Agricultural Economics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Similar to other foods, the concept of natural wine is much debated due to the lack of a clear and regulated definition, leading to a proliferation of heterogeneous norms and standards proposed from different natural wine associations at national levels. The current study explored the aspects which mediate individuals' information and perception of natural wine, and the rationale behind natural wine consumption behavior among Italian (n = 501) and Spanish (n = 527) regular wine consumers. The results reveal a quite low self-reported degree of perceived information by Italian respondents and slightly higher levels among Spanish ones. The key drivers of natural wine consumption in both countries are wine consumption frequency, information, and natural product interest. In contrast, higher wine involvement levels decrease natural wine consumption frequency in both Italy and Spain. The findings also show that different perceptions lead to diverse motivations, suggesting the need for more homogeneous standards to mitigate the level of information asymmetry currently on the market.

- by and +1
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- Economic Anthropology, Agricultural Economics, Wine Economics, Food Marketing

Agricultural cooperatives have changed considerably in recent decades. In witnessing these structural changes, scholars have proffered analyses of nontraditional ownership models focusing on residual claim rights. However, crucial information on the allocation of control rights in cooperatives is missing. This study sheds light on alternative ownership-control models adopted by agricultural cooperatives in different regions across the world. In each of these models, we describe the allocation of formal control rights with a focus on decision management and decision control rights. We thus provide empirical evidence on the “separation of ownership and control” in agricultural cooperatives. We also analyze each of the governance models in terms of the associated ownership costs, including risk-bearing costs, the costs of controlling managers, and collective decision-making costs. In doing so, we are able to better understand the forces influencing the organizational efficiency of each cooperative model. [EconLit classification: Q130].

Domesticated animals spread from their ancestral heartland in northern Africa and southwestern Asia into eastern and southern Africa after 4000 BP. Three theories account for the relatively slow spread of domesticated animals into the southern latitudes between 4000 and 3000 BP. The first theory posits that arid climates hindered the dispersal of domesticated animals beyond the Lake Turkana basin until pluvial conditions set in after 3000 BP. The second theory argues that epizootic diseases were the inhibiting factors. Finally, indigenous cultural reticence to alter their primary modes of subsistence in favor of animal husbandry accords with the archaeological data from sites that date to this period. A single normative paradigm explaining the shift from a primarily foraging subsistence economy to one that relied heavily on domesticates is unlikely. This review of the current archaeological and paleoenvironmental state of knowledge finds the “static frontier” likely resulted from a combination of all of these factors.

- by David Wright
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- Landscape Ecology, Human Geography, Archaeology, Paleoclimatology

The digital e-trading platform is an ambitious and priority intervention in the agricultural sector. The research study is among the very few that identifies and prioritizes the predictors of wholesale electronic trading platform adoption in agricultural marketing. The research has been conducted in two phases—identification of predictors based on a scholarly articles’ review and generating the predictive function between the identified predictors and adoption using the multilayer perceptron neural networks method. A case study of the electronic national agriculture market platform is undertaken to understand the predictors in the context of a real project. The study has revealed significant predictors of priority (high to low) as fast transaction cycles, higher prices, easier to use, infrastructure availability, trust, social influence, low transaction costs and customer care. Post-adoption, the user expects to get benefits like transparency, quick trade settlement, reduced transaction cost, expanding the market reach, and increase in the product price realized by the farmer. The improvement in the critical predictors of the electronic trading platform may help the de-facto national initiative to succeed. In new markets, the prediction framework using the neural network may be used to identify users with the propensity to adopt e-commerce or digital initiatives in the agricultural sector and proactively approach them to get a high number of transactions—an essential ingredient of success. The digital e-trading initiative is a growth catalyst of Agriculture 4.0 and may transform the agricultural supply chain for the better.

- by Sanjay Chaudhary
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- Marketing, Agricultural Economics, Infromation System, E-Commerce

Madhya Pradesh (MP) has made considerable growth in its agriculture sector and has emerged to be the largest producer of foodgrains. The state needs to investigate, whether this substantial growth of agriculture production was stable and evenly distributed among the various crops or if it was concentrated on a few crops only. Accordingly, this paper aims to study the growth trends and their association with the stability of major crops with respect to their output, area, and yield during 2001-02 to 2014-15. 1The paper also aims to analyze the shift in the growth of crops as well as the association between the growth of their area under cultivation and yield growth. This study uses semi-log regression to estimate the growth rate of major crops and a dummy regression model to analyze the shift in the crops, further, an index has also been constructed to measure the degree of instability. The results show that agriculture in Madhya Pradesh is in a comfortable state as most of the crops with a few exceptions grew substantially in all three aspects. The area doesn't seem to be influenced by the yield or technology, but by other market forces. Besides, some crops have observed significant shifts with respect to all three parameters. The crops like cotton, tur, mustard, jowar, and soybean were found to have lost their part in later years which needs special concern. These shifts have also led to instability in the crops, however, the crops with lower growth and high instability like jowar, maize and it should be a matter of concern.

