Senior Scholars to Freshmen Flunks: the Five Paragraph Essay Unraveled

Cover Page Through writing this paper, I wish to actively inform the public about the universal argument towards the five paragraph essay and formulaic writing in general. To help share this information, I wanted to present the opinions of several accredited sources, and insert them into a conversational format so that the reader can easily navigate and understand their arguments. Apart from informing the public about the current debate, I wanted to introduce a solution to the problem of students using the five paragraph essay in their college English classes.By introducing higher level writing earlier in the education system, students will have a head start once they start taking courses at their university. I believe that this paper will be effective because it appropriately lays out accredited opinions about the positives and negatives of formulaic writing, while at the same time proving the point that it will not be accepted in a college atmosphere. Furthermore, it presents a sol ution to this situation by seeking to implement higher level writing methods while students are still taking high school courses.This paper introduces the argument, supports it from both sides, frames itself, and then offers a possible solution. I personally think that the synthesis of my essay is well written. I feel that I did a good job finding sources that agree or disagree with each other and then implementing those arguments into a conversation. Apart from those strengths, I fear that my niche may seem weak due to the strength of my synthesis. I feel that I may have overshadowed the personal part of the essay with the information I learned from my sources.As a result of this project, I have learned that writing is just another medium through which to inform people about a given topic. I have come to realize that writing is very simple: you do it to inform the reader about something. The complex part occurs when you try to decipher how you will complete that task. In terms of à ¢â‚¬Å"developing theory of writing,† this realization is probably the main point I learned because in all honesty that is a very big concept that I took away from this project. I am excited to see how this theory will change based on the works to come.Campbell Bailey Michael Johnson English 1510 18 February 2013 Senior Scholars to Freshman Flunks: The Five Paragraph Essay Unraveled Almost every high school English classroom in America has been taught the same thing: the five paragraph essay, or â€Å"formulaic writing,† is the proper way to write a paper. Most students would agree with this statement; they think that they five paragraph essay is a simple and efficient way to draft an essay. Additionally, students often start college with the incorrect assumption that this writing style is adequate and acceptable by their instructors.As long as they write an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, they will receive their coveted grade of an A+. But w hat is the science behind this formulaic writing? Why does it seem to work so well for high school students, but not college students? The five paragraph essay (or FPE) should not be disregarded or seen as a necessity; it should be viewed as an instrument to improve the writing of novice students. But all writing mechanisms have a proper time and place for implementation.As a result, prior to entering college all students must learn that the five-paragraph essay will not always suffice in a university environment. If they continue with formulaic writing style, they run the risk that their assignments won’t come close to receiving the grade that they desire. This represents a shortcoming in the schooling of today’s novice writers, and this limitation cannot be filled by any brilliant instructor. The solution lies at the feet of none other but the institution of education.The American schooling system must start preparing students during their high school years for the c ollege level writing that they will need to become proficient, while also making them aware of both the positive and negative aspects of formulaic writing. The five paragraph essay has been taught in schools for years because it achieves fantastic results. Students can grasp its construction easily, resulting in good grades and positive reputations for school districts. According to Dictionary. com, formulaic is defined as â€Å"made according to a formula; composed of formulas† (dictionary. com).Not surprisingly, that is exactly what the FPE is: it’s a specific formula that, if followed, helps students create and write their papers. Almost every formula for the FPE is the same, and one will rarely find a different structure then the one taught in almost every school system across America. The construction of the FPE is quite simple, which is why it can be taught to students at an academically young age. The first paragraph is the introduction, with the thesis statemen t ending the paragraph. The next three paragraphs all support the thesis, and each one usually contains a source that helps build the writer’s argument.The last paragraph is named the conclusion, and summarizes the main points of the paper. This structure has been used by countless students over the years, and it has yielded consistent and positive results. Not only is it easy for a teacher to grade, but it also allows students a quick and efficient way to write their essays on various state-sanctioned tests. But a problem arises once these students arrive at the college level. It is here where the great debate between scholars begins about whether or not the FPE is a proper and justifiable method for teaching writing skills.In the current and ongoing argument over the FPE, it seems that a great deal of controversy is about format. Both high school teachers and college professors seem to have differing opinions on the topic. Jan Haluska, who currently chairs the English Depar tment at Southern Adventist University, believes that the versatility of the FPE creates more beneficial thought and ideas then does writing without a formula. Novice writers are more capable of furthering themselves intellectually if they follow a set of guidelines, rather than not following anything at all (30).But Rick VanDeWeghe of the University of Colorado, and Richard Argys of North Glenn High School disagree, stating that â€Å"The FPE formula may assist students with proper formatting of papers, but it appears to fall short of helping them offer a cogent discussion of their thoughts† (99). The FPE helps students in the short run with the format of their papers, but it oppresses the persuasive aspect of their words. It seems that while the FPE essay offers students organization and simplicity, it also holds back their natural intellectual ability to persuade and inform.The argument over the structure of the FPE is even more hotly debated. VanDeWeghe and Argys positive ly support the FPE format, saying that it offers writers a solid groundwork unto which to build their essay. They agree that all writers have a hard time creating work, and it is a great advantage to have a clear view of what a proper dissertation looks like (98). In a metaphorical sense, following guidelines to the five paragraph essay is much like riding a bike with training wheels. Without training wheels, the rider would lose their balance and crash, much like a writer ith no direction or foundation. But other writers believe the thesis statement that accompanies the teaching of the FPE overshadows any foundational aspects. Author Mark Graham believes in this notion, and expresses his belief by writing â€Å"And so you can't begin with a thesis, because you don't have one, and may never have one. An essay doesn't begin with a statement, but with a question† (Graham). Many college level educators heartily agree with this statement, and this concept has been used to sway ma ny to veto the use of the FPE.Essays were not initially created to persuade, but to inform and discover. While there is evidence that the FPE suppresses this notion, the fact that the formulaic essay creates a positive working environment for writers cannot be overlooked. It seems that today’s educators play the lottery with whether or not to support formulaic writing; the only way to know if they have hit the jackpot is to pour over the crisp final drafts of their students. When freshman students begin their college careers and flip open their English writing syllabus, they often find themselves anxious and fearful.Thoughts of constantly writing papers and hours of essay formatting leave them anxious with knots in their stomachs so tight that they can hardly breathe. But the stomach knots of some students who have mastered the five paragraph essay are usually a little looser than others according to Kerri Smith, a freshman composition professor at Fairleigh Dickinson Univers ity. Smith exalts students who possess skill with the five paragraph essay. She welcomes them to her class, eagerly overjoyed that she will finally have some students intellectually capable enough to withstand the rigors of college writing (16).So it seems that professors may genuinely believe that formulaic writing lends students a hand in kick-starting their writing careers. They arrive to college armed with valuable information about the structure, organization, and overall atmosphere of a successful essay. But Smith shows us in the above comment exactly what so many educators are arguing for. She references that formulaic writing prepares students for the â€Å"rigors of college writing. † In this one single sentence Smith deals the ultimate blow to the argument for the use of the FPE in college environments.Although it may bring better writers to universities around the country, students will arrive at their freshman English course and discover that they have the skills for an A paper, but they lack the correct form. The formulaic writing that they once knew and loved is rendered completely obsolete by the harsh standards of college writing. Imagine you have been trained from birth to swim with fins attached to your feet. By the time you are 19 years old, you have perfected your stroke and you can gracefully glide through the water. But suddenly, you are told that fins are no longer allowed to be worn while you swim.You confidently take them off and plunge into the water, kicking with your feet like you are so accustomed to doing. You quickly realize that you are hardly moving at all, and that you don’t even possess the strength to tread water in your bare feet. Exhausted, you cling to the side of the pool and come to the conclusion that if you ever want to swim again, you will have to completely re-think and re-learn the skills you have been taught your whole life. The fins represent the formulaic structure of writing that the average stude nt is familiar with.The bare feet symbolize the liberal construction of a college level essay. As one can clearly tell, a college student trying to excel in courses with only knowledge of formulaic writing will struggle much like a swimmer who only knows how to swim with fins. It seems that the â€Å"big final paper† around the country for high school seniors is to write a research paper. This paper is often feared by many students, even though they typically have to argue for one side of a specific topic. These seniors will often investigate a specific topic, and write a glorified summary of the views of a few accredited sources.While this essay is obviously not five paragraphs, students will almost surely mold their writing in a formulaic fashion. They will have a one sentence thesis at the end of their introduction, cite one source per paragraph, give their explanation of that source, and then end with an expected conclusion. The students receive an A grade, and they feel happy and ready to enter college with their expert writing skills, when in reality, they do not have the slightest understanding of what is expected in college writing classes.The concepts that students learn in their freshman English course need to be taught earlier in the curriculum in order to prevent this mistake from happening. Senior year, students are primed and ready to learn essential skills that will help them thrive in a university environment. Concepts that are incorporated into college essays should be introduced at this time. For example, many high school students do not understand that an essay should shed light on two, three, or even four opinions of a specific argument.They also do not know that a complete essay should contain an original argument, or a niche, which is a new opinion or angle on the topic that the writer brings to the conversation. Lastly, high school students don’t understand what a real conclusion is, and this weakness quickly becomes appare nt in their early college career. Writer Paul Graham has never understood the method for writing a conclusion that he was taught in high school, saying that it seemed like he was â€Å"just supposed to restate what we said in the first paragraph, but in different enough words that no one could tell† (Graham).This is a common misconception about the conclusion of an essay, and it is something that develops in middle school and continues on until students graduate from grade school. If high school educators could mold their second semester curriculum around teaching their students the three basic concepts above, freshman writers in their English courses would be better prepared and, but they will also be less anxious which will in turn allow them to write more successful, journal-worthy essays. There has yet to be a study conducted which researches the success of college students in regards to the five paragraph essay.A researcher could study the success of freshman students in their English writing course, and interpret that data based on the intensity of their prior knowledge of the five paragraph essay. Furthermore, a study has yet to be done about the success of freshman college students that had prior knowledge of college-level writing concepts, as discussed above. Such studies would shed much light on the effectiveness of the five paragraph essay. These results may even be the final nudge educators need to rethink and adjust their high school curriculums.In conclusion, academia may never know or agree if the five paragraph essay has a universally positive or negative effect on student writing. There are too many variables that factor into the situation, such as the intentions of the writer, the difficulty of the class they are in, etc. Writers will have to make a personal decision on how they prefer to write their cherished essay. Will they play it safe and stick to a simplistic format of five paragraphs, or will they take the plunge into a risky si xth paragraph and dare to offer multiple sides of the argument?Oddly enough, in the end, this hotly debated decision lies in the hand of the one who holds the pen. Works Cited â€Å"formulaic. † Collins English Dictionary – Complete ; Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 17 Feb. 2013. ;Dictionary. com http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/formulaic;. Graham, Paul. â€Å"The Age of the Essay. † paulgraham. com/essay. html. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Feb 2013. Haluska, Jan. â€Å"The Formula Essay Reconsidered. † Education Digest 78. 4 (2012): 25. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 013. Mary Kendrick, et al. â€Å"EJ† Extra: The Five-Paragraph Essay And The Deficit Model Of Education. † English Journal 98. 2 (2008): 16-21. ERIC. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Smith, Kerri. â€Å"Speaking My Mind: In Defense Of The Five-Paragraph Essay. † The English Journal 4 (2006): 16. JSTOR Arts & Sciences IV. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. VanDeWeghe, Rick, and Ri chard Argys. â€Å"Research Matters: One More Thing: Can We Teach Process Writing And Formulaic Response?. † The English Journal 3 (2008): 97. JSTOR Arts & Sciences IV. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

SWOT analysis for Nurses and Health care environments Essay

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in a health care environment. SWOT – for management, mentoring and nursing Hospital nursing swot analysisA SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the managers, clinical leads, nurse tutors, nurse mentors and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in clinical systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form (that could be an audit (CQC), assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the management& clinical staff) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis. Definitions of SWOT †¢Strengths – Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Weaknesses – Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Opportunities – External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the clinic’s objectives, or goals not previously considered †¢Threats – External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the clinic’s objectives, or making the objective redundant or un-achievable. Before starting any planning or analysis process you need to have a clear and SMART goal or objective. What is it that you need to achieve or solve? Ensure that all key stakeholders (relevant to the issue being explored) buy into this objective or goal. Then undertake a PESTLE analysis (or PESTLE in Clinics), this will provide you with the external factors (OT). Use the PRIMO-F model to ensure all internal factors are considered Conducting a SWOT analysis in a clinical environment One of the most effective ways to conduct a SWOT analysis is not in isolation, but with a team effort. When the goal is shared, then a brainstorming session can be run. Ensure than when running such a session it is facilitated by a person not involved with the content – this is best with an independent person. If budgets do not allow this – then talk to another establishments head, and arrange a contra deal. Do this activity in a number of phases: 1.Share the goal 2.Data collection (no filtering or comments – record verbatim) consider all areas of PRIMO-F 3.Take a break of at least 1 hr 4.Filter, sort and analyse into the 4 areas – SWOT – be critical and SMART avoid ambiguous statements or ideas at this stage 5.Prioritise the elements Have a second session where the planning phase takes this data and puts it into a realistic plan. IMPORTANT TIP – do not hide or underestimate threats or weaknesses – if you ignore them or underplay them now they will come back to haunt you at some stage – probably when they can do most damage! The goal of any session like this is not necessarily to neutralise any weakness or threat – that is impossible – but to have it on your radar – and where possible take avoiding action. To some extent it is all about risk. What sort of tasks and issues can this be used for? At its most complex and comprehensive, it can be used for business planning, however it is also of value to solving localised issues and challenges. An Example of a nursing based SWOT We will use an example of a nurse working within a primary care clinic who want to improve the relationship with their patients. TASK 1.Define the goal and measurable outcomes – i.e. to have less than 50% of patients spending one hour waiting for treatment 2.Consider the current activities you have in place to encourage patient-partnerships within your clinic. 3.Complete a SWOT analysis, identifying your current strengths and realistically appraising your current weaknesses. This can only be done involving other nurses, doctors, support staff and patients. 4.From the current analysis identify factors which could be improved 5.Identify opportunities that could be created 6.Put a plan and set of measures in place. The clinic identified the following objective: †¢To improve parent-partnership by encouraging patients to visit the clinic and become active members of the community. †¢Outcome – to have less than 50% of patients waiting more than one hour for treatment Currently, the clinic holds an open day once each year. It uses this as a way to encourage patients to visit the clinic and engage with clinic staff. The following is the initial SWOT Analysis. Strengths †¢Highly-skilled clinical staff. †¢History of successful Open day events †¢Clinic has a strong ethos of openness, sharing and commitment to increasing patient confidence †¢Patients wanting to get involved †¢Local charities willing to participate Weaknesses †¢Nurses not available to meet patients often enough †¢Current open days events not increasing voluntary activity †¢Not enough staff time to plan more events †¢Staff not clear of their role in the patient relationship †¢Narrow focus on open events not partnership activities †¢Services too stretched for additional activity Opportunities †¢Active volunteer committee willing to plan and organise events †¢Patients active in the clinic’s Patient Participation Project can be asked for their opinions and suggestions. †¢Head Nurse is willing flex clinic times to free up clinical staff time †¢Use patients to contribute to practice delivery Threats †¢Confidentiality is at risk †¢Patient coercion to do things they do not wish to do The next step is to develop a plan with interested stakeholders SWOT Analysis templates for Nursing, clinics & health care SWOT Analysis Template/ Worksheet – use these templates to start your SWOT process SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (organisation name or product/ service/ project)Clinic/ establishment/ organisation Background/ situation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(usual business partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________ ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing (communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations (day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Weaknesses (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing(communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations(day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ E X T E R N A L Opportunities †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ SO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Threats †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ ST Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WT Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 2 SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (Clinic/ establishment organisation name or product/ service/ project)Background/ situation__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ (usual operational partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths Weaknesses E X T E R N A L Opportunities SO Alternatives / Strategies WO Alternatives / Strategies Threats ST Alternatives / Strategies WT Alternatives / Strategies Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 3 SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats Date Company/ Department name Internal Factors Our Strengths Ways to exploit Our Weaknesses Ways to reduce External factorsOur Opportunities Ways to exploit Our Threats Ways to reduce

