Agriculture importance Essay

Those of us who preach the gospel of agriculture with evangelical zeal find the text compelling and convincing. We are regularly possessed by the spirit only to look around and see out colleagues, in other sectors, in country management, or even our senior management doubting, yawning or subtly edging towards the door. We face the implicit query, â€Å"If agriculture can do such great things, why have they not yet happened? †1 The past decade has been one of agro-pessimism. The promises that agricultural development seem to hold did not materialise. This pessimism seemed to coincide with pessimism about Sub-Saharan Africa. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africa the hope was that economic development would be brought about by agricultural development. After the success of the green revolution in Asia, the hope was that a similar agricultural miracle would transform African economies. But this hope never materialised, agricultural productivity did not increase much in SSA (figure 1), and worse, the negative effects of the green revolution in Asia became more apparent, such as pesticide overuse and subsequent pollution. Also in Asia the yield increases tapered off. The sceptics put forward several arguments why agriculture is no longer an engine of growth2. For instance, the liberalisation of the 1990s and greater openness to trade has lead to a reduction in the economic potential of the rural sector: cheap imported Chinese plastic buckets out compete the locally produced pottery. On the other hand, it does mean cheaper (imported) supplies. With rapid global technical change and increasingly integrated markets, prices fall faster than yields rise. So, rural incomes fall despite increased productivity if they are net producers3. The integration of rural with urban areas means that healthy young people move out of agriculture, head to town, leaving behind the old, the sick and the dependent. It is often also the men who move to urban areas, leaving women in charge of the farm. This has resulted in the increased sophistication of agricultural markets (and value chains) which excludes traditional smallholders, who are poorly equipped to meet the demanding product specifications and timeliness of delivery required by expanding supermarkets. The natural resource base on which agriculture depends is poor and deteriorating. Productivity growth is therefore increasingly more difficult to achieve. Finally, multiplier effects occur when a change in spending causes a disproportionate change in aggregate demand. Thus an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. But as GDP rises and the share of agriculture typically decreases, the question is how important these multiplier effects are, especially when significant levels of poverty remain in rural areas, which is the case in middleincome countries4. The disappointment with agriculture led many donor organisations to turn away from agriculture, looking instead to areas that would increase the well-being of poor people, such as health and education. Those organisations that still focused on agriculture, such as the CGIAR, were put under pressure to focus more on reducing poverty, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, since the beginning of the new century, there seems to be a renewed interest in agriculture. A review of major policy documents5, including the well-publicised Sachs report and the Kofi Annan report, show that agriculture is back on the agenda again. The most influential report, however, has been the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank6. This report argues that growth in the agricultural sector 1 contributes proportionally more to poverty reduction than growth in any other economic sector and that therefore alone, the focus should be on the agricultural sector when achieving to reach MDG 1. A reassessment of the role of agriculture in development seems to be required. This policy paper addresses several timely though complex questions: †¢ First, how can or does agriculture contribute to economic development, and in particular how does it relate to poverty? †¢ Second, the agricultural sector has changed considerably in the past decades: what are the main drivers of this change? †¢ Third, what is the relationship between economic or agricultural growth and pro-poor development? †¢ Fourth, how does agriculture relate to other sectors in the economy? †¢ Fifth, who is included and who is excluded in agricultural development, specifically focusing on small farms? †¢ And finally, if agricultural development is indeed important to economic development, then why, despite all the efforts and investments, has this not led to more successes? 2. Agriculture and economic growth This section presents a number of factual observations describing how the agricultural sector changed in terms of productivity, contribution to economic growth, and indicating the relevance of the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation in different regions. Background: some facts In the discussion of the role of agriculture in economic development, a leading question is how agriculture contributes to economic growth, and especially to pro-poor growth. There seems to be a paradox in the role of agriculture in economic development. The share of agriculture contributing to GDP is declining over the years (see figure 1). At the same time, the productivity of for instance cereal yields has been increasing (see figure 2). It seems that as agriculture becomes more successful, its importance declines in the overall economy. Of course, other sectors in the economy can be even more successful, such as the Asian Tigers.

