The cultural ecology of dietary change accompanying changing activity patterns among the shipibo

Shipibo Indians, who formed a village to establish a school and health clinic, are gradually depleting local fish and game resources. Men, recently adopting rice as a cash crop, tend to fish and hunt less than other men working only their subsistence gardens. Sale of fish and game in the village is becoming common, and pigs, once raised exclusively for sale to non-Shipibo, are now more regularly eaten and used for attracting agricultural labor. Other research has indicated that cash cropping often competes for workers' time in subsistence and so dietary change usually accompanies changing activity patterns. This paper explores the latter possibility by examining the relationship between cash cropping, wild meat procurement, and diet among the Shipibo. Time allocation and food consumption data are analyzed statistically to test a mathematical theory and model which relates indigenous work patterns to diet.     

晋东豫西旱农试验区农业生态系统能流特征

以晋东豫西旱农试验区－－山西省寿阳县宗艾镇宗艾村农业生态系统为研究对象,分析了农田、果园、林业和畜牧业等亚系统能量流动途径、人工辅助能输入、能量产出,能量结构偏差以及能量转化效率等能流特征。结果表明：（１）由于能量投入低,尽管利用效率较高,但能量产出仍处于低水平阶段。农田生态系统的有机能投入和人工辅助能总投入很低,低于１９７９年全国平均水平,但能量产投比较高,增加人工辅助能投入、提高有机能投入比例     

Animal board invited review: Animal source foods in healthy,sustainable, and ethical diets – An argument against drastic limitation of livestock in the food system

Animal source foods are evolutionarily appropriate foods for humans. It is therefore remarkable that they are now presented by some as unhealthy, unsustainable, and unethical, particularly in the urban West. The benefits of consuming them are nonetheless substantial, as they offer a wide spectrum of nutrients that are needed for cell and tissue development, function, and survival. They play a role in proper physical and cognitive development of infants, children, and adolescents, and help promote maintenance of physical function with ageing. While high-red meat consumption in the West is associated with several forms of chronic disease, these associations remain uncertain in other cultural contexts or when consumption is part of wholesome diets. Besides health concerns, there is also widespread anxiety about the environmental impacts of animal source foods. Although several production methods are detrimental (intensive cropping for feed, overgrazing, deforestation, water pollution, etc.) and require substantial mitigation, damaging impacts are not intrinsic to animal husbandry. When well-managed, livestock farming contributes to ecosystem management and soil health, while delivering high-quality foodstuffs through the upcycling of resources that are otherwise non-suitable for food production, making use of marginal land and inedible materials (forage, by-products, etc.), integrating livestock and crop farming where possible has the potential to benefit plant food production through enhanced nutrient recycling, while minimising external input needs such as fertilisers and pesticides. Moreover, the impacts on land use, water wastage, and greenhouse gas emissions are highly contextual, and their estimation is often erroneous due to a reductionist use of metrics. Similarly, whether animal husbandry is ethical or not depends on practical specificities, not on the fact that animals are involved. Such discussions also need to factor in that animal husbandry plays an important role in culture, societal well-being, food security, and the provision of livelihoods. We seize this opportunity to argue for less preconceived assumptions about alleged effects of animal source foods on the health of the planet and the humans and animals involved, for less top-down planning based on isolated metrics or (Western) technocratic perspectives, and for more holistic and circumstantial approaches to the food system.     

Optimizing edible fungal growth and biodegradation of inedible crop residues using various cropping methods

Long-term manned space flights to Mars require the development of an advanced life support (ALS) ecosystem including efficient food crop production, processing and recycling waste products thereof. Using edible white rot fungi (EWRF) to achieve effective biomass transformation in ALS requires optimal and rapid biodegradative activity on lignocellulosic wastes. We investigated the mycelial growth of Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus ostreatus on processed residues of various crops under various cropping patterns. In single cropping, mycelial growth and fruiting in all strains were significantly repressed on sweet potato and basil. However, growth of the strains was improved when sweet potato and basil residues were paired with rice or wheat straw. Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus) strains were better than shiitake (L. edodes) strains under single, paired, and mixed cropping patterns. Mixed cropping further eliminated the inherent inhibitory effect of sweet potato, basil, or lettuce on fungal growth. Co-cropping fungal species had a synergistic effect on rate of fungal growth, substrate colonization, and fruiting. Use of efficient cropping methods may enhance fungal growth, fruiting, biodegradation of crop residues, and efficiency of biomass recycling.     