Linguistic Diversity in Early Childhood Education Essay

One issue of linguistic diversity, is you has the teacher needs to identify the needs of the children in your classroom. A teacher needs to address their own attitude toward the children and families that are linguistic and cultural diversity. If a teacher knows that most of the students are going to Spanish speaking, for example than she needs to prepare herself for this before schools starts. A teacher may want to get with other teachers at the school or school district and talk about ways to deal with non-English speaking children and families. I think another issues with linguistic diversity is that the teacher needs to expect has much out of the non-English speaking students as the English speaking students. If a teacher starts off expecting less than she will get just that. A teacher needs to monitor herself and meet with other teachers and discuss observations, progress and the way that students are tested and evaluated so that the teachers are not setting them up to fail. All students need to think that they can progress and not fail at everything. I think and issue of not being able to communicate with the families is a big issue for everyone. The families feel uncomfortable coming to the schools, especially if they do not have a translator with them or their child has to do the translating. The teachers feel uncomfortable because they do not know if they are getting the right information to the parents. So I think the community needs to come together and try to think of ways to solve this problem so our children will feel more comfortable at school and more valued. Teachers need to support cultural diversity by recognizing the importance of a child’s home language (Linguistic Diversity and Early Literacy). The best way to do this is to involve families and invite them to the classroom so they feel comfortable. Have the families reading to Linguistic Diversity in Early Childhood Education The children in the classroom in the home language than have another parent read the same book in their home language. I think the more that we as educators get these families together the better so that they do not feel so isolated. We as educators need to teach all our parents to be the first teacher for their child. We need to give all families the tools so that parents can become their child’s primary teacher and that way we all can become full partners in their child’s education. The Early Head Start article that I read is a very good example of what we need to do as an early intervention. I like Head Start because they give you specific guidelines and ways to do things that everyone can follow. I think the earlier that we get children and families focused on their children and their role in the child’s life as their teacher the better off we all are. Hiring bilingual staff may be one option on preserving the child’s native language and to ensure that information is shared in a timely manner. Ensure that staff is aware of cultural issues and differences provide an opportunity for staff to learn another language to communicate with the families. Language isn’t just about the child it is also about the family has a whole. References Otto, Beverly, 3rd ed. Language Development in Early Childhood, Pearson Precious Children, Diversity in the Classroom, National Association for the Education of Young Children (retrieved May 31, 2010). www. pbs. org/kcts Linguistic Diversity and Early Literacy, Serving Culturally Diverse Families in Early Head Start (retrieved May 31, 2010). www. ehsnrc. org.

Data mining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data mining - Essay Example The predictive model work measures predictive scores based on the company’s data (Han et al, 2011). The predictive scores produced by the predictive analytics helps to increase the customer responses during the strategized marketing campaigns. The predictive score also helps in increasing the conversions and clicks, which in turn, help in decreasing the associated churns. Associations discovery in products sold to customers The dynamism of the market has led to the influence on the way the business interacts with their customers. The contemporary market bears no guarantee for the loyalty of a customer. This situation has led to the use of data mining in allowing for associations discovery on the goods sold to the customers. Association discovery consist of rules that use an antecedent (if) and a consequent (then) which represent items associated to the obtained customer’s data (Vaidya et al, 2006). The â€Å"if† is found in the data while â€Å"then† repre sent an item, which is in integration with the antecedent. The association rules works through analysing the if/then patterns yielded by the customers. The organization then records the patterns to help in identifying the most important relationships. The criteria used involve marking a either pattern as â€Å"support† or â€Å"confidence†. These criteria are important in studying the behavior of the consumer towards the products of any given organization. The association rules can be applicable in product clustering, catalog design and store layout (Han et al, 2011). Web mining to discover business intelligence from Web customers Web mining is an important application for data mining helping to study the web patterns. This application is important to organizations, which would like to discover then behavior of the web customers. Web mining works through gathering information from the websites using the traditional data mining whereby there is integration of data obtai ned from the interaction of the potential customers around the web. Web mining presents the business community with the ability to apply intelligent marketing strategies because of the knowledge about the customers. It helps the business to establish a close relationship with the website customers because of the satisfactory analysis on the market. Clustering to find related customer information Clustering in data mining is an important activity for businesses, which helps the latter to find various customers with similar taste to each other. It works through clustering data objects having same attributes concerning the market trend. Through clustering, the firms are able to select high-quality clusters that have low inter-cluster similarity and high intra-cluster similarity. This means that the more similarity between members of a cluster than to a member of another cluster. The process of selecting the clusters in the market is useful in situations where there are many cases with no grouping. The use of clustering algorithms helps in finding the natural groupings. QUESTION 2 Reliability of data mining algorithms The data mining algorithm reliability can be accessed through analysing how they create the data models from a given data. The algorithms are reliable because of the study of specific trends about a given data. The obtained result about the trend helps in identifying the optimal parameters required for the creation of data mining models. The presented optimal parameters helps in deducting appropriate patterns and statistics required for the given

Fire scince Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fire scince - Assignment Example A chemical called alum ware poured on suspended particles. Hippocratic sleeve were later discovered by Hippocrates at around 500BC which they referred it to as the healing powers. The main thing done here was sieving of dirty water to obtain clean one. The first bag for filtering water was introduced during this era. The bag could hold sediments that make water dirty making people to be able to fetch clean water for consumption. Several discoveries were made and by middle Stone Age period, clean water supply was not difficult like before. Scientific discoveries had not been invented in during this time, but people had made significant improvements towards realizing them. The process of treating water is not as complex as it is feared. Companies’ responsible collects water from all sources in and around the cities treats them and sells them back for use. People use water daily for different reasons, once through with them, they dispose to drainage systems. This is the major source of water for these companies. Rivers, rain water among others are among other sources of water for treatment. They usually collect amount which is adequate for the entire population to avoid shortages in the cities. Water is a major component of most of the thing done by a man in his life. It ranges from household, recreational, industrial, environmental and agricultural among other uses. It is found out that 8% of water in the world goes for household consumption. Water for cooking, drinking, bathing sanitation, gardening among others consumes this percentage. Peter Gleick estimated basic household need for water at 50 liters per day. Drinking and cooking water need clean water to avoid dangers of getting diseases, thus bringing the need for cleaning water through water service companies in any environment. Clean water is called portable water as they can be consumed at any moment without the risk of any infection. In most first world countries, water distributed to

GM Turnover Challenge Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GM Turnover Challenge Analysis - Essay Example Mecca Cola is increasingly becoming a favorite soft drink for people living in the Asian and Arabic world. The Mecca Cola was initiated by a political activist turned entrepreneur who is widely known as Tawfik Mathlouthi. He started selling his Cola brand in the French market before exploring the Arabic world. Tawfik decided to name his Cola brand, Mecca, after the city in which Prophet Muhammad was born. The decision came amidst disputes from religious leaders who viewed the naming as an insult to their religion. The name Mecca is of probative value to the believers of Islam. However, Tawfik capitalized on the anti-American wave to sell his brand and further leverage the Islam followers into accepting his Cola brand over brands such as Pepsi and Coca Cola. He designed his brand to promote the ideals and beliefs of Arabs, The ideas were critiquing the America’s war in Iraq and invasion of jurisdictions by Europeans without consent from the indigenous people. Tawfik has been sponsoring rallies and events that promote and encourage opposition to America’s activities in Iraq. Notably, Tawfik has critically applied the required management principles in a notion of increasing the market and acceptability of his Cola brand. He has successfully noted his market and accorded them a reason as to why his brand should be consumed and no other brands. In management, one must desire to satisfy the needs of his/her employees and the market. The employees and the market determine the prosperity of an industry.

Job opportunities in the deaf community Research Paper

Job opportunities in the deaf community - Research Paper Example This paper delves into job opportunities in the deaf community. The deaf community has its own employment or job resources and opportunities to help the deaf as well as hearing people who are seeking employment opportunities that are related to deafness. It is worth noting that employment opportunities in the deaf community are near similar to other communities. This is because this community requires almost similar types of goods and services (Padden and Tom 33). The first type of job in the deaf community is teaching jobs that are essential in facilitating education in the community. The second one is that of interpreters who help in aiding communication between hearing people and deaf people. The other type of job opportunity in deaf community is captioning – captioning jobs have gained prominence in the deaf community especially because laws of many countries have called for captioning in the broadcasting (Andrews, Leigh and Tammy 106). Captioning entails displaying text or non-speech elements on visual display such as video or television to provide interpretive or additional information to deaf people. There is also the job of speech language pathologists and audiologists who are essential in providing healthcare services to the deaf. They diagnose, monitor, and treat disorders of the vestibular and auditory system (Padden and Tom 71). Psychologists also have opportunity to work in this community. For instance, counseling and clinical psychologists can provide psychological services for deaf people of all ages in mental health clinics and hospitals such as, assessment, therapy and counseling. Social workers are also required in the deaf community and this is because they provide a broad range of services to the deaf individuals. The knowledge and skills developed by the social workers prepare the deaf for career opportunities in addition to empowering them to know their rights (Berke

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Film Review Movie

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Film - Movie Review Example Forman depicts how McMurphy uses his outgoing personality to make patients in the institution view their situation differently. He seeks to introduce reforms in the system of the mental institution ad rebel against nurse Ratched (Kesey). He exhibits his daring aspect at many instances and even does crazy things such as smuggling beer into the institution. The film exhibits numerous differences from the novel. It succeeds in making the characters real, but fails in advancing the plot to a level beyond its potential. Whereas, Chief Bromden is the main character as the well as the narrator of the novel, his role is superseded by that of McMurphy in the film. Moreover, the film does not present background information about the chief, which is available in the novel. Evidently, the film distorts some of the characters in the novel, although it makes the plot more intriguing. Whereas the film depicts Chief Bromden as only being able to speak a single phrase, the book highlights him as very communicative. Worth noting is the fact that the behavior and personality of McMurphy are altered immensely in the film, where he receives the leading role. This does not occur in the novel. Some critical aspects of the plot in the novel such as Cheswick committing suicide and McMurphy’s confirmation to the wishes of nurse Ratched are not included in the film. Notably, there are numerous changes in the film and the ones highlighted in this essay are not conclusive. Worth noting is the fact that the film received many awards because of its quality, but has been criticized for altering the plot

Researched Essay Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Researched Essay Assignment - Research Paper Example Through his wide knowledge and royal connections, he was able to design clothes for popular individuals, which made his designed become increasing famous and create a class in his works (Carroll 150). During this period, the dresses, which were worn by individuals, and the materials utilised in making the accessories which they wore, defined a social class which an individual belonged to. The queen of France developed elaborate gowns that she used to create her persona during the 19th century. The aspects of creating a persona through dressing and accessories resulted in individuals wishing to connect to the queen by adopting similar dressing codes. These gowns became the cultural norm for the women of higher social class in France during the early 19th century. Through the fashion, the queen was able to articulate herself and set precedence for other monarchs, which were relatively common during that period. It became increasingly popular for monarchs to have an official dress code, which mainly resulted from common fashions. Paris has been highly associated with fashion because of the early development in fashion within the city. Fashion magazines from different countries commonly sent editors to fashion shows in Paris and the fashion stores in order to gather materials, for writing about fashion. Many people commonly seem to copy the well, developed designs that have been established and Paris offered exquisite designs of many products ranging from clothing, shoes and even ornaments. The spread of French fashion was enhanced through these magazines, which individuals in other parts of the world relied on to make decisions regarding fashion products. As the popularity of fashion magazines increased, many of them began including photographs which became influential on the future designs adopted in different regions of the world. The magazines were greatly sought after and had a noteworthy consequence on