Henry Clerval Essay

These actions suggest that human nature can change as someone can be nice towards one thing and then they can be disgusted with that same thing at a different time. Victor gets very friendly with Henry Clerval in the time that they are in Ingolstadt. Henry nurses Victor back to health when he is ill. They came to be in the same college because Henry persuaded his father to let him come to Ingolstadt, but he said that it was hard to persuade as Henry’s father thought that all the skills that you need in your life are used and gained when you are a book keeper. It is ironic that Henry sees knowledge as a good thing but Victor uses scientific knowledge and turns it into a tragedy, Frankenstein should of followed in ‘s footsteps as Victor’s creation turned out to kill Henry. The way that Victor treated his family, is completely different to the way that Henry treated Victor. Victor dumped all of his family life behind him, and only spoke to them through short sharp letters, but Henry cared dearly for Victor and even spent useful time looking after Victor when he was seriously ill, Henry also puts his life on hold just to make him better. I think that the readers of the novel will be ashamed of Victor for abandoning his family and his creation, but also for letting Henry put his life on hold just to make him better. This is a selfish act, and Victor should be more grateful towards Henry and his family. Henry is a very caring man and has a lot of time for people, especially Victor who just takes his skills for granted. Henry’s kindness is shown throughout, examples of this kindness are; ‘I did not before remark how very ill you appear; so thin and pale, you look as if you have been watching for many nights. ‘, and ‘I will not mention it, if it agitates you. ‘ These shows that Henry cares greatly for Victor and that he doesn’t want to upset Victor. This caring manner contrasts with that of Victor’s when he rejects the monster because of its looks. Victor’s selfish side is shown throughout the novel, a few examples are; ‘I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with and ardour that far exceeded moderation, but now that I have finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart’, ‘infinite pains’, and ‘I felt the bitterness of disappointment. ‘ These show that again Victor’s selfish. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Victor also uses the personal pronoun, ‘I’, this states that everything is about him, so this is also a selfish action. Victor keeps his creation a secret, he does not want to tell anyone as he is not yet sure of the outcome of the creature, but after the birth of the creation, he is ashamed of it, he believes that it is a product of hell and that the monster is beyond control and just decides to keep it to himself and lie to other people. This influences the readers’ attitude towards Victor in the rest of the novel because the readers may now believe that he can not tell the truth and that the narration of the story may be biased. This relates to the theme of secrecy in the rest of the novel, for example; when he makes a companion for the monster, and also not telling anyone that he knew what killed someone of his family and friends. Mary Shelley suggests that lots of people do keep secrets and do not want to tell anyone. We keep secrets because it will ruin something special, the person is ashamed or embarrassed of it, the person can not confide in anyone, or they just do not want to tell anyone, as it may get someone in trouble. People do keep secrets and usually lie, it may be small lies or it may be a serious lie. People tell lies to put the problem off for as long as they can until they crack, they do this because they think it is an easy option, but in the long run, it is the hardest option as it drags a lot out of your self esteem. The ending of the chapter is a contrast of the rest of the chapter, especially the beginning, the weather and the atmosphere created. In the begging of the chapter the weather is dull, and gloomy. This is shown throughout the opening paragraph. The phrases ‘the rain pattered dismally against the pains,’ and ‘dreary’ suggest that the weather reflects on the dark atmosphere created by the near birth of the creature, it also suggests that something may happen may happen later on in the chapter. In the ending paragraph, the atmosphere created is completely different. The descriptions show that there is change as it is now light. This is a pleasurable sight for Victor as the weather was so uninviting earlier on in the chapter. The phrase ‘young buds were shooting forth from trees that shaded my window. It was a divine spring,’ shows that the darkness has subsided to make way for the light. Also, there was a new beginning for the natural processes, growing of buds etc. There was a non artificial mood in the air as everything that was happening was completely natural, so this is a great contrast to everything that was happening in the first paragraph of the chapter. The word ‘divine’ is connected with heaven, so everything is moving on from Victor’s deed. It is also to do with God, so it is a contrast between the thought of hell earlier on in the chapter. In the following chapter people may think that Victor tries to accept the monster and is not so selfish towards it and also the rest of his family, because the chapter ends with relief for Victor. The reader, at the end of the chapter, may be wondering where the monster has gone and what the monster is really doing. It may be that they think he has gone to commit another deadly murder. To conclude, this chapter is very vital. In it, there is always something going on. The chapter helps you to see how Victor really is and how he treats people in times of struggle. When, the monster is created, we get the impression that Victor was excited, but then he was ashamed of the outcome. Furthermore, when the monster disappears he felt relieved even though it could still come back. At the time when the monster disappeared, it was like Victor started a whole new life, this showed that he was not really bothered about what would happen if the monster was let loosen the world. From this chapter, we find that when Victor gets engrossed in something, he forgets about the whole world around him and abandons people, like his family. Victor is prone to abandoning things and people in this chapter. For example; he abandons the monster just because of the way it looks, and hurts its feelings, making it commit murders on people close to Victor to get its own back. We find that Victor is to blame for the actions of the monster, and that Victor is very selfish. This is shown when he uses the person pronoun ‘I’, which shows that he is completely aware of himself and that he does not care much for other people. The secrecy in the novel is constant. Victor is always keeping secrets from his loved ones, whether large or small. The scientific ideas that Victor has are also important, as they bring together the whole story, as he knows man can create life with the correct theories and equipment. The theories that Victor has are going against God as it is an un-natural process, and that the creation will be forever criticized whether it is handsome or ugly. It also sums up how we treat each other in society today. I don not feel the same way as Victor did towards his creation. I think the actual monsters are Victor Frankenstein and M. Waldman these people both tried to create the creature, but Victor got further. They both created an abominable creature. I think some of the concerns in the novel are relevant today because not many people abandon things like children and pets, but the lucky ones get looked after. People also get abused because of the way they look, I think that this is wrong and should be stopped.   By Samantha Loader Page 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Amazon vs. Borders Books Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Amazon vs. Borders Books - Essay Example Having seen the huge growths of Borders, Kmart acquired it in 1992 and renamed the company name as Border Group. It started international expansion during the latter periods of 1990’s and started its first international office in Singapore in 1997. Subsequently the company was expanded to many other overseas countries and was in good shape till 2004. However, it started to face many problems from 2004 onwards and currently one the verge of destruction. It filed bankruptcy suit for closing its 200 stores in 2011. Comparison of the management approaches each company took to Internet marketing and sales Amazon formulated many strategies to keep the visitors for longer periods in its website. They were aware of the fact that spending more time by surfers in their website may definitely increase their sales. They did everything possible to tie up the visitors in their website. Since majority of the internet surfers are teenagers, Amazon focused more in catering the needs of the tee nagers while they visit Amazon’s website. In short, Amazon’s internet marketing strategies were primarily based on the teenage community. Advertising, E-retailing, Channeling, ,  Affiliation, Franchising, Subscription etc were some of the internet marketing approaches developed and implemented by Amazon management for exploiting the market opportunities. On the other hand, Borders committed so many strategic blunders which brought many challenges to the existence of the company. For example, â€Å"Borders made a major strategic error in 2001 when it handed off its online business to Amazon†(Wahba, 2011). Instead of exploiting the opportunities in online business, Borders tried to stay away from it. They thought... The essay "Amazon vs. Borders Books" talks about the activity and competition of two largest booksellers in the world. The paper analyzes why in different situations one of them was successful and the other one was a failure. Amazon.com is currently one of the topmost online booksellers in the world. It was started in the mid-1990s and was not profitable in the first few years. However, with innovative business strategies, it overcame the initial challenges and became the leader in online bookselling. On the other hand, Borders Books was the second largest bookseller in America. It was started in 1971. Until 2004, Borders faced little problems and was running profitable. However, after 2004, it started to face many management and business problems which forced them to file for Chapter 11 in 2011. The management of Amazon adapted wonderfully to the changing market conditions whereas Borders failed to do so. While Amazon was quick to realize the opportunities in online business, Borders failed to recognize it. Amazon has introduced customer friendly websites to attract the online customers whereas Borders relied heavily on the abilities of sales staff in selling their books from its store. Amazon produced innovative websites with the help of modern technologies to communicate effectively with the customers. Interactive components were some of the facilities available in amazon websites. Borders stayed completely away from its online customers and it was a major blunder committed by the company.

