final Flashcards
What is Judson Christopherson’s academic background, and what research is he currently involved in as a second-year M.Sc. student?
Judson Christopherson completed an Agribusiness degree at Usask. As a second-year M.Sc. student, he is quantifying net emissions from forage production in Saskatchewan under Dr. Smyth’s supervision.
How does the decline in public sector R&D funding and increased private sector investment impact agricultural innovation, specifically varietal development?
Most varietal development occurs in the public sector, and the decline in public sector R&D funding (from 57% in 1960 to 47% in 2011) raises concerns about the pace of agricultural innovation.
What are the implications of the triple challenge of sustainable development, and how can livelihoods, equality, and climate metrics be quantified in agriculture?
The triple challenge involves agricultural intensification, reduced environmental impact, and maintaining economic wellbeing. New expectations include accounting for livelihoods, equality, and climate metrics, posing challenges in quantification.
Define sustainability and resiliency in the context of agriculture, and explain the challenges in determining causal relationships in a dynamic agricultural system.
Sustainability involves balancing economic, environmental, and social aspects. Resiliency is the ability to recover from disturbances. Challenges in determining causal relationships make quantifying in a dynamic agricultural system difficult.
Summarize the main concerns raised in the media about livestock production, including animal welfare, climate change, and species extinction.
Concerns include animal welfare, climate change implications, and the potential extinction of species due to factory farming. Global meat production contributes to 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions.
How does the demand for meat contribute to the environmental challenges associated with livestock production?
Increasing global demand for meat, especially beef and lamb, drives deforestation and requires more farmland, contributing to environmental challenges.
Identify the two main factors driving the environmental problem associated with global meat production.
Rising wealth in developing countries leads to increased meat consumption, and meat production, especially beef and lamb, requires extensive land use.
Explain the potential impacts of increasing meat consumption in developing countries on biodiversity.
Increased meat consumption in developing countries poses threats to biodiversity, as it necessitates more land for the industry, leading to potential species extinction.
Why is biological diversity considered crucial for environmental sustainability, and how does it relate to the triple challenge in agriculture?
Biological diversity is crucial for environmental sustainability and relates to the triple challenge. Challenges in building a benchmark arise due to subjective views on invasive species.
What are the challenges in building a starting benchmark for biodiversity, considering the subjective nature of research on invasive species?
Biological diversity is crucial for environmental sustainability and relates to the triple challenge. Challenges in building a benchmark arise due to subjective views on invasive species.
Describe Canada’s commitment to biodiversity as outlined in the COP 15 Conference in 2022.
From COP 15, Canada commits to the Global Biodiversity Framework, addressing invasive species, pollution risks, and negative impacts on biodiversity.
How can agriculture research align with the 2030 targets for action to reduce pollution risks and negative impacts on biodiversity?
Agriculture research aligns with 2030 targets by focusing on reducing pollution risks from excess nutrients, pesticides, and plastic pollution.
Summarize the key points of Target 7 in the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework and its relevance to agri-food research.
Target 7 aims to reduce pollution risks, emphasizing nutrient cycling, pesticide reduction, and eliminating plastic pollution.
How do extensive feeding systems contribute to reducing emissions and plastic waste in agriculture?
Swath-grazing, bale grazing, and stockpiling contribute to reducing emissions and plastic waste in agriculture.
Explain the potential benefits and challenges of reducing pollution risks from excess nutrients, pesticides, and plastic pollution in agriculture.
Reducing excess nutrients, pesticides, and plastic pollution has benefits but poses challenges in implementation and trade-offs.
Discuss the role of grazing practices in improving habitats for rangeland birds and limiting the encroachment of invasive species.
Grazing practices improve habitats for rangeland birds, limit invasive species, and enhance carbon sequestration.
How does livestock manure contribute to improved nutrient cycling above and below the soil surface?
Livestock manure contributes to improved nutrient cycling above and below the soil surface.
Explain the interrelations between aboveground biodiversity and belowground biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems.
Aboveground biodiversity affects belowground biodiversity, improving nutrient cycling and ecosystem health.
What are the benefits of seeded forage blends in promoting biodiversity in agricultural systems?
Seeded forage blends offer improved yields, lower nutrient requirements, and provide pollinator habitat.
Provide an overview of the outlined topics related to biodiversity in the livestock sector.
Outlined topics cover livestock biodiversity, native grasslands, grazing importance, and nutrient cycles.
How do native grasslands contribute to biological diversity, and what challenges are associated with their decline in Saskatchewan?
Native grasslands contribute to biological diversity, supporting various species, including those at risk.
Discuss the importance of grazing in maintaining biodiversity in rangelands and preventing habitat loss for grassland birds.
Grazing is crucial for maintaining biodiversity in rangelands, preventing habitat loss for grassland birds.
How does grain and oilseed production positively impact belowground biodiversity?
Grain and oilseed production positively impact belowground biodiversity by relying on belowground biota.