Letter from a slaveholder Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Letter from a slaveholder - Term Paper Example I have since made it my business to keep abreast of events and have in fact subscribed to a Boston abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, a fact you may frown upon but which I consider essential, if we are not to be overtaken by events. In May, they pointed to the imminent publication of a narrative by a certain Douglas, to which I paid scant attention. Three weeks ago, however, when I went to the club (yes, I know, you will frown on this too), the name was on everyone’s lips. Lundy3 was there with his crowd, gleefully claiming that this was a major blow to slavery and Baltimore would soon be slavery-free. We had to hold Thompson off, who was so enraged that he threatened Lundy – quite ugly. He claimed that it was all a pack of lies, that this ‘Douglas’ was known to him, that he had been a slave with the Auld’s for the better part of 15 years and not one single statement was true, other than that he was a slave. If this wasn’t enough, Thompson got into an argument with Donaldson, who claimed that Douglass wasn’t a slave at all. Thompson took this as being called a liar and the fight was on for young and old. As you might imagine, I requested the book immediately and I have now read it. Well, what can I say – I am deeply shocked and far more worried than I have been so far (if that is possible). We need to talk about this, find some solutions – we cannot let things go any longer. This is getting to a point where every self-respecting Christian and concerned plantation owner has to take action. But, I am rambling; let me tell you what the book says. Douglass claims to have been born into slavery and separated from his mother at an early age. He is a half-caste and people thought (he said) that his then owner was his father (1). He describes various incidents of punishment of slaves (incredibly brutal) and also draws a disturbing picture of slave life. At 6, he is moved to Baltimore to Aaron Auld, where Lucretia (Auld’s daughter) teaches him to read the Bible (2). Aaron soon puts a stop to it, claiming that a ‘slave who can read is no longer fit to be a slave’. Apparently the boy overhears that and this is when he decides not to be a slave when he grows up, now teaching himself to read and write (3). Aaron dies. Thomas inherits the boy ‘as part of the livestock’ (4) and keeps him at St. Michaels. After that the boy is moved back and forth between Thomas and Hugh Auld but ends up back at St. Michaels, where Thomas apparently nearly starves him to death, eventually using him as field hand (where he gets savagely beaten at regular intervals but at least fed). After beating the foreman in a fight, he is sent to another place and there teaches other slaves to read and write. He eventually escapes. That’s the story and if what he says is correct, there is nothing of Hammond’s ‘natural and common good’ in such misery (Hammond 19 36). I have put notes in some places, about which I want to talk later. Right now, I want to go back to what happened at the club three weeks ago. You weren’t there, so you can have no idea of the scenes in that place. The air of violence and the anger was so thick; you could have cut it with a knife. People, who have known each other all their lives, and who are good people normally, were attacking each other in the most unprecedented way. This was not a good-natured argument that got a little out of hand. No, this was all-out war. If this is a sign of things

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay Hemingway and the Struggle of Masculinity in WarMen in A Farewell to Arms and For Whom The Bell TollsThe name of Ernest Hemingway has long been associated with the idea of a strong, stubborn man who is very socially inept. In both A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls, we are introduced to an extremely cold, unfeeling character and we see how they evolve from one type of man into another. Frederic Henry and Robert Jordan are both Americans serving overseas in some conflict, Henry being in World War I and Jordan in the Spanish Civil War between the fascists and communists, and they originally see these conflicts as a way for them to prove their manhood. They soon realize that war is not meant for all people and that it should not be glorified. They either die for their new ideas or simply vanish from our world into a realm of nothingness. This transition needs to be analysed more closely in order for us to understand it better. In A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls, we see how the main character is, in the beginning, a cold and sometimes insensitive person who loves the idea of war. In Arms, we see how Henry is a calm, calculating man who tries to live up to the Western impression of how a man should act. In American history, men have tried to reassociate themselves with a deeper meaning of manhood as a way to prove to themselves that they are acting like a man should: A broad spectrum of American men soon came to view war as the only way to cure a hopelessly flagging national masculinity(Donnell para 35). In the beginning, Henry the confidence of a man who is able to survive anything by himself and not show any emotion about it. War itself is a glorious game to him that is a test of manhood, a way for him to prove himself to the world and still be able to walk away from it: Well, I knew I would not be killed. Not in this war. It did not have anything to do with me. It seemed no more dangerous to me than war in the movies (Arms Detzler 237). Henry is a man who thinks that he is unable to be harmed and tries to live a life that is morally correct while struggling through a chaotic world. The Austrian mountains around Henry are full of temptation(ie bawdy houses) and yet he never visits them. Also, he is surrounded by constant barrages of shellfire and wounded, since he is an ambulance driver, and never shows any emotion towards these men. To him, they are simply chess pieces and he is the ambulance that comes to take away the wounded from this  great game. In Tolls, the main character is an American teacher, Robert Jordan, who is fighting in the Spanish Civil War. He is only in the mountains because he sees war as a glorified game for men only. When he is confronted with a task, such as blowing up a bridge to slow down enemy troop movements, he does not think about it and only focusses on what he needs to do: He would not think about that. That was not his business. That was Golzs business. He had only one thing to do and that was what he should think about and he must think clearly and take everything as it came along, and not worry. To worry was as bad as to be afraid. It simply made things more difficult(Tolls 8). He distances himself from the men he may have to kill and dehumanises his actions, allowing him to succeed at his job without showing any emotion or weakness. Jordan sees war as a mans job and that women have no place in it. When he first meets Maria, he tries to hide his feelings for her. He says that she should not be in the mountains with the guerillas and tries to hide how he feels an attraction to her when he looks at her. Jordan sees his emotions as a weakness and buries them deep down inside of himself, only to have them rise up later on in the novel. In conclusion, both Henry and Jordan begin as calm, cool, calculating men struggling to prove to the world who they are. These men live by a strict code of honour, chivalry, honesty, and courage, allowing their soul to survive many tough times. They originally see a war as a way to prove themselves but this soon changes. Detzler 3Towards the middle of both Arms and Tolls, we see how both Jordan and Henry become confused and disoriented by the events around them. They are faced with tough choices and are forced to reevaluate their beliefs. In Arms, Henry is wounded during the Italian retreat and is sent back to a hospital for recovery. There, he sees his helplessness as a sign of his weakness and feels that he should not have been hurt. After recovery, he returns to the front but becomes trapped with few other men from his battle group. After the men refused to help him in their struggle to make it back, Henry shoots them at point blank range in an effort to encourage the men to work harder. After this, Henry himself is almost executed after being  mistaken for an Austrian. His near-death experience during his escape caused him to reassess his beliefs because he is beginning to see that men are not meant to try and slaughter each other. He flees the army and gives in to his desires to see Catherine, a sign that he is going back on his belief that a man should never show any emotion. Henry travels to Switzerland with Catherine and tries to live out a normal life there, but now he is a confused man struggling with internal demons about his actions: The war seemed as far away as the football games of some one elses college. But I knew from the papers that they were still fighting in the mountains. . . . (Arms 277). Henry still remembers the men that he left behind at the lines and still wishes to be with them, fighting against a common enemy and united through courage, bravery, and the desire to stay alive. In Tolls, Jordan struggles with his ideas of courage and bravery as he is faced with various situations leading up to the destruction of the bridge. At different times, he is tested by other men, such as when he is forced to kill an enemy soldier who is actually just a boy. This action causes Jordan to rethink how war should be fought: should it be a cruel, merciless battle between soldiers and civilians, or should the young and innocent be spared, even if it is a sign of weakness. Also, when El Sordo and his men are trapped by the Fascist Army, they are left alone Detzler 4to fend for themselves, as to not expose the revolutionaries true numbers. Jordan wishes to go and help them because they are his comrades, but if he is to that, then he would be killed because of what some would call courage and what others would call stupidity. He is faced with either death or living a life of shame. El Sordo himself thinks the same as Jordan, wanting to die a glorious death since he knows that he should want to run away from the Fascists: Dying was nothing and he had no picture of it nor fear of it in his mind. . . . Living was a hawk in the sky. Livng was an earthen jar of water in the dust of the threshing with the grain flailed out and the chaff blowing. (Tolls 313). El Sordo does not fear death because he accepts that it is an inevitable part of life. Both Henry and Jordan begin to have second thoughts of their long held beliefs that men should be cold, merciless soldiers and start to wonder if their new ideas about wanting to be afraid are the ones they should listen to guide their lives. At the end of the novels, both Henry and Jordan face death, either directly or indirectly caused by war, and try to cope with it. In Arms, Henry is faced with the death of his wife and child in Switzerland. During child birth, Catherine develops complications and needs to be heavily medicated to numb the pain. Their child is still-born and Catherine soon after dies from massive blood loss. The loss of Henrys wife forces him to think about how he has lived his life. He begins to wonder if it was worth it shooting those men for refusing to help him. He questions if he should have even joined the army in the first place. Henry even begins to think that perhaps the war is not some game and that even the innocent can be affected by it. He simply retreats back into his own thoughts because he cannot face the world anymore. Henry displays such self control that it cannot be healthy. He is trying to not show any weakness, an idea that he has always held to be true, even though he does not want to glorify war anymore: Such illustrious-control is a visible expression of the self-discipline, knowledge, skill, and poise a man must Detzler 5achieve-as well as the honesty, courage, persistence, and stoic endurance he must possess in order to confront the vicissitudes of his life and the inevitability of . . . death on his own terms and with honour (Miles para 9). Henry develops a strong resolution towards death and does not feel anymore that war, a vast death machine, should be promoted since it can hurt even the most innocent people in the world, such as unborn children. He then proceed to vanish from this world and become like a walking zombie, unable to move on with his life but unafraid of anything anymore that might threaten him since he has already lost what is most precious to him. In Arms, Jordan is faced with death at the end of the novel in many different ways. His friend Anselmo is killed during the bridge demolition while trying to protect Jordan. Anselmo himself did not like death but was willing to face God if it meant the completion of Jordans task. Jordan himself is gravely injured while trying to flee from the Fascists and resolves to take out as many as he can before he dies. Jordan does not show any weakness towards his friends, even though he is terrified and wants to run. Jordan changes from seeing death as something far away as something that affects  everyone. It is a chance for Jordan to redeem his past life and try to come to grips with how he sees death and war. He realizes that he has lived his life wrong and that the war that he is fighting in is not the one he thought he would be fighting for. Jordan originally thought that he was fighting to save the Spanish people from the Fascists but he eventually realized he was not fighting to save the people but rather to replace one corrupt leader for another. He then comes to accept that he will die soon and waits for his time on Earth to end, hoping to take an enemy with him when he goes:Dying is only bad when it takes a long time and hurts so much that it humilates you. . . . [T]here is something you can do yet. As long as you know what it is you have to do it. As long as you remember what it is you have to wait for that. Come on. Let them come. Let them come. Detzler 6Let them come! . . . And if if you wait and hold them up even a little while or just get the officer that may make all the difference (Tolls 468-470). To Jordan, death is an inevitable part of life and now he is dedicated to taking someone down with him. His part in war is over forever but he does not want to just fade away. He understands that war is glorious but if the next man is an enemy, that man is marked for death. Therefore, both Henry and Jordan come to understand death better and to know that war is not a glorious event. War is simply a big political game with the small people taking most of the fall. In conclusion, we see how both Henry and Jordan have changes brought about to their perceptions of war. They originally join their cause simply because it is something that all men were doing at that point in life. War was someplace that boys could go and become men. War was some far off land where men would run towards each other twice, shake hands and become friends again. Henry and Jordan soon see that war is nothing like this, with innocent people being killed simply because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both men evolve from their original selves and change their ideas about life and death. Henry and Jordan lose a part of themselves during their battles, becoming better men in the end. They may be alone in the world but they are better men than they originally were: [T]he individual is on his own, like a Pilgrim walking into the unknown with  neither shelter or guidance, thrown upon his own resources, his strength, and his judgement. Hemingways style is the style of understatement since his hero is a hero of action, which is the human conditon (Hallengren para 17) These men, even though sometimes shallow, exhibit many qualities that both genders should live up to: honesty, courage bravery, morality, intelligence, affection, pride and sometimes sentimentality. These are the qualities that allow the two main characters to see through the fog of war and come to the basic conclusion: war is not meant for all people to be involved in and it should not Detzler 7be put up on a pedestal but rather looked upon with a logical mind. Even though peace is a lofty goal, it is very unlikely for humanity to succeed in achieving world peace. Until that day, war will be an everyday aspect to our lives and we need to step back and take another look at it. We need to stop viewing war as a big game and see it as a big political game, one that is not meant to help the little people, just like Henry and Jordan learned. Works Cited Donnel, Sean M.. Hemingways Short Fiction and the Crisis of Middle Class Masculinity. [Online] Available http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/sdonnell/hemingways_ masculinity.htm , May 12, 2006. Hallengren, Anders. A Case of Identity: Ernest Hemingway. [Online] Available http://nobelprize.org/literature/articles/hallengren/index.html , April 21, 2006. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribners Sons Publishing Company, 1957. . For Whom the Bell Tolls. New York: Charles Scribners Sons Publishing Company, 1968. Miles, Melvin C.. An Introductory Overview to Hemingway. [Online] Available http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/sdonnell/hemingway.htm , May 10, 2006.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay Example for Free