- by Ankit K U M A R Suryawanshi
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- Agricultural Economics, Instability, Maize, Cash Flow projections

Understanding and proper use of statistics is an integral part of everyday business environment. Statistics as a scientific discipline deals with collection, analysis and interpretation of data referring to the observed phenomena, and it is linked to a numeric indicator. Increasing demand for high-quality statistical data and speed of availability of those caused the development of new modern technologies, particularly in the data collection process. One of the solutions to increase the speed, accuracy and availability of data is precisely the use of modern information technology tools in the process of data production. Bearing the foregoing in mind, one of the development goals of the Statistical Office is to improve the organization and control of statistical processes by introducing modern technologies in the process of not only collecting data, but also of their processing and dissemination. In addition, the goal is to improve the organization of work in the direction of centralization of data collection phase and improvement in standardization of statistical processes through the development of existing and adoption of new procedures and guidelines that standardize the production process of official statistics. Application of new technologies increases data quality as well, but also reduces the research costs. This work aims to present the methods of data collection in agriculture statistics that are currently used in the Statistical Office of Montenegro, the manner of control of field work (through the introduction of a controllers system), as well as plans for modernization of data collection in the context of surveys research in agriculture statistics.

Esquema, en forma de paradigma (libre de polvo y paja, en blanco y negro), del quehacer trianual para un presidente de Comisariado Ejidal o para un presidente de Consejo de Vigilancia, en un Ejido de la república mexicana, a la luz de la conversión deseable del ejido en la palanca del desarrollo integral de medio rural, de México y del planeta tierra en su conjunto.

- by Xavier Gamboa Villafranca and +1
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- Entrepreneurship, Sociology, Rural Sociology, Organizational Change

This report describes the results of plant surveys with Native American elders along designated District 7 highways. The surveys were intended to elicit information concerning culturally significant plant gathering sites and other sites with contemporary cultural significance to Native Americans who are indigenous to the Caltrans D7 Los Angeles County project area. The project roads consist of approximately 400 miles of county roadway. Along the corridors on both sides of the highways, the roads were surveyed for culturally significant plants and other Native American traditional cultural properties visible above ground, extending approximately fifty feet from the highway right-of-way. The survey team identified a total of 106 species of culturally significant plants growing along the project roadways. The culturally significant plants have been recorded and mapped as “Gathering Places” (GP) with information describing the highway and gathering site.

- by Jana Fortier
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- Native American Studies, Archaeology, Indigenous Studies, Ethnobotany

So far, drying systems have not been classified systematically. However, drying methods can be broadly classified on the basis of either the mode of heat transfer to the wet solid or the handling characteristics and physical properties of the wet material. The first method of classification reveals differences in dryer design and operation, while the second method is most useful in the selection of a group of dryers for preliminary consideration in a given drying problem. According to the mode of heat transfer, drying methods can be divided into: (a) conduction drying, (b) convection drying, and (c) radiation drying. There are other methods of drying also, namely, dielectric drying, chemical or sorption drying, vacuum dryi ng, freeze drying, etc. Of them, convection drying is commonly used for drying of all types of grain and conduction drying can be employed for drying of parboiled grain. Conduction drying When the heat for drying is transferred to the wet solid mainly by conduction through a solid surface (usually metallic) the phenomenon is known as conduction or contact drying. In this method, conduction is the principal mode of heat transfer and the vaporised moisture is removed independently of the heating media. Conduction drying is characterised by: (a) Heat transfer to the wet solid takes place by conduction through a solid surface, usually metallic. The source of heat may be hot water, steam, flue gases, hot oil, etc.; (b) Surface temperatures may vary widely; (c) Contact dryers can be operated under low pressure and in inert atmosphere; (d) Dust and dusty materials can be removed very effectively; and (e) When agitation is done, more uniform dried product and increased drying rate are achieved by using conduction drying. Conduction drying can be carried out either continuously or batch-wise. Cylinder dryers, drum dryers, steam tube rotary dryers are some of the continuous conduction dryers. Vacuum tray dryers, freeze dryers, agitated pan dryers are the examples of batc h conduction dryers. Convection drying In convection drying, the drying agent (hot gases) in contact with the wet solid is used to supply heat and carry away the va porised moisture and the heat is transferred to the wet solid mainly by convection. The characteristics of convection drying are: (a) Drying is dependent upon the heat transfer from the drying agent to the wet material, the former being the carrier of vaporis ed moisture; (b) Steam heated air, direct flue gases of agricultural waste, etc., can be used as drying agents; (c) Drying temperature varies widely; (d) At gas temperatures below the boiling point, the vapour content of the gas affects the drying rate and the final moisture content of the solid; (e) If the atmospheric humidities are high, natural air drying needs dehumidification; and (f) Fuel consumption per kg of moisture evaporated is always higher than that of conduction drying. Convection drying is most popular in grain drying. It can be carried out either continuously or batch-wise. Continuous tray dryers, continuous sheeting dryers, pneumatic conveying dryers, rotary dryers, tunnel dryers come under the continuous system, wherea s tray and compartment dryers, batch through circulation dryers are the batch dryers. Convection drying can be further classified as follows: Pneumatic or fluidised bed drying: When the hot gas (drying agent) is supplied at a velocity higher than the terminal velocity of the wet solid, the drying of the wet solid occurs in a suspended or fluidised state. This phenomenon is known as fluidised bed drying. Drying may be carried out in a semi-suspended state or spouted bed condition also. Generally, the convection drying is conducted under ordinary state, i.e., drying agent is supplied at a velocity much lower than the terminal velocity of the wet m aterial. In natural air drying, the unheated air as supplied by the nature is utilized. In drying with supplemental heat just sufficient amount of heat (temperature rise within 5 to 10°C) only, is supplied to the drying air to reduce its relative humidity so that drying can ta ke place. In heated air drying, the drying air is heated to a considerable extent. The natural air drying and drying with supplemental heat methods which may require one to four weeks or even more to reduce the grain moisture content to safe levels, are generally used to dry grain for short-term storage in the farm. Heated air drying is most useful when large quantity of grain is to be dried within a short time and marketed at once. It is used for both short and long-term storage. Comparative advantages and disadvantages of the three convective drying methods are given as follows: NATURAL AIR DRYING: Advantages: (1) Lowest initial investment and maintenance cost. (2) No fuel cost. (3) No fire hazard. (4) Least supervision. (5) Least mould growth compared to supplemental heat. Disadvantages: (1) Very slow drying rate, drying period may be extended to several weeks. (2) Weather dependent. (3) More drying space necessary in comparison to heated air drying. (4) Useful particularly for short-term storage in the farm. (5) Not useful for humid tropics. SUPPLIMENTAL HEAT DRYING: Advantages: (1) Lower cost of equipment and maintenance. (2) Independent of weather. (3) Requires less supervision. (4) Most Convection drying Drying under Fluidised state Drying under Spouted bed condition Drying under ordinary state Natural / unheated air drying Heated air drying Air drying with supplemental heat