Criticizing Coynes Theory Of Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criticizing Coynes Theory Of Evolution - Essay Example In chapter one Coyne, presents his own understanding of evolution, stating the main misunderstanding of scientific approaches to evolution and the issue of theory based on creationist approach (Coyne, 2009). Though he presents evidence to support his idea, revolution he does not clearly explain the stages of evolution. Again, this theory has raised several controversies as many individuals reject the theory. America’s Discovery Institute resists the theory (Shubin, 2008). Coyne’s explanation of the theory does not cover all the areas such as climatic changes and how it affects the way organisms evolve over time. In my view, climatic changes should affect the way then organisms evolve. Religious movements on their own understanding reject the theory as they believe that God created the world on 6 days and has nothing to do with evolution. He, therefore, failed to convince the religious leaders. If he was sure of his work, Coyne would have been able to integrate evolution and religion for his ideas to be widely accepted (Shubin, 2008). The way he handles the Creationist approach is questionable and puts him in a total mess. To add to the controversy, Coyne considers man as the creator and says that the creator would not make organisms. In chapter two, he analyses the evidence to support his theory. He briefly gives an overview of the fossils as evidence of evolution (Coyne, 2009). He further gives the challenges undergone by paleontologists in a bid to get fossils, strengths, and weaknesses of fossil records and the role it plays to justify evolution. Despite the challenges to gather information and data, paleontologists have done great work to achieve the best. In contrast, these are presentations of evolutionary arguments and evidence but the issue that brings out questions is the failure to relate fossils evidence and creationist approach.

