bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyzing Supply Chains with Pluralistic and Agribusiness Systems Framework
Authors:   Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Murray-Prior R.B. , Concepcion Sylvia ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Batt P. ,   Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Rola-Rubzen M.F. ,   Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Northam, WA, Australia, McGregor M. ,   Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Rasco Eufemio ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Digal Larry ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Manalili Nerlita ,   NEXUS Agribusiness Solution, Montiflor Malou ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Hualda Luis ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Migalbin Lorraine ,   School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao
Published: February 2023

Special problems arise when analyzing supply chains because of the complexity of the relationships in the system. In addressing this concern for a research project on a vegetable supply chain in Mindanao, the authors of this paper use a pluralistic methodology. A soft-systems framework was used to structure and analyze the problem and identify relevant systems. Issues addressed are the extent of efficiency along the supply chain (including input supply (issues), output marketing, quality control and transport) and the relationships between the various participants in the supply chain. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods have been used.
The Role of Agricultural Colleges and Universities in Rural Development and Lifelong Learning in Asia
Authors:   International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO, Atchoarena David , Holmes Keith ,   International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO
Published: February 2023

The paper expounds on the challenges confronting institutions of higher agricultural education (HAE) in the context of the significant role of education in alleviating poverty, especially in rural areas, and in light of the changing needs of rural areas and economies. Specifically, HAE institutions are called upon to initiate and lead in articulating a vision for the future that serves the needs not only of agriculture but also of all who inhabit the rural areas. They can step beyond their traditional role by merging forces with other stakeholders to enrich and support other levels of education with critical knowledge and information on agriculture and natural resources management (NRM), the latter being crucial in the pursuit of rural development, poverty reduction, and food security. To perform an active and constructive role in rural development, agricultural universities need to adjust their programs to accommodate new topics, as well as teaching and learning models; forge new partnerships with schools, academia and rural space stakeholders; expand its representation in governance; and hold continuous dialogue with policymakers. Their extension services could include support to education for rural people that encompasses primary, secondary, vocational, and adult education. University-school linkages are perceived to be illustrative of a decentralized, democratic, and community-based response to rural development problems. It is noted that universities can potentially become showcases of local traditions and knowledge, reflecting the regional, cultural, and ethical traditions of their society, as well as global movements and forces. In reinforcing their roles as contributors to a culture of learning and rural development, it is emphasized that HAE institutions need to engage more directly and more effectively in partnerships and dialogue with other local educational institutions and their surrounding communities. Findings of the ongoing IIEP-UNESCO/FAO program of research on HAE institutions in Asia are expected to provide information on how higher education institutions contribute to learning and rural development, and insights on how their strategic role in this field could be strengthened and further developed.
Rural Poverty in Southeast Asia: Issues, Policies, and Challenges
Authors:   Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and School of Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman, Balisacan Arsenio , Edillon Rosemarie ,   Asia-Pacific Policy Center, Philippines, Piza Sharon Faye ,   Asia-Pacific Policy Center, Philippines
Published: February 2023

Economic growth among Southeast Asian countries during the last 25 years has averaged at five percent per year and has been accompanied by a decline in the relative importance of agriculture in the national output and employment. The response of poverty to this growth and structural transformation has been equally remarkable, with the headcount ratio in 2002 registering a more than 50 percent drop from the 1990 figure. Although impressive, Southeast Asia's overall record in growth and poverty reduction has not been uniform, as evident in the experiences of countries like Indonesia, Philippines and East Timor, as well as the transition economies, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. In these countries, liberalizing agricultural trade, combined with public investment in productivity-enhancing support services, would advance the interests of the poor. To contribute in the efforts to strengthen the continuing war on poverty especially in these transition economies, the paper highlights the lessons learned in poverty reduction so as to identify more clearly the policy options for achieving the Millenium Development Goals in the Region. One powerful lesson that has emerged in tackling poverty and food insecurity concerns the use of policy, investment and institutional reforms to enable the rural poor to partake of the windfall from efficient domestic markets and the improved access to technology, infrastructure and education. The success stories would show that the main push to these efficiency-enhancing reforms has come, not from globalization nor agricultural policy but from the internal realization that the country and its citizens were the major beneficiaries of the reform. Another important challenge facing countries in the Region is to find the appropriate mix of policies and institutions that would maximize the enormous benefits from globalization while protecting against its risks and pitfalls. Lastly, given that the investment requirements for poverty reduction are beyond the resources of low-income countries, the paper identifies the critical role of the development assistance community.
The Rise of Supermarkets and Vertical Relationships in the Indonesian Food Value Chain: Causes and Consequences
Authors:   International Food Policy Research Institute, USA, Chowdhury Shyamal , Gulati Ashok ,   International Food Policy Research Institute, USA, Gumbira-Sa'id E. ,   Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
Published: February 2023