青菜/油菜茬口下水稻栽植方式对温光资源利用和产量的影响

轻简化栽培和优质稻是当前我国水稻生产的主要方向,气象因子是对水稻生长发育和产量形成影响最大的环境因素,但在不同轻简化栽植方式下水稻产量与其田间小气候的关系鲜有研究。为探究西南地区不同前作下杂交稻各生育阶段温、光和水等气候因子与水稻产量形成的关系,在2019—2020年,以杂交籼稻‘宜香优2115'为试验材料,采用两因素裂区设计,主区为青菜和油菜2种前作,副区为机直播、毯苗机插和人工移栽3种栽植方式,研究杂交稻产量对气候因子的响应及水稻植株对温光资源的利用。结果表明: 与油菜-水稻模式相比,青菜-水稻模式下杂交稻积温生产效率和降水生产效率显著提高,进而提高了有效穗数、结实率和千粒重,2年产量分别提高了12.7%和8.3%。与人工移栽相比,机插稻提高了单位面积有效穗数、全生育期光能生产效率、积温生产效率、籽粒光能利用效率和降水生产效率,2年平均产量提高了4.6%;而机直播全生育期降水生产效率、光能生产效率、积温生产效率、籽粒光能利用效率、每穗粒数和千粒重都显著降低,导致2年平均产量下降了8.7%。与2019年相比,2020年机插稻和人工移栽稻在同一茬口下提前一个月播种造成花后生育期缩短、气温降低和降雨量增多,导致有效积温和光辐射量大幅减少,积温生产效率、光能生产效率、降水生产效率和籽粒光能利用效率以及每穗粒数、结实率和千粒重均大幅降低,进而导致产量严重降低。用偏最小二乘法回归分析建立的气象因子产量预报方程标准化回归系数显示,水稻产量与阶段生育期或全生育期内有效积温和总辐射量呈正相关关系,与全生育期内降水量呈显著负相关关系。综上,青菜-水稻模式下机插秧与西南地区稻季光温资源匹配度最高,更有利于温光资源的充分利用和获得高产,但不宜过早播种或移栽。     

Nitrogen in shifting cultivation systems of Latin America

Relatively little is known about the dynamics of N in shifting cultivation and related cropping systems in the humid tropics of Latin America. The soils that predominate in 82% of the region, namely Oxisols and Ultisols, have a fairly high total N content. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the bulk of the N in tropical rainforests is present in the soil, and not in the biomass. Losses of N through clearing and burning are about 20–25% of the N existing in the ecosystem. Mechanized land clearing causes larger N losses than the traditional slash and burn method. Ashes can contribute substantial amounts (67–127 kg N ha^?1) to the soil, which prevents N deficiency for the first crop sown, but N deficiency is observed from the second crop onwards. The rate of total-N decomposition in the arable layer is high during the first two years after burning, but subsequently reaches a new equilibrium with continuous cultivation. Continuous production of food crops is feasible in Ultisols and Oxisols of the Amazon with correct agronomic practices. Crops such as maize and rice require N fertilization rates of 80–120 kg N ha^?1. The efficiency of applied-N utilization is comparable to that in the temperate zone and varies with planting season and cropping system. Pastures following burning do not cause significant losses of N in the soil, particularly if they consist of properly managed mixtures of grasses and legumes. These observations are based on data collected from only a small number of sites, making generalization difficult. Nitrogen dynamics should be viewed in conjunction with other soil factors such as acidity and the availability of other nutrients.     