Explain the importance of continuous cropping and crop rotations in supporting belowground biota.
Continuous cropping and crop rotations support belowground biota, enhancing soil health and biological diversity.
What is the significance of conservation tillage practices in enhancing belowground biodiversity in Saskatchewan?
Conservation tillage practices in Saskatchewan, with no-till adoption, enhance microbial biomass and soil health.
How does proper management in livestock and crop production impact biodiversity and profitability?
Proper management improves biodiversity and profitability in livestock and crop production.
Discuss the challenges and benefits associated with restoring unproductive pastures and hayfields for biodiversity.
Answer: Restoring unproductive pastures has short-term challenges but neglects the value of ecosystem services.
What is the role of social license in making changes in agricultural practices, and why is it important for maintaining productivity on marginal land?
Answer: Social license is crucial for making changes, and maintaining productivity on marginal land is vital for consumer approval.
Summarize the key management implications for improving biodiversity in livestock and crop production.
Answer: Balancing bottom-line and biodiversity, evaluating often, and considering long-term benefits are key management implications.
Evaluate the balance between bottom-line considerations and biodiversity in agricultural practices.
Answer: Striking a balance between bottom-line considerations and biodiversity is crucial in agricultural practices.
How can research, funding, and management be better aligned to achieve biodiversity goals in agriculture?
Answer: Better alignment of research, funding, and management is necessary to achieve biodiversity goals in agriculture.
What are the main conclusions and takeaways from the presentation on Saskatchewan agriculture and biodiversity?
Answer: Saskatchewan agriculture can both benefit and harm biodiversity. Producers’ changes, aligned funding, and management can uphold the industry.
who presented on relation between economics and policy
Peter WB Phillips is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan.
What are the challenges in using economics during agenda setting, design, decision-making, and evaluation?
How do unknown causal pathways impact the use of economics in policy?
Challenges include unknown causal pathways, decisions made in contradiction to economic evidence, untested rationality, and unclear policy and program goals leading to flawed logic in attributing policy intent.
According to Easton, what does rational decision-making involve?
List and explain the steps involved in the decision-making process according to Simon.
Rational decision-making involves constructing means-ends chains, listing alternative strategies, determining consequences, evaluating consequences, and considering preferences.
What are the stages of the policy cycle according to Howlett, Ramesh, and Pearl?
How does the agenda setting process differ in views regarding the existence of problems?
Stages are agenda setting, policy formulation, decision making, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. Views on agenda setting include problems having objective existence or being socially constructed.
Identify a Canadian agricultural policy.
What is the key causal story driving the identified policy?
Has the causal story changed over time, and if so, why?
Identify a Canadian agricultural policy (e.g., supply management).
The key causal story may involve balancing domestic production and market demand. It may change over time due to shifts in global markets or policy goals.
Define and provide examples for distributive, redistributive, regulatory, allocative, developmental, and morality policies.
How can policies be a blend of different types, and why does this complicate evaluation?
Distributive policies benefit everyone equally; redistributive shifts benefits to the disadvantaged; regulatory provides guidelines; allocative distributes local services; developmental aims for growth; morality sets guidelines for moral behavior.
Explain the nodalities (information), authority, treasury, and organization as common design tools.
How does policy implementation necessitate a causal model?
NATO stands for Nodalities, Authority, Treasury, and Organization. Policy implementation requires a causal model linking alternative strategies to policy objectives.
Summarize Lindblom’s “The Science of Muddling Through.”
How do Kahneman and Tversky challenge the belief in rational decision-making?
Lindblom’s approach suggests that decision-making is muddled and not entirely rational. Kahneman and Tversky challenge the rational decision-making model with concepts like System 1 and System 2 thinking, frames, and heuristics.
List and explain various evaluation tools mentioned in the presentation.
Why are counterfactuals and randomized selection important in stronger evaluations?
Evaluation tools include ex ante and ex post cost-benefit analyses, impact assessments, socio-economic assessments, financial and value-for-money audits, natural experiments, and counterfactuals.
Describe the components of a policy logic model.
How does it contribute to the understanding of the policy process
The policy logic model includes components like inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. It contributes to understanding how policies are expected to work and what outcomes are intended.
What are the key points under Big Theme 1: Economics in policy—substance?
How is economics embedded throughout the policy process?
Economics in policy provides models, methods, and metrics for decision-making, frames the policy agenda, defines feasible policy options, offers evidence and causal stories, and is embedded in implementation and impact evaluation.
What are the key periods in the evolution of policies for the economy?
How has the focus shifted in different periods, especially in the context of innovation and economic development?
Policy for the economy has evolved over periods with shifts in focus, from Keynesian policies to supply-side policies, and includes elements like research and development support, clusters, and local-city-regional innovation systems.
Define the core ideas represented by Neo-Classical Theory, Clusters, Innovation Systems, and Economics of Creativity.
According to the conclusion, what role does economics play in the policy system, and why might there be challenges in implementing economic policies for the economy?