This paper reviews the causes of the emergence of modern retailing and the vertical relationships in the Indonesian food value chain, and the consequences of these changes on market organization and value distribution. The findings of this paper suggest that there are both demand- and supply-side factors that contribute to the emergence of modern retailing. The evolution of vertical relationships between farmers and modern retailers observed in Indonesia is a direct response to risks and quality uncertainty. In the vertical relation, large-scale retailers may earn a monopsonistic rent, and there are risks of exclusion of small-scale farmers from the emerging food value chain. However, there are alternative channels through which farmers may sell their products, albeit at a lower price compared to the modern channels, and measures can be instituted to protect them against monopsonistic rents. The findings have important policy implications for developing countries.
Book Review | The African Food Crisis: Lessons from the Asian Green Revolution edited by D. Djurfeldt, H. Holmen, M. Jirstrom, and R. Larsson
Authors:   International Rice Research Institute, Pandey Sushil
Published: February 2023

This book is a very topical contribution, coming at a time when the world community is increasingly shifting its attention from the agricultural development of Asia to that of Africa. A rapid growth in food production in Asia, in the wake of the Green Revolution, has increased the overall food availability and reduced the incidence of hunger and famine that were of major concerns in Asia four to five decades ago. Agricultural growth in most parts of Africa is, however, still too slow and sporadic to address the food problems adequately and to prevent the resulting major human catastrophes that fill up television screens around the world all too frequently. Are there any lessons that can be drawn from the Asian success that may be applicable to addressing the food crisis in Africa? "If Asia can do it, why not Africa?" This is the theme of this edited volume consisting of 14 chapters.
Overcoming Obstacles to Agricultural Microfinance: Looking at Broader Issues
Authors:   Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Llanto Gilberto
Published: February 2023

This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending service geared toward smallholder agriculture. Drawing on the experiences of the Philippines and other countries, it traces the rethinking of the agricultural credit policy following the collapse of subsidized agricultural credit programs, and the subsequent rise of microfinance, as pioneered by nongovernmental organizations. Acknowledging that the main challenge is not about the straightforward application of microfinance technologies to agriculture, the paper discusses how crafting an approach to sustainable agriculture microfinance is influenced by myriad of issues. The paper concludes that overcoming the barriers to agricultural microfinance goes beyond the simple provision of credit, extends outside agriculture, and shuns a "one size fits all" approach. To be able to deal with the complexity and risks in agriculture, rural lenders would have to innovate on their product design, lending technologies and risk management strategies; improve their information base; and strive to have access to market-based risk management products. Moreover, policymakers have to recognize and understand the peculiarities of the rural and agriculture sector, namely: information asymmetry, geographic dispersion, heterogeneity of the population, covariant risks, insecure property rights, and the absence of insurance markets and risk-reducing institutions.
Can Trade Policies Soften the Economic Impacts of an Avian Influenza Outbreak? Simulations From a CGE Model of the Philippines
Authors:   College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Rodriguez U-Primo , Garcia Yolanda ,   College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Tan Reynaldo ,   College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Garcia Arnulfo ,   Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, Philippines
Published: February 2023

The paper examines the possibilities of using trade policy to address the adverse economic effects of an avian influenza outbreak in the Philippines. In particular, it employs a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for analyzing the likely effects of two options; namely, a) a ban on imported poultry, and b) the removal of tariffs on non-poultry meat products. Using six model scenarios (i.e., production shocks, consumption shocks, ban on poultry imports, removal of tariff on non-poultry imports, and selected combinations of these shocks), the simulation results reveal that (a) the consumption and production shocks are expected to have a contractionary effect on real GDP; (b) the expected fall in the output of poultry products explains most of the decline in real GDP; (c) the production shock appears to have a larger impact since this explains most of the decline in real GDP as well as the increase in the general price level; (d) while the consumption shock tends to have a larger impact on the poultry products, the production shock dominates the aggregate responses because of its effects on other industries, and (e) avian influenza is likely to have far-reaching effects on the economy, way beyond the poultry sector. Based on these results, this paper supports the use of an import ban as a preventive measure against the occurrence of an avian influenza attack. This is based on the finding that the economic costs from such a measure appear to be lower than the costs associated with the disease. In contrast, the study finds that there is a weak case for removing tariffs on non-poultry meat products as a means to soften the harmful impacts of an avian influenza outbreak.
Notes | Effects of Small Sustainable Land Use Systems in Developing Countries
Authors:   Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany, Schindler Jana , Wüstemann Henry ,   Massey University, New Zealand
Published: February 2023