- by Divyansh Sharma
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- Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Soil Science

Dünya nüfusunun hızlı artışına paralel olarak gıda talebinde de artış yaşanması, alternatif enerji kullanımları için tarımın hammadde sağlaması gibi nedenlerle tarımsal üretimin artırılması zorunluluğu ortaya çıkmaktadır. Fakat dünyada ekilebilir alanların son sınırlarına ulaşması, girdi kullanımlarının verimliliği artırmada yetersiz kalmaya başlaması, doğal kaynakların sürdürülebilirliğinin önem kazanması, kaynakların daha etkin kullanımının gerekliliği gibi nedenlerle tarım sektöründe yeni yönetimsel yaklaşımlara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Yeni yönetimsel yaklaşımların uygulanabilmesi için geleneksel yöntemler kullanarak geçimlik üretim yapan işletmelerden ziyade, arazi bütünlüğü sağlanmış, kaynak yönetimi ve yüksek teknoloji kullanımı konusunda uzmanlaşmış tarım işletmelerine ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu çalışmada ikincil verilerden faydalanılarak Türkiye tarım işletmelerinin mevcut yapısal özellikleri incelenmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular değerlendirilerek, işletmelerin yeni yönetimsel yaklaşımları benimsemeleri, kaynaklarını etkin ve verimli kullanabilmeleri, işletme sürdürülebilirliğinin sağlanmasına yönelik önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

- by MERVE BOZDEMİR AKÇİL and +1
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- Business Administration, Finance, Agricultural Economics, Forced Labour

This guidebook is part of an ongoing series intended to assist public agencies, non-profit organizations, and the private sector with design and implementation of water acquisition programs to improve water supply reliability during drought and under climate change. While this guidebook addresses the use of auctions, others being developed will discuss water supply reliability contracts, regional water banks and other topics responsive to stakeholder interests in innovative acquisition programs. Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments: We acknowledge former and current faculty researchers and graduate research assistants on the University of Arizona Enhancing Water Supply Reliability research project for their contributions over the years of the project. We thank the Bureau of Reclamation for its generous support and interest, and staff in the Lower Colorado Regional Office for ongoing dialogue on water acquisitions program needs and objectives.

- by Michael O'Donnell
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- Economics, Agricultural Economics

The study of economics of goat production was carried out three hundred seventy six (376 nos) Black Bengal goats in two sub-regions of West Bengal. The two sub regions are GFP (Gangetic Flood Plane) and CFP (Coastal Flood Plane). The information pertaining to the present study was collected from two hundred ninety three (293 nos) goat farmers by participatory and rapid rural appraisal techniques in repeated interactions. The group receiving compound feed along with broken wheat & maize combination attained maximum growth i.e. 13.34 kg followed by growth in Compound Concentrate Feed & Broken Wheat; Compound Concentrate Feed, Broken Wheat & Rice; Compound Concentrate Feed; Broken Wheat & Rice bran and Broken Rice & Rice bran was 12.84, 12.66, 12.28, 12.08 &11.71 kg, respectively.