Injuries and losses during the 2012 Olympics Essay

Injuries and losses during the 2012 Olympics - Essay Example This essay discusses that since the Olympic site has been opened to visitors and athletes for ticket sales and athletes’ training, the persons at the site are presumed to be lawful visitors to the site. As a result the rights of the various athletes and visitors at the site, and the duty toward the safety of those lawfully at the site are covered by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. By virtue of Section 2(1) of the 1957 Act, occupiers owe a â€Å"common duty of care to all his visitors† unless that duty is restricted or waived â€Å"by agreement or otherwise†. To this end it is first necessary to identify who is the occupier or occupiers of the Olympic site and thus who would be the possible defendants in a claim by the possible plaintiffs. An occupier is any person or official body or agent with control of the premises in question. It was also held in Wheat v E Lacon & Co. Ltd that it is possible for there to be more than a single occupier of a given pro perty. Thus an employee in sufficient control of the premises can be an occupier together with an employer and an owner. Moreover, the owner need not be present to incur liability for damages to a lawful visitor. Based on the definition of occupier, it would appear that liability is shared jointly and severally between the various ticket vendors, the employees operating the various facilities and the owners of the Olympic site. The extent of the duty of care is described by Section 2(2) of the 1957 Act. The duty is a duty to take reasonable precautions to render the premises â€Å"reasonably safe† for visitors who are lawfully on the premises.7 The duty is generally discharged by posting conspicuous warnings of any pending or possible dangers to the safety of visitors lawfully on the premises.8 A mere warning that an event on the premises is dangerous would be sufficient to discharge the statutory duty of care.9 However, there appears to be no warning signs posted and as a re sult, Peter’s injury is indefensible on the grounds that the various occupiers did not take precautions to warn the possible plaintiffs of the dangers associated with the use of the Olympic site. Some precautions were taken with respect to barricading the ticket queues, but those barricades ultimately collapsed so that the question is whether or not those precautions were sufficient to safeguard against the incident of collapse and the resulting injuries suffered by various visitors queuing up to purchase tickets. Therefore while barricading the ticket queues may have been a sufficient precaution or warning of the dangers of the crowds, the main question is whether or not the warning or precaution was sufficient to discharge the statutory duty of care.10 It would appear that the precautionary measures taken by the police were insufficient to safeguard against the risk of harm attending the large crowds queuing up for the purchase of tickets. Remoteness of Damages Causation wo uld be established by virtue of the fact that the occupiers of the Olympic site had a statutory duty to ensure that the safety of the visitors were provided for or that sufficient warning was provided to permit the visitors to remain safe. As established above, failure to discharge the statutory duty will amount to actionable negligence. However, if the defendants can demonstrate that damages sustained were not a

