New Agriculturist welcomes opinions and contributions from readers. Please e-mail us with your comments on New Agriculturist and the subject matter featured. The Editor reserves the right to select communications for our e-mail @ page and to abbreviate communications for publication.

We hope that communications will stimulate debate on agriculture and rural development, and suggest topics for future coverage.

In response to our first edition, we received a very encouraging response. A selection follows. Please keep your e-mails coming.

Response to the first issue of New Agriculturist has been very encouraging with readers accessing the web site from the many countries (including the following) and providing congratulatory and critical feed back.

"Congratulations to ALL on your new magazine. Well constructed, very readable, and informative too."
Gamini Seneviratne, Vienna, AUSTRIA

"A really excellent magazine. Photos look good in your 'Focus on' page."
Chris Grose, IMA, UK

"Congratulation on your new magazine. I have just been browsing through it this morning. It is easy to go from link to link. The logo is both striking and colourful."
"One small query. I brought up the magazine on both my computers and the lines of the opening article were just too long to view for my screen. I had no difficulty with reading the Vietnam article. It fitted well onto my screen."
Pat Craddock, University of South Pacific, FIJI

Ed: Two other people have also said that they had to scroll sideways to fit text on their screens. I hope now with this issue you have not found any problems of this nature, as some aspects of the magazine have been redesigned to overcome these problems. If however you still have difficulties can you please email details of your computer type, web browser and screen resolution and we will do further research into the problem.

"Very impressed with the magazine from lay-out, content, etc. etc. Looks and reads well."
Brian Parker, NSW, AUSTRALIA

"Congratulations on the initiative."
Ricardo Ramirez, Guelph, CANADA

"I have visited the site and it looks excellent; well done to all involved. I have circulated the information to all my colleagues."
Mike Carter, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Rural Development and Training, University of Wolverhampton, UK

"Have now checked your website. Nicely designed. Good colours. However, on both Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Microsoft Explorer 2.0, it was extremely slow to access. Moving from the opening page to a second one took 4 minutes! In case it was our server, I tried a couple of other websites and both came on quickly."
Robert Huggan, IRRI, PHILIPPINES

Ed: Thank you for pointing out this problem. We have not had anyone else raise this particular problem so far. If anybody else has experienced similar difficulties we would be grateful to hear from them so that we can try and rectify it.

"I visited the site and found it extremely interesting with good stories including the Vietnam country profile."
T. Mustafa, IFAD, ROME

"What a good idea. Have surfed your site. Superb!"
Paul Osborn, Mediateurs, THE NETHERLANDS

"Visited your "New Agri" website yesterday. Great, well done."
Roger Leakey, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh, UK

"A little superficial but very accessible otherwise. I will certainly be looking forward to the updates."
Mike Gooding, University of Reading, UK

Ed: We would welcome other opinions: Whether readers agree with Mike Gooding or with Annik Dollaker, below.

"I had a quick look into the "New Agriculturist". There is not too much text in it, which I think is essential. Also the structure is good. For me who works internationally this gives a good view on many things."
Annik Dollaker, Bayer AG, GERMANY

"I would like to have information on the availability of new issues automatically emailed. Please arrange this."
Dr R C Muchow, CSIRO, AUSTRALIA

"I've now managed to 'find' the "New Agriculturist on-line" and found it very informative. I like the layout and the way one can access specific issues from the first page.
There wasn't a great deal of specific interest to me as I'm very much into forestry at present, but I enjoyed some of the snippets of information I was able to pick up - new genes in coconut took me back to my days in Vanuatu and links with IRHO and ORSTOM. I also found the information on courses useful as it identified some interesting education opportunities about which I was not previously aware.
I will certainly pass on the address to colleagues whom I think will be interested. I look forward to future issues."
Peter Neil, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, SOUTH AFRICA

"Congratulations, its very easy to follow and lots of interesting info."
Phil Malone, Countrywise Communication, UK

"Congratulations - the on-line mag. Looks great. I'll forward your email to relevant colleagues here."
Geoff Barnard, Head of Communications, IDS, University of Sussex, UK

"Congratulations on the first issue of "New Agriculturist" on the Internet. I shall look forward to future issues - please keep the email updates coming."
Roger Bone, NRI, UK

"Sounds great, am interested."
Stephen Swan, NEW ZEALAND

Ed: Please keep your comments coming.