bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Risk on HYV Adoption in Bangladesh
Authors: Parikh Ashok , Bernard Andrew 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe objectives of this paper are to develop a measure of risk aversion based on the safety‐first principle. The risk coefficient for a large number of farmers was positive indicating the tendency towards gambling in Bangladesh agriculture. Farmers who were near subsistence income (disaster level of income) tended to choose riskier crops such as HYV rice. The risk‐aversion variable was highly correlated with demographic and socioeconomic variables. Large holders of land tended to be relatively more risk‐averse than small holders of land and area allocated to HYV proportionally declined with increases in holding size.A three‐equation model on HYV adoption decisions, fertilizer and hired labour was estimated with a risk‐aversion variable based on the safety‐first principle, and expected and significant signs were obtained with the risk‐aversion variable in HYV and hired labour equations.
Linkages between Regulated and Unregulated Markets: the Case of Milk Supply in Kenya
Authors: Howard Wayne H. , McDonald Ian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractLinkages between the regulated and unregulated dairy markets in Kenya were examined using an econometric model of the fluid milk intake for eight processing plants. Counter‐intuitive results were obtained: an increase in the regulated price was significant in decreasing intake in the regulated market, indicating that a price increase in the regulated market also increased price and quantity supplied in the unregulated market. Lagged rainfall was a proxy for available feed and was highly significant in explaining milk intake in the regulated market.
Toward a Behavioral Model of Multiple‐Job‐Holding Farm Families
Authors: Eboli Maria G. , Turri Enrico 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper applies a multidimensional method and a structural approach to the results of research based on a field survey on the origins of pluriactivity and on the attitudes of farm families toward multiple job‐holding and full‐time farming. Multiple correspondence analysis makes it possible to consider jointly, from a static and dynamic point of view, several quantitative and qualitative variables concerning the family, the farm, and the socio‐economic context. A typology of seven groups of farm families is established by means of cluster analysis.The typology shows that the dichotomy between pluriactive and full‐time farms does not account for all of reality: a great deal of diversity exists within both groups. The major factors which explain pluriactivity and condition its performance are identified and interpreted. The implications, in term of agricultural, socio‐economic and environmental policy, of the evolution of the family farms of each type are then described and analyzed.The essay concludes that future research on pluriactivity ought to pay more attention to the dynamic variables originating both within the farm families and in the socio‐economic context.
Evaluation of the Influence of Agricultural Price Policy on Cotton Production in Côte‐d'Ivoire
Authors: Berte Kama , Epplin Francis M. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn this paper the impact of the cotton pricing policy of the marketing board of Côte‐d'Ivoire is investigated. A theoretical model is developed to derive the price level which maximizes revenue generated from the marketing board's cotton transactions. A dynamic cotton supply function was estimated and used to compute elasticities. The estimates indicate that farmers in the Country response to price changes and that the pricing policy of the marketing board has been consistent with an objective of generating revenue for the government.
United States Demand for Coffee Imports
Authors: Goddard E.W. , Akiyama T. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe United States ‐ one of the world's largest coffee importers ‐ imports coffee beans from a variety of different countries. These countries are aggregated into five groups representing five broadly defined types of coffee. Imports of the five coffees over time are examined to determine price, expenditure and substitution elasticities. These elasticities reflect preferences as well a technical relationships in the form of blending recipes. The lower the degree of substitutability between the different types of coffee, the more inelastic the demand from the United States facing groups of exporting countries.The results suggest rigidities in United States imports of coffee of different types. These rigidities are evidenced by substantial complementarity among the five coffee types. Preference patterns are very similar across a wide range of model specifications. There are differences in expenditure elasticities for different types of coffee in the United States.
Developing Country Interests in Agricultural Trade Reform
Authors: Tyers Rod 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper examines whether developing countries, as a group, would be better off in the absence of agricultural protection in the industrial North and, if so, whether they should support reforms negotiated between the major players in the Uruguay Round. Results from the Tyers‐Anderson GLS model of world food markets suggest that the net effect of industrial country agricultural protection is beneficial to developing countries, though by only a small margin, even if its removal were to stimulate accelerated technical change in developing countries. The same is found to be true of partial reforms which are more palatable politically, such as quotas to reduce oversupply in the EC. Of course, many developing countries, including those which are members of the Cairns Group, are badly hurt by protection in the North. Unfortunately, however, they and the other members of that group stand to gain comparatively little from the reduction of oversupply in the EC through quotas.