Andrew Carnegie's life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Andrew Carnegie's life - Essay Example He built the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh. The company later merged with Elbert Gary’s Federal Steel Company along with a few smaller companies and the US Steel was formed. Carnegie had always invested his money to make profit as well as for the betterment of the society. He established a many libraries, schools colleges and universities. In short, he was a philanthropist. In keeping with his achievements and contributions made to the world at large, we will discuss his memoir, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and the Gospel of Wealth. The book is a narration of his success story and a discourse on wealth suggesting that the rich should invest their wealth to uplift the society. In his autobiographical note, Carnegie refers to the saying that he is born ‘of poor but honest parents, of good kith and kin’. The adherence to this particular notion of birth stated that he is quite explicit in admitting his ascribed status. It also shows that sticking to moral values is his way of approach to life. We had seen Carnegie as a man full of positive forces. In his autobiography, he says that he is indebted to his grandfather for his ‘optimistic nature, and ‘ability to shed trouble and laugh through life’. (Carnegie, 8) Carnegie in this book admits that he has inherited the ‘scribbling propensities’ (Carnegie, 8) from his maternal grandfather Thomas Morrison. His maternal grandfather and grandmother are his source of inspiration and they give stress to education. We had also found in Carnegie’s social work, his wholehearted support to the sphere of education. Carnegie father’s premature death brought him even m ore close to his mother. In his autobiography, he describes her as his ‘favorite Heroine’. (Carnegie, 9) His faith in family values was the key to his success and his recognition all over the world.   He states that it was his privilege to rear up in Scotland,

Arab Nationalism through Nasser's mind Research Paper

Arab Nationalism through Nasser's mind - Research Paper Example esidency time gave Arab a new period of modernization, also including its socialist reformation, stable advocacy associating a short-term union with Syria, and in the development of world solidarity. In 1956, the prestige of Nasser suffered and awakens as a result of his nationalism in Suez Canal along with political victory in the following Tripartite Aggression. Nasser’s stature also endured a great damage comprising the occupation of Egyptian & Arab territory in the six day war of 1967 plus with the successful invasion of Israel. This was the era in which the ordinary citizen had an easy to housing, health services, education, jobs, other social welfare and nourishment; whereas on the other hand, the nobility of Arab nationalism collapsed. The economy boosted through agrarian reform in terms of nationalism schemes of Suez Canal and modernization projects Helwan steel works and Aswan Dam. The economy also suffered the downfall simultaneously, considering its growth mark in e arly 1960s, followed by the recovery in 1970. Nasser’s time period made Egypt to experience the golden age of culture regarding film, theater, radio, television, music, poetry, comedy, fine arts and literature. His presidency dominated the Arab World, and stood out the literary figures of Tawfiq el- Hakim and Naguib Mahfouz. Arab also produced the successful singers like, Mohammad Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez and Umm Kulthum. Egyptian Revolution in 1952 has always been significant in the history of Arab nationalism. The initialization of this Revolution came into being, when in 22-26 July 1952, a group of Fee Officers were founded by Nasser, and headed by General Muhammad Naguib with the disposal of King Farouk. King Farouk was the person who was blamed for Egypt’s poor performance in the war with Israel in 1948, by the military. During his period, Egypt also lacked in the progression of disease, fighting poverty and illiteracy. The monarchy of Egypt and Sudan remained neglected.

Race-Blind Admissions at the University of Texas-Austin Article

Race-Blind Admissions at the University of Texas-Austin - Article Example Ultimately, the outcomes that the policy yielded through the passage of time tended to prove the policy to be a deprivation of opportunity. The policy for the Race-blind Admission taken by the authority of the University of Texas is a milestone and at the same time, an epoch-making event in the US history of building a race-blind nation that will stand unified at one platform. The admission policy is exemplary in the sense that it was proficient enough to meet both the legal guidelines of the court and the pressing requirements diversity that was usually maintained under the Affirmative Actions in the pre-Hopwood admission policies. The issue of minority enrollment in the education has been an issue of the struggle for decades in the history of Texas. A number of measures have been adopted to increase the enrollment of the minority students and been changed to meet the ever-changing requirements of the time. After a verdict of the Federal court in 1996, the Texas Authority was pushed to modify the race-conscious admission policies in order to retain the diversity at states colleges and universities. Without directly focusing on the applicants’ ethnicity, the state lawmakers instituted Top Ten Percent Plan to ensure an automatic admission to any public universities in Texas. The plan that was enacted by the 75th Legislature served a two-fold purpose: to meet the requirements of diversity and to face the law of equal opportunity (Barr, 2005, p. 1). It is evident that the pre-Hopwood admission policy was outlawed on the ground that it goes against the US constitution. But the fact whether the policy adopted by the University Authority and the state legislators in the post Hopwood period was capable enough of bridging the hollering racial gaps existing in the US society may engender controversy.  