Especially when viewed in the context of the ongoing market liberalization, small land use systems are often considered to be inefficient in terms of commodity production because further externalities, which might also be welfare-relevant, are not sufficiently accounted for. The assessment of all outputs connected with small land use systems can deliver a more comprehensive view on their economic, ecological and sociocultural impacts. This paper reports on a case study carried out in India which investigated the outputs of small sustainable land use systems. Based on the empirical evidences, we show the high complexity of outputs—commodities and externalities—linked with small sustainable land use systems in developing countries.
Determinants of Crop Choices by Bangladeshi Farmers: A Bivariate Probit Analysis
Authors:   School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK, Rahman Sanzidur
Published: February 2023

Using a bivariate probit model, the study jointly determines the factors underlying the probability of Bangladeshi farmers adopting a diversified cropping system and/or modern rice technology. Results reveal that the availability of irrigation is the single most important determinant of the decision to adopt modern rice technology, and adoption is higher among the tenant farmers. The exact opposite is true for the likelihood of adopting a diversified cropping system, which is significantly higher in areas with no irrigation as well as among the owner-operators. Furthermore, the diversified cropping system has a significantly higher rate of adoption in regions with developed infrastructure. Farmers' education, farming experience, farm asset ownership, and non-agricultural income all positively influence crop diversification. Also, small farmers are more likely to adopt a diversified cropping system. Significant regional variation exists in the level of crop diversification as well. The decision to adopt a diversified cropping system and/or modern rice technology is significantly correlated, implying that a univariate analysis of such decision is biased. Crop diversification can be promoted by investing in farmers' education as well as rural infrastructure development. Also, land reform policies focusing on delegating land ownership to landless and marginal farmers, and tenurial reforms are noteworthy.
Review | Rice Crisis and Climate Risk Management: The CURE Approach
Authors:   Philippine National Academy of Science International Rice Research Institute, Philippines, Castillo Gelia
Published: February 2023

This paper is an attempt to remind us that the maxim "RICE IS LIFE" does not show itself only in irrigated rice paddies but also in topographically, ecologically, and climatically challenged rice-growing places, where rice probably should not be but it is. This paper describes briefly the "harvests" from the investments of CURE (or the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments) in these less valued rice lands.
Book Review | Voices from the Forests: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Sustainable Upland Farming edited by Malcolm Cairns
Authors:   University of the Philippines Los Banos, Pulhin Juan
Published: February 2023

Voices from the Forest provides a robust defense against the largely undeserved bad reputation associated with shifting cultivation that has persisted for almost a century. Bringing together the best of science and farmer experimentation, the book illustrates the enormous diversity and dynamism of this highly resilient long-established agricultural system. It provides a striking testimony of human ingenuity, chronicling how an ancient agricultural technology remains adaptable until the present despite intense pressures from the burgeoning population, state interventions, and an increasingly globalized market economy.
Cereal Price Transmission in Several Large Asian Countries during the Global Food Crisis
Authors:   Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy, Dawe David
Published: February 2023

World cereal prices have been increasing substantially since 2003. Until 2008, the Asian countries examined in this paper (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam) had generally been able to contain domestic price increases by using trade policies and taking advantage of the depreciation of the US dollar. On average, domestic price increases in real terms were only about one third of the world price increases in real US dollar terms. In the face of large world price increases in early 2008, the transmission to domestic markets was still incomplete, but prices increased substantially in some countries. In other countries, however, prices increased very little, if at all. Trade policies explain some of the different outcomes across countries, but speculative activity by farmers, traders, and consumers also appears to have played a role. While there has been incomplete transmission between world and domestic markets, transmission within national borders has been stronger in the sense that, for any given country, percentage increases in farm and consumer prices have been similar. The overall price increases during the past several years have probably been large enough to create a supply response, even in the face of higher fertilizer prices.
The "Tipping Point" in Indian Agriculture: Understanding the Withdrawal of the Indian Rural Youth
Authors:   Central European University, Hungary, Sharma Amrita , Bhaduri Anik ,   University of Bonn, Germany
Published: February 2023