A decision support tool for modifications in crop cultivation method based on life cycle assessment: a case study on greenhouse gas emission reduction in Taiwanese sugarcane cultivation

Background, aim, and scope  

Nowadays, various crops are cultivated to supply emerging needs in sustainable fuels and materials. In addition to the development of crop processing technologies, cultivation processes in a cropping system could be modified to meet the emerging needs, along with the conventional needs in food supply. This study provides a decision tool for modifications in cultivation of crops based on life cycle assessment. Sugarcane cultivation in Taiwan is chosen as a case study to present such a decision tool, because it is an important potential indigenous resource for energy (for example, bio-ethanol) and materials (for example, bio-plastics). First, this study presents the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of 1 ton of sugarcane in Taiwan, which makes it possible to understand how it is consistent to develop this bio-resource in terms of both objectives: i.e., resource security and reduction of global warming impact. Next, sensitivity of the parameters in cropping systems, such as amount of irrigation, fertilization and tillage are assessed from a viewpoint of GHG emissions, using the LCI model constructed in the first step. Finally, equivalent impact level (EIL) lines are presented for some important parameters in the cropping system to support considerations in modification of agricultural methods. Because the objective is to discuss parameters in cultivation processes, the scope of study is limited to cradle-to-gate of raw sugarcane transported to the cane processing plant.     

开封沙地试验区不同作物种植方式的综合效益评价

开封沙区地处河南省沙区腹地,风沙灾害严重,旱涝灾害频繁,地力瘠薄,严重障碍着沙区农牧业生产的发展。因此,自１９８３年在国家科技攻关的基础上建立了开封沙地试验区,探索平原沙区农业生产的发展模式。尤其是“八五”攻关期间,深化农林牧复合生态系统的优化研究,...     

Long fallow periods: The key to sustenance of soil fertility?

Changes in N, P, K, Ca and Mg in soil and rice plants were investigated during a cropping season following a long fallow period in a system of traditional cultivation practised for several centuries, under a village tank irrigation system. Soil, N, P, K, Ca and Mg were not found to be deficient for rice production throughout the season. Flooding did not produce toxic levels of Fe and Na and soil pH remained at 6.4 during the season. The average grain yield (3.5 t/ha) without any addition of chemical fertilizer was almost the same as that from fields under major irrigation systems where fertilizer application (less than the recommended level) was common. The sustainability of soil fertility under the traditional system of rice cultivation appears to be dependent upon long fallow periods. The natural build-up of soil fertility during a three-year fallow was evidently adequate to support a good growth of the crop which produced a yield comparable to that obtained in chemically fertilized, more intensively cropped rice fields under major irrigation systems.     

Managing native and legume-fixed nitrogen in lowland rice-based cropping systems

Lowlands comprise 87% of the 145 M ha of world rice area. Lowland rice-based cropping systems are characterized by soil flooding during most of the rice growing season. Rainfall distribution, availability of irrigation water and prevailing temperatures determine when rice or other crops are grown. Nitrogen is the most required nutrient in lowland rice-based cropping systems. Reducing fertilizer N use in these cropping systems, while maintaining or enhancing crop output, is desirable from both environmental and economic perspectives. This may be possible by producing N on the land through legume biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), minimizing soil N losses, and by improved recycling of N through plant residues. At the end of a flooded rice crop, organic- and NH₄-N dominate in the soil, with negligible amounts of NO₃. Subsequent drying of the soil favors aerobic N transformations. Organic N mineralizes to NH₄, which is rapidly nitrified into NO₃. As a result, NO₃ accumulates in soil during the aerobic phase. Recent evidence indicates that large amounts of accumulated soil NO₃ may be lost from rice lowlands upon the flooding of aerobic soil for rice production. Plant uptake during the aerobic phase can conserve soil NO₃ from potential loss. Legumes grown during the aerobic phase additionally capture atmospheric N through BNF. The length of the nonflooded season, water availability, soil properties, and prevailing temperatures determine when and where legumes are, or can be, grown. The amount of N derived by legumes through BNF depends on the interaction of microbial, plant, and environmental determinants. Suitable legumes for lowland rice soils are those that can deplete soil NO₃ while deriving large amounts of N through BNF. Reducing soil N supply to the legume by suitable soil and crop management can increase BNF. Much of the N in legume biomass might be removed from the land in an economic crop produce. As biomass is removed, the likelihood of obtaining a positive soil N balance diminishes. Nonetheless, use of legumes rather than non-legumes is likely to contribute higher quantities of N to a subsequent rice crop. A whole-system approach to N management will be necessary to capture and effectively use soil and atmospheric sources of N in the lowland rice ecosystem.IRRI-NifTAL-IFDC joint contribution.     

