The Theory of Monopolistic Competition.

Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) may curb carbon emissions, but the consequences for fire hazard are poorly understood. By analyzing satellite-derived deforestation and fire data from the Brazilian Amazon, we show that fire occurrence has increased in 59% of the area that has experienced reduced deforestation rates. Differences in fire frequencies across two land-use gradients reveal that fire-free land-management can substantially reduce fire incidence by as much as 69%. If sustainable fire-free land-management of deforested areas is not adopted in the REDD mechanism, then the carbon savings achieved by avoiding deforestation may be partially negated by increased emissions from fires.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/328/5983/1275.full.pdf

The Incidence of Fire in Amazonian Forests with Implications for REDD

Energy use efficiency of specialised dairy, arable and pig farms in Flanders

Amazonian farmers and ranchers use fire to clear land for agriculture and pasture as part of extensive land-use strategies that have deforested 500 000 km2 over the past 25 years. Ash from burning biomass fertilizes crops and pastures, but declining productivity often occurs after a few years, generally leading to land abandonment and further clearing. Subsequent forest regrowth partially offsets carbon emissions from deforestation, but is often repeatedly cleared and burned. In the first quantitative, basin-wide assessment of the effect of repeated clearing and burning on forest regrowth, our analysis of data from 93 stands at nine locations across the region indicates that stands with a history of five or more fires suffer on average a greater than 50% reduction in carbon accumulation. In the absence of management interventions, Amazonian landscapes dominated by this pronounced legacy of fire are apt to accumulate very little carbon and will remain highly susceptible to recurrent burning.

Legacy of fire slows carbon accumulation in Amazonian forest regrowth

Oilseed treatment by ultrasounds and microwaves to improve oil yield and quality: An overview

A concept for the development of fire-free fallow management in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

The slash-and-burn practice of land preparation that farmers use traditionally in forest-based fallow systems in the humid tropics causes land degradation and human health hazards. As an alternative to slash-and-burn, a mechanized, fire-free method of land preparation was evaluated on smallholdings in the eastern Amazon region. The use of machinery for harvesting fallow vegetation and chopping it for mulch eliminates the need for hard labor and fire for land clearing and increases labor productivity. Four different tractor-propelled choppers with power demand of 50 kW to 122 kW were tested. Their chopping capacity varied between 4.5 Mg and 20 Mg of fresh biomass per hour. The mechanized chop-and-mulch technology can be used in fallow vegetation that is up to 12 years old, which in the study region corresponded to 20 Mg to 150 Mg fresh biomass per hectare. Two additional choppers – a stationary silage chopper and a high-powered crawler tractor with a chopping device – were also tested but both were not suitable for smallholder fallow systems. In the context of the mulch technology, new low-input crop varieties were screened and their response to fertilizer was studied. The mulch technology facilitates extended cropping, to plant crops off-season, and modify crop rotation. Degraded fallow vegetation can be improved by enrichment planting using fast-growing leguminous tree species. Financial analysis of different scenarios revealed that farm income and labor productivity from chop-and-mulch systems can be up to two times greater than from the traditional slash-and-burn system.

/pdf/mechanized-land-preparation-in-forest-based-fallow-systems-5bn244beg8.pdf

Mechanized land preparation in forest-based fallow systems: The experience from Eastern Amazonia

The effect of a pretreatment of rapeseed with microwaves and radio-frequency energy on the oil yield and on the oil quality was investigated. Rapeseed samples were treated in an experimental microwave applicator and in an experimental radio-frequency applicator at different temperatures. Duration of treatment and the power applied were also varied. Afterwards the samples were pressed in a laboratory screw press and the exploitation rate was calculated. Results showed that pretreatment led to an obvious increase of the exploitation rate. The important parameters for this effect are temperature of pretreatment and power applied. Time of pretreatment is of lower importance. Further investigations also showed an influence of the pretreatment on quality parameters of the oil. These results are presented in the second part of this article The Effect of Rapeseed Pretreatment by Microwave- and RF-application on Oil Extraction and Oil Quality - Part II. Influence on Oil Quality.

The effect of rapeseed treatment by microwave and radio-frequency application on oil extraction and oil quality. Part I : Influence on mechanical oil extraction

Reductions in production intensity can be better established under good farming conditions as represented by the location Reinshof. The losses in productivity observed at Marienstein were higher. The observed negative impact of annual set aside (Int-a, Int-b resp.) in this context might be reduced by replacing set aside by a productive crop. The design of the new rotation seems to be a key issue among all factors determining energy saving through changes in the farming system.

/pdf/energy-investigations-of-different-intensive-rape-seed-104c9u7z42.pdf

Energy Investigations of Different Intensive Rape Seed Rotations – a German Case Study

In some branches of industry dielectric heating processes are used in a wide range of different applications like drying of agricultural products and textiles or disinfection processes in the food processing and pharmaceutical industry This report shows potential uses of this technology for thermal pre-treatment of oilseeds Therefore, the basic principles of the dielectric heating mechanism and some resulting characteristics are presented in comparison to conventional heating systems Special aspects of the application of microwaves and high-frequency energy for thermal pre-treatment of oilseeds are also presented Finally, some scenarios for imaginable applications of this technology in the European oil milling industry are discussed

Wolfgang Lücke

Papers

A concept for the development of fire-free fallow management in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

Mechanized land preparation in forest-based fallow systems: The experience from Eastern Amazonia

The effect of rapeseed treatment by microwave and radio-frequency application on oil extraction and oil quality. Part I : Influence on mechanical oil extraction

Energy Investigations of Different Intensive Rape Seed Rotations – a German Case Study

Prospects for the application of dielectric heating processes in the pre-treatment of oilseeds