The Unfinished Business of Anna Kingsford – Towards an Enchanted Animal Ethic

This article takes seriously the claim made by 19th century antivivisectionist Anna Kingsford that experiments on animals constitute a type of malevolent sorcery, more specifically a demonic blood sacrifice. In so doing, the paper follows the work of Pignarre and Stengers in their explication of sorcery and how to “get a hold” of its operations despite its stupefying powers. To that end, I will investigate the pragmatic potential of understanding experiments on animals in this way, and more broadly, following the work of posthuman and material feminists, as a type of onto-theological phenomenon of spacetimemattering (in Karen Barad’s terms). This understanding will pay particular attention to the intra-active exclusions that haunt the laboratory space and, following a neo-Spinozist feminist approach, I will explicate the ways in which the human-animal power relations within the laboratory inhibit the creation of joyful multispecies “common notions.” In order to respond to the ghostly presences which haunt the laboratory space, and to affirm joyful, multispecies relations for “as well as possible worlds” (Puig de la Bellacasa), I will finally argue for an affirmative multispecies politics of what Rosi Bradiotti calls “zoe-centered egalitarianism” through a posthuman politics of “grace,” or “the leaving be of nonhumans” (MacCormack) which I frame as an enactment of an enchanted animal ethic.

DRAUGHT ANIMAL POWER UTILIZATION ON SMALLHOLDER FARMS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Asurvey on draught animal power (DAP) use on small holder farms in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State was conducted during the 1988/89 farming season. A purposive sampling technique was utilized where all the 25 household heads who owned and used draught animals were sample. Structured questionnaire schedule was developed and used for data collection. The findings revealed that majority (88%) of the respondents were between the 20 and 29 years of age. While majority (92%) of the respondents started with a pair of work animals, only 4% started with two pairs. White Fulani (Bunaji) cattle was the popular breed among the respondents. The animal were used for achieving three different agricultural tasks. The constraints associated with animal power utilization include unavailability and high cost of implements, scarcity of feed during the dry season and animal disease.

Towards a Theory of Dung Culture: An Inner Asian Case Study

Research on milk, meat, fur, bone and animal power predominates in theories of livestock resources. However, research on livestock dung, an important livestock resource that is produced regardless of the age and sex of the animal, and is a continuous and stable resource in terms of quantity, has been neglected. From the perspective of cultural anthropology, based on archival and ethnographic research, this paper examines livestock dung culture in terms of dung gathering, utilisation, and naming systems. It is argued that a theory of dung culture will provide an insight into the forma- tion of pastoralism and the origin of domestication.

Conservation Agriculture Mechanization Practices for Small Holders under Soybean-wheat Cropping Pattern

The field study was conducted under wheat-soybean cropping pattern during Kharif and Rabi with wheat crops at ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering Bhopal to identify the appropriate package of animal drawn implements suitable to small and marginal farmers for conservation agriculture. Different tillage treatments viz. no-tillage, minimum tillage and conventional tillage system were adopted using animal power during the field experiments. The grain yield was found significantly higher in minimum tillage and conventional tillage as compared to no-till for all cropping patterns. Additionally, minimum tillage saves 20% more operational cost and 34% operational energy as compared to conventional tillage. The average soil cone index was found in the range of 1.32 to 1.42 MPa with different tillage treatments. The soil bulk density was found in the range of 1.20 to 1.22 for all tillage conditions. The soil organic carbon was found significantly higher in the next after second year of practice in the case no-tillage (0.64) and minimum tillage (0.60) as compared to conventional (0.55).The result indicated that practice of conservation agriculture through minimum tillage is possible in soybean-wheat crop rotation through animal power that could be benefited for small and marginal farmers and performed better timeliness in operations.

Reversible Data Concealing in Encrypted Images using Binary- Square Embedding

The primary objective of this paper is to embed secret information using Binary-Square Embedding (BSE) technique in binary image. Using BSE, we intend to use an associate rule for Reversible Data Concealing in Encipher Images (BSERDCEI). This approach use BSE to implant binary bits in subordinate bit -planes of the first picture into its superior bitplanes such that the subordinate bit-planes be able to be kept back for concealing undisclosed information in resulting progression. BSE-RDCEI utilize bit- stage scrambling method when undisclosed information implant to unfold implant undisclosed information to the complete noticeable encipher image so it will forestall undisclosed information as of failure. A safety key style method is projected to reinforce the safety stage of BSE-RDCEI. Procedures of BSE-RDCEI be totally revertible. The key information & unique picture will exist remade in various ways. Examinations and correlations demonstrate that BSE-RDCEI has relate implanting rate about doubly bigger than the dynamic calculations, creates the checked decoded pictures with prime quality, and is in a situation to oppose the animal power, differential, commotion and data misfortune assaults.

Resource Use Efficiency and Profitability of Maize Farming in Sindhuli, Nepal: Cobb-Douglas Production Function Analysis

The study was conducted to determine the resource use efficiency, profitability and demography of maize farming in Sindhuli district. This study was conducted in 120 maize producers, 60 from Kamalamai Municipality (KMC) and 60 from Marin rural municipality. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was administered to randomly selected farmers. Maize producers were interviewed using face to face interview method in the month of October 2018. All the data were entered into SPSS and Microsoft excel and analysis was done by using Microsoft excel and SPSS. Cobb- Douglas production function was used to determine the resource use efficiency of maize production. Benefit cost ratio in the research area is 1.20 which indicates that maize production was profitable and farmers of Sindhuli get additional 20 paisa with investment of one rupee in maize farming. Productivity, cost and income per hectare of maize farming in Sindhuli was 1.98 tons, Rs 42423.3 and Rs 50805 respectively. 10% increase in chemical fertilizer, FYM and seed cost resulted in increase in income by 7.21%, 2.43% and 0.6% respectively. 10% increase in labor and animal power resulted into 0.2% and 0.07% decrease in output. For optimal allocation of resource expenditure on seed and chemical fertilizer were need to be increased by 89.93% each. Labor, animal power and FYM were over utilized resources for maize farming. The sum of coefficients was 0.983 which implied decreasing return to scale, 100% increase in all the factor of production included in the model would result in 98.30% increase in maize production. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 7(2): 257-263

Determinants of Farm Mechanization in Nepal

The paper attempts to explore the factors affecting the farm mechanization in Nepal, where agriculture is the primary livelihood of most people and the mechanization is crucial for efficient production and productivity. The government has also introduced a separate policy for agriculture mechanization in 2014. A primary data was collected from 300 households and analysed to assess and quantify the determinants of the farm mechanization. A descriptive analysis was carried out for understanding the data and the results were interpreted. Similarly, the multiple regression was executed to assess the factors affecting total investment in the farm machinery. The five different models were specified and compared for the better results. Moreover, to have deeper insight, the farm machinery was categorized into light machinery, heavy machinery and animal power. The results showed that light machinery is an essential part of Nepali farming system. Likewise, the presence of animal power, income per capita, per capita farm area, adaptation due to change in temperature, Household size, Farm area and income are significant determinants for total investment in farm mechanization.