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay It was the morning of Aug 6 1945. It was a very beautiful rosy sky. You heard the birds chirping and yet it was so peaceful and calm. All of a sudden there was a thud. Then suddenly everything went quite and nothing was left of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then three days later the same incident was repeated again where 70,000 and 40,000 people instantly lost their lives. This was the United States first step towards technology when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The impact of this bomb had killed about 70,000 innocent civilians instantly. Even though the US knew the devastating effects of their weapons, they chose to drop it anyway. Three days later another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This had demolished about two square miles of the city and had taken about forty-thousand innocent lives. This was the end of the World War II. This all had started when President Harry Truman wanted to test out the Manhattan project. The Manhattan Project was a codename for a project that that was being done in the World War II to create the first atomic bomb. The â€Å"little boy† the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was made with uranium-235. The bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was made with plutonium-239 and called the â€Å"fat man†. The choice of target was recommended by the Target Committee at Los Amos and was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has recommended the Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kokura as the targets. There were several requirements in choosing the location to drop the fat man and little boy. The blast had to create an effective damage. The target was larger than three miles and was close to the urban area. And it was untouched from any attacks. â€Å"Hiroshima was described as an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focusing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. Due to rivers it is not a good incendiary target (Wikipedia). Hiroshima also had a major army base that had headquarters to the 5th and the 2nd army headquarters. Also, Hiroshima had mountains that surrounded it so the damage could be more effective. When the planes that carried the bombs to Hiroshima they were picked up by the Japanese air raid and had send out an alarm. But when the Japanese saw that it was only three planes they had lifted the alarm thinking that they might be just the regular visitors the US was sending over. When the bomb was thrown the â€Å"Tibbets recalled: A bright light filled the plane. The first shockwave hit us. We were eleven and a half miles slant range from the atomic explosion but the whole airplane cracked and crinkled from the blast. We turned back to look at Hiroshima. The city was hidden by that awful cloud mushrooming, terrible and incredibly tall† (WWII database). Many of those who had survived had it far worse than the ones that died instantly. They had been badly and severely burned that they looked like living charcoal pieces. Many of the ones that survived all of this died of radiation poisoning and some even had started to vomit their insides out and had died. Majority of the areas hospitals were in a part of Hiroshima that was destroyed and over 90 percent of the doctors were killed. People that escaped unbruised or hurt would suffered balding and nosebleeds, because days after the explosion the radiation levels were dangerously high. And by the end of 1945 the Hiroshima victims had increased from 90,000 to 150,000. Majority of the people that were killed were Koreans. Because the communication process was delayed due to the devastation president Truman said If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth, he said, He later gave the go-ahead to drop the second atomic weapon on Japan† (WWII database). The Second bomb was intended for the city of Kokura. But due to the bad weather that was moving in the schedule had moved up two days. The city of Nagasaki was a very important sea port in Southern Japan. The results of the Fat man was much greater than the one produced by little boy. Around 75,000 people were immediately killed. The day after the attack Japan’s emperor had over ruled the military leaders of Japan and had forced them to give into the surrender unconditionally (doe. gov). This had ended the World War II. Soon after the city was starting to be built again but the devastation area was preserved. Today both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are doing really well. They have a large automobile industry that includes brands like mazda, and Mitsubishi. There still are people who suffer the effects of the radition but very few of them are left. The population went from null to almost 1 million people in each city. In Nagasaki there are hotels on the mountainside with houses, and shops around the neighborhood. Some people had thought that because of the high radiation levels nothing would grow here for decades. But people were shocked when the plants started to grow from under the debris. People had built themselves temporary huts to avoid bad weather. But three months later aide had come from the American-Directed occupation government and the construction had began. Today the city of Nagasaki has a population of about 440,000 people. And Hiroshima today has a population of about 1. 12 million people. In todays world there major industry there is machinery, automotive which produced the Mazda car, and food processing. They have malls, and major department stores. Even though there were two big bombs dropped on the Japans two of the industrial cities, Japan had gone into a total economic and traditional decline. The Japan’s economy was devastated. America had to step in and to help the Japanese economy to get back up, so therefore most of the American values and traditions were incorporated into the Japanese culture. I think it was morally wrong for the Americans to use the atomic bombs and take so many of the innocent lives. After all as always America is the only one that wants to be in power and that was the result of that.

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Models

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Models Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Globalization in Food Industry background Since last decade, Globalization is a trend in the food industry due to growing potential markets in various developing countries and changing consumption pattern of the people. Integration of international food markets and increasing expansion in international markets of the firms is the most significant trends in global economy. Market liberalization and scientific progress gave rise to globalization. Even though consumer diets are gradually changing globally; there are variations in food shopping patterns around the world which is mostly based on income levels. The focus of food retailing industry in developing and developed countries was different with respect to consumers and the type of food demanded. The trend was that the developing countries retailers focused on high value food while the developed countries retailers focused on meeting consumer demand with respect to quality, security and choices. Thus various retailers are now looking at exploring new markets and using more opportunities in different kinds of developed and developing markets. Retailers have the information regarding the consumer preference and the standard of living which in then applied for research in segmenting the market according to market demand, affordability as well as quality. Hence food retail sectors is continuously growing and making innovative sale systems. The global food retail sale has increased up to $2 trillion yearly and the top 15 global supermarket companies’ account for more than 30 percent of world supermarket sales. Bourlakis (2004) opines that â€Å"The current changes are driving food supply chains to take up coordination between producers and retailers to aid modifying products to meet consumer demands. The food supply chain progressed from series of shorter, independent transfers to more unified, coherent relationship between processors, manufacturers and retailers†. Lubbers (1997) refer to the term globalization, meaning the global sourcing of raw materials combined with local marketing. Stalk and Hout (1990), Christopher (1992) and Hewitt (1994) suggested that â€Å"The keys to long-term competitive advantage in today’s marketplace are flexibility andcustomer response†. To maximize a competitive advantage, all members within the Supply Chain should ‘seamlessly’ work together to serve the end consumer (Towill, 1997).The effects of globalization (i.e. open markets), the market entranceof new competitors, and stricter governmental requirements for food safety and environment friendlyproduction place increasing demands on management. This study will examine some of the food supply chain models, evaluating it whether the consumer preferences are bringing changes in the global food supply chain model. Further effort will be made to analyze the changing patterns of traditional and evolving model for existing food supply chains and how it affects the sale and demand of foods in the market. With the introduction of supermarkets in the 21st century more and more traditional grocery outlets have suffered a fall in share from 40 percent in 1995 to 36 percent in 2005 and thus their was rise of supermarkets (Neff 1997a).Thus globalization has come into picture where more and more supermarkets are establishing in various countries due to decline in international trade barriers and more opportunities for investments as well as growth as a multinational. 1.2 Statement of The Problem There are various factors which affect the global food supply chain pattern and every stage of supply chain undergoes some kind uncertainties which cause inefficiencies in firm’s logistics. Food industry is also facing various issues regarding proper planning of distribution system which incurred a high cost to the retailers. Due to high competition and growth in the retail sector, many manufacturers and retailers have understood that there can be significant amount of cost reduction by making improvements in logistics. This can be achieved when the suppliers and the manufacturers work together to give better value to the consumer by maximizing costumer satisfaction and minimizing cost of distribution. Thus there is a need to redesigning a supply chain model. UK’s Milk supply chain is one of the complex food supply chains.UK is considered as one of the largest milk producers in EU. However, the major concern for UK is that even if the UK is mainly self-reliant in milk, the value of UK exports of milk products is significantly lower than the value of imports and in 2007 the UK had a trade deficit of about  £881m in dairy products. (Defra, 2007).Several reason have been estimated which has led to issues in dairy sector in UK.Thus the above issues raised a demand for further in-depth investigation. They thus form the basis for this study. 1.3 Purpose of The Study The purpose of study is to examine the food supply chain model present in global food industry as well as UK’s milk production and supply chain in particular. Specially, the purpose of the study was: To identify the changing food system pattern in food manufacturing and retailing globally. To highlight conventional and developing model for existing food supply chains and to asses its affects on the global food market. To find out the socio-economics impact of changing pattern of food supply chain on society. To study the supply chain models and to examine how the model could be designed more effectively and efficiently in order to improve supply chain uncertainties. To examine the reason of decline in the milk supplies in UK which leads to decrease in milk exports and increase in milk import even if UK is self sufficient in milk production. 1.4 Research Questions To provide focus and direction for the study and to successfully carry it out, the following research questions have been raised: a) Do the changing pattern of food distribution system have an effect on consumer and retailer’s relationship? (b) If they do, in what ways it effect the consumers? What changes should be undertaken to improve on distribution system? Which are the important factors for food supply chain developments and the important characteristics of the food retail sectors, and their effects on the food supply chain? What is the need to redesign food supply chains model? What are the strategic, tactical and operational decision made for food supply chain decision like production and distribution? How globalization in food industry has helped in growth of the world economy? Has the retail sector become more powerful then food manufacturing sector? What are the issues in Milk supply chain in UK? What is the reason for higher import of milk? What is the percentage of production of processed milk products in UK? What are the demand and supply of these milk products? 1.5 Significance of The Study This research work is to look at the current supply chain process in UK and evaluate the food supply chain model in order find out the changing patterns of global food supply chain which affects the consumer. Thus the study is significant for the following reasons: First it will help shed light on the ongoing transformation in the food industry globally. It will also help us to understand certain issues which exist in different processes of supply chain management. Also findings from the study may serve as a basis for evaluation of entire food supply systems which has shifted from national to global retailing. This will help them to adopt feasible measures to improve the relationships between retailers, manufacturers and consumer. The study will also contribute to existing knowledge on what encouraged the retailers, distributors and manufacturers to improve on the efficiencies of existing food systems. This could help strengthen retailing internalization which will further help in focusing more on increasing sale growth and market share than on profitability. The growth in private label and consumer interest brought about new changes in food retailing. In this way, the study will serve as basis for further research on the topic in the various countries as well as all over the world for the particular type of food product supply chain. Further case study is performed on UK dairy industry. It will address the positive as well as negative aspects in this sector. It also points out the market share for each dairy product and issues in dairy sector. The study also suggests the scope for future innovations in this sector. 1.6 Organization of The Study The study is organized in following way: Chapter one provides general information of the study, the research problem, purpose of study and research questions and objective of study. It would also present information on the significance of the study, limitation and organization of the study. Chapter Two presents background information and key characteristic of food supply chain globally. Chapter Three presents a review of available literature related to supply chain. In particular, literature on the concept of changing global supply chains perspectives as well as the socio economic effect on the people due to change in food supply chain as well as relationship between society and changing supply chain will be studied. Chapter four focuses on the dairy food supply chain model, its characteristics and future of the dairy supply chain sector. It will also focus on issues in production of milk and milk products. Chapter five presents the summary and conclusion of the research findings. It also discusses the findings and implications of the present study and provide a conclusion. Chapter 2 Backgroud 2.1. Introducing global retail industry Last year in 2007, national statistics confirmed that there were 55,540 retailers having around 103,000 retail outlets globally. The world’s major food retail companies are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Carrefour Group, The Kroger Co, Metro AG and many more. This company originates from different countries like US, France, Germany but they have made their mark in international markets also. Wal-Mart being the leader has expanded in over 9 countries and operates nearly 1,300 outlets across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. After acquiring the large market share in developed countries, these major retailers are looking at developing markets like China and India. There is extreme competition in retail markets because companies are always looking for acquisition prospects for further expansion. White et al., 2004, opined that â€Å"there is speculation that Carrefour, the world’s second biggest retailer by revenue may be in the sights of Wal-Mart, the only retailer that is bigger, which unsurprisingly, recently signalled it would like to start expanding more aggressively in Europe†. Reduced trade barriers and regulations have facilitated the global companies to enter the markets of developing economies like India while in China the government has increased the barriers in order to increase the competition between the global companies. Grocery and Food retailing are getting concentrated. According to the Euromoniter report 2007, â€Å"the mature markets of Western European and US markets along with growing saturation in Eastern Europe have turned retailers focus to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets, which show extraordinary growth potential†. Retailers are developing retailing strategies by doing market research specific to a particular geographical region and then using technical innovations and marketing knowledge to develop in that area. There are large formatted supermarkets, hypermarkets and a few small sized formatted stores and grocery stores. Private labeling of the retailers brands are the growing trends now a days and they have become successful as well due to the quality of products they provide at much cheaper rates. Worldwide: Top 30 Grocery Retailers, 2006 Table1. Rank/ Company Country of Origin Retail Banner Sales 2006 (USD mn) Market Share (%) Net Sales (USD mn) (1) Grocery Retail Banner Sales (%) Domestic Sales (%) Foreign Sales (%) 1 Wal-Mart USA 376,430 6.3 344,992 45.6 78 22 2 Carrefour France 122,214 2.0 97,739 73.9 47 53 3 Metro Group Germany 87,360 1.5 75,131 48.0 45 55 4 Tesco UK 86,827 1.5 78,451 73.3 75 25 5 Seven I (2) Japan 79,101 1.3 41,600 67.8 66 34 6 Ahold Neth. 77,546 1.3 56,299 84.4 18 82 7 Kroger USA 69,549 1.1 66,111 70.5 100 0 8 Sears USA 64,833 1.1 53,012 11.8 88 12 9 Costco USA 64,737 1.1 58,963 61.0 80 20 10 Target USA 62,584 1.0 59,490 30.4 100 0 11 Rewe Germany 56,448 0.9 54,515 75.3 68 32 12 Casino France 55,298 0.9 25,752 74.7 58 42 13 Schwarz Group Germany 55,160 0.9 50,224 82.6 54 46 14 AEON (2) Japan 55,157 0.9 41,431 55.5 90 10 15 Aldi Germany 54,104 0.9 49,948 83.5 53 47 16 Auchan France 53,608 0.9 48,408 62.6 50 50 17 Walgreens USA 49,874 0.8 47,409 36.0 99 1 18 Edeka Germany 48,525 0.8 40,277 85.4 93 7 19 CVS USA 46,092 0.8 43,814 30.0 100 0 20 Safeway (USA) USA 43,770 0.7 40,185 75.4 83 17 21 Leclerc France 40,435 0.7 36,432 61.4 94 6 22 ITM (Intermarchà ©) France 36,931 0.6 33,976 76.9 90 10 23 Sainsbury UK 36,071 0.6 31,360 75.6 100 0 24 Woolworths (AUS) Australia 34,255 0.6 31,243 72.1 89 11 25 SuperValu USA 32,278 0.6 37,406 73.0 100 0 26 Tengelmann Germany 31,566 0.5 29,255 62.0 58 42 27 Coles G

Essay --

How Jazz Musicians Influenced the Harlem Renaissance Jazz music was changed forever during the blossoming Harlem Renaissance, due to the great singers that changed the genre forever. Jazz music was a way for African Americas to get a sense of freedom. Singers like Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Lionel Hampton, for example, all took advantage of this freedom. Holiday, Armstrong and Hampton were so important to jazz music because they are still influence music today. Billie Holiday was born April 7th, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. â€Å"Holiday’s life was tinged with constant sadness, and she made every performance sound as if she had lived through the melancholy lyrics of the songs† (Shipton â€Å"Holiday†). She moved to New York with her mother and she sang in local clubs in Manhattan, even though she had no experience schooling. Throughout her career she faced racism as she traveled, especially when she sang in an all-white big band; this inspired her to join the desegregation movement. One of her most famous songs â€Å"Strange Fruits† was about southern lynching. During her career,...

