Drawing on interviews in Switzerland and New Zealand, we explore the concept of autonomy as part of a farming self. The farming self encompasses the dialectical relationship of autonomy as both value and tool that help us understand farmers within a wider set of economic, environmental and interpersonal relations. Farmers describe autonomy as a value in three related but slightly different ways...

After domestication, plant species were often transported widely, and many genetically distinct farmers’ varieties (FVs, crop varieties traditionally maintained and grown by farmers) developed in specific locations. FVs continue to be grown today by many small-scale farmers in traditionally-based agricultural systems (TBAS), fulfilling both local or regional consumption needs, as well as the la...

To the Editor: Arcanobacterium pyogenes is a normal inhabitant of the mucous membranes of domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, swine, and goats (1). Diseases caused by this agent have been reported for persons who live in rural areas and have underlying illnesses such as cancer and diabetes (2–4). A recent literature review (3), elicited by a case of A. pyogenes endocarditis, found 13 unequ...

Electronic mediums such as websites, feeds, blogs and social media sites are on a daily basis influencing our decision making, are improving our productivity and are shaping futures of many consumers and service/product providers. This research identifies that both customers and business providers heavily rely on smart phone applications. Based on this, mobile applications available on iTunes s...

Introduction The continuing saga of efforts to stimulate economic growth in Africa through agricultural development reflects the rise and fall of the many 'fads and fashions' in international development over the past 50 years. Following the poor performance of rural development projects to significantly improve the welfare of the rural poor through the mid-1980s, the region has witnessed an al...