Agricultural Drought Disaster Risk Assessment in Shandong, China

Abstract

Shandong Province, the main grain-producing area in China, has ranked first in China in terms of total agricultural output value for many years. However, droughts with high frequency and long duration have been hindering local agricultural production. This paper aims to assess the risk of drought disaster in Shandong Province. Based on the natural disaster system theory, an agricultural drought disaster risk assessment model is developed. This model is applied to assess the agricultural drought hazard, exposure, vulnerability, emergency response and recovery capability, and comprehensive agricultural drought disaster risk year by year from 2012 to 2019. The results show that: (1) There is an aridity trend in Shandong Province. The interannual variation of drought hazard is obvious, and the areas with high drought hazard levels are largely located in the eastern part. (2) Agricultural exposure and vulnerability are mainly concentrated in the western part of Shandong Province. With the decrease in the proportion of the rural population, there is a slight downward trend of agricultural exposure. (3) The interannual variation of emergency response and recovery capability in Shandong Province is relatively stable. Agricultural insurance premiums in all regions have a clear upward trend, which is helpful for disaster risk reduction. (4) Rizhao has been in a high-risk area, moreover, Binzhou, Dezhou, and Liaocheng have gradually become high-risk areas in recent years. The interannual variation characteristics and spatial zoning of agricultural drought risk are explored, it is instructive for risk decision-makers to better develop drought response measures and improve drought resilience.

Integrated enzymes activity and transcriptome reveal the effect of exogenous melatonin on the strain degeneration of Cordyceps militaris

“…Glutathione reductase (GR) and ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX) activities were determined as previously described (Zhang et al, 2015); monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activities were determined using the method described by Yang (2017); dehydroascorbic acid reductase (DHAR) activities were determined using the method of Qin (2009); ascorbic acid (ASA) activities were determined using the method of Zhang et al (2015). ASA and glutathione (GSH) were measured using commercially procured kits (Solarbio, China).…”

Public Perceptions and Willingness-to-Pay for Nanopesticides

“…Early career and richer-experience pesticide users reported higher WTP price ranges than intermediate-experience pesticide users. Specifically, compared with early career pesticide users, intermediate-experience pesticide users would not like to change their habits to adapt to the new routine as they have already formed usage patterns with the conventional pesticides [32]. Meanwhile, the rich-experience pesticide users would try emerging alternatives with higher efficiency and better sustainability after realizing the long-term hazards of conventional chemical pesticides [32].…”

“…Trust in governments to manage risks was also a major concern when assessing nanotechnology applications [31]. There has also been uncertainty regarding the experience of applying pesticides, which could affect farmers' acceptance of new-type pesticides [32]. Users may not want to change their habits if they have used conventional pesticides for a long period time [32].…”

“…There has also been uncertainty regarding the experience of applying pesticides, which could affect farmers' acceptance of new-type pesticides [32]. Users may not want to change their habits if they have used conventional pesticides for a long period time [32]. However, they were more likely to accept new pesticides after realizing the long-term hazards of conventional chemical pesticides [32].…”

“…Users may not want to change their habits if they have used conventional pesticides for a long period time [32]. However, they were more likely to accept new pesticides after realizing the long-term hazards of conventional chemical pesticides [32]. Hence, it is essential to understand the multiple factors influencing public WTP for nanopesticides, which are currently missing in available studies.…”