- by Santanu Bera and +1
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- Agricultural Economics, Goat Farming

As outlined in this chapter, agricultural development has a major ecological and environmental footprint. Nevertheless, agricultural development (together with other biologically based food-supplying industries) is needed to provide enough food for the world's growing level of human population. This chapter begins by discussing the general impacts of agriculture on the environment and the use of natural resources, then considers market failures as influences on the occurrence of agriculture's environmental impacts and its use of natural resources before examining economic factors that affect agricultural sustainability. Subsequently, the implications of agricultural policies for the state of the environment and for the availability of natural resources are outlined.

- by Clement Tisdell
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- Economics, Environmental Economics, Open Access, Agricultural Policy
- by Zvi Lerman
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, Slavic, Literary studies

Salt-affected soils (SAS) in India pose serious threat to national economy. Over 6.74 million hectares of lands have been assessed to be salt affected, either saline or sodic in India, out of which 2.1 million hectares have been reclaimed. In the beginning, research on SAS by ICARCSSRI, Karnal, India focussed on basic research for understanding the problems of salt and water dynamics and balance, causes of salt accumulation and plants behaviour under such stresses. After decades of experiments, recommendation emerged as technologies for reclamation and management of SAS as, robust gypsum technology for reclamation of sodic soils, developing salt tolerant crop varieties, guidelines for use of poor quality waters, rehabilitation of salty lands using forestry species, etc. All these efforts contributed towards improving livelihoods conditions and gainful engagements of farming communities in salt-affected areas of the country. Despite having larger potential, often the success stories ...

To achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, the study has suggested a practical measure of increasing focus on production of millets in the country. For increasing the productivity of millets and consequently income of farmers, the study has looked into the impact of reduction in yield gap and inclusion of fallow and waste lands under cultivation. The study has also suggested a way to absorb the additional production of millets in the country. Several value-added products of millets have been reported whose demand can be created and farmers' income can be increased. In addition, policy and incentive support for federating farmers, farm gate warehouse and processing in village clusters, linking farmers to the value chains of both nutri-grains and nutri-fodder and the platform of e-NAM can enable better price and enhanced income to farmers.

- by dayakar rao
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- Economics, Agricultural Economics

Nearly two billion people in the world suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, a condition commonly known as hidden hunger. Growing and eating biofortified crops can be an effective strategy for reducing hidden hunger. Orange-fleshed sweet potato or OFSP, released in 2007, was the one of the earliest successfully released biofortified crop. It has helped reduce vitamin A deficiency in countries of Africa. Odisha is the largest producer of sweet potato in India. We studied the value chain of sweet potato in Odisha-including production, marketing and wholesale and retail trade-to assess if production and consumption of OFSP can be encouraged in the state to reduce vitamin-A deficiency among affected populations. We surveyed 310 farmers and consumers, 25 aggregators, 12 wholesalers and 25 aggregators from 4 districts of Odisha and conducted semi-structured interviews with breeders and government extension officials. Unlike Africa, sweet potato is not a staple in Odisha even among households that grow it. It is consumed in small quantities, mainly on auspicious occasions. Farmers and consumers in Odisha are not aware of nutritional properties of OFSP. It is not in greater demand than the regular sweet potato and it does not fetch a higher price in the market. Therefore, only 11% farmers grow it. Generating demand for OFSP through an awareness campaign is essential for it to be effective against vitamin-A deficiency. .

- by Devesh Roy
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- Business, Mathematics, Agricultural Economics

Analysis of total factor productivity change in cowpea production in North-Central Nigeria between 1993 and 2017 was carried out with secondary production data. The data of cowpea from 1993 to 2017 were collected from National Bureau of Statistics, States, Food and Agriculture Statistical (FAOSTAT) data banks. Malmquist Total Factor Productivity Index (MTFPI) obtained from data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used in analyzing total factor productivity growth of the cowpea, while Tobit regression was used to analyze the determinants of total factor productivity. The results of the MTFPI analysis revealed that technical efficiency change contributed 0.7% to cowpea productivity growth, while technology regressed at 0.5%, leading to cowpea productivity growth at 0.2%. Tobit regression result showed rainfall to have significant and positive relationships with cowpea productivity at 1% level of significance. Credit borrowed for cowpea production had positive and significant relationship with productivity growth at P ≤ 0.05 over the period studied. Capital was statistically significant but negatively related to productivity at 10%. The study recommends farmers' training on farm practices and techniques to increase productivity. They should be encouraged to accept innovations from research institutes and properly allocate production resources to achieve cowpea productivity growth in the area.

- by Rachel Isonguyo
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- Agricultural Economics

This study aims to analyze the economic value of the application of biogas technology based on dairy farming. The data analysis used a quantitative method with an approach to the value of biogas waste production. The results showed that 23.575 kg of livestock manure in Enrekang Regency was able to produce 688,390 m3 / year of biogas production which was equivalent to 426,802 liters of kerosene so that annual savings of IDR 4.694.822.000 / year and the equivalent of 3 kg of Liquefied Petroleum Gas were IDR 2.111.062.667/year. Economically, it has been proven that the application of biogas installations is feasible as rural alternative energy.

