Cropping Pattern And Cropping Schedule Environmental Sciences Essay

Cropping Pattern And Cropping Schedule Environmental Sciences Essay Chapter 1 Introduction Background Agriculture is a crucial role in the careers of nations all over the world. As the focal point of the agricultural sector is to raise the crop yield and to fulfill the food security for continuing population increase, irrigation becomes vital support to provide additional water. Nowadays, precipitation cannot be reliable in many parts of the world and temperature increases continuously due to the climate change. Moreover, there are changes in air temperature and increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Furthermore, geographical changes might also have severe effect on the local water resources. As a result, water resources become scare and it threats a serious challenge to irrigation water supply, agriculture water demand, food security, and environmental protection. Irrigation water resources and agricultural water demand are strongly vulnerable. As climate change affects hydrological cycles locally and globally, its potential changes will have a significant impact on agriculture and water resources. There is an increasing stress of the impact of climate change on water resources and probable implications for water resource management. The consequences of climate change may alter the reliability, the amount and timing of river flow, challenge the coping capacities of existing water-related infrastructures and bring higher risks of water shortages and floods. Myanmar (formerly called as Burma)which locates in South East Asia lying between 10 ° and 29 ° N latitude and between 92 ° and101 ° longitudes, also suffers from climate change impacts on water cycle due to the sudden change of weather pattern. Flood and long drought occurs consequently and thus sustainability of water environment in some areas is facing difficulties. Moreover, rainfall pattern and intensity have been evidently changing in some regions of the country according to topographical condition. There are three climate conditions in Myanmar specified as summer, rainy and winter seasons. Two third area of the country enjoys in the tropics and the remaining one third falls within temperate climate conditions. Average annual rainfall in coastal regions is over 5000 mm and in the Dry Zone which locates in Central Myanmar is less than 750mm. The average temperature is 21 °C in northern regions which are the coolest areas and 32 °C in coastal area. Temperature sometime s reaches to 40 °C during the hot seasons and over in central dry zone areas which are the hottest regions in Myanmar. Water resources in Myanmar are absolutely abundant and can be used to fulfill the agricultural water demand and other sectors. Agriculture is a main economic sector in Myanmar and rice-based irrigation systems, have been implemented to improve agricultural production. Paddy fields are mostly found in the delta region which includes Ayeyarwady, Bago and Yangon region of Lower Myanmar and central dry zone areas which includes Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway regions (Figure 1). Irrigation Projects have been implementing a lot in Myanmar to stabilize traditional rainfed rice and to introduce double-rice to promote the rice production. According to the hydrological conditions it is divided into two seasons, wet and dry. Paddies are traditionally cultivated by monsoon rain during the wet season. Summer paddies have grown as a second rice crop throughout the dry season according to the water availability in the regions where irrigation projects have been initiated. The delta region in lower Myanmar is the major rice production area. As water resources are affected adversely by global climate change, it makes seriously vulnerable to crop water requirement. Ngamoeyeik Irrigation Project Area which is just outside of Yangon City in Lower Myanmar, paddy cultivation during rainy season has traditionally been conducted under rainfed conditions and summer paddies with irrigation were added since 1995 after the project has been completed. Both paddies are cultivated completely in the rainy and summer periods, respectively. Summer paddies are cultivated only by irrigation. As there is no rain within the dry season, and the reservoir inflow is very limited. Therefore, the summer paddies are constrained by the limited water-storage in the reservoir during the dry season. Considering the wide range of the adverse effect in this area, there is needed to evaluate and access future irrigation water requirement in a changing climate for promoting crop producti on. D:1st proposalfor introduction6_page10_image1.gif Figure Regions in Myanmar Rice, wheat, and maize are predominate three grain-crops for food, and these are the products of agriculture sector, coming from rain fed and irrigated fields. Statement of the problem According to the Asian Development Bank (2009), Myanmar is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change associated with global warming. Summer paddies are cultivated only by irrigation in lower Myanmar. In dry season, the reservoir inflow is very limited and consequently the water availability of summer paddies is very limited. Severe climate change effects could affect the irrigation water requirement as well as the production of rice and other crops on which the population depends. Decreasing rainfall and increasing temperature pose an insufficient demand for crop and cause delay in agricultural cycles. As a result, it will disturb crop growth in the subsequent months. During the growing season, abnormal weather will damage the crops and in the harvesting