The Role of Autonomy and Responsibility Held by the Bourgeoisie during

The Role of Autonomy and Responsibility Held by the Bourgeoisie during the Industrial Revolution During the Industrial Revolution the population was broken up into two classes; the minority was the rich, industrial middle class, the bourgeoisie, and the majority was the poor working class, the proletariat. The bourgeoisie believed in their rights to gain wealth and preserve individuality and in their duty to maintain these rights, which in turn determined the harsh laboring and living conditions of the working class. The indignities forced upon the lower class also caused movements that challenged the bourgeoisie to alter their beliefs. These included the creation of Communism, the Christian Socialist Movement, utopian models, and other theoretic views. The demands for social reforms from these movements along with the demands from the proletariat and other influential members of society, forced the bourgeoisie to modify their views to include moral justifications for their actions. Classical economists invented these justifications. They claimed that low wages were necessary to ensure survival, that the proletariat took advantage of the bourgeosie members, and finally that the proletariat members were responsible for their poor state. The bourgeoisie maintained their rich lifestyle only through their exploitation of the lower class, the proletariat. This exploitation included poor working conditions, child labor, long hours, and low wages. The industrial bourgeoisie established factories in order to produce the most efficient products at the least expensive cost. These factories, especially mines, were extremely dangerous. Three hundred forty-nine deaths occurred just in the mines of England in 18... ... 4 Rogers 149. 5 Rogers 136. 6 Rogers 146. 7 Rogers 139. 8 Rogers 136. 9 Seed, John. "Capital and Class Formation in Early Industrial England" Social History v. 18 1993 p. 17-30. 10 Rogers 135. 11 Rogers 144. 12 Rogers 145. Bibliography - Rogers, Perry M. Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History Third Edition (Upper Saddle NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996), 138. - Seed, John. "Capital and Class Formation in Early Industrial England" Social History v.18 1993 p.17-30. This article provided a synopsis of T Koditschek's Class Formation and Urban Industrial Society: Bradford 1750-1850. It showed the roles autonomy and responsibility played in the industrialists' influence of the economic, political, and social spheres during this period and illustrated the class antagonism between capital and labor.

The New Deal :: American America History

The New Deal The New Deal period has generally - but not unanimously - been seen as a turning point in American politics, with the states relinquishing much of their autonomy, the President acquiring new authority and importance, and the role of government in citizens' lives increasing. The extent to which this was planned by the architect of the New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has been greatly contested, however. Yet, while it is instructive to note the limitations of Roosevelt's leadership, there is not much sense in the claims that the New Deal was haphazard, a jumble of expedient and populist schemes, or as W. Williams has put it, "undirected". FDR had a clear overarching vision of what he wanted to do to America, and was prepared to drive through the structural changes required to achieve this vision. It is worth examining how the New Deal period represented a significant departure from US government and politics up to then. From the start of Roosevelt's period in office in 1932, there was a widespread sense that things were going to change. In Washington there was excitement in the air, as the first Hundred Days brought a torrent of new initiatives from the White House. The contrast with Herbert Hoover's term could not have been more striking. By 1934, E.K. Lindley had already written about The Roosevelt Revolution: First Phase. Hoover, meanwhile, denounced what he saw as an attempt to "undermine and destroy the American system" and "crack the timbers of the constitution." In retrospect, it was only a "half-way revolution", as W. Leuchtenburg has written. Radicals have been left with a sense of disappointment at the "might have beens", in P. Conkin's words. But Roosevelt never intended to overthrow the constitution, nor did he wish for an end to capitalism and individualism. He harboured the American Dream just like the millions of people who sent him to the White House a record four times. That, indeed, was precisely why they loved him so much: because the American Dream had turned sour in the Great Depression, and they trusted that he would be able to find a way back towards it. As Europe gave in to totalitarianism, the New Deal set out to show that democratic reform represented a viable alternative. Roosevelt's enthusiasm for his role as head of state established a new convention that the President would lead from the front, and in his First Inaugural he warned that he intended to ask Congress for greater powers to enact his policies.

Abnormal Behavior Is Defined as Behavior That Is Not Normal Essay

Abnormal behavior is defined as behavior that is not normal; what does that mean? How do we know if behavior is normal or not? The field of psychology uses four distinct definitions to define abnormal behavior, these are; Statistical Definition, Social Norm Deviance, Subjective Discomfort, and the Inability to Function Normally. Each of these definitions has distinct characteristics which separate each from the other. Statistical Definition is taking a mathematical approach to defining what normal behavior is and what normal behavior is not. Mathematics tells us that if the majority of the population is behaving in a certain manner then the part of the population which is behaving in a way that is different than the majority, is abnormal. We look at emotions and we observe how the majority of the population acts when they are sad, we compare the expressions they have, the words they share with other members of the population when they are sad; if one group shows more severe emotions than the other then we would say they are behaving abnormally; for instance, if when sad some individuals say they want to kill themselves we would say that is not a normal phrase that comes from someone who is sad. Social Norm Deviance closely follows statistical definition where we compare individuals to the social majority for their geographical area. I mentioned geographical area because how the social norm behaves in some parts of the world is different than how the social norm behaves in other parts of the world. Individuals in Northern Canada may be generally more depressed than individuals in Miami, Florida. The reasoning is behind Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); people in Northern Canada get less daylight then the people in Miami, Florida. Because of this I would suspect that they as a social norm are generally sadder than the social norm in Florida. If we compared the population in northern Canada to the population in Miami Florida, with respect to how sad they are, it wouldn’t be an accurate comparison, similar to comparing apples to oranges; they are both generally round but cannot be accurately compared. Subjective Discomfort is a good sign for abnormal behavior. When a person experiences emotional distress or discomfort when behaving a certain way we can assume that the behavior is not normal. I remember once I was at a bus stop in Boston and I asked one of the attendants if the bus I was next too was the correct bus to where I was going. He started hitting himself in the head and kept repeating â€Å"yes the D bus, yes the D bus† This distress he was experiencing from answering my simples question was very abnormal in my view, I can use Social Norm Deviance, also, to say that this individuals actions were not typical of those behavior exhibited by the social norm when asked a simple question. The inability to function normally is seen as a behavior which doesn’t allow a person to handle the daily activities of functionality; activities such as; walking down the street, talking to another person, not being afraid of every snake or spider that they come across. The ability to function normally, as seen by the norm of the population, is critical to living in this world. If individuals cannot function normally they will not be able to hold a job, will not be able to converse with other, they will be labeled as abnormal. Abnormal behavior is a normal part of human development, not that everyone experiences abnormal behavior but most of us experience some. Abnormal behavior such as depression, fright, and obsession are all common to the majority. When the abnormal behavior begins to affect our daily lives is when problems start to happen. The field of psychology has been studying abnormal behavior since the beginning of psychology, although huge strides have been taken to diagnose and help abnormal behavior, mankind has leaps and bounds to go until abnormal behavior can cured, if at all. ?