Abstract
The study was under taken in Boro season of year 2003. The main objective
was to determine the profitability and efficiency of HYV-Boro rice and
Hybrid rice. Four Thanas of Mymensingh district were selected as study area.
One hundred and sixty (160) Hybrid rice growers were chosen randomly from
the areas. Field level survey was done to collect the data. To determine
profitability Gross Margin (GM), Net Return (NR), and Benefit Cost Ratio
(BCR) were calculated. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to
determine the efficiencies of rice growers. Net Return from HYV-Boro rice
and Hybrid rice were calculated Tk 9358.10 and Tk 21039.68 respectively.
The BCR of Hybrid rice (1.33) was also higher than the HYV-Boro rice (1.20)
production. In efficiencies analysis HYV-Boro rice shows better performance
than the Hybrid rice production. The factor affects inefficiencies were farm
area, farming experience, education level, and family size. The Economic
Efficiency (EE) of HYV-Boro rice growers was 0.88 and Hybrid rice growers
were 0.68. These indicate that there was more opportunity to increase EE of
Hybrid rice production than HYV-Boro rice production.
Need the Book? Here it is- https://goo.gl/OxlbaA/

- by AM Shamsuddula Shatil
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- Agricultural Economics

he deleninants of the decision to adopt organic production techniques are examined by applying binomial and multinomial bgit techniques to a sample of 237 horticultural T producers from the UK The analysis indicates that organic horticultural producers are more likely to be youngq run smalk enterpises and be female than their conventional crrun-arts, and that there are significant non-economic aspects to the decision to adopt organic techniques which may be missed in comparative profitability studies. I n addition, the analysis indicates that the registered and unregistered organic producers should not be regarded as a homogenous group, un'th sign$cant differences in terms ofthe influence of gender and information sources observed.

- by Isaac Uzel
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, Agricultural

Growth and liberalization of world trade have increased the risks of introduction of quarantine plant pests into importing countries. Import inspection of incoming commodities is a major tool for prevention of pest introductions related to world trade, but inspection capacities are limited. This article develops a theoretical and an empirical model for the optimal allocation of inspection effort for phytosanitary inspection of imported commodities when the inspecting agency has a limited capacity. It is shown that the optimal allocation of inspection effort equalizes marginal costs of pest introduction across risky commodity pathways. The numerical illustration finds the optimal allocation of inspection effort of chrysanthemum cuttings imported in the Netherlands. The numerical results suggest that ceteris paribus, greater inspection effort should be allocated to pathways whose inspection yields a greater reduction in the expected costs of pest introduction. The numerical results also suggest that import inspection has a high marginal benefit. In particular, we found that each additional euro of the inspection capacity decreases the expected costs of pest introduction from 18 to 49 euros, depending on the initial inspection capacity.

- by Olaf van Kooten
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, Empirical Model, Capacity constraint

Nos últimos anos o mundo presenciou uma demanda crescente por proteínas de origem animal. Esta demanda contribuiu para o a ampliação de diversas cadeias produtivas em muitas regiões. Neste contexto, a cadeia produtiva de frangos de corte, presente no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, passou a ser uma das principais do agronegócio gaúcho e contribuir significativamente para a geração de empregos, renda e divisas internacionais. Em função disto, o objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar os níveis de competitividade do segmento de exportação de carne de frango do Rio Grande do Sul, uma vez que esta é uma das condições para a consolidação e ampliação do espaço que a cadeia ocupa atualmente. Calculou-se o Índice de Vantagem Comparativa Reveladas (IVCR), apresentado por Balassa (1965) e a partir dele analisou-se a estrutura das exportações de carne de frango, originadas no Rio Grande do Sul, no período 1997 – 2011. Confirmou-se a hipótese de que as exportações gaúchas são competitivas.

- by Nilson Luiz Costa
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- Agribusiness, Competitiveness (Economics), Agricultural Economics

Peri-urban agriculture (PUA) comprises a broad set of agricultural activities carried out in cities or in close proximity to cities. With increasingly permissive approaches to diverse livelihood strategies and open markets in agricultural inputs, services and products, urban dwellers are engaging in a range of agricultural practices. However, farming in the peri-urban is under strong pressure from urbanization. The economic, social and environmental roles of farming need to be better understood in order to integrate periurban agriculture into urban planning. The current study was aimed to assess practices, potentials and constraints of PUA in Rabat Metropolis. Fifty respondents were selected randomly to obtain significant information. Data collection from farmers was based on field observation, interviews and field surveys. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, Chi-square test, tests of normality and homogeneity of variances and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were used. According to the major findings of the study, the major types of peri-urban farming practices in the study area includes: horticulture or production of fruits and vegetables, crop farming and some livestock rearing such as beef farming, sheep farming and poultry farming. The survey result reveals that there are various significances of PUA in the study area: it contributes to the economic development of the metropolis as it generates income for farmers, creates employment, contributes to food supply and enhances economic use of land and environmental beatification of the city. Results reveal also that legal constraints mainly the absence of laws regulating this activity and the obligation of some farmers in the peri-urban area to pay housing taxes and technical constraints such as insufficient workforce and high labor costs, difficult access to irrigation water, lack of training and technical supervision and support from the concerned body were the restraining forces to peri-urban agriculture growth in the area.