period, adverse climate can damage the ripening crop. This study will compare and evaluate the impact climate change and estimate and manage the crop water requirement to cope with the future scare water resources. aaaaaa Objectives The specific objectives of this study are as follows: to analyze the future climate change impact for projection period of 2015 to 2030 using statistical downscaling analysis method (SDSM 4.2), to find out the future irrigation water requirements for rice production with climate change impact using AquaCrop, to make adaptations in order to enhance and manage the irrigation water demand to cope with the future scare water resources. Chapter 2 Literature Review Chapter 3 Methodology Conceptual framework for evaluating future crop water requirement Purpose and Strategy of evaluation of future irrigation water requirement Objectives of future irrigation water requirement evaluation Rice is the main food in Myanmar and it is also a major crop of the agriculture sector. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI) has imposed summer paddy cultivation with irrigation in 1992-1993 to promote the rice production. Irrigation water requirement will change under changing climate with the effects of decreasing rainfall patterns and increasing temperature. Moreover as climate change directly impacts on rice production, there has to be evaluated and adopted the future agricultural water requirements under the combined effects of growing population demands and competition from other economic sectors under future socioeconomic development. Smajstrla and Zazueta (1995) state that the irrigation water requirement (IWR) for crop production is the amount of water that must be applied to fulfill a crops evapotranspiration needs in addition to rainfall without significant yield reduction . It has to be needed that irrigation water applied to paddies cultivation must be fixed the different water requirement with the different growing stages. Therefore, future irrigation water requirement with climate change impact must be assessed to conduct proper management for rice cultivation. The main objective of evaluation of future irrigation water requirement is to promote the rice production with proper management to meet the crop water requirement under changing climate. To achieve this aim the evaluation embraces all required data concerning the impacts of climate change combining the growing population and environmental impacts. Description of the study area Location Ngamoeyeik Irrigatin Project is one of the large irrigation projects in Lower Myanmar. It has been developed by the Department of Irrigation under the counsel of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The project was completed in March, 1995. The project is situated in Hlegu Township, which is about 20-50 km northeast of Yangon City (Fig.3.1). The target area of the irrigated cultivation is 28,330 ha. There is also a plan to supply water to Yangon City for domestic use with the amount of 0.41 MCM per day.. The area is bounded by creeks and rivers providing natural drainage, such as the Balar Creek, Khayein Creek and Bago River (Fig.3.2). The project area is mostly within Hlegu Township. Location about 20-50 km northeast of Yangon City (in Hlegu Township) Name of river Ngamoeyeik Creek Catchment area 28330 ha Average annual rainfall 2540 millimeters Average annual inflow Dam type earthen dam Dam length 1.86 kilometers Dam height 22.9 meters Full storage volume 222 million cubic meter Dead storage volume 15 million cubic meter Type of spillway Width of spillway Designed spillway discharge Full supply level C:UsersUserAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Word1 Water Resources Evaluation for Paddy Irrigation_037.png Climate Climate of the study area is warm and tropical and enjoys the southwest monsoon. The rainfall is rich enough for rice cultivation. Even in drought years, the region receives a stable with average annual rainfall of 2,540 mm. This region has a rainy season and dry season in a year. Rivers, rivulets and natural drainages are flooding every year during the rainy season due to the monsoon heavy rain. However, their flow discharges are very limited and there is almost no rain within the dry season. Daily average temperature is above 25  ¾Ã… ¸ C throughout a year. Thus, the region has a favorable weather environment for rice cultivation for a round-year, even in the dry season if water is available. Soil Type The rice soils of Lower Burma are gley soils or degraded soils or are intermediate between these two types (Karmanov, I. I). These soils are widely distributed in Lower Burma. (http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19601902538.html) The rice yields will be highest on heavy loamy soil and light clayey gley soils and lowest on degraded soils. Cropping Pattern and Cropping Schedule Rice, wheat, and maize are three major crops for food, and these are the main products of agriculture sector, under rainfed and irrigated fields. Table Cropping pattern in Hlegu Township, 1999-2000 Cultivation Area Rice is grown in this region twice a year, rainny paddies are totally cultivated under rainfed condition from June to November and the summer paddies with irrgation are from December to May. The summer paddies were started in 1995 after completion of the project. Rainfed rice are cultivated annually in the basin about 35,000 ha . During the last 6 years, from 1996-97 to 2001-02, an average area of 14,000 ha has been irrigated for summer paddies within the project area. The total area of irrigated summer paddies was up to about 18,500 ha, 65% of the project service area, in the year 2000.