Increasing human population Essay Example for Free

Increasing human population Essay It can transfer genes across species boundaries; more importantly, across huge taxonomic divides. It can also enable the incorporation of laboratory synthesised nucleic acids for designer purposes. GM foods can be divided into those that contain tissues and nucleic acids from the GM source organism (e. g. tomato puree) and those that contain purified derivatives that may be chemically indistinguishable from the same ingredients isolated from non-GMO`s (e. g. the phospholipid, lecithin and other specified oils and proteins from Soya). Provided these purified ingredients are chemically identical to those from non-GMO sources, they should not alter existing health risks. Unfortunately, complete purity is unachievable. Foods that contain original GMO tissue may contain unexpected components and alien nucleotide sequences. The Questions arise: can alien nucleotide sequences be transferred to the gut micro-organisms or be absorbed by human tissues, perhaps through phagocytosis or the agency of viral transduction?. If they can, what are the risks to human health generated as a consequence?. The Biochemist P32 October 1999 ? 1999 The Biochemical Society The technology will allow us to create in major crop plants materials we formerly had to obtain from other sources such as industrial feed stocks or medicines. Pepper. G. Crop Sciences Dept University of Illinois Crops that resist drought and disease promise to transform the lives of poor farmers -if only they could afford them Five million Brazilians faced starvation this year. This time it was a drought related to El Nii o that halved grain crops in the northeast of the country, but next year it will be something else. Famine is perennial in Brazil. In September Monsanto, the worlds largest supplier of genetically modified seeds, announced it would invest $550 million in Brazil to build a factory producing its herbicide Roundup. Shortly afterwards the Brazilian government made Monsantos Roundup-resistant Soya beans the countrys first legally approved, genetically engineered crop. The Soya beans will boost profits for the big landowners who grow them to feed beef cattle for export. But most rural Brazilians are subsistence farmers who do not grow Soya. No help will trickle down from Monsantos beans to the starving millions. The story exemplifies the limited contribution genetically modified crops have made so far to eradicating world hunger. It is not that biotech companies are uninterested in the developing world. Far from it: Brazil and other newly industrialising countries are in fact prime targets, with their growing demand for agricultural products, little opposition to biotechnology, and farmers who have risen above hard graft subsistence, but have not yet become customers of the worlds seed and agrochemicals conglomerates. Crops that thrive despite drought and salty soils could also let farmers expand production into marginal lands. And the nutritional content of staples could be improved. If maize, for example, can be made to produce more of the amino acids it naturally lacks, the 80 million people who live almost exclusively on maize would get more protein. Ganesh Kishore, head of nutrition at Monsanto, says: We can make it into a complete balanced meal. Arber. W. (Article: The Bio industry Association 1999 http://www. bioindustry. org/) Genetically modified crops are no more dangerous to the environment than traditional crops and could boost corn, rice and other food yields by as much as 25 percent in developing countries http://www.freep. com/news/health/qdiet141. htm Foods can also be genetically modified to ensure that they last longer by removing or adding certain genes. This process gives them a greater shelf life and means they are less prone to bruising when in transit. They are also less likely to lose their colour and more importantly, retain more of their nutrients. This ultimately gives consumers a better product and reduces the amount of waste for the producers and retailers. Proteins vital to our diets can be added to foods which dont ordinarily contain them, which is important for people lacking them. In time, this will also be true of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. http://www. futuradesign. co. uk/gm/ With respect to the information I have studied herein I conclude that genetic modification of foods is not without some induced risk as totally alien genes are being inserted into organisms from unrelated species. This has been shown to possibly alter the new organisms `properties` as a food substrate either beneficially or adversely. I believe that GM foods have great potential in providing food for an ever increasing population where more traditional agricultural techniques may struggle to cope or fail. However, efficient regulation of the market is necessary and the proactive techniques which have developed to meet this demand may have played a significant part in public rejectance of GM techniques in some countries. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Variation and Inheritance section.