- by Fatiha Hakimi
- •
- Organic agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Morocco

The New Zealand pipfruit industry takes around twenty years to develop a new apple variety up to full commercial production. The industry’s success is increasingly dependent on the introduction of new pipfruit products. How can the industry plan for effective research, science, and technology (RS&T) investments for supplying products into an international marketplace which is increasingly volatile?

- by Peter J Mellalieu
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- Horticulture, Agribusiness, Organic agriculture, Sustainable agriculture

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

- by Rinku Murgai
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- Economics, Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, Inequality

This research examined the relationship between food insecurity, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and academic achievement in Georgia’s public school system. Georgia is located in the southern U.S. states, where food insecurity has been particularly prevalent. A multilevel Poisson generalized linear model was used to examine the relationship between food insecurity and academic achievement. Findings confirm a strong inverse relationship between food insecurity, as exhibited by participation in the National School Lunch Program, and academic achievement for elementary-age children. The strength of the relationship between food insecurity and academic achievement was different for the younger, elementary-age students (fifth grade) than for the older, middle school-age (eighth grade) students, a key distinction between this study and other research.

- by Angioloni Simone
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- Psychology, Development Economics, Econometrics, Political Science

Goat farming is an important production sector not only for Greece, but also for other Mediterranean countries, as it contributes to the family economy in rural areas. Despite the importance of goat farming, this sector has experienced economic difficulties due to poor management and increased production costs. The aim of our research is to determine goat farm profitability by surveying goat farmers for revenues, variable costs, and fixed costs of their farms. With the use of Principal Component Analysis, all economic factors contributing to overall production costs are examined, as well as their specific impacts on cost formulation. According to our results, goat farms in Greece are not profitable and they cannot survive without government subsidies. Farm economics and agricultural policies could be leveraged to improve community and environmental outcomes in order for farms to be economically and financially sustainable.

Since beef accounts for 71% of meat consumption in Nigeria, efficient functioning of the beef market network is very important in Nigeria’s development. This study tested for the degree of integration in the beef market using secondary data from twelve states of Nigeria. The analytical techniques used included descriptive statistics, Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF), Johansen Co-integration and Granger Causality models. Empirical results showed that retail price growth rates were highest in 2002. Growth was highest in Benue Market in 2002 (99.7%), Sokoto Market in 2009 (95.4%) and Imo Market in 2002 (54.9%). Growth rates were generally stable in 2001 except in Kwara Market. The lowest growth rates were recorded in Benue Market (-35.1%) and Imo Market (-14.5%) in 2003. Average growth rates were highest in Borno Market (17.4%), Sokoto Market (16.0%) and Bauchi Market (15.6%) while it was least in Lagos Market (11.3%). Generally, growth rate was higher in the producing areas (15.3%) than in the consuming areas (13.6%). The markets with the highest monthly retail prices were Imo, Rivers, Lagos and Enugu and were all located in southern Nigeria, a sink region for cattle. The ADF test showed all price series were non-stationary at their levels but stationary after first-differencing. Pair-wise market integration model indicated that prices were co-integrated in 72.7% of beef market locations indicating a high degree of marketing efficiency in the beef market. Prices were tied together in the long run in seven out of every 10 market locations in spite of short run divergences. The result of pair-wise Granger causality showed that 80 market pairs had evidence of price causation. Sixty two (62) market links of the 80 exhibited bi-directional Granger causality while 18 market pairs showed uni-directional Granger causality. The results of Granger causality test did not reveal that there are no clear price leaders in the beef market network. Despite the fairly high level of beef market linkage, there is need for all stakeholders to continue to effectively perform their roles so that there can be perfect linkage that will allow economic benefits derivable from this scenario of strong pricing contacts to be fully realized and sustained.

Cassava has become an important economic crop due to its growing use as a raw material in Food, Pharmaceutical and chemical industries causing rapid growth in the demand for cassava products. There is therefore an expansion in its production and processing. Peeling usually precedes most processing operations which makes it very essential. This machine is part of the efforts to mechanize cassava peeling to meet growing demands. The machine uses the abrasive mechanism to peel cassava roots in batches and is driven by an R.165 (6.5hp) diesel engine. Performance evaluation revealed that the machine could peel an average of 30kg cassava roots in 38s at an operating speed of 715 rpm; peel the same weight for 47s and 52s at 652 and 524 rpm respectively. The machine has an average throughput capacity of 0.790, 0.683 and 0.577 kg/s for operating speeds 715, 652 and 524 rpm respectively. Average peeling efficiency of 72.67, 63.83 and 57.67% was obtained for 715, 652 and 524 rpm respectively. It portends a significant breakthrough in the search for an effective mechanized cassava peeling machine