Winter oilseed production for biofuel in the US Corn Belt: opportunities and limitations

Interest from the US commercial aviation industry and commitments established by the US Navy and Air Force to use renewable fuels has spurred interest in identifying and developing crops for renewable aviation fuel. Concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions associated with land‐use change and shifting land grown for food to feedstock production for fuel has encouraged the concept of intensifying current prominent cropping systems through various double cropping strategies. Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) and field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) are two winter oilseed crops that could potentially be integrated into the corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [(Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cropping system, which is the prominent cropping system in the US Corn Belt. In addition to providing a feedstock for renewable aviation fuel production, integrating these crops into corn–soybean cropping systems could also potentially provide a range of ecosystem services. Some of these include soil protection from wind and water erosion, soil organic C (SOC) sequestration, water quality improvement through nitrate reduction, and a food source for pollinators. However, integration of these crops into corn–soybean cropping systems also carries possible limitations, such as potential yield reductions of the subsequent soybean crop. This review identifies and discusses some of the key benefits and constraints of integrating camelina or field pennycress into corn–soybean cropping systems and identifies generalized areas for potential adoption in the US Corn Belt.     

冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田对双季稻田根际土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响

微生物群落功能多样性是土壤质量变化重要的指标,不同作物类型的秸秆还田措施对土壤微生物群落功能多样性具有明显的影响。以位于双季稻主产区不同冬季覆盖作物-双季稻种植模式大田定位试验田为研究对象,以冬闲-双季稻种植模式为对照(CK),应用Biolog-GN技术开展黑麦草-双季稻(Ry)、紫云英-双季稻(Mv)、油菜-双季稻(Ra)和马铃薯-双季稻(Po)种植模式条件下不同冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田后对双季稻田根际土壤微生物功能多样性影响的研究。研究结果表明,早稻和晚稻成熟期,与CK处理相比,冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田处理增加了稻田土壤碳源平均颜色变化率(AWCD),以Po处理AWCD均为最高,均显著高于Ry和CK处理。不同冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田处理土壤微生物代谢多样性指数表现出明显的差异,早稻成熟期,Po处理的Richness、Shannon和McIntosh指数均为最高,其次为Ry、Mv和Ra处理,CK处理最低;晚稻成熟期,各处理的Richness、Shannon和McIntosh指数大小顺序均表现为PoRaMvRyCK。土壤微生物碳源利用的主成分分析结果表明,各冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田处理根际土壤微生物利用的主要碳源为氨基酸类和糖类物质,不同处理间碳源利用类型有差异。冬季覆盖作物秸秆还田措施有利于提高双季稻田根际土壤微生物对碳源的利用能力、物种丰富度和均匀度。     

Comparative study of four rice cultivars with different levels of cadmium tolerance

Cadmium (Cd) has been identified as a significant pollutant due to its high solubility in water and soil and high toxicity to plants and animals. Rice, as one of the most important food crops, is grown in soils with variable levels of Cd and therefore, is important to discriminate the Cd tolerance of different rice cultivars to determine their suitability for cultivation in Cd-contaminated soils. This study investigates the primary mechanisms employed by four rice cultivars in attaining Cd tolerance. HA63 cultivar reduces Cd uptake by increasing Fe absorption through activation of phytosiderophores. T3028 cultivar accumulates the highest level of Cd in leaves while also activating its reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system, including antioxidant enzymes and phytochelatins. In some rice cultivars (such as HA63), a cyanide-resistant respiration mechanism, important in Cd detoxification, was also promoted under the Cd stress. In conclusion, different rice cultivars may adopt different biochemical strategies and respond with different efficiency to Cd stress.     