Spillover Effects of International Agricultural Research: CIMMYT‐based Semi‐Dwarf Wheats in Australia
Authors: Brennan John P. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe spillover effects of agricultural research are of interest because research‐induced supply shifts in non‐target regions can reduce the benefits for producers in the target regions. The introduction of semi‐dwarfing genes in wheat into Australia provides an example of spillover from the CIMMYT program. Australia's wheat‐growing environments were not those for which the CIMMYT material was specifically targeted. However, some of these lines were introduced into Australia and used in breeding programs to produce important supply shifts in Australia. An examination is made of the effects that the spillover had in Australia.Using an index of varietal improvement, with its attendant qualifications, an estimate of the extent of that shift resulting from the CIMMYT‐based varieties was obtained. While the extent varied widely between states, the shift was found to be between 0.2 and 7.7%, with an overall average for Australia of 3.5% by 1983. On the basis of an assumption of perfectly elastic export demand for Australian wheat, the estimated total cost savings to Australian producers were US$747 million (in 1983‐84 dollars) for the period 1974 to 1983, or an average of US$75 million per year. The annual contribution of Australia to CIMMYT has averaged approximately US$340,000 in recent years, while the average annual expenditure on wheat breeding in Australia has been US$4 to 5 million. On the basis of pedigrees, approximately two‐thirds of the cost savings of CIMMYT‐based varieties could be attributed to CIMMYT per se, with the remaining one‐third attributable to the inputs of the Australian wheat breeders.
Productivity of Agricultural Labour and Land: An International Comparison
Authors: Sharma Kailash C. , Rao D.S. Prasada , Shepherd W.F. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper examines partial agricultural land and labour productivity in 1975 and 1980, for different world regions. The results suggest that land and labour productivity are higher in developed countries relative to developing countries. However, agricultural labour productivity differences are more marked than those for agricultural land productivity. The productivity values for 1975 and 1980 indicate a widening of productivity differences, more so in the case of agricultural labour than land.The paper also proposes an alternative approach to estimating agricultural land and labour productivity. This approach, which regresses agricultural labour productivity on a given level of agricultural land productivity, suggests a narrowing of agricultural land productivity differences, relative to the initial approach, across Africa, Asia and Europe during the 1975‐1980 period. A brief discussion of the agricultural development policy implications of the results concludes the paper.
Multiple Leasing under Cropshare Tenancy — A Note
Authors: Taslim M.A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper attempts to explain the perplexing tendency to multiple leasing by both landlords and tenants in some countries. It shows that if the negotiation of share contracts involves significant transaction costs and there is some uncertainty regarding the output on tenanted plots, a risk‐averse landlord maximizing expected utility will find it in his advantage to subdivide his land among several tenants and also permit his tenant to lease land from other landlords.
Building African Scientific Capacity for Agricultural Development
Authors: Eicher Carl K. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractDuring Africa's first two decades of independence from 1960 to 1980, priority was given to increasing the size of national extension services because it was assumed that technology could be imported from industrial countries and the International Agricultural Research Centers. Over the past decade, donors have turned their attention to assisting national agricultural research systems (NARS). But many NARS are performing poorly and are faced with a high turnover of scientific staff and inadequate operating budgets. Moreover, the present donor‐financed project by project and country by country approach to building African scientific capacity is seriously flawed. This paper examines Africa's agricultural research history over the past six decades and draws lessons for strengthening national and regional agricultural research systems over the coming 30 years.
Small‐Ruminant Marketing in Southwest Nigeria
Authors: Francis Paul A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper describes the structure of the small‐ruminant trade in southwest Nigeria, analyses the factors determining the price of animals, and examines the relationship of prices between markets. Animals imported from the north dominate the sheep and goat trades, and supply and prices are highly seasonal. However, multiple regression shows animal prices to be largely predictable in terms of the characteristics of the animal (breed, sex and live‐weight) and the market in which it is sold (location and month of sale). Prices are relatively closely correlated between markets over time, and price relationships between markets reflect the respective structures of the trade in northern and southern animals. Price margins between markets reflect the level of traders' commission and storage costs in addition to the direct costs of transport. The study concludes that there is no evidence for market inefficiency or segregation, and that there is considerable market potential for increased local production of sheep and goats. In policy terms, the market's efficiency implies that government involvement beyond its present, limited facilitative role would not be justified.