Gujarat Growth of Agriculture

Is agriculture in Gujarat on a different growth trajectory? â€Å"Agriculture is the locomotive of our economy and a prosperous rural economy based on agriculture will ultimately make the nation prosperous† Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Gujarat has consistently attracted a substantial slice of India’s private investment, primarily in its industrial sector. This has resulted in the state accounting for about 16 percent of industrial production of India. Almost 50 percent of the country’s refined petroleum products and 45 percent of the drugs and pharmaceuticals are also accounted by the state.The state’s exports stood at 14 percent of India’s total exports, exhibiting a strong global orientation of its products. Thus, the state is often pitched as the growth engine of the country. But, how has agriculture fared as a component of this great growth story? Well, till the recent past, it had not received the attention of researchers, policy makers and writers . However, in the recent past, a spate of articles on the subject area stating the buoyancy of the agriculture sector since the year 2000, has hustled away the attention to this less researched subject.These reports suggest that agriculture sector in the state has recorded towering growth rates, virtually unchallenged by the rest of the country. Between the period 2000-01 and 2007-08, agriculture grew by a phenomenal 9. 6% per year in Gujarat, despite predominantly being arid / semi-arid. The reasons for this phenomenal agriculture growth recorded by IFPRI & IWMI1 in its report are many viz; technology supported agriculture, state initiated water conservation measures, farm extension measures etc.There are many other arguments put forward by other writers and thinkers on the subject viz; Gujarat agriculture and its cropping is less traditional and more commercial in nature, and Gujarat farmers are more commercially vigilant and have a better appreciation of the options and the prosp ects in the longer term. Yet others observe that the growth in agriculture is powered by dairy sector and its cooperatives for which the state is very profoundly known.There are also views opined that the state was the first to amend the laws governing the marketing of agricultural produce and it also opened up contract farming, thus bringing into direct play the private buyers. There are many who suggest that the state has been fortunate and is supported by factors such as good monsoon for most of the decade, increasing minimum support prices from the Centre and the spread of Bt cotton, a lucrative cash crop. But some of these benefits listed were available to other parts of the country as well and no other state could record these rates of growth consistently2.A few critics also argue that the data sourced is not reliable and yet some experts have even questioned the approach to the analysis by IFPRI3. Gulati et al (2009): Agriculture performance in Gujarat since 2000- can it be a divadandi (lighthouse) for other statesan IFPRI, Washington & IWMI, Colombo, publication 2 Ref: http://www. moneycontrol. com/news/economy/how-did-gujarat-becomefarming-paradise_447382-2. html 3 As the reference points ie; start and end years of the analysis have been abnormally bad or very good respectively making the sample biased for a fair analysis. 1 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2080876 Before getting into facts and figures, it’s important to appreciate the context of this setting; the state’s agriculture is predominantly rainfed with a cropping intensity of 115 %. 60 % of its 226 development blocks are classified as droughtprone and 9 blocks are affected by desertification. Given these facts how has the state consistently clocked such massive growth rates? This paper attempts to decipher some of these issues. The paper is divided into two parts.The first part looks at the review of the agriculture sector, its sub-sectoral growth, looki ng at the facts and figures while the later part attempts to identify key factors for growth in agriculture sector, its key drivers and also the processes that enabled that growth if any. Some facts about Gujarat agriculture The state has a total geographical area of 198 lakh ha, of which 98 lakh ha is utilized for agricultural purposes. There has not been much changes in the land area under cultivation in the recent past, though some marginal changes have been seen in the gross cultivated area.About two third of the area of the state is under semi arid or arid region. This tract receives low and uneven rainfall and is also prone to climatic hazards. The TCA (Total cropped area) in the state in 2000-01 was 98 lakh ha and the latest available statistics suggest that the TCA is 103 lakh Ha showing a marginal increase in the cultivated area. The present irrigated area is about 38 %. The state has a unique mix of crops; food grains form a mere 30 percent of the cultivated area as agains t the 62 % at the national level.Oilseeds and cotton, two major crops occupy 26 % and 16 % of the TCA as of 2002-03. Pulses occupied about 10 % of the cropped area, while spices, fruits and vegetables accounted for 2 % of the cropped area of the state. The average operational holdings in Gujarat is about 2. 34 ha, which was higher than the national level averages. The number of operational holdings has actually increased from 35. 2 lakh (1990-91) to 41. 5 lakh holdings. The state also has certain unique advantages in agriculture, as there are 8 agro-climatic zones that provide suitable environment for growing a wide variety of crops.High value non-food grain crops, offering opportunities for value addition, dominate agriculture in Gujarat. Of the total workforce in the state agriculture labour constituted 69 % in 1981 ,which significantly came down to 52 %. State GSDP and agriculture The total GSDP for the state has been clocking sound growth rates, the secondary and tertiary sector , has recorded higher growth rates, when compared with agriculture. The performance of the agriculture is also higher when compared to other states but formed 14. 5 % of the total GSDP in 1999-00.However, there has been fluctuations in agriculture production over the years, the latest available figures for 2008-09 shows a decline in the agri share of 2 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2080876 GSDP to 12. 5 % . The GSDP in quantum terms is presented in the following diagram: Contribution of Agri. to State GSDP (Rs. Lakh) 300000 250000 200000 150000 173654 100000 109861 140598 153079 189436 213092 228459 50000 25035 23222 28577 27815 32408 28506 15975 0 1999-2000 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09Agriculture (including AH) Total GSDP The relative growth rates for primary, secondary and tertiary sector for the last 10 years recorded in the state of Gujarat is presented in the Annexure1. The average annual growth rate of agri GSDP for the state and al l India is presented below in the following table. Agri Sector / year 1980-81- 1991-92 Rate of growth Average annual CV 1992-93– 1999-00 Average annual CV 2000-01- 2006-07 Average annual CV Source: Gulati et al (2009) ibid Gujarat 6. 6 7. 4 6. 9 4. 3 9. 6 2. 2 All India 3. 8 1. 5 3. 8 1. 5 2. 7 2. 1The Co-efficient of variation (CV) recorded for agri GSDP growth rates in the state in the initial decades (1980-90) is rather high (pl see above Table), while it has shown a substantial fall in the 2000-01 to 2006-07 period. Thus, there is a clear indication of the volatility in agricultural production has been controlled significantly. In an independent study on Gujarat agriculture undertaken by IIM-A4 over a period of five decades has indicated that agriculture in Gujarat has been positive and consistent for the past two decades. However, a significant acceleration has been noticed during the last decade.The statistically analyzed study states that agriculture that turned around first (in 2001-02) and then rest of the economy thereafter (in 2002-03). Study also quotes that the terms of trade for 4 Dholakia, R & Datta, S (2010); High growth trajectory and structural changes in Gujarat agriculture, IIM publication 3 agriculture in relation to non-agriculture sector played a major role in incentivising growth in agriculture. Irrigation Gujarat is a water deficit state with 70 percent of its geographical area classified as semi-arid and arid land types.The ultimate irrigation potential of the State from Ground Water and surface water is assessed at 64. 88 lakhs ha, out of which the ultimate irrigation potential through surface water as per the latest estimate is assessed at 39. 40 lakh hectares, which includes 17. 92 lakh ha to be irrigated through Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). Thus, of total gross irrigated area, about 17 percent is irrigated by canals and 82 percent by privately owned tube and other wells; thus agriculture ( irrigated) in Gujarat depends pre dominantly on ground water. Source of irrigation, 00†² Ha -Gujarat (2004) 27,364(80. %) 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Canals Wells / Tubewells Tanks Other sources 5,997(17. 7) 262 (0. 7%) 252 (0. 7%) At present Gujarat has about 17 major irrigation projects and 169 medium irrigation schemes across various talukas; plan outlay for 2008/09 for major and medium irrigation projects was Rs. 1146 crores. The largest of all these is the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). According to the corporation the main canal is about 458 km long up to the Gujarat-Rajasthan border and is almost complete with water running into Rajasthan. The designed discharge capacity is 40000 cusecs at the head reach.The total Command Area of the SSP is 18 lakh ha, covering around 3112 villages in Gujarat, of which only 3 lakh ha is said to be complete. Another issue, which has been unique to Gujarat, has been the issue of salinity ingress (1. 2 lakh ha) affecting the coastal districts and Kutch, due to seepage of seawater. There are a few initiatives taken with the funding support of NABARD to address the issue and stop further salinity ingress. Thus, the scarcity of water was so profound, which had triggered people’s movements for water conservation. There are documented evidences of such 4 eople–led initiatives in the Saurashtra region. However, this was translated into a mass movement with the government announcing the Sardar Patel Participatory Water Conservation Project in 2000 for the construction of water harvesting and ground water recharge structures like check dams, boribunds, village and farm ponds (khet talavadis) under a 60:40 scheme in which government contributed 60% of the cost while the farming communities contributed 40%. However, the real push is said to have triggered after the drought of 2002, when this process gained momentum.It has been a roaring success and stories abound of conversion of barren lands into fertile farms, rising yields and fal ling costs of cultivation across the state. The tangible result of this initiative is visible from the condition of the ground water development blocks in the state. Irrigation blocks 2002 Irrigation Blocks 2007 Over Exploited 14% Over Exploit ed 1 2% Crit ical 2% Critical 6% Safe 43% Semi crit ical 1 2% Saline 6% Saf e 68% Semi critical 31% Saline 6% These developments have increased water supply for agriculture either directly by supplying water for irrigation or indirectly by recharging ground water levels.Before the start of this movement only about 43 percent of the blocks were considered as safe and 37 percent of the blocks were critical or semi-critical. However, after a span of 5 years, in 2007, the groundwater assessment indicated that percent share of safe blocks rose to 68 percent and critical and semi-critical blocks were a mere 18 percent. It’s also informally understood that ground water level has increased by 3-5 meters in Saurashtra and Kutch regions5. Indepen dent assessments by other International agencies like IWMI6 have also shown very positive impact of this initiative.But apart from increasing water supply, there have been other efforts by the state government to regulate water use for agriculture and also conserve the harvested water and minimize wastage and thus increase efficiency. Two such initiatives of the state government were introduction of micro irrigation systems like drip irrigation and ensure adequate propaganda for the same through an exclusive government promoted company GGRC (Gujarat Green Revolution Company). The other initiative has been 5 6 Discussions with Director of Agriculture, GOG Shah, T et al (2008): Secret of Gujarat’s agrarian miracle after 2000.Economic and political weekly Vol: 44 Issue: 52 pp: 45-55 5 Joytigram project for provision of separate electricity feeder lines for agriculture purpose, thus regulating and monitoring its use. The government has also initiated about 1918 watershed-based pr ogrammes (since inception, covering schemes like DDP, DPAP and IWDP for drought proofing, environment protection and employment generation) covering about 19. 65 lakh ha; NABARD has also supported some of these endeavors. Thus, the watershed-based approaches cover about 20 % of the cultivated area of the state.More details of water conservation measures have been provided in the later part of this write up. Based on data released by Directorate of Economics and Statistics, gross irrigated area increased from around 37 (1999-00) to 44 lakh ha (2006-07) – an increase of 16. 9 percent. Further, the total irrigated area under all crops has grown at 4. 4 percent per annum from 2000-01 to 2006-07, and at 6. 3 percent per annum from 2002-03 to 2006-07. Crop patterns Since, 1960-62 the area under food crops in Gujarat was only 47 percent of its GCA, which gradually came down to 38 percent in 2008.Though the net sown area has not shown much changes, but the availability of irrigation water did increase Rabi coverage in Saurashtra, kutch and north Gujarat. The reports suggest about 6-8 lakh ha of additional area being brought under Rabi in the recent past. This is also evident from increase in cropping intensity by about 4-5 percent in the last decade. Gujarat State : Gross Cropped & Gross Irrigated Area (‘000 Hect. ) 16000 14000 12000 10000 10995. 5 10634. 8 8000 10745. 9 10497 10791 10630. 7 11421 11256. 9 6000 4000 4111. 2 4279. 5 2000 2334. 4 2910. 5 3499. 4 3342. 1 3572. 8 3637 1980-81 1990-91 1995-96 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-2004 2004-2005 Gross Irrigated Area Gross Cropped Area A comparison of GCA to Gross Irrigated Area (GIA), indicates a shifting trend; in 1980-81 only 22 percent of the GCA was irrigated and it increased by 5 % to 27 percent in 1990-91, however, subsequently increased to 38 percent in 2004-05. The crop patterns indicate that cotton; oilseeds like groundnut, followed by cereals formed the major crops in the state. However, there has been clear 6 switch in the cropping patterns, while area under rice has remained stagnant, but the area under another cereal crop wheat increased from 3. 2 percent in 196061 to 9. 67 percent in 2007-08, partly because of the availability of water. Amongst cereals sharpest decline in area has been reported for jowar from 13. 17 percent in 1960-91 to 1. 22 percent in 2007-08. Shift from jowar/bajra to Wheat 000 Ha 1400 1200 1274 1154 1162 1158 1129 1161 1072 1016 946 926 922 1091 1000 800 859 734 755 703 600 518 400 442 358 304 479 200 241 222 212 166 161 2004-2005 129 2005-2006 147 2006-2007 174 128 2007-2008 2008-2009 0 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 Jowar Bajra WheatThe percentage area under oilseeds has slightly improved from 24 percent of GCA to 26. 17 percent in 2007-08. Groundnut which is considered as one of the most sensitive crops to moisture stress has shown a marginal decline from 22 percent of GCA to 17 percent . However, other oilseeds crops like castor , sesamum and rapeseed have made substantial gains during this period. Cotton, one of the predominant crops, which had 17. 56 percent coverage of the GCA in the state in 1960-61, further increased its coverage to 20. 54 percent of the GCA. Thus, there are clear trends in crop pattern changes in the state.Production and productivity of crops As indicated earlier, Gujarat agriculture is known for its volatile fluctuations in production and productivity. However, the Coefficient of variation has been drastically reduced in the recent years. The area, production and productivity (APY) of two categories of crops viz, food grains, oilseeds and cotton for the last 10 years are presented below in graphical format. The trends does indicate that : o Sharp decline in production and productivity in all crops during 2002-03 caused by the drought during the period. This is more profound in oilseeds and cotton. The decline was sharpest in case of oilseeds. Amongst the food grains, two princ ipal crops viz; wheat and rice exhibited sharp increase in productivity. Food grains have not exhibited any 7 increase in area, coverage; but production increases in wheat has been largely due to increased rabi coverage. Gujarat State : A P Y patterns for Food Grains 9000 8206 8000 7000 6737 6000 5254 5588 5000 4438 3718 3999 3000 3185 3861 3769 4395 6345 5882 6345 4000 4481 4209 3984 4188 3845 3983 2000 1601 1000 1361 1110 857 0 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 1166 1650 1403 1404 1831 1593 Area (‘000 Hec. )Production (‘000 tons) Productivity ( Kg/hec) Gujarat State : A P Y patterns for Oilseeds 7000 6000 5850 5000 4657 4699 4000 3932 3747 2930 3000 2864 2000 1826 2861 1738 2861 2900 1878 1905 1572 1000 638 0 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 Area (‘000 Hec. ) 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 Productivity ( Kg/hec) 607 1309 979 648 3071 2994 2962 3020 2856 2852 2874 1648 1368 1057 2006-2007 2007 -2008 2008-2009 Production (‘000 tons) Gujarat State : A P Y patterns of Cotton 9000 8276 8000 6872 7876 7014 7000 5903 6000 5000 4280 4000 3000 2146 2000 1611 1000 226 0 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 Area (‘000 Hec. 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 Productivity ( Kg/hec) 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 130 165 191 1282. 6 1675 1684. 6 1737. 2 1883. 9 1673. 4 1695 429 1920 523 2011 581 564 581 507 2372 2422 2354 Production (‘000 bales) 8 ? ? However, the coverage of the low value kharif crops like bajra has seen a switchover to other higher value kharif crops viz; cotton/ hybrid maize. No significant changes in area has been noticed in respect of oilseeds, while its productivity has increased, mainly because of the crop changes / switches to high productivity crops like castor.Further the oilseeds production patterns have shown significantly wide fluctuations because of its sensitivity to water availability. o The most significant increase in the production pa tterns has been noticed in respect of cotton since the year 2002-03. The GOI had allowed production of genetically modified Bt cotton for three years from April 2002. The productivity of cotton per ha also increased from 191 kg / ha in 2002-03 to 581 kg/ha in 2007-08, mainly because of the introduction of Bt cotton. Gujarat is also said to have highest number of cotton growers (14 lakh ). In 2000-01 the state produced about 16. percent of India’s total cotton production, by 2007-08 it is said to have increased to around 35. 5 per cent of the total cotton output. According to estimates, the area under Bt cotton in India is about 76 lakh ha , which is about 80 percent of the total area under cotton in the country. As of 2008, the area under Bt cotton is the highest in Maharastra followed by Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Gujarat however, has the advantage of having maximum no. of seed companies which also produce Bt, hybrid seeds locally. Other important crops & crop diversificati on Gujarat farmers are known for their preference for high value commercial crops.This is evident from the recent efforts at crop diversification. One of the key reasons for this crop change has been availability of water. Fruits, which formed around 1 lakh ha in 1991-92, almost tripled and formed about 3. 39 lakh ha in 2008-09. 160 150 140 144. 74 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 Area (lakh Ha), Production (Lakh Tonne) of Horticulture crops 138. 03 (includes Fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers) Area Production 121. 04 115. 46 93. 48 85. 44 67. 16 60. 98 50 40 30 20 10 0 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 6. 91 7. 4 9. 47 9. 69 11. 03 11. 24 12. 46 13. 