may be different in other types of (business) IPs. Our findings provide an incentive to think function oriented about compositional dynamics (stakeholder groups * levels) in innovation processes, rather than striving for equal stakeholder participation

Characterization of cocoa production, income diversification and shade tree management along a climate gradient in Ghana

Reduced climatic suitability due to climate change in cocoa growing regions of Ghana is expected in the coming decades. This threatens farmers' livelihood and the cocoa sector. Climate change adaptation requires an improved understanding of existing cocoa production systems and farmers' coping strategies. This study characterized current cocoa production, income diversification and shade tree management along a climate gradient within the cocoa belt of Ghana. The objectives were to 1) compare existing production and income diversification between dry, mid and wet climatic regions, and 2) identify shade trees in cocoa agroforestry systems and their distribution along the climatic gradient. Our results showed that current mean cocoa yield level of 288kg ha-1yr-1 in the dry region was significantly lower than in the mid and wet regions with mean yields of 712 and 849 kg ha-1 yr-1, respectively. In the dry region, farmers diversified their income sources with non-cocoa crops and off-farm activities while farmers at the mid and wet regions mainly depended on cocoa (over 80% of annual income). Two shade systems classified as medium and low shade cocoa agroforestry systems were identified across the studied regions. The medium shade system was more abundant in the dry region and associated to adaptation to marginal climatic conditions. The low shade system showed significantly higher yield in the wet region but no difference was observed between the mid and dry regions. This study highlights the need for optimum shade level recommendation to be climatic region specific