Recent trends suggest that India might very well be at the "tipping point" of the transition in its agriculture-dependent population. A large proportion of the youth in the countryside are trying to severe their links from farming. The paper attempts to identify the drivers of this process of withdrawal and assess the odds of an average farmer's move out of agriculture. Results of the study indicate that occupational mobility tends to be higher among younger farmers and they are found to be more sensitive to income differentials between farm and non-farm occupations, farm prices, and interest rates. Further, this study finds that the availability of irrigation does not have any significant impact on the withdrawal behavior. The small and marginal farmers express a great desire to quit farming, possibly because of the low viability of smallholder agriculture. But as the land size increases, the tendency towards withdrawal gains among the large holder category as well, thus suggesting a U-shape relationship between farm size and the willingness towards withdrawal. Interestingly, all these factors seem to become more dominant and their coefficients improve for villages farther removed from towns. Thus, the importance of the proximity to urban areas for occupational choice seems to be indicated.
Soil Conservation Decisions and Upland Corn Productivity: A Philippine Case Study
Authors:   University of the Philippines Los Baños, Rola Agnes , Sajise Asa Jose ,   University of the Philippines Los Baños, Alpuerto Joe Marvin ,   University of the Philippines Los Baños, Harder Dieldre ,   Resources, Environment and Economics Center, Inc.
Published: February 2023

This paper empirically investigates whether farmers who adopt soil conservation measures derive productivity gains. A twelve-year (1994-2006) panel data in Bukidnon, Philippines was used to quantify the indirect relationship between soil conservation technology adoption and upland corn productivity. A two-stage econometric analysis was done. First, the probability of adoption was estimated. The associated inverse Mill’s ratio obtained from the first stage was used to correct the second stage endogenous switching stochastic frontier model estimation of the determinants of corn yield. Results showed that in normal times, upland corn productivity is positively affected by abatement of soil erosion. Results further suggest that farmers adopting soil conservation technologies become less flexible in their land use decisions during periods of drought, thereby experiencing lower yields than the non-adopters.
Technical Efficiency of Land Tenure Contracts in West Java Province, Indonesia
Authors:   Center for Plant Variety and Agriculture Licensing, Indonesia, Jamal Erizal , Dewi Yovita Anggita ,   Indonesian Center for Agricultural Technology Assessment and Development
Published: February 2023

Obtaining land tenure contracts for rice farms is a major problem faced by farmer tenants in the province of West Java. This study aimed to analyze the type of land tenure contracts in this region and the levels of technical efficiency of each contract system. Data were collected through a survey, with respondents randomly selected from the Karawang and Subang districts of West Java. The stochastic frontier was used to determine the efficiency of each system. Results showed that the average area being tilled was higher than land owned due to land tenure arrangements that increased farmers’ access to land. Three common land tenure contracts in this region are fixed rental, sharecropping, and mortgage. Sharecropping and mortgage coefficients were found to be less efficient, while fixed rental was more efficient compared to owner-cultivated plots. These results provided evidence to support the view that sharecropping is inefficient for the tenants. However, sharecropping is still a common type of land transaction in West Java. To improve efficiency, the local government can help farmers by enabling them to lease land through fixed rental or other more favorable arrangements.
Wither the Economics of Agricultural Development?
Authors:   University of Hawaii Manoa, USA, Roumasset James
Published: February 2023

In spite of a healthy demand for a renaissance in economic policy for agricultural development, the academic supply response is found wanting. The infusion of public economics into the economics of agricultural development, which thrived during the 1970s and 1980s, has stagnated due to the lack of foundations in transaction costs, dynamics, and the co-evolution of specialization and governance. Many of the policy ideas found in the World Bank's WDR 2008, for example, reflect a post-modern tendency to seek and destroy market failures with new mandates and subsidies for farmer cooperatives, microfinance, crop insurance, and land reform. The new development microeconomics favors form over substance and overemphasizes multiple equilibria, trap theories, new market failures, and the new case for social insurance. Empirical research has likewise suffered from the quest for clever instruments and methods instead of informative results that estimate parameters of established theories, distinguish between competing theories, or challenge theory to explain empirical patterns. These latest fads and fancies have distracted economists from the quest for fundamental explanations of development patterns, especially the nature and causes of specialization as an engine of growth. The stage is set for young dynamic scholars to develop new tools of analysis to explain empirical patterns in behavior and organization in developing agriculture and to build the foundations of a public microeconomics of development.
Climate Change and Asian Agriculture
Authors:   International Food Policy Research Institute, Rosegrant Mark , Ewing Mandy ,   International Food Policy Research Institute, Valmonte-Santos Rowena ,   International Food Policy Research Institute, Zhu Tingiu ,   International Food Policy Research Institute, Yohe Gary ,   Wesleyan University, Burton Ian ,   Environment Canada, Canada, Huq Saleemul ,   International Institute for Environment and Development
Published: February 2023

Asian and global agriculture will be under significant pressure to meet the demands of rising populations, using finite and often degraded soil and water resources that are predicted to be further stressed by the impacts of climate change. In addition, agriculture and land use change are prominent sources of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fertilizer application, livestock rearing, and land management affect levels of GHG in the atmosphere and the amount of carbon storage and sequestration potential. Therefore, while some impending climatic changes will have negative effects on agricultural production in parts of Asia, and especially on resource-poor farmers, the sector also presents opportunities for emission reductions. Warming across the Asian continent will be unevenly distributed, but will certainly lead to crop yield losses in much of the region and subsequent impacts on prices, trade, and food security—disproportionately affecting poor people. Most projections indicate that agriculture in South, Central, and West Asia will be hardest hit.
Indian Agriculture and Food Security: Current Concerns and Lessons
Authors:   Institute of Development Studies Jaipu, India, Acharya Shabd
Published: February 2023

Since its independence in 1947, India has aimed its agricultural development policies at reducing hunger, food insecurity, and poverty. The new strategy of agricultural development launched in the mid-1960s was successful in improving macro (national) food security in a reasonably short period of around two decades. From a precarious situation of heavy dependence on imports of staple food in the mid-1960s, India not only had reduced its imports but also emerged as a net exporter of cereals since the early 1990s. However, while India became a star performer in terms of economic growth in the last decade, its agricultural sector has not performed as well. This happened mainly due to complacency in the matter of production and availability of cereals in the country. Hence, the situation has turned into a serious case of macro food insecurity and farmers' loss of faith in farming around the middle of the current decade. To address the current situation, the government launched special programs in the past three years and took several steps to bring on track the agricultural sector's performance.
Challenges for Sustainable Agricultural Biotechnology Development in Indonesia
Authors:   Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, Siregar Hermanto , Arifin Bustanul ,   University of Lampung, Indonesia
Published: February 2023

The development of biotechnology in Indonesia is a response to more serious food security challenges as the growth of food yield in the last decade has been much less than that of population. This paper describes biotechnology development in Indonesia, examines government policies related to biotechnology, and exposes challenges facing biotechnology development in the future. It also suggests that the government should provide clearer policy actions including fiscal incentives and legal protection, involve the private sector in developing innovations in research and development, and encourage wider participation of civil society in the development of biotechnology.
Total Factor Productivity Growth and its Determinants for West Bengal Agriculture
Authors:   Jadavpur University, India, Ghose Arpita , Bhattacharyya Debjani ,   Dinabandhu Mahavidyalaya (Bongaon College), India
Published: February 2023

The present study is concerned with the measurement of total factor productivity growth (TFPG) using the non-parametric approach for seven major crops--aus, aman, boro, jute, wheat, rapeseed-mustard, and potato--in West Bengal, from 1980 to 2003. TFPG is decomposed into the components of technical change, efficiency change, and scale change. A second stage regression analysis highlights the favorable role of factors (i.e., public expenditure, credit, irrigation, regulated markets, and inequality reduction in the distribution of operational land holdings) in fostering TFPG.
Structural Transformation, the Changing Role of Rice, and Food Security in Asia: Small Farmers and Modern Supply Chains
Authors:   Thomas D. Cabot Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, Harvard University, USA, Timmer C. Peter
Published: February 2023

Food security is not a viable social objective unless it is also a profitable undertaking for input suppliers, farmers, and marketers of output. Consumers must then be able to afford to purchase food, secure in the knowledge that it is safe and nutritious (Reardon and Timmer 2007). Achieving food security within these constraints of a complex economic system is a challenge because both poor consumers and small farmers must be effective participants.
Food Security: Challenges and Opportunities for Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Authors:   LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, Swinnen Johan , Van Herck Kristine ,   LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Published: February 2023

Population growth, accelerated urbanization, and higher incomes are expected to increase food demand by about 70 percent by 2050—involving 1 billion extra tons of cereals and 200 million extra tons of meat (FAO 2009a). The region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia includes major food producing countries, particularly Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. These countries produce 15 percent of the world’s wheat and export almost as much as the USA and the EU. In this regard, the region could potentially play an important role in meeting the challenge of global food security. Yet, it has been underperforming. In contrast to most other regions in the world, yields in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have stagnated since the 1970s. Some estimates suggest that average yields could be increased by 75 percent and that an additional 13 million hectares (ha) of land could be brought into production (FAO 2008).
Food Security in Asia and the Pacific: The Role of Smallholders
Authors:   Asia and the Pacific Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Thapa Ganesh , Gaiha Raghav ,   Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi
Published: February 2023