Classroom Observation Reflective Summary Essay

Throughout my class lectures and discussions in many of my classes, I recall one of my professors accenting the fact that teachers need to be flexible in their schedule and need to conform to the changes that are associated with the career. Upon hearing this, I didn’t accept this fact she was giving me and never associated the term, â€Å"teacher† and â€Å"flexible† together. Nevertheless, after my observations this semester in the classroom, I understand why you need to be flexible in the teaching profession. Every class I observed this semester was dissimilar from each other. Some class’s harbored students who comprehended the material better, were ethnically diverse, special education, motivated and lazy students. Each time I observed, there were particular occasions that I had anticipated to occur and other instances that I was astounded. I found it intriguing to see how the teacher responded when something in the classroom did not go as planned and t hen observe them trying to not let it affect their teaching plan for the day. After my observations, I am self-assured and avid that I want to become a teacher and will be a good one at that. As a teacher, I believe you need to set the tone of the classroom and let them know that you are in control. The medium or atmosphere of the classroom needs to be accepting and eager to learn. All of the classes that I observed had great classroom atmospheres. By saying â€Å"great classroom atmospheres†, I mean that most of the students were attentive to the teacher, eager to learn, asking questions and that no one person in the class was omitted from the class discussion or the learning of that particular day. Being the â€Å"student observer†, I was curious to see how the students would act toward me and treat me in their class. Infrequently, I caught a couple gawks during instruction from prying students. For the most part, I was much embraced in their classrooms, as they frequently asked me questions about their school work or of me in general. I remember my first observations, I was very nervous upon entering the classroom. After that day I always felt comfortable in the classroom. During my observations, I never saw the teacher leave any students out of the lecture that they taught to their students that day. I was very impressed to see that no students were neglected, but instead were incorporated into the learning plan for that day and got a chance to ask questions of the teacher to help further their learning. Throughout my  time in the classrooms with different teachers, I observed many different lessons that each teacher was teaching to the students. Some of the lessons included daily math skills, reading tasks, and working together at recess to rescue a dog. One of the most important aspects of being a teacher is having a good teacher-student interaction. All of the classes I observed had a good interaction between the students and teachers. As a future educator, I believe my biggest challenge will be trying to become flexible with my schedule and trying to motivate each student to learn and be active in class. Much of this depends on where I will be teaching, whether that is urban, rural, or city. I’ll address these challenges by becoming more organized and doing projects where participation is graded and required, so then each student will be learning and never feel left out. My strengths include being very determined, goal driven, hard working, learning, good people skills and motivating others. I will use these strengths to the best of my ability when I have my own class in the future. I want to continue with my teaching and learning process and obtain my teaching certificate in the near future. After observing this semester, I realized that I would like to work with 5th grade students because I think I would respond better to them. These observations were very interesting and helped me better appreciate the teaching profession.