An important concern has risen about the over exploitation of both timber and non-timber products in West African Soudano-Sahelian countries. This study focused on the determination of the crop growing stages and coefficient K c allowing the irrigation of Chrysanthellum indicum, an herbaceous threatened plant frequently used in herbal medicine against heart and kidney diseases. To obtain the K c , three steps were undertaken. First, a weather station provided the variables needed to calculate the reference evapotranspiration ET 0. Secondly, to ascertain scientifically the results, the experiment runs nine lysimeters to determine the crop maximum evapotranspiration ETM. A well-drained loam with 8.1±1.6% of organic matter content was used within the replications. The water-balance providing ETM used irrigation I and drainage D measured every two days. Finally, the definition ETM loc = K c ·ET 0 was applied after the transformation of ETM into local ETM loc. The results showed that the triplet {stage name; stage duration (days); crop coefficient (K c)} values are respectively {initial; 28; 0.7±0.1}; {development; 17; 0.7-1.4±0.2}; {mid-season; 20; 1.4±0.2} and {late-season; 14; 0.7±0.04}. The total growing period was found as 79 days. These results offer the possibility for a water-efficient production of Chrysanthellum indicum in the dry season.

The report seeks to carry out a case study on the extent, nature and impact of international investments into the agricultural sector of Paraguay. The case analyzes the policies, legislation, institutions and other factors affecting international investment in the country. It finally also makes recommendations on how policies, regulations and other factors can be updated to respond appropriately to the challenges facing the agricultural sector in Paraguay.

- by Asma Jabeen
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- Flow Cytometry, Agricultural Economics, Cell Adhesion, Confocal Microscopy

This paper analyses the effect of a set of irrigation rehabilitation projects conducted over the last 10 years in Peru. The projects were conducted without the aim or the tools for a full-fledged impact evaluation. Nevertheless, this paper attempts an evaluation through the use of alternative data sources such as household surveys and geographic information, a strategy of identification of beneficiaries and control households based on spatial proximity to the projects' sites, and an econometric approach consisting of a double-differencing technique. The empirical analysis is guided and interpreted with the help of a theoretical model that considers the effects of an irrigation project on the distribution of production, employment and income for different types of landowners. The paper concludes that the irrigation projects implemented in Peru had a positive impact on intended beneficiary households, but not in the way it could have been simplistically expected.

- by XImena Del Carpio
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- Irrigation, Agricultural Economics, Impact Evaluation, Applied Economics

Maize (Zeu muys L.) is the most important cereal crop in the hills of Nepal, where the grain is used for human consumption and the stover for animal fodder. Maize farms are small, and population pressure necessitates the intensification of existing farming systems. Maize research directed at developing technologies for maize production began in Nepal in 1965. In 2000, a survey was carried out in two districts to determine the current level of adoption of improved maize production practices. In each of these districts, remote and accessible village development committees (VDCs) were surveyed. Questionnaires were administered to 54 randomly selected households in each VDC. A Tobit analysis was used to determine socio-economic, physical and technology factors that influence the use of improved varieties by farmers. All households use composted farmyard manure, and in the more accessible areas, urea as part of their soil fertility management strategy. Use of improved varieties was less than 60% for all VDCs and only 15% in the most remote VDC. In three of the four VDCs, adoption of improved varieties primarily occurred during the past 5 years. Based on a Tobit analysis, Khet land area, ethnic group, years of fertiliser use, off-farm income, and contact with extension significantly and positively affected adoption of improved varieties. Farmers in VDCs in central Nepal reported lack of seed to be the major constraint to the adoption of improved varieties, while lack of knowledge of new varieties was the major constraint for farmers in the western VDCs. The results from this survey suggest that the strategy for improving the adoption of new varieties will differ depending on infrastructure and the socio-economic conditions of the farmers in a given area.

- by Ricardo Hernandez
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, Profitability, Marketing channel

South Asia is home to almost half of the world's poor and malnourished. The region is the second most food insecure region after Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the 2013 Global Food Security Index, Shree Lanka is by far the most food secure nation in the region ranking 60 th globally with a score of 48.6 on the index. India, Pakisthan and Bangladesh rank 70, 75 and 81 respectively, out of 107 countries. Nepal's situation is by far the worst in South Asia ranking 84 th on this list.

- by Man B Bk, PhD
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- Agricultural Economics

Poor returns to cultivation and absence of non-farm opportunities are indicative of the larger socio-economic malaise in rural India. This is accentuated by the multiple risks that the farmer faces – yield, price, input, technology and credit among others. The increasing incidence of farmers’ suicides is symptomatic of a larger crisis, which is much more widespread. Risk mitigation strategies should go beyond credit. Long term strategies requires more stable income from agriculture, and more importantly, from non-farm sources. Private credit and input markets need to be regulated. A challenge for the technological and financial gurus is to provide innovative products that reduce costs while increasing returns. The institutional vacuum of organising farmers needs to be addressed through a federation of self-help groups (SHGs) or alternative structures.