This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by small farmers in Asia and the Pacific region in raising agricultural productivity and in diversifying into high-value commodities. About 87 percent of the world's 500 million small farms (less than 2 hectares) are in this region, with China and India accounting for 193 million and 93 million of these, respectively. Small farms significantly contribute to agricultural production, food security, rural poverty reduction, and biodiversity conservation, despite their constraints with respect to access to productive resources and service delivery. More new challenges confront them: integration into high-value chains, adaptation to climate change, market volatility, and other risks and vulnerability. The small farms can benefit from high-value chains if they can receive support through intermediation (e.g., public-private cooperation to ensure food safety standards) and internalization (e.g., through producers' association to meet quality standards). New investment opportunities have emerged in agriculture, leading to large-scale investments and competition for land. Although new economies of scale (e.g., in external financing) have emerged, smallholders can enhance their competitiveness only if the biases against them (e.g., in credit) are eliminated. Governments must play an active role in coordinating the delivery of inputs, technical services, and output marketing services to small farms. They must also provide incentives to the private sector to innovate. Support is also needed to enable smallholders to adapt to climate change and market volatility.
Agriculture, Markets, and Poverty: A Comparative Analysis of Lao PDR and Cambodia
Authors:   Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Gaiha Raghav , Annim Samuel ,   University of Central Lancashire, Imai Katsushi ,   University of Manchester, Azam Md Shafiul
Published: February 2023

Lao PDR and Cambodia have been transitioning to a market-oriented policy regime. Both are agrarian economies with agriculture contributing about one-third of the gross domestic product (GDP). This study assessed their prospects of achieving the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1, extreme poverty eradication) and the centrality of agricultural growth in achieving this goal. As these are macro relationships, richer insights on determinants of poverty were obtained by detailed analyses of recent household surveys in these countries. Some of these insights relate to access to markets, returns to crops, education, land size, non-farm activities, ethnic affiliation, and rural infrastructure, with unavoidable variation due to differences in the coverage of the household surveys used. Another major theme studied for Cambodia is integration of farmers (especially smallholders) into markets, focusing on barriers between large and smallholders (e.g., transaction costs). An accelerated transition to a more market-oriented policy regime may promote not just a more efficient agriculture but also a more equitable outcome.
Determinants of Household Income: A Quantile Regression Approach for Four Rice-Producing Areas in the Philippines
Authors:   Social Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, Pede Valerien , Luis Joyce ,   Social Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, Paris Thelma ,   Social Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, McKinley Justin ,   International Rice Research Institute
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the determinants of total household income in selected rice-based farming villages in the Philippines. A quantile regression approach was applied on cross-section data obtained from 656 farming households across four provinces. Determinants of household income were examined using an ordinary quantile regression approach, which, unlike conditional mean regression, allows parameter variation across income quantiles. The quantile regression approach also enables the analysis of income determinants for extreme categories such as low-income households. Results indicate that coefficients estimated through ordinary least squares (OLS) could be misleading. The quantile estimates preserved their signs in most cases but their magnitude varied across quantiles. The paper particularly emphasizes the determinants of income for poor households. The quantile estimations show that education of the male head and the existence of migrant workers in households are the most important determinants of income for poor households.
Co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium and Phosphate Solubilizing Microbes on Growth Promotion of Groundnut Under Rain-fed Conditions
Authors: Ijaz Fraza , Ijaz Muhammad Furqan , Javed Hina , Amin Hafiz Abubakar , Zafar Hafsa , Hamza Ali , Saleem Muhammad Usman , Mujeeb Fakhar , Ehsan Shabana , Alvi Alamgir
Published: February 2023

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can improve plant development and protect plants from diseases and abiotic stresses. Plant-bacterial interactions in the rhizosphere are important factors in soil fertility and plant health. Symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria include the cyanobacteria of the genera Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Azorhizobium, Allorhizobium, Sinorhizobium and Mesorhizobium. Therefore, to investigate the effect of co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium and phosphate solubilizing microbes (PSM) on groundnut crop under field conditions using normal soil, divided into eight different study groups i.e., control (T1), Bradyrhizobium isolate -1 (T2), Bradyrhizobium isolate -2 (T3), Bradyrhizobium isolate -3(T4), Phosphate solubilizing microbe (PSM) (T5), T2 + PSM (T6), T3 + PSM (T7), T4 + PSM (T8). The results showed maximum groundnut pod yield (2428 kg ha-1) was obtained in treatment where inoculation with bacterial isolate-2 applied as compared to control. In case of plant height and shoot dry biomass, maximum response was observed in T7 (59.4 cm, 4733 kg ha-1) as compared to control i.e., 40.5 cm, 3156.7 kg ha-1 respectively. It was concluded that this technique might be useful and applicable to cut down the high input cost of phosphate fertilizers for the production of other crops also
An Anomalous Cosmic-Ray Mediated Termination Shock: Implications for Energetic Neutral Atoms
Authors: Kornbleuth M. , Opher M. , Zank G. P. , Wang B. B. , Giacalone J. , Gkioulidou M. , Dialynas K.
Published: February 2023