京郊典型集约化"农田-畜牧"生产系统氮素流动特征

城郊畜牧业的集约化发展在满足人们日益增长的肉蛋奶等动物性产品需求的同时,也带来了巨大的环境压力。本文利用养分流动和模型分析的方法,分析北京市郊区某村三种不同类型"农田-畜牧"生产系统(大型集约化种猪场、种养结合小规模生态养殖园和集约化单一种植区)的氮素流动特征。结果表明:饲料是集约化种猪场和生态养殖园氮素输入的主要来源,饲料投入氮量分别为12469.0和9268.5 kg.hm-.2a-1);集约化种猪场农牧体系间生产脱节,致使农田氮素输入主要依赖于化肥投入,化肥氮输入量(435.0 kg.hm-.2a-1)占农田氮素输入量的82.7%。相反,生态养殖园农牧体系结合紧密,猪粪尿氮还田比例达28.6%,这使得园区化肥氮输入量仅为135.0 kg.hm-.2a-1,因此畜禽粪尿的合理循环利用可作为减少化肥投入的有效途径;集约化种猪场、生态养殖园和单一种植区农牧生产系统氮素利用效率分别为18.8%、20.6%和17.3%,均处于较低水平;集约化种猪场猪粪尿在猪舍和储藏处理过程的氮素损失率为15.8%和25.4%,分别低于小规模生态养殖园相应损失率约8.7和4.8个百分点;生态养殖园粪肥氮还田量高,导致农田氮素盈余量高达1962.8 kg.hm-.2a-1,未能实现生态型养殖的理想效果,优化氮素管理、确定合理的消纳畜禽粪尿的农田面积和调整畜禽养殖密度是解决该问题的关键。     

基于Ecopath模型的崂山湾人工鱼礁区生态系统结构和功能研究

基于2014—2016年青岛崂山湾人工鱼礁区的生物资源调查数据,利用Ecopath with Ecosim(EwE)软件构建崂山湾人工鱼礁区生态系统生态通道模型(Ecopath),系统分析了崂山湾人工鱼礁区生态系统的能量流动规律和结构特征,估算了栉孔扇贝的养殖容量。该模型由17个功能组组成,基本涵盖了崂山湾人工鱼礁区生态系统能量流动的主要过程。生态网络分析表明,生态系统各功能组的营养级范围为1.0—4.255,星康吉鳗占据了营养级的最高层。能量流动主要有5级,各营养级平均能量传递效率为10.8%,其中来自初级生产者的能量效率为9.8%,来自碎屑的传递效率为10.9%;系统总流量为14256.510 t km~(-2) a~(-1),其中68%的能量来自碎屑供给;系统的总初级生产量/总呼吸量为1.127,系统联结指数为0.293,杂食指数为0.333,表明崂山湾人工鱼礁区生态系统成熟度较高,食物网结构较复杂,系统内部稳定性较高。关键种指数分析结果显示,许氏平鲉具有较高的关键指数和相对总影响,表明其可能在当前生态系统中扮演重要的生态角色。吊笼养殖栉孔扇贝生态容纳量为189.679 t/km~2,在维持生态系统平衡和稳定的前提下,当前现存量最大可增加18.55%。     

珠江三角洲高畦深沟农田生态系统的结构及功能研究

前言自然和社会经济条件不同,农田生态系统的类型也不同。研究农田生态系统的结构与功能,可了解特定系统对当地环境条件的适应性。近年来,国内外很多学者,都从能流物流和经济效益方面对各类型结构农田生态系统结构与功能作了研究。高畦深沟结构农田生态系统,是珠江三角洲平原区人民为在当地地下水位较高的条件下,进行旱作而发展的一种农田生态系统类型。它的特点是,以一定的比例挖深沟,利用挖沟的泥土起高畦,沟中长期保持有水层,畦面进行旱作,沟里进行种植、养殖或其它利用,结构多年不变,是一种相对稳定的农田生态系统。     

Labor specialization and the formation of markets for food in a Shipibo subsistence economy

Traditionally, the Shipibo economy was subsistence-based with shifting cultivation supplying calories, principally in the form of plantains and root crops, while fishing and hunting provided animal proteins to the diet. Some men, who recently began producing rice for sale in regional markets, now allocate less time to wild food procurement. Moreover, this trend has been accompanied by the nucleation of households, a growing cash market for agricultural labor, and the intravillage sale of faunal foods. This paper shows that with cash cropping, some Shipibo now freely distribute less food to others in relation to the amount they produce. To account for this change, a theory is developed based on time allocation and patterns of economic behavior reported throughout the Amazon. This theory is then applied to explain specialization and the formation of cash markets for food labor among the Shipibo.     