- by Gajendra Kumar
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- Economics, Development Economics, Development Studies, Public PolicyStudies

This paper has visualized how agricultural scenario would evolve in the near future and what policies and strategies would be appropriate to adjust to the emerging changes and to harness the new opportunities. The major challenges for agriculture in the region are: raising and sustaining agricultural growth; ensuring food and nutritional security; facing impact of climate change; adjusting to changes in energy scenario; maintaining biosafety and bio-security; make sustainable use of natural resources and protecting biodiversity. The new opportunities lie in trade, marketing, biotechnology, shifting demand preferences in domestic and overseas markets, technology sharing, resource sharing and investments in research, extension and infrastructural development. SAARC countries need to develop science-based strategies for collective response to challenges and opportunities and global shocks in agriculture.

- by Dr. Ramesh Chand
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- Engineering, Climate Change, Sustainable agriculture, Agricultural Economics

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- by Craig Chase
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- Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Great Plains, North Dakota

Digitalni ali pogotovo internet marketing dobija sve veću pažnju u svijetu agrara prvenstveno zbog promjena na tržištu koji su navedeni u uvodu ovog rada. Poljoprivreda je globalna grana privrede koja je usljed razvoja transporta dobila i globalno tržište. Zbog toga danas na policama marketa možemo vidjeti proizvode iz svih dijelova svijeta, a nažalost, veliki broj tih namirnica se može proizvesti i u našoj državi. Razlozi za primjenu digitalnog marketinga u svijetu poljoprivrede su brojni.

- by Nedzad Seper
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- Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Economics

This paper investigates the trends in area, production and yield of onion in Rajasthan state of India by using component analysis model. The study data period has been divided into three periods: period one, 1984-95, 1996-2005 and 2006-2015. The comparison of area, production and yield growth rates in all periods revealed that cotton show better performance in state as well as national level. The decomposition analysis of growth suggests that for onion yield effect is the major source of growth in period 1984-95 and 1996-2005 except for period 2006-2015 for which area effect was the major source in Rajasthan. At national level, source of output growth for onion was the yield effect. The sources of output for the overall study period revealed that in case of onion crops, the main output source was the yield effect for respective crop. The results of decomposition analysis have important policy implications because each growth component alone has a limited scope to expand overtime. For example, land's growth potential (the acreage effect) is limited due to the scarce supply of water resources in Rajasthan As such, efforts have to be directed toward further increasing the productivity of crops. The future government policy should focus on developing new high-yielding with drought resistant varieties in Rajasthan.

12th Annual Green Economics Institute Conference 10-12th June 2017
3 Days St Hugh's College, University of Oxford, Keeping Social and Environmental Justice Alive in an age of Tyranny..
Reforming Economics.
Green Finance, Green Investment & Green Economics
Reclaiming The Economy from Privatisers, Fossil Fuellers, Xenophobes and Divide and Rulers.
Keeping social and environmental justice alive in this new age of Barbarism- Post Truth and Post Science

- by Miriam Kennet
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- American Literature, History, European History, Cultural History

Projects in the forestry sector, and land-use change and forestry projects more generally, have the potential to help mitigate global warming by acting as sinks for greenhouse gasses, particularly CO2. However, concerns have been expressed that participation in carbon-sink projects may be constrained by high costs. This problem may be particularly severe for projects involving smallholders in developing countries. Of particular concern are the transaction costs incurred in developing projects, measuring, certifying and selling the carbon-sequestration services generated by such projects. This paper addresses these issues by reviewing the implications of transaction and abatement costs in carbon-sequestration

Because of tensions on fossil energy and phosphorus markets, the rise in fertilizer prices observed during the last decades may continue in the future, putting into question production pathways relying heavily on crop intensification. To evaluate how, in this context, economic choices may alter crop yields, we first construct different fertilizer price scenarios to 2050 based on an econometric relation with oil and gas prices. Other possible scenarios, such as the continuation of historical trends, are also considered. The resulting changes in fertilizer price range between +0.8% and +3.6% per year over the 2005–2050 period. These scenarios are tested in a global land-use model incorporating an endogenous representation of the land–fertilizer substitution. We find that the supply-side response to rising fertilizer prices could lower crop yields in 2050 from −6% to −13%, with a corresponding increase in global cropland area ranging between 100 and 240 Mha if the demand for food and n...

- by Franck Nadaud and +1
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics

Estimated rates of return to research are distorted by problems of attributing the credit for particular research results, or for particular research-induced productivity increases, among research expenditures undertaken at different times, in different places, and by different agencies. A comprehensive assessment of the evidence from past economic evaluations of the returns to agricultural R&D indicates that studies generally report high rates of return, with enormous variation among studies, but that much of this evidence has been tainted by inadequate attention to attribution problems. This paper raises these concerns in a general way and illustrates their importance with reference to two particular types of attribution problem. First, we consider the problem of accounting for locational spillovers in attributing varietal-improvement technology among research performers, using US wheat varieties as an example. Second, we consider the temporal aspects of the attribution problem using the specification of research lags in econometric models to illustrate the problem of attributing aggregate productivity gains to research expenditures made at different times. 0 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

- by Julian Alston
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- Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics