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Repeated closures of the world's science museums to stem the spread of COVID-19 have significantly reduced visitors' access to informal science learning opportunities. Interviews with educators and an analysis of the online content of a science museum were used in this case study to examine the impact of this phenomenon on informal science education. We present several education examples to highlight how educators have attempted to adapt. Specifically, we describe and characterize educators' strategies--"collaboration, networking," and "feedback"--to address difficulties involved in developing virtually accessible content that will engage users. In addition, we analyze essential attributes of informal learning in the science museum attributes of "interaction, free-choice learning, hands-on experience," and "authentic learning" that the educators kept in mind while planning and redesigning educational programs and cultural events in response to COVID-19. We conclude by forecasting the future of science museums based on the educators' perceptions of their roles and the nature of informal science learning, assuming that educators are the crucial agents to build a new future direction.

This study examines the complex relationship between gender inequality and economic growth in South Korea over the past two decades. Despite South Korea's remarkable economic advancement, its persistent gender inequalities challenge conventional assumptions about economic development fostering gender equality. By examining labor market dynamics, the institutionalization of care labor, and the positions of women's organizations, this study reveals a crucial paradox: while statistics show improvements in women's labor participation and social spending, these changes obscure underlying structural inequalities. This finding contributes to feminist theoretical debates on the neoliberal cooptation of feminist movements, demonstrating how neoliberal reforms have created opportunities for feminist advancement while simultaneously reinforcing structural gender inequalities. Finally, this study sheds light on care workers’ collective action as a critical site for examining new political momentum. Their struggles illuminate both the contradictions within the expanding care economy and the possibilities for reimagining feminist politics and social protection in contemporary South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the socioscientific issues (SSI) classroom, students need to cross the border between the subcultures of science (i.e., school science vs. everyday science). Traditional school contexts tend to present science as positivistic knowledge and unshakable truth unaffected by sociocultural factors. In contrast, everyday science, including SSI, is more nuanced, context-based, socially and culturally embedded. Thus, learning in an SSI classroom requires students to make additional efforts to successfully navigate between the subcultures of science. The expected norms located within these two educational contexts can create academic and sociocultural tensions for students. It is therefore necessary to explore the tensions caused these differential norms in order to successfully implement SSI. Through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory, we attempted to identify possible tensions that originate by implementing SSI instruction in a setting where teachers and students are accustomed to traditional lecture-based classroom instruction. One hundred thirty ninth graders at a public middle school located in Seoul, South Korea, participated in SSI programs on genetic modification technology during seven class periods over three to 4 weeks. Data was collected by classroom observation, audio-taping while students participated in various types of discourse, and semistructured interviews. We identified four noteworthy phenomena including intolerance of uncertainty, scientism, a sense of rivalry, and reaching an expedient and easy consensus. By revealing and understanding these tensions and phenomena, we aim to help inform teachers (and teacher educators) recognize instructional clues that can change not only students' epistemological views and attitudes toward science and science classes, but also better navigate the norms of classroom culture.

Manure-sourced methane emissions from livestock operations in California will soon be subject to new regulation, as required by Senate Bill 1383, which was signed into law in 2016. Regulations, beginning in 2024, will require reductions in methane emissions from livestock manure, with a 40% reduction target by 2030. The California dairy industry accounts for most of the manure-sourced methane emissions in the state and, in order to reduce these emissions, government experts and authorities have encouraged expansion of anaerobic digestion of dairy waste — especially to produce transportation fuel. Renewable natural gas for vehicle fuel, produced from manure at digesters, is eligible for substantial federal and California environmental credits, which are now projected to contribute the bulk of the revenue for qualifying digesters. This article shows that investments in digesters, because they depend heavily on revenue created by government policy, rather than on market-based sales of natural gas, are highly vulnerable to the risk of policy change or even minor technical adjustments in environmental regulations. Without secure projections of revenue that will cover costs, regulations may cause increases in the shift of milk production out of California.

The impacts of climate change on agriculture depend on local conditions and crops grown. For instance, warmer winter temperatures in a given area would reduce chill hours, potentially cutting yields for some crops but extending the growing season for others. Using a century of climate data and six decades of acreage data, we established quantitative economic relationships between the evolution of local climate and acreage of 12 important crops in Yolo County. We then used the historical trend in climate change to project future crop acreages in the county. Only marginal changes in acreage in 2050 were projected for tree and vine crops there, in part because chill hours, although lower, remained above critical values. Walnuts were the most vulnerable tree crop, and the projections indicated some cultivars might be marginal in years with particularly warm winters. Processing tomato acreage might increase, due to a longer growing season, and also alfalfa acreage, if water availability and other factors remain constant.

1. What Does the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Mean for California Agriculture?If it were implemented, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement would lower import barriers and facilitate export for many of California's significant agricultural exports to Pacific Rim nations—most importantly in Japan. By modestly improving growth prospects, it would also help create larger markets in developing countries—most importantly Vietnam. 2. Whither U.S. Immigration?The United States is the nation of immigration, with 20% of the world's international migrants and half of the world's unauthorized migrants. Debates over the best package of enforcement, legalization, and guest workers to deal with illegal migration continue to divide Americans and Congress. 3. National Standards for GM-Free Food Labels: A Good IdeaThe USDA and U.S. Congress are working to introduce a national certification program for GM-free food labels. It would function similarly to the existing National Organic Program. Consumers would gain from these regulations if they are introduced.

1. What Is a Farm Bill, What Is in the 2013 Version, and What Does It Mean to California Agriculture?2.Changes Are Coming to U.S. Dairy Policy.3.What Can Be Done to Reinvigorate U.S. Agricultural Research?4. Risk Management and the Farm Bill: The Role of Crop Insurance.

This place‐based case study in an agricultural county in California’s Central Valley focused on the period of 2010–2050, and dealt with biophysical and socioeconomic issues related to both mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to adaptation to an uncertain climate. In the past 100 years, changes in crop acreage has been more related to crop price and availability of irrigation water than to growing degree days during summer, and in fact, summer temperatures have increased less than winter temperatures. Econometric analysis indicated that warmer winters, as projected by Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory‐Bias Corrected Constructed Analog during 2035–2050, could result in less wheat acreage, more alfalfa and tomato acreage, and slight effects on tree and vine crops. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model showed that these econometric projections did not reduce irrigation demand under either the B1 or A2 scenarios, but a diverse, water‐efficient cropping pattern combined with improved irrigation technology reduced demand to 12 percent below the historic mean.   Collaboration during development of Yolo County’s Climate Action Plan showed that nitrous oxide (mainly from nitrogen fertilizers) was the main source (≅40 percent) of agricultural emissions. Emissions from cropland and rangeland were several orders of magnitude lower than urbanized land per unit area. A survey distributed to 570 farmers and ranchers achieved a 34 percent response rate. Farmers concerned about climate change were more likely to implement water conservation practices, and adopt voluntary GHG mitigation practices. Use of the urban growth model (UPlan) showed that channeling much or all future urban development into existing urban areas will increase ecosystem services by preserving agricultural land and open space, immensely reducing the Yolo County’s GHG emissions, and greatly enhancing agricultural sustainability

New Free Trade Agreements Will Improve California Farm Export Prospects.Immigration Reform: What's Next for Agriculture?OPEC and the Environmental Impact of Biofuels.

The United States and South Korea negotiated a bilateral trade agreement in 2007. After final legislative approval, likely later this year, high tariffs on exports of most California agricultural products to South Korea will be gradually eliminated. Already, with the tariffs in place, South Korea ranks among the top six destinations for many California agricultural exports. More-open access to the South Korean market will create significant opportunities for major commodities produced in California such as almonds and dairy products.

After several years of informal and formal negotiations, South Korea and the United States reached an agreement to move towards free trade in April 2007. Currently, both countries await congressional approval before the agreement can be implemented. This study explains the substance of the agricultural parts of the agreement and considers its agricultural implications.