Integrating basic skills Essay Example for Free

Integrating basic skills Essay Graphing and Social Studies The Rationale Graphing skills are in important tool for participating in adult society. As such, they should be emphasized and integrated into the curriculum. Including a graphing exercise as part of a larger social studies unit is a good way to reinforce math and interpretive skills. A graphing exercise gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate what has been learned in a creative way. Reproducing the information in graphical form also helps the students to see the big picture. It helps them see how different elements relate, and it provides a visual representation of the information that can be more easily remembered. As adults, the students will find that graphs are not solely a mathematical element. Graphs are a way we communicate concepts as well as data. Early integration of this skill into a child’s education can only be beneficial. The Exercise Software and internet sites to assist graphing activities are plentiful. For this exercise, the Create a Graph website (http://nces. ed. gov/nces/kids/graphing/) sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics will be used. The students have been studying the Plymouth Plantation. This lesson points out that the Pilgrims attained a new sense of freedom, but it was not without hardship. The graphing exercise is designed to reinforce this concept. Before the exercise begins the teacher will run through a brief graphing tutorial. To begin, the students will each receive one of three different assignment sheets. They will later be divided into groups based on which assignment they receive. The students in group one will receive a handout summarizing the information obtained in the part of the lesson called â€Å"Step 2. † Their task will be to construct a graph at the Create a Graph website comparing the speeds of various forms of transportation, present and past, including the Mayflower. A bar chart will be suggested. The students may discuss the project as a group, but each student must complete a chart. The second group will receive a handout summarizing the climatic data obtained in â€Å"Step 3. † They will construct a chart showing the average temperature highs and lows for each month of the year. An area chart will be suggested. The third group will receive a handout describing population levels of colonists and natives in the area in the years 1620-1640. They will be asked to construct charts showing the population distribution (men, women, Native Americans) in the years 1620 and 1640. Pie charts will be suggested. Copies of each graph will be printed for each student in the group. Fonts, colors and labels will be at the discretion of the students, but the students will be asked to keep in mind that their chart must explain the data clearly to someone who might not already be familiar with it. After everyone has completed a chart they will return to groups to discuss their results. The graphs in each group will not be identical, but they should be similar. Each group will then be asked an interpretive question: â€Å"What is your graph telling us? † The answer should be one written sentence. The idea is to present a very concise summary of the information, i. e. The population difference between men and women shrunk between 1620 and 1640. The teacher will choose one or two members of each croup to present their graph, describe the process of making it, and describe the meaning. To reinforce the experience, the students will be asked, as a class a series of follow up questions including the following: Could we have used different types of graphs to present the data? Why or why not? Why do we use graphs? What do the graphs tell you about life on Plymouth? The graphing exercise will help students visualize the data. They can then draw their own conclusions about what the data means. They will gain exposure to the different types of graphs and when it is appropriate to use each. It is also another chance to integrate interactive technology into the students learning experience. The group format will allow students to exchange ideas and develop for themselves a more creative learning experience. As with any group exercise, the job of the teacher is to facilitate interaction and full participation of the students. Sources Bergen County Intermediate School District. (2006). Technology Curriculum Integration Ideas! Retrieved 7/2/2006 from: http://www. remc11. k12. mi. us/bcisd/classres/intideas. htm Brooks, Susan Byles, Bill. (2006). Idea Starters for using Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved 7/2/2006 from: http://www. internet4classrooms. com/integ_tech_lessons. htm Evans, Janet. (2005). Literacy Moves On: Popular Culture, New Technologies, and Critical Literacy in the Elementary Classroom. New York: Heinemann. Howell, Will C. (1987). Grid and graph it: graphing activities for listening and following directions, grades 4-6. Belmont, Calif. : Fearon Teacher Aids. National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Students Classroom: Create a Graph. Retrieved 7/2/2006 from: http://nces. ed. gov/nces/kids/graphing/ Starr, Linda. (2003). Technology Integration Ideas that Work. Retrieved 7/2/2006 from: http://www. education-world. com/a_tech/tech/tech176. shtml Ventura, Fred. (2006). Graphing and Computers in Grades 3-5. Retrieved 7/2/2006 from: http://www,venturaes. com/graphing/.