What is AGRIS?
AGRIS (International System for Agricultural Science and Technology) is a global public database providing access to bibliographic information on agricultural science and technology. The database is maintained by CIARD, and its content is provided by participating institutions from all around the globe that form the network of AGRIS centers (find out more here). One of the main objectives of AGRIS is to improve the access and exchange of information serving the information-related needs of developed and developing countries on a partnership basis.
AGRIS contains over 8 million bibliographic references on agricultural research and technology & links to related data resources on the Web, like DBPedia, World Bank, Nature, FAO Fisheries and FAO Country profiles.
More specifically
AGRIS is at the same time:
A collaborative network of more than 150 institutions from 65 countries, maintained by FAO of the UN, promoting free access to agricultural information.
A multilingual bibliographic database for agricultural science, fuelled by the AGRIS network, containing records largely enhanced with AGROVOC, FAO’s multilingual thesaurus covering all areas of interest to FAO, including food, nutrition, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, environment etc.
A mash-up Web application that links the AGRIS knowledge to related Web resources using the Linked Open Data methodology to provide as much information as possible about a topic within the agricultural domain.
Opening up & enriching information on agricultural research
AGRIS’ mission is to improve the accessibility of agricultural information available on the Web by:
- Maintaining and enhancing AGRIS, a bibliographic repository for repositories related to agricultural research.
- Promoting the exchange of common standards and methodologies for bibliographic information.
- Enriching the AGRIS knowledge by linking it to other relevant resources on the Web.
AGRIS is also part of the CIARD initiative, in which CGIAR, GFAR and FAO collaborate in order to create a community for efficient knowledge sharing in agricultural research and development.
AGRIS covers the wide range of subjects related to agriculture, including forestry, animal husbandry, aquatic sciences and fisheries, human nutrition, and extension. Its content includes unique grey literature such as unpublished scientific and technical reports, theses, conference papers, government publications, and more. A growing number (around 20%) of bibliographical records have a corresponding full text document on the Web which can easily be retrieved by Google.
Members:
Resources
Displaying 8621 - 8625 of 9579Soil degradation in Kabd area, southwestern Kuwait City
Adverse environmental impacts of human activities are the main causes of soil degradation in the desert of Kuwait in general, and in Kabd area in particular. In this study, assessment of soil degradation in open and protected sites has been carried out using field measurements and laboratory investigations. The overall status of vegetation is nearly twice as low in vegetation cover in the open sites than in the protected ones due to overgrazing and off-road transport.
Microtopography as a factor in the degradation of Vertisols in central India
Earlier studies on soil degradation in Vertisols of the Purna Valley of central India indicated that the semiarid climate characterized by a mean annual rainfall (MAR) of 875mm and a tropustic moisture regime is responsible for the development of calcareous sodic soils. Recent observations, however, indicate that in the adjacent east upland of the Purna Valley, namely in the Pedhi Watershed, Vertisols have drainage problems, although the area receives a higher MAR than the Purna Valley, the total MAR being 975mm.
Farmland degradation in the mountains of Nepal: a study of watersheds ‘with’ and ‘without’ external intervention
Amidst growing concerns about farmlands conservation, this paper examines the status of farmlands in two mountain watersheds ‘with’ and ‘without’ external intervention, located in the western hills of Nepal. Information was obtained from a household survey and group discussions conducted during April to September 1999. The severity of soil erosion from farmers' perspectives, density of landslides, soil nutrient balance and change in crop yield have been adopted as indicators of the status of the land.
Soil carbon sequestration in China through agricultural intensification, and restoration of degraded and desertified ecosystems
The industrial emission of carbon (C) in China in 2000 was about 1 Pg yr 1, which may surpass that of the United States (1.84 Pg C) by 2020. China’s large land area, similar in size to that of the United States, comprises 124 Mha of cropland, 400 Mha of grazing land and 134 Mha of forestland. Terrestrial C pool of China comprises about 35–60 Pg in the forest and 120–186 Pg in soils. Soil degradation is a major issue affecting 145 Mha by different degradative processes, of which 126 Mha are prone to accelerated soil erosion.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT BEHAVIOR AND PROPERTY RIGHTS FORMATION IN RURAL CHINA
We examine the ongoing transition from centrally planned to market agriculture in rural China. In particular, we examine the devolution of land rights from village governments to villagers and the corresponding evolution of tenure security in agricultural land. We find econometric support for the statistical and economic importance of four explanations for local government behavior.