Feeding dynamics,nitrogen budgets,and ecosystem role of a desert stream omnivore,Agosia chrysogaster (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

Synopsis Feeding habits, diel periodicity and total daily ingestion, and nitrogen budgets of longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster) were examined on two occasions when food quality, but not quantity, differed. Agosia chrysogaster was found to be an opportunistic omnivore, consuming primarily insects when the preferred taxon (baetid mayflies) was abundant in the environment, but consuming primarily algae when mayfly abundance was low. Ingestion provided a better measure of diel feeding periodicity than gut fullness; feeding was diurnal on both sample dates, but more markedly so when the primary food was algae. Mean nitrogen content of algal foods was low, and A. chrysogaster apparently compensated for this by increasing its daily ingestion rate when algae were the major food. A reduction in nitrogen content of food during digestion from 4–6% (of dry mass) to less than 1% (in feces) suggested a high assimilation efficiency for nitrogen (nitrogen assimilated/nitrogen consumed = 72–78%). Populations of this abundant and successful cyprinid in Sonoran Desert streams may play an important role in ecosystem nitrogen dynamics. Nitrogen stored in fish biomass comprised 3–6% of the total nitrogen stored in Sycamore Creek, and excretion of ammonia by the fish represented 5–10% of total nitrogen uptake by algae. Such rapid recycling of usable nitrogen to primary producers is significant in this nitrogen limited stream ecosystem.     

再生稻田温室气体排放特征及碳足迹

研究中国东南区域不同稻作方式对水稻生产过程中稻田温室气体排放特征及其碳足迹的影响,对促进水稻可持续生产有重要意义。本研究以当前推广的常规稻‘佳辐占'和杂交中稻‘甬优2640'为材料,构建4种适合福建不同生态类型区的稻作模式: 1) 双季稻,早稻和晚稻均种植佳辐占(D-J);2) 早熟再生稻,头季稻和再生季稻均种植佳辐占(R-J);3) 中熟再生稻,头季稻和再生季稻均种植甬优2640(R-Y);4) 单季晚稻,与中熟再生季稻同期抽穗的单季晚稻,种植甬优2640(S-Y)。采用密闭静态暗箱观测法和气相色谱法分别收集并检测稻田土壤温室气体排放量,借用生命周期法对不同稻作方式产生的直接和间接温室气体排放总量(即碳足迹)进行数据采集与比较分析。结果表明: 不同稻作方式稻田温室气体排放特征均表现为生育前期排放量较低,到孕穗期前后达到高峰后又下降,即全生育期呈前高后低的双峰曲线,其中早稻或头季稻达到的第1个峰值较相应晚稻或再生季稻的第2个峰值高。不同稻作模式稻田温室气体排放总量差异显著。各种植模式全球增温潜势(GWP)表现为:R-Y>D-J>S-Y>R-J,温室气体排放强度(GHGI)表现为:D-J>S-Y>R-Y>R-J;与双季稻模式相比,佳辐占再生稻模式GWP和GHGI分别降低26.1%和14.1%;与同期抽穗的单季晚稻相比,甬优2640再生季稻稻田GWP和GHGI分别降低74.3%和56.7%。不同稻作模式下水稻单位产量碳足迹为0.38~1.08 kg CO₂-eq.·kg^-1,其中双季稻模式下最高,再生稻模式下甬优2640的单位产量碳足迹最低。不同稻作模式产生的碳足迹主要来源于CH₄,其贡献率高达44.2%~71.5%。可见,再生稻种植模式能显著降低水稻全球增温潜势和碳排放强度。选用高产低碳排放的水稻优良品种并配套科学栽培技术,是有效降低稻田CH₄排放量和碳足迹、促进再生稻生产可持续发展的关键。     

High fertility in a Peruvian Amazon Indian village

The relation between fertility and cultural change in a Peruvian Amazon Indian village was studied initially in 1964 and in more detail in 1969. The 1969 study included observations concerning social, economic, environmental, cultural, and health changes. Population growth in the village is nearly 5% per year, and fertility appears to exceed that previously recorded for other groups. The factors that may be contributing to the high fertility are explored. They are thought to include early and prolonged parity, nearly universal marriage and fertility, high reproductive efficiency, short birth intervals, Western health intervention lowering both infant and maternal mortality rates, and a decline in the prevalence of polygyny.Presented at the 99th annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 13, 1971. The project upon which this publication is based is supported by Bureau of Health Services Training Grant #8-TO1OHSOO17-04.