The Voyager 2 crossing of the termination shock indicated that most of the upstream energy from the thermal solar wind ions was transferred to pickup ions (PUIs) and other energetic particles downstream of the shock. We use hybrid simulations at the termination shock for the Voyager 2, flank, and tail directions to evaluate the distributions of different ion species downstream of the shock over the energy range of 0.52–55 keV. Here, we extend the work of Gkioulidou et al., which showed an energy-dependent discrepancy between modeled and energetic neutral atom (ENA) observations, and fit distributions to a hybrid model to show that a population of PUIs accelerated via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) to become low-energy anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs) can bridge the gap between modeled and observed ENA fluxes. Our results with the inclusion of DSA via hybrid fitting give entirely new and novel evidence that DSA at the termination shock is likely to be an important physical process. These ACRs carry a significant fraction of the energy density at the termination shock (22%, 13%, and 19% in the Voyager 2, flank, and tail directions, respectively). Using these ACRs in global ENA modeling of the heliosphere from 0.52 to 55 keV, we find that scaling factors as large as 1.8–2.5 are no longer required to match ENA observations at energies of ∼1–4 keV. Large discrepancies between modeled and observed ENAs only remain over energies of 4–20 keV, indicating that there may be a further acceleration mechanism in the heliosheath at these energies.
Value ‘generalisation’ in ecosystem accounting - using Bayesian networks to infer the asset value of regulating services for urban trees in Oslo
Authors: Barton David N.
Published: February 2023

In this paper, we demonstrate value generalisation from a sample of ecosystem assets – municipally managed trees - to all tree assets within an urban ecosystem accounting area. A Bayesian network model is used to machine-learn non-parametric correlation patterns between biophysical site condition variables and output variables of an ecosystem service model – here iTree Eco for modelling the regulating services of urban forests. The paper also demonstrates the use of spatial Bayesian network modelling to quantify the reliability of value generalisation for accounting purposes. Value generalisation entails inferring ecosystem service values for all locations in an ecosystem accounting area, where the accounting practitioner has less information about the asset and its context, than in an available sample of managed sites within the accounting area. The modelling is carried out as a “proof-of-principle” of potential value generalisation and uncertainty analysis methods for ecosystem accounting. It does not cover all regulating ecosystem services of urban forests, nor cultural services. While noting that wide confidence intervals for generalised values pose challenges for using monetary accounts for the accounting purpose of change detection, we find that tree-specific asset valuation is possible in an urban accounting setting. Our findings serve the purpose of raising awareness about asset values of urban green infrastructure, to bring them more on a par with grey infrastructure in urban planning. We also argue that the reliability of the asset value of individual trees is also good enough to be used for non-accounting purposes, such as municipal tree damage assessments.
First record of the flat-skulled woolly bat Kerivoula depressa and the Indochinese woolly bat K. dongduongana (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in China
Authors: Liang Xiaoling , Xie Huixian , Li Yannan , Huang Zhenglanyi , Li Song , Wu Yi , Yu Wenhua
Published: February 2023

Recent studies have revealed that the Kerivoula depressa complex should be divided into two species, K. depressa distributed mainly in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and K. dongduongana found only in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In November 2018 and April 2019, 24 woolly bats were collected by two-band harp traps in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Based on morphological, morphometric, and phylogenetic (COI, Cytb, and RAG2 gene sequences) analyses, these bats were identified as K. depressa and K. dongduongana, representing two new species records for the country. Including the new records, six Kerivoula species have been recorded in China, namely K. depressa, K. dongduongana, K. furva, K. kachinensis, K. picta and K. titania. To facilitate their identification and biological research in the future, we have provided an up-to-date key to all Kerivoula species occurring in China.
François Perroux : du développement de l’Homme et des Jeunes Nations aux « Mondes en développement »
Authors: Gérardin Hubert , Leloup Fabienne
Published: February 2023

François Perroux est un économiste majeur : il l’est par sa construction d’un système théorique qui remet en cause l’économie d’équilibre conventionnelle ; il l’est par ses analyses des économies nationales, ses propositions d’une utilisation critique des données et des mesures du développement ou encore par ses travaux sur les pôles de développement ou l’intégration régionale. L’article examine ce que recouvre le développement et l’économie chez François Perroux, puis étudie la place de l’homme dans cette dynamique et l’émergence de mondes en développement, dans le cadre d’un nouvel ordre économique international. Classification JEL : A10, F5, F6, O1
La politique de coopération au développement de l’Union européenne avec les pays ACP
Authors: Mainguy Claire , Kern Francis
Published: February 2023