Employment Law Essay

1. When can an employee’s religious belief qualify as a bona fide occupational qualification? Religious organizations are permitted to discriminate as long as the position relates to the promotion of the religion. Religious belief is considered a bona fide occupational qualification. For example, if a catholic church is looking for a clergy member. The Catholic Church would argue that only catholic could effectively practice and preach the tenants of their religion. 2. In the law firm of Milton, Madden & Herman (â€Å"MM&H), a request has been filled by two Sikhs to wear turbans. Although MM&H’s dress code does not speak to this issue, MM&H decides to prohibit this attire. How would you advise the Sikhs to proceed? Sikhs can argue that MM&H prohibited the turban which is part of his religion. The company can always accommodate his religious beliefs as long as Sikhs explain what his religious beliefs are and how they are being compromised by the employer because of the task at hand. Reasonable accommodation of a religious belief must be made by the employer if such accommodation does not compromise the rights of others does not require lots of cash. 3. Johnny Carlton attended the University of Lebanon while his father was stationed in the military in that country. When Kurt Munson review Carlton’s application for employment, he asks Carlton why he chose to attend college there. Carlton explains. When Carlton, who is qualified for the position, is subsequently denied, he reasons that Munson’s inquiry was determining factor. Carlton initiates a Title VII claim for national origin discrimination. Munson asserts that Carlton does not fall under that protected class. Is Carlton covered? Yes, Carlton is covered. Even though he  is not of national origin and not part of the protected class he attended a school or religious institution that is identified with people of a specific national origin. In this case Lebanon. Carlton can sue because the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 says that individuals are protected from discrimination based on national origin. 4. Harvey Jameson was recently terminated as comptroller at the age of 66 from Better Beef, Inc. His replacement is Tammy Parker, age 45. Because both he and his replacement are covered under the ADEA, Jameson is wondering whether he is precluded from suing. Harvey can go ahead and sue, but, he might not win this one because once he does initiate the case the employer must provide legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for the discharge. In this case, it seems that he was â€Å"let go† because of his performance. Then Harvey must prove that the employer’s reasoning was false and that the real reason was to discriminate. 5. Rita Hall has kidney failure and is forced to be on dialysis three times a week. She is a financial analyst for Bull and Bear. She is asking for three afternoons off each week. Hall is offering to work. Late two days and on Saturdays to make up the remaining time off. She does not believe this will adversely affect her duties. Bull and Bear refuses, claiming it is disruptive to the work environment. How would you advise Hall to proceed? For Rita Hall is more of revenue problem and not an age discrimination. The company can claim that to keep this employee would be not beneficial to the company in financial terms.

The Pros and Cons of Majoring in Journalism

So youre starting college (or going back after working awhile) and want to pursue a journalism career. Should you major in journalism? Take a few journalism courses and get a degree in something else? Or steer clear of j-school altogether? The Pros of Getting a Journalism Degree By majoring in journalism you get a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of the trade. You also get access to specialized, upper-level journalism courses. Want to be a sportswriter? A film critic? Many j-schools offer specialized classes in these areas. Most also offer training in the kind of multimedia skills that are increasingly in demand. Many also have internship programs for their students. Majoring in journalism also gives you access to mentors, namely the j-school faculty, who have worked in the profession and can offer valuable advice. And since many schools include faculty who are working journalists, youll have the chance to network with professionals in the field. The Cons of Getting a Journalism Degree Many in the news business will tell you that the basic skills of reporting, writing and interviewing are best learned not in a classroom, but by covering real stories for the college newspaper. Thats how many journalists learned their craft, and in fact, some of the biggest stars in the business never took a journalism course in their life. Also, journalists are increasingly being asked not just to be good reporters and writers, but to also have specialized knowledge in a particular field. So by getting a journalism degree, you may be  limiting your opportunity to do that, unless you plan on going to grad school. Lets say your dream is to become a foreign correspondent in France. Many would argue that youd be better served by studying French language and culture  while picking up the necessary journalism skills along the way. In fact, Tom, a friend of mine who became a Moscow correspondent for The Associated Press did just that: He majored in Russian studies in college, but put in plenty of time at the student paper, building up his skills and his clip portfolio. Other Options Of course, it doesnt have to be an all-or-nothing scenario. You could get a double major in journalism and something else. You could take just a few journalism courses. And theres always grad school. In the end, you should find a plan that works for you. If you want access to everything that a journalism school has to offer (mentors, internships, etc.) and want to take plenty of time to hone your journalism skills, then j-school is for you. But if you think you can learn how to report and write by jumping in headfirst, either by freelancing or working at the student paper, then you may be better served by learning your journalism skills on-the-job  and majoring in something else entirely. Whos More Employable? It all comes down to this: Whos more likely to get a journalism job after graduation, a journalism major or someone with a degree in another area? Generally, j-school grads may find it easier to land that first news job right out of college. Thats because the journalism degree gives employers a sense that the graduate has learned the fundamental skills of the profession. On the other hand, as journalists move forward in their careers and start to seek out more specialized and prestigious jobs, many find that a degree in an area outside of journalism gives them a leg up on the competition (like my friend Tom, who majored in Russian). Put another way, the longer youve been working in the news business, the less your college degree matters. What counts most at that point is your knowledge and job experience.