Special Issue: Issues in the California Wine and Wine Grape IndustryCurrent Economic Trends in the California Wine IndustryRecent Trends in the California Wine Grape IndustryCalifornia Wine Grape Growers’ Use of Powdery Mildew ForecastsAppellation, Variety and the Price of California Wines

This study aimed to develop and implement an undergraduate liberal arts education programme titled Social-Venture Planning for Creative Problem-Solving. The programme was designed based on the creative problem-solving process model and previous research on social-venture planning, with the goal of providing undergraduate students with the experience needed to address social issues in creative ways. To empirically evaluate the programme's effectiveness, the CPSPI questionnaire was administered both before and after the intervention. Multiple sets of data for a mixed-method analysis were collected. The results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in creative problem-solving competencies among the undergraduate participants. The results of the qualitative analysis explain the context of the change by subfactors. In the concluding section, key considerations for implementing the programme and the pedagogical implications of integrating social-venture planning into the context of liberal arts education were elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report provides a detailed statistical profile of California’s horticultural farm industries based on survey data collected from approximately one-third of all horticultural crop producers in the state in the spring of 2002. The survey was designed to elicit information on the current status of horticultural farm industries on their risk management practices and attitudes. The industries featured in this study accounted for more than $17 billion of gross farm revenue in 2002. The statistical information presented is the most comprehensive ever undertaken for this important segment of California agriculture. The main body of the report describes industries in seven sections: 1) farm size and regional profile; 2) crop diversification; 3) marketing; 4) yield, price, and profit fluctuations; 5) risk management; 6) crop insurance; and 7) financial characteristics.

Mandatory Mediation for Farmworkers: A New Era in Farm Labor?; California Horticulture: Current Trade and Policy Issues; Do Polluters Head Overseas? Testing the Pollution Haven Hypothesis.

The use of agricultural contracts between farmers and processors or other buyers has increased substantially in recent years. Roughly half of all U.S. fruit and vegetable production is under contract. Contract usage varies widely across agricultural products. For example, 95% of poultry is raised under contract while only 13% of corn is. The wine grape industry utilizes contracts, yet little is known about the extent of contract use, or the use of specific terms and objectives. We used a survey to analyze contract use among wine grape producers, determine which users are utilizing contracts, and identify how they differ from nonusers. Ninety percent of the growers who responded to the survey have contracts, the majority of which were multiyear, averaging 3.7 years. Growers with more experience, larger vineyards, more expensive grapes and longer relationships with the buyer were more likely to enter into contracts.

In the Sacramento Valley, irrigation water is vital to agriculture and agriculture is vital to local economies. This study investigates these relationships by asking: If surface irrigation water were cut by 25%, what would be the economic impacts on farmers and on communities? The study results indicate that the effects would not be uniform across crops and the eight counties in the Sacramento Valley. In most regions and for most crops, a cut in irrigation water would cause a modest acreage reduction of up to 3%. Overall crop-revenue losses for core regions would total $8 million while the loss for the entire Sacramento Valley would be $11 million. About 80% of those losses would take place in poorer counties that depend most heavily on agriculture, and particularly on rice. However, in response to surface-water reductions, farmers and others would mitigate their losses by making adjustments such as conserving water, changing cropping patterns or implementing new technologies.

The role of agriculture in Northeast Asian cooperation has been important for many years. However, the end of the Cold War and the recent security concerns in Northeast Asia have made this issue more urgent. In addition, recent developments in international agricultural relations have changed the context in which nations of the region are now making agricultural and food-related policy. These broader issues provide the context for this paper.It has long been understood that food and agriculture are vital to the security of any nation or region. However, the nature of this relationship is sometimes misunderstood: it is easy to overlook the fact that a goal of food and agricultural security is consistent with a goal of economic progress and overall economic security. It is now more widely accepted that liberalized trade and privatization of agriculture are critically important for economic development and income growth, whereas restricted trade and food self-sufficiency objectives diminish economic growth and security. This theme underlies the argument of the present paper.The overall objective of the paper is to describe the current agricultural situation in North Korea, South Korea, China, and Japan with reference to the issues of food security and agricultural cooperation. The paper will succinctly describe trends in agricultural supply, demand, and trade for each of the four countries. In addition, where important for understanding supply and demand trends, there will be a brief explanation of the impact of recent developments in domestic agricultural policy. A discussion of future subregional cooperative possibilities concludes the paper.