L’aide publique au développement de l’Union européenne (UE) dans son ensemble constitue environ la moitié de celle des pays membres de l’OCDE. Sa politique de coopération au développement comporte aussi un volet commercial qui a considérablement évolué entre la première convention de Lomé (1975) et l’accord post-Cotonou signé en 2021. Cette évolution de la politique commerciale de l’UE ainsi que celle du financement de son action extérieure au travers de la mise en place de l’instrument européen pour le voisinage, le développement et la coopération internationale, tendent à montrer une uniformisation de l’aide européenne. Classification JEL : O55, 024, F35, F52
Population et développement : la contribution au débat de la revue Mondes en développement (1973-2022)
Authors: Requier-Desjardins Denis
Published: February 2023

L’article s’intéresse à l’ensemble des articles de la revue, depuis sa création en 1973, qui abordent la question des liens entre la démographie et les trajectoires de développement. Leur prise en compte est le reflet de l’évolution de la problématique générale de la relation entre démographie et développement : on est passé d’un accent mis sur l’impact de la croissance démographique dans les contributions de la fin du XX e siècle, à une prise en compte dans les deux dernières décennies, de l’effet de la transition démographique sur la structure par âge de la population et de son impact éventuel sur le rythme de croissance économique et de développement. Parallèlement, un thème comme celui des migrations est présent dans les sommaires de la revue tant à la fin du XX e siècle que plus récemment. Classification JEL : J11, J13, J14, J16, J18, J61, O11
On a general class of $ n $th order sequential hybrid fractional differential equations with boundary conditions
Authors: Gul Shaista , Khan Rahmat Ali , Shah Kamal , Abdeljawad Thabet
Published: February 2023

This manuscript is related to consider a general class of $ n $th order sequential hybrid fractional differential equations (S-HFDEs) with boundary conditions. With the help of the coincidence degree theory of topology, some appropriate results for the existence theory of the aforementioned class are developed. The mentioned degree theory is a powerful tool to investigate nonlinear problems for qualitative theory. A result related to Ulam-Hyers (U-H) stability is also developed for the considered problem. It should be kept in mind that the considered degree theory relaxes the strong compact condition by some weaker one. Hence, it is used as a sophisticated tool in the investigation of the existence theory of solutions to nonlinear problems. Also, an example is given.
Early diagnosis of coronary microvascular dysfunction by myocardial contrast stress echocardiography
Authors: Zhang Jucheng , Ma Minwen , Li Huajun , Pu Zhaoxia , Liu Haipeng , Huang Tianhai , Cheng Huan , Gong Yinglan , Chu Yonghua , Wang Zhikang , Jiang Jun , Xia Ling
Published: February 2023

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is one of the basic mechanisms of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is a bedside technique that utilises microbubbles which remain entirely within the intravascular space and denotes the status of microvascular perfusion within that region. Some pilot studies suggested that MCE may be used to diagnose CMD, but without further validation. This study is aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of MCE for the evaluation of CMD. MCE was performed at rest and during adenosine triphosphate stress. ECG triggered real-time frames were acquired in the apical 4-chamber, 3-chamber, 2-chamber, and long-axis imaging planes. These images were imported into Narnar for further processing. Eighty-two participants with suspicion of coronary disease and absence of significant epicardial lesions were prospectively investigated. Thermodilution was used as the gold standard to diagnose CMD. CMD was present in 23 (28%) patients. Myocardial blood flow reserve (MBF) was assessed using MCE. CMD was defined as MBF reserve < 2. The MCE method had a high sensitivity (88.1%) and specificity (95.7%) in the diagnosis of CMD. There was strong agreement with thermodilution (Kappa coefficient was 0.727; 95% CI: 0.57–0.88, p < 0.001). However, the correlation coefficient (r = 0.376; p < 0.001) was not high.
World Health Disparities and Inequalities under the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Wong Johnston H. C. , Ho Ghee W. , Zhang Hao Yue
Published: February 2023

Health disparities exist within and across countries. Medical facilities, in numbers and capabilities, vary greatly between countries. In March 2020, the United Nations launched the Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19, in which the most vulnerable countries were identified. National governments are generally held accountable to bridge gaps in internal health disparities. However, a lack of interest in cross-country health equity is evident. The distribution of masks and vaccines, for example, was left to market forces. Health gaps widened and did not bridge when global supply chains broke down. Vaccines were regarded as a profitable product instead of a necessity. This paper studied and compared health disparities between the top 20% of the “best prepared countries” and the lowest 20% of the “least prepared countries,” according to the Global Health Security Index (GHSI). Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed to illustrate global health gaps during COVID-19 and beyond. These data demonstrated that health disparities have widened in the last two years.