12 9 The fruit production increased from 18 lakh mt to 60 lakh mt in the same period, the major crops mango, banana and sapota. Similarly vegetables, which formed about 98,000 ha in 1991-92 it, quadrupled to 3. 95 lakh ha in 2008-09. Similar trend has been noticed for spices also. Availability of water for irri gation, better extension services and incentivisation through effective subsidies have all played a clear role for fuelling growth and crop diversification like Bt Cotton initially, followed by horticulture crops.The State government has made it mandatory to use tissue cultured plantlets, drip irrigation with fertigation, and mulching as mandatory ingredients for availing subsidy under its state Horticulture Mission programmes. The focus of the horticulture expansion has been chiefly in the southern districts of the state, where many cooperatives in the region have tie up with producers for collection, marketing of the produce. Though one has seen the entry of corporates for procurement and contract farming etc, but such farming and retail marketing is yet to make a significant dent.The shift to Bt cotton is not limited to the Saurashtra region and is also visible in other parts of the state. However, the changes in oil seed crops from groundnut to other crops like castor is mainly noticed in northern Gujarat. Seeds Seed is the basic input in agriculture and has been critical in harnessing the full potential. Non-replacement of seeds due to non-availability or inaccessibility results in farmers sowing homegrown seeds. Thus it is important to achieve the threshold level of Seed Replacement Rate (SRR). Govt. f Gujarat has set a target SRR of 25%, 35% and 100% in respect of self-pollinated (except ground nut), cross-pollinated and hybrid crops respectively. This aspect has been eloquently covered during the Krishi Mahotsavs being organized by the state Government. Also minikits containing small quantities of seeds, free of cost, are being distributed as a part of National Food Security Mission (NFSM) during the Krishi mahotsavs. It may be added that the SRR reported in the state is much favorable than the national level figures.However, the seed requirements of the farmers are met out through both the Public sector (Gujarat State Seed Corporation- GSSCL) and the private sector seed companies. The GSSCL has steadily increased its coverage and enlisted the support of 8000 seed growers and seed production is undertaken in 14,500 ha of land. The seeds are marketed under the brand name â€Å"Gurbani†. The GSSCL is estimated to meet 35 percent of the seed requirement for wheat , paddy , groundnut and pulse. However, the Private seed companies have brought in new technology for several crops, ranging from bajra to castor, but above all in Bt cotton.More than 20 Bt cotton varieties are now produced by 30 odd seed companies. This is despite the fact that the first cotton hybrid in the world – H4 was introduced in 1970 by the government Cotton Research Station situated at Surat. This hybrid cotton by virtue of its high yield potential and adaptability became popular among the farmers initially in Gujarat. There are large number of Hybrids in cotton and Bt Hybrids, which is being marketed by the seed companies in the state. 10 Fertilizer State government through the issue of Soil health cards in the Krishi Mahotsavs has addressed the daunting task of ensuring balanced use of fertilizers.The Government of Gujarat has issued more than 17 lakh cards in the last 4 years, and has been able to marginally address the issue of balanced use of fertilizers. The records suggest that the trend in fertilizer consumption (NPK ratio) which was 7. 84: 3. 08: 1. 00 has now marginally changed to 5. 87:2. 55:1. 00 in 2008-09. With the presence of number of fertilizer companies, the per ha consumption of fertilizers in the state has been consistently higher than the national average.Extension services The State Agricultural Department along with four Agricultural Universities (Banaskantha, Anand, Navsari and Dantewada) and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are actively involved in extension services which interalia includes organizing the unique krishi mahotsavs, which is described in the later part of this report. Credit Credit and its ti mely availability to the farming community is an essential ingredient for growth. Credit disbursements for agricultural purposes have shown sharp growth rates in tune with the policy prescriptions both at the national and the state level.The CAGR for agricultural credit for the national and state level figures have been very similar. The agriculture credit disbursed in Gujarat state formed about 5. 3 percent of the all India figures for the year 2000-01 and also in 2009-10; but in the interim the percent share marginally slipped to sub 5 percent; ranging between 4. 4 to 4. 8 percent during the 2005-2009 period. Agri Credit (Rs Cr) 400000 350000 300000 250000 200000 150000 125309 229400 180485 All India Gujarat 254658 301908 366,900 100000 50000 0 52827 2824 62045 3446 69560 3931 86891 4517 6091 7936 10027 12129 13567 19533 001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Thus, the relationship of agri credit on agri GDP growth in the instant case cannot be clearly established; as si milar credit expansion in other states have not translated to high GDP growth rates elsewhere. But, some of the recent 11 interventions of the GoI viz; revamping the cooperative credit institutions in the state, ADWDR-2008, interest subventions could have positively impacted off take of agri credit and facilitated cheaper sources funds for the agrarian community, especially for marginal groups like small / marginal farmers.But, conversely it provokes one to question whether credit-led solutions are needed for all agrarian issues, especially after the efforts in the past to double credit flow. There are also other moot points to consider especially when monocropped areas viz; is increased indebtedness a solution especially in a drought year, when water the key input for farming is rather scarce? Should not these issues be addressed first, rather than facilitating a credit guzzle, which are often said to palliative solutions!!Crop insurance Crop insurance services are offered to the f armers for better production of crops, introduction of modern technologies and above all to mitigate the likely risk that the farmers could face. The coverage of farmers under the crop insurance and area covered under insurance have both shown a partial decline over the years, while the sum assured have shown a variation with an upward trend in the last year. 120. 0 108. 4 100. 0 88. 4 80. 0 60. 0 40. 0 20. 0 0. 0 1 2 3 Farmers (lak) 4 5 Area(L Ha). 6 7 Premium cr 8 9 24. 8 12. 8 23. 2 12. 0 22. 2 10. 4 22. 2 10. 7 25. 5 8. 9 19. 0 8. 8 17. 7 8. 4 18. 5 8. 3 20. 9. 5 74. 2 99. 4 85. 3 82. 9 82. 1 84. 0 105. 8 Crop Insurance Coverage (2001-09) The decline in crop insurance coverage could be partially because of the farmer’s disinclination to cover cotton crop, carrying higher premiums or increased water availability, which could have dissuaded farmers from opting for risk mitigation tools. However, no specific conclusions can be drawn on the relationship of crop insurance cove rage and agri GDP growth rates in the state. 12 Livestock and dairy Milk is the largest product forming about 89 percent of the total value of livestock and total output of agriculture and allied activities.The dairy industry received a boost after the â€Å"operation flood† programme launched by the NDDB few decades back. Milk production in the state grew at an annual compounded growth rate of over 5 percent compared to the national average of 3. 9 percent during the current decade. However, the share of livestock and animal husbandry in the agri GSDP of the state has been fluctuating between 22- 28 range in the last decade with a marginal dip in the last few years. In value terms it has increased from Rs 5725 cr ( 1999-00) to Rs 14733 crore in 2007-087.S ha r e o f a gr i a nd A H i n A gr i ‘ s c ont r i but i on t o GS D P 10 0 % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 25% 10 % 0% 19 9 9 – 2 0 0 0 2000- 2001 2 0 0 1- 2 0 0 2 2002- 2003 2003- 2004 2004- 2005 2005- 200 6 2006- 2007 2007- 2008 27% 27% 28% 22% 26% 22% 23% 23% %ge A H t o t ot a l GS D P %ge A gr i t o t ot a l GS D P There are a number of recent initiatives that have been taken by the government to give a boost to the sector, besides increasing the budgetary allocation for animal husbandry and dairy development from Rs 20. 5 crore in 2004-05 to 95. 6 crore in 2008-09 , (which is a 4. times jump in the allocation), there has been a focus in provision of extension services. Though extension services have normally not received much attention for the sector, the krishi Mahotsav of the state give due importance to this aspect during the one month mass contact programme. Kits and medicines are also distributed during these krishi mahotsavs. There are two other noticeable initiatives which the state government has recently taken viz; mobile veterinary vans; it has converted 120 of its 1250 veterinary hospitals to mobile vet vans, which visit villages during specialized time schedules.The v eterinary hospitals established in the outskirts of the city area many years back have become unsuitable and inconvenient for farmers to visit and hence the new initiative. The response from the farmers is understood to be very satisfying. 7 Government of Gujarat, Directorate of animal husbandry, 26 th survey report. 13 Secondly inorder to address the livestock farmers need of post monsoon seasons, when the disease incidence is high, the department has initiated the process of conducting health camps during the sept – oct periods.About 3000 such health camps have been planned during the year. Some of the of the recent initiatives like cattle breeding have seen a spurt in Cross Bred cows and buffalo population in the state; these actions are expected to yield substantial gains in the ensuing years. Further, the diary cooperatives, which were active in the south, mid and northern Guajrat are now taking, shape in Saurashtra and Kutch regions. These initiatives are expected to su bstantially contribute to agri GDP growth in the state in future.Fisheries With a vast coastline spanning over 1,600 kms, fisheries forms an important sub component of the agriculture sector of the state. There are around 117 fish landing sites in the state and part of the production is also exported. The total production (marine fish), which was 5. 84 lakh tones, in 2004-05 has increased to 6. 83 lakh tones in 2008-09 ie; recording a 17 % growth rate in 4 years. Thus, the annual growth rates recorded are lower than the sector as a whole. Much of the existing potential in the state for marine and inland fisheries is yet to be tapped.Other support services which could have enabled agriculture growth Insufficient rainfall and vast regional variations in precipitation is almost a permanent feature of Gujarat, though a few exceptions have been noticed in recent past. This has often led to lack of quality drinking water in around 8,000 out of total 30,000 habitations; the issue is furthe r compounded by the concern due to fluoride, salinity, nitrates etc. This is particularly critical because of 75 percent of drinking water and other domestic need was earlier dependent on ground water.The recent state government initiative of implementing Sardar Sarovar Canal based drinking water supply project based on Narmada has served as a boon for the people of Gujarat . As per the latest available information 8215 villages and 135 towns of North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch districts are being covered under the project. Under this project, water is being transported through bulk water transmission lines and distribution network to the doorsteps of villages and towns. Part of this drinking water supply project is being implemented through WASMO, which is being funded by NABARD under RIDF.The impact of the programme has been good and quality water availability has led to economic and social empowerment of marginalized people/ segment of society, especially women. Rural connecti vity is another critical area, which has also directly influenced steep growth rates in the agriculture. In Gujarat, the rural road connectivity is 14 stated to be very good with about 98. 5 percent of the 18,000 odd villages having good road connectivity. Gujarat has been one of the first states to amend its APMC Act and also articulate the contract farming guidelines.The amendment was expected to create conditions conducive for the spread of contract farming. The government also encouraged large corporates to establish retail chains and source their requirements directly from farmers, but there has been no deluge of any kind, the state government also announced to provide subsidy for setting up low cost green houses etc The farmers in the state have also effectively used some of the GoI schemes available, for building and strengthening the agri infrastructure in the state.One stand out example has been rural godowns. Since the inception of the scheme a few years back, about 5400 g odowns have been constructed in the state with a capacity of 16. 84 lakh tones. The scheme is administered through NABARD /NCDC and most of these structures are of smaller capacities and in rural hinterlands. Based on this analysis and assessment of facts and figures, four key drivers, which facilitated the massive push for agriculture growth in the state, have been shortlisted in the following pages.An attempt has also been made to catalog & assess the actions & processes that served the cause. These have been crystallized based on the documents available to the author (though not explicitly mentioned) and also based on the interfaces that the author had with the stakeholders of the programme in the state. 15 Key driver 1 Water availability Key driver 2 Power availability Key driver 3 Extension/ access to info Key driver 4 Crop diversification Driver 1 : Water harvesting followed by water conservation- starting where it needs to start !Water supply is the key to crop production and agriculture. The positive impact of irrigation on agricultural intensification and increased crop yield has been very well documented by various studies. Several irrigation impact related case studies in India have illustrated that irrigation management has a profound role to play in the poverty alleviation process as well8. The marginal returns of irrigation versus other factor inputs such as, farm technology and other rural infrastructure development are still a controversial issue in rural development literature.At first glance, the agricultural marvel in Gujarat seems to 960 804 have been supported by 647 factors such as good monsoon for most of the present decade, especially 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008after the drought in 2001-02. 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 YEAR The drought situation in early part of the decade had ushered in community led initiatives to save water, especially in Kutch, Saurashtra and the northern Gujarat areas of the state.Although many focus on the Sardar Sarovar Project, its canal network etc as the key to domestic and irrigation success in the state , its is awfully incomplete, and currently irrigates only 3 lakh ha. With almost 81 percent of the irrigation source coming in from ground water sources, it became a critical area of management. However, with groundwater extraction more than the estimated recharge, it was evident with substantial lowering of water tables levels in Saurashtra, Kutch and Northern Gujarat areas.In the mid90s, large parts of Saurashtra used to get water through train tankers from waterabundant areas of central and south Gujarat. The coastal Saurashtra & kutch had also witnessed another issue with consequential effect of excessive ground water extraction, which had resulted in lateral; sub-surface intrusion of sea water which has affected coastal areas accounting to salinity. 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1288 1291 2008-09 960 RAINFALL IN MM 1034 1178 947 Thus, the scarcity of water was so p rofound and felt, that had triggered people’s movement for water conservation.One such was the check dam revolution in 1999 by Mansukh Suvagiya, a Rajkot-based social worker in Jhamka village of Junagadh where the villagers collected money and constructed 52 check dams in a span of two months on small rivulets in and around the village. Today, Jhamka is a symbol of water and agro self-sufficiency. In the same year, the Saurashtra 8 Chambers, Robert, 1998. Managing Canal Irrigation: Practical Analysis from South Asia. Oxford & IBH Publishing Company, New Delhi, India. 16 Jaldhara Trust, built 213 check dams on rivulets in and around Khopala near Bhavnagar to turn the village's fortune.Thus, the drought of 2001-02, served as a turning point for large scale Government participation in innovative management of its groundwater resources which was taken on a massive measure. The success of the earlier people & NGO led initiatives served as a testimony to such efforts. The state ado pted a combination of rainwater harvesting – that traps water that would otherwise drain away followed by water conservation by use of micro irrigation – that supplies each drop of water more efficiently and directly to the plant.Thus, the water harvesting campaign â€Å"Jal Sanchay Abhiyan† was intended to inspire the farmers of the State to maximise agricultural production at minimum cost. The movement has been a roaring success and stories abound of conversion of barren lands into fertile farms, rising yields and falling costs of cultivation across the state. â€Å"To get something from mother earth you have to give something back. If you don't, it will stop giving you. It can't be a one-way cycle,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Chief Minster, Modi told the farmers.Though the state Land Development Corporation implements most of the soil and water conservation activities, in the instant case the work was also entrusted to rural development, agriculture and irrigation depar tments also. The main objective was to harvest rain water through soil and moisture conservation activities of cultivable as well as uncultivable land. The structures/ works include check dams, nala plugs, boribunds, loose boulder structure and gully control measures were made to enable in situ harvest of water.Thus, the programme was initiated as a people participative programme and was launched after detailed discussion with farmers / beneficiaries in the year 2000. Most of these blocks where the campaign got well entrenched were in Saurashtra and Kutch where the farmers and the government together have started a unique check dam revolution. State Government has launched another specialised (Sujalam Sufalam Yojana) in the ten worst affected districts of Gujarat to solve water problem caused due to excessive ground water extraction in the region. Most of the area of the 10 districts is now anked over exploited and included in the dark category. New tube wells are already banned in these areas since December 2003. (NABARD has also supported the scheme in the year 2004-05 which was effectively implemented in the allocated time period. ) The government had also made use of the imaging facilities to identify the areas where these water conservation devices were to be constructed. In the state as a whole, by December 2008, nearly 5,00,000 structures were created – 1,13,738 check dams, 55,917 bori bandhs, 2,40,199 farm ponds, besides 62,532 large and small check dams constructed– all in a campaign mode.The changes are less evident in north Gujarat where the topography for building check dams is not conducive. The government’s next focus was on water conservation through micro-irrigation systems. In 2003, the Gujarat Government launched the Gujarat Green Revolution Company to propagate sprinkler and drip irrigation technology among farmers by giving them hefty incentives. First, it made the subsidy for micro irrigation available to all farmers, not just the poor ones. The initial investment to 17 install such micro irrigation was high and prohibitive and therefore poor farmers were hesitant to make that investment.But for the large farmers the subsidy made it a compelling proposition and they actively participated. This in fact is said to have triggered the poor farmers to join in. Another unique aspect is the transparent and clear norms articulated by GGRC for subsidy scheme. It not only ensured clear product standards for the companies selling micro-irrigation system but also ensured that the companies didn’t sell pipes and move on. There was a clear condition that the companies should also provide extension services to the farmers for minimum period of time.To ensure compliance, it introduced a series of norms – like how many agronomists must be employed for a given expanse of land, how many field visits the experts must make and even the price at which the systems could be sold. Besides, this allowing all registered companies (with GGRC) to provide microirrigation system to farmers, it had also widened the choice for the farming community. What has been impact of these initiatives? It is stated that the availability of the water increased substantially in the water scare areas.The farmers it was understood could now ensure to life saving irrigation to failing crops. An independent assessment by (Shah, et al, 2009) is summarized below: 18 Analysis by the author, clearly explains the unprecedented dynamism shown by Saurastra and Kutch , and North Gujarat in agricultural performance. The availability of water has essentially triggered increased crop cultivation, visible by increased Gross Cropped Areas (GCA) in these areas. This has also resulted in switch to better crop choices in these areas primarily for Bt cotton (described in greater detail in other part of this report).Thus, a succession of good monsoons, investment in groundwater recharge and other support measures like – improved quality of power, resulted a remarkable change in agricultural production in the previously water scarce areas. A similar observation has also been made by IIMA in its study. Thus, â€Å"Gujarat has set the finest example of groundwater management through indigenous and modern methods and through people's participation,† 19 Key driver 1 Water availability Key driver 2 Power availability Key driver 3 Extension/ access to info Key driver 4 Crop diversificationDriver 2 : Rural electrification with an innovative approach (Joytigram Yojana) Power supply is often said to be a tinderbox issue; 100 % electrification does not translate to light in every house and if there is electrical connection in the house it does not translate into 24*7electricity9. Like elsewhere in India, unreliable farm power supply has been anathema for farmers and the rural society. In Gujarat, uncontrolled farm power subsidies led to unsustainable increase in groundwater withdrawals and left the Gu jarat Electricity Board (GEB) nearly bankrupt.Because farmers were getting subsidised power, they had little incentive to save on its use or keep pumps in good order to lower power consumption. As a result, much power was wasted. Also, power theft was widely prevalent. Further, farmers faced the problem of low-voltage power that helped nobody. In 2003, the Government of Gujarat introduced the Joytigram Yojana to improve rural power supply, through an innovative approach and thus streamlined the supply of electricity to water pumps.Traditionally the transmission system from power plant to ultimate users is through a single unit, however, under the new scheme the state government split the power supply chain viz; by constructing a new parallel transmission system, by which it could intelligently allocate power supply to farmers. Accordingly, for the first time farmers in Gujarat received 8 hours of electricity of guaranteed voltage and pre-fixed timings, whereas previously they receiv ed 13-14 hours of irregular and unreliable supply.This ensured that farmers could use the pumps only for a limited time and had to make the most of it. As irrigation in Gujarat state is largely by ground water sources, the earlier approach of erratic and intermittent power, warranted over use of pumpsets by farmers, resulting in lifting water much more than the crop requirements and consequent wastage of water. With more assured and regulated power supply, the farmers found they could not make unauthorized use of power; and initially disliked the effective rationing system.But on the flip side they enjoyed largely uninterrupted power supply at full voltage along a strictly adhered schedule10. Thus, the Joytigram Yojana, is said to have pioneered a real-time co-management of electricity and groundwater for agriculture. . Farmers were also happy that they were spared of the very high repair and maintenance cost that poor and erratic power supply imposed on them. Subsequently most farm ers welcomed Joytigram for limiting competitive pumping of water and addressing the common property externality inherent in groundwater irrigation2.Ground water and power rationing through the Joytigram scheme not only increased efficiency of water and power utilization for 9 Devika, D (2010), Government of Gujarat: Joytigram yojana Verma, S & Shah, T (2008), Co-management of electricity and ground water Economic and Political Weekly Vol: 43 Issue: 7 pp: 59-66 10 20 agriculture, but it also frees up these resources for the rural nonfarm economy to grow. However, the new parallel feeder lines all came at a cost of Rs 1290 crore, to the exchequer.However, its quick implementation in just 1000 days enabled installation of 56,307 kms of high tension wires and 18,724 transformers to each of the 18,000 villages in the state. Conventional Way Single feeder Joytigram Yojana Separate feeders Agriculture and Domestic Agriculture 3 Phase, 8 hours Domestic single phase 24 Hours Impact Majority power drawn for agriculture Crippling shortage in the domestic sector Quality of the power poor, cases of damages to farmers pump sets etc Impact Farmers get continuous and good quality power at pre-announced schedules Domestic gets 24 hours uninterrupted power supply – Infact special feeders were also effectively crafted (Specially Designed Transformers) to supply power to farmers residing in scattered farm houses. The average expenditure per village is a mere Rs. 6. 72 Lacs. A study undertaken by IRMA indicates many 56,307 kms positive features and 22,146 kms impact of the scheme, 18,724 nos which interalia includes 17,00,000 1,888 increase in employment, Rs 1290 crore decrease in migration by Rs 1115 crore 33 %, reduction in school 1000 absenteeism and average duration of study by school students increasing by 80-90 %.The study also indicates the positive impact of power availability on rural industries, which has enabled 53 % of the families in rural areas to work during night times, increased momentum in industrial activities such as diamond polishing, agro processing etc. The project is also indicated to have decreased the time taken by women on household chores by 26 % and also enhanced their leisure, entertainment and education substantially.Work executed under the Yojana : (Source: GOG) New high tension lines New low tension lines New transformers Poles erected Joytigram feeders Project cost Govt grant No. of days Joytigram 21 Another derived benefit from this innovative approach has been the reduction in distribution losses by 3. 74% and T/C failure by 1. 17% during the year 2005-2006 compared to year 2004-0511. The Electricity Board has also benefited by increased revenues. Once considered as bankrupt, it has seen a quantum jump in revenues from Rs 850 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 1231 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 1437 crore in 2008-09.All this is said to be achieved without a single increase in electricity tariff for the past 7 years. Thus, Gujarat†™s agricultural boom is also driven by a much-improved rural power supply, which is mainly on account of the Jyotigram scheme. Besides making power available at stipulated times for the farming community, metering electricity use for irrigation purposes and charging farmers at near commercial rates based on power consumption is ultimately the ideal solution to these traditional vows.The link between electricity–groundwater is well established, a good and assured power supply and pre-defined time periods for the agrarian communities in water scare areas is critical to ensure balanced and sustainable extraction of groundwater resources. However, doing this will remain a politically sensitive issue, until such beneficial public systems find a feasible way of meeting this challenge and even restoring the health of power companies’ in these populous agrarian states. 11 http://guj-epd. gov. in/epd_jyotiyojna. htm 22 Key drivers 1 Water availabilityKey drivers 2 Power avail ability Key drivers 3 Extension/ access to info Key drivers 4 Crop diversification Driver 3: Provision of Extension services: taking lab to the land – Krishi Mahotsav , an innovative agri-extension service Gujarat has stepped up its farm extension services significantly in the last few years, taking knowledge from research campuses and labs to the farms. The event facilitates seamless flow of knowledge to the agrarian communities in the rural hinterlands who normally have limited access to such information. Started in 2005 , the Krishi Mahotsavs have grown in scope.As many as 18,600 villages host the event starting on the Akshaya Tritiya day (an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar falling in May-June). So what is so unique about this Krishi Mahotsav of Gujarat? Krishi Mahotsav is an intensive convergence and mass contact programme which is launched off by the political leadership, led by local elected leaders and run by the state government functionaries. It’s an all inclusive programme, with the CM taking the lead and all elected members also visiting their concerned constituencies during this period.The Krishi Mahotsav was initially dubbed by the critics as a publicity stunt and wastage of government money. But, it has proved to the contrary, with a multi-disciplinary team of about one lakh government employees of 18 state departments / universities and students join hands. All related departments from agriculture, horticulture, AH, health, revenue officials, forestry, education, rural development etc join hands in the mission to reach every village in the state. Thus, it’s not left to the exclusive domain of the agriculture department, though it co-ordinates the entire event.It’s in fact a month-long knowledge sharing rendezvous with the farming community during the peak summer months ie; before the onset of monsoons / cropping seasons. Thus the timing of the programme is critical and the sends out a clear message of intent and concern. The sequence of events and the processes have been explained in the Annexure enclosed. As a part of the krishi Mahaotsav demonstrations of technology, tools are also equipments, undertaken at the village level. A Krishi Rath – complete with audiovisual equipment, posters, models and accompanied by scientists and administrators – visits every village of the state.Last year about 239 tractor-mounted Krishi raths traveled through the designated paths covering all the 226 Krishi rath in a village development blocks and 18,000 odd villages. The time, route and duration of each of these Raths are predetermined and informed to the villagers. A maximum of three villages are 23 covered in a day by the kirshi raths. The night halts are also effectively used to screen AV about various critical issues pertaining to agriculture. Thus, the Krishi Raths, which travels through thousands of villages, usher in a festive mood in the villages.The krishi rath has been a cost effec tive method of carrying a tractor mounted panel cum exhibition material ( worth Rs 50,000) on rented tractors. The entire hire charges costs the government about Rs 2. 5 lakh per krishi rath for the one month sojourn. Besides the Krishi raths, large exhibitions are organized in all the agricultural university campuses and district towns which are widely attended by thousands of farmers. The CM besides flagging off the programme at one of the agriUniversities also visits a few villages and closely monitors the programme.It’s understood that some of the raths are fitted with Video Conferencing facilities, and there are often surprise interaction by the CM with the villagers and also the staff involved in the Mahaotsav in the village. A team of 5 members are normally selected to each village which could include University staff, government officers, who are expected to spend time with farmers, listening to their problems and developing solutions. Year Krishi Mahotsav – 20 08 –illustrative list of achievements, after year the Krishi reported by the State Government – (Source: GOG)Mahotsav has been 1 Agriculture Kit Distribution 157926 considerably improving 2 Horticulture Kit Distribution 133299 through productivity knowledge sharing and 3 Animal Husbandry Kit Distribution 369796 orientation of farmers 4 Soil Health Card Distribution 84933 towards value added 5 New soil sample 248440 modern agriculture, 6 Kisan credit card 65839 marketing methods, organic farming and new 7 Animal Vaccination 5133141 technology. 8 9 Khet Talavadi Drip Irrigation 11245 26058 the Mahotsav During scientists besides giving 10 Tree Sapling 13148454 lectures about crop 11 Guidance by Agri.Scientist in Kisan 1396795 production practices, crop Shibir protection measures, also 12 Personal Guidance No. of Farmers 428937 undertake soil health tests 13 Guidance for marketing system by 158510 and give soil-health cards APMC to the farmers detailing the soil compositio n, and the best possible crops for the soil type. They also carry out vaccination of the cattle, distribute kits on agriculture, animal husbandry, and horticulture to 5- 10 poorest farmers in the village. Gujarat officials recount several effects of the reinvented extension model.For instance, they argue that in using chemical fertilisers, Gujarat farmers have moved wholesale from a 13:7. 5:1 nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium composition to a 5. 8:3:1, thereby reducing cost, optimising production and improving net income. 24 Thus, the Gujarat evolved annual month-long Krishi Mahotsav campaign is a unique extension model that brings agricultural scientists, extension staff, agroindustries, input suppliers, cooperatives, banks, local and state-level political leaders together on a platform to exchange knowledge and information on the latest technologies and market opportunities12.The normal disconnect which exists between many of the stakeholders seem to reduce substantially with this un ique effort at convergence. This also sends out a serious message about the purpose and intent to help and find solutions. Another key aspect has been the meticulous planning for the event and the clear role and responsibility assigned to each of the government staff concerned during the Krishi Mahotsav (details of the villages assigned, including the mobile numbers of the staff is uploaded on the website).The entire operations and activities of the krihi mahotsav is closely monitored by the senior officials and also the political leadership of the state. While farmers suggest that the quality of work in these fairs leaves room for improvement, they agree that the researchers need to gain more practical experience, however, there is no denying the fact that the programme has enabled in spreading awareness about things such as soil quality, fertilizer use etc.The field interactions also suggest that the staff of the department and university have also greatly benefited from the entir e event with greater field orientation in the work they do. Thus, it has been a two way learning process. 12 Shah, T et al (2009), the Secret of Gujarat’s agrarian miracle after 2000; Economic & Political Weekly ,26 December, vol xliv no 52, page 45-52 25 Key driver 1 Water availability Key driver 2 Power availability Key driver 3 Extension/ access to info Key driver 4 Crop diversificationDriver 4 : Crop diversification : Switching crops for better incomes Though, studies suggest that number of factors govern the nature and speed of crop diversification by farmers, but availability of resource endowments like water and irrigation facility and technological support could serve as key determinants for the change. From a farmer’s perspective greater margins and income serve as compelling reasons for the crop switch. However, availability of incentives like subsidies does give a fillip to the crop diversification process.The Gujarat story is profoundly familiar to the abov e observations; as the concerted efforts to recharge water table and its increased availability coupled with regulated electricity for agricultural use triggered two clear movements viz; increased production of crops with greater stability in production patterns and as also crop switch by farmers. Even before this, the striking feature of the Gujarat’s agriculture has been its pronounced slant towards cash crops which formed more than 50 % of the GCA, whereas the normal crop coverage has a predominance of food grains.However, availability of irrigation water did give an impetus to crop diversification as also increased Rabi coverage in Saurashtra, kutch and north Gujarat. The reports suggest about 6-8 lakh ha of additional area being brought under Rabi in the recent past. One of the clear winners in the crop switch story has been Bt cotton. The expansion in Bt cotton is matched by expansion in irrigated cotton; this suggests that Bt cotton benefits hugely from four to five su pplemental irrigations provided at critical points of crop growth.Gujarat increased its cotton yield over six fold from 175 kg per hectare in 2001-02 to 798 kg per hectare in 2008-09, higher that the world average yield of 787 kg per hectare in 2007-08 (Damor 2008)13 because of the combined effect of Bt cotton and irrigation in Saurashtra, Kutch and North Gujarat. The rise of Bt cotton supported by a high MSP for cotton offered a big opportunity for farmers. The farmers in these regions exploited this opportunity brilliantly.While the public sector generally plays a role in production and distribution of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds like wheat, the private seed sector took a lead role in developing and promoting the use of Bt Cotton seeds. Gujarat alone, has more than 30 odd private seed companies which have registered over 120 varieties of Bt Cotton. The state already has a history of having developed the first cotton hybrid of the country (H4). Thus, the cotton growth story c ould be partly due to the numerous hybrids being developed by local farmers and the seed production of Bt cotton seeds in farmer’s fields in Gujarat.The state agriculture university reports that the state has over 200 varieties of Cotton, which could be Bt, hybrid, or other common desi varieties. Not only has the yield more than doubled in just five to six years, at present more than 50% of the total cotton area in Gujarat has come under Bt cotton. Another positive aspect for the cotton growers has been its comfortable forward linkages and vertical integration with the cotton related industries. The Industry is also said to be witnessing a resurgence of interest among textile players because 13Damor, Kalpesh (2008): â€Å"Gujarat Cotton Yield May Cross World Average†, Business Standard, 8 October 26 of easy access to raw material at reduced freight. Two more major textile projects envisaging an investment of more than Rs. 10. 5 billion are slotted to come up at Jhagadi a in central Gujarat. According to Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) estimates, India`s cotton production in 2007-08 has jumped by 12. 5 % at 31. 5 million bales (1 bale = 170 kg) as compared to 28 million bales in previous year. Gujarat state has contributed 35% of this production. This proves very high productivity of cotton in Gujarat.The State Government’s Agro-vision 2010 (a model blue print for all round development of agriculture) lays emphasis on cultivation of high value, low volume crops. Thus, besides, cotton a few other crops like wheat, castor and horticulture are also a part of the diversification story, which again is triggered by availability of suitable resource endowments for farmers. Accordingly the area under some of the low value crops like bajra and jowar has sharply declined over the years. The high growth had also come from fruits and vegetables (dominated by banana, mango, potato and onions) that has grown at almost 12. % during 2000/01 to 2007/08. Area und er horticulture is constantly increasing in the state, roughly by 30,000 ha/year partly driven by the NHM initiatives. The area & production of horticulture crop was 5. 98 lakh Ha (5 % of total cropped area) & 59. 03 lakh tons in 1998-1999 which increases up to 9. 65 lakh ha. (9. 65 % of total cropped area) & 90. 95 lakh ton respectively in 2004-05. It is targeted to cover 19. 00 lakh ha. of land under horticulture by year 2010 in the state. Another important crop has been wheat