A test of the underinvestment, myopia and commodity bias hypotheses for U.S. agricultural research
Authors: Fox Glenn , Haque A.K. Enamul 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTAnalysts of agricultural research policy in the United States of America have claimed that the overall level of public investment in agricultural research is less than what would be socially optimal, that the present composition of public research investment is excessively myopic in that too little basic research is performed relative to the level of applied research, and that the allocation of research resources among commodities is inconsistent with economic efficiency.A non‐linear optimal growth model of the U.S. economy was developed to analyse these propositions. Strong support was found for the claim that the overall level of investment has been inadequate. No support was found for the contention that basic research has been relatively underfunded compared to applied research. Weak support was found for the view that crop research has suffered from more acute underfunding than has livestock research.
A test of whether millet acreage in Niger is determined by official or private market prices
Authors: Brorsen B. Wade , Adesina Akinwumi A. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTNiger has two separate marketing channels for grain: one is the official system operated by the government; the other is a parallel channel of private traders. Researchers or policy‐makers wanting to study effects of price policies on producers are faced with two sets of prices. This paper seeks to answer the question, which prices matter? Non‐nested hypothesis tests are conducted for millet‐acreage response equations. The results show that prices from the larger private market are the prices that matter.
Modeling international trade flows and market shares for agricultural commodities: a modified Armington procedure for rice
Authors: Ito Shoichi , Chen Dean T. , Peterson E. Wesley F. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThe Armington procedure (AP) has become increasingly popular in agricultural trade analyses. However, some arguments have arisen concerning the relevance of using the procedure for such analyses. This study examines the assumptions commonly made when using the Armington procedure and suggests modifications for agricultural trade analyses. Results from models utilizing rice‐trade data suggest that the assumptions of the single constant elasticity, in particular, may not be appropriate for analyzing agricultural trade. These results also suggest that, with proper modifications, the AP can be applied to agricultural trade. Further, results of a modified Armington procedure indicate that trade in rice exports is highly competitive and that changes in market shares of individual exporters are not independent of changes in budget expenditure allocated to imports.
Inefficiency due to tenancy protection: a new tenure problem in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Chung‐Huang 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTFixed‐rent tenancy was traditionally regarded as equally efficient as owner‐cultivators. The counter‐example is, however, presented here. Specifically, tenants with fixed‐rent contracts and well protected by tenancy regulations may, in the long run, turn out to be less efficient than other farmers (e.g., owner‐cultivators and informal tenants), particularly when they do not heavily depend on farm revenue as major source of family income. On the other hand, tenants who are not benefited from tenancy regulations might not be less efficient than owner‐cultivators. The underlying implication is tenancy reform is not a panacea for improving farming efficiency; it may result in many negative effects in the long run.
Application of replacement theory in dairy cows and its use in disease treatment
Authors: Ngategize Peter K. , Harsh Stephen B. , Kaneene John B. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTA model to simulate the costs and returns of an individual dairy cow over 14 years under various assumptions of genetic potential, health status and management was developed especially to evaluate the effects of diseases that reduce production and reproduction efficiency and to evaluate alternative management interventions. Data were collected from the Food Animal Health Resource Management System (FAHRMX), Today's Electronic Planning (TELPLAN), Today's Electric Farm Accounting (TELFARM) databases and secondary sources at Michigan State University. A case study of cystic ovaries was analysed using the model. The results showed that it is more economical to treat cystic ovaries than not to treat, and treatment with Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GNRH) was superior to Human Chrionic Gonadotropin (HCG). Four to five lactations were the optimum for keeping a dairy cow to replacement and it was estimated that there is a loss of US$0.45 per day of extended calving interval (days open beyond the optimal 70 days).
Managing multiple international risks simultaneously with an optimal hedging model
Authors: Sarassoro Gboroton F. , Leuthold Raymond M. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTA risk management model based on portfolio theory which accounts jointly for price, quantity, interest rate and exchange rate risks is developed and applied to cocoa and coffee production and exports in the Ivory Coast. Utilizing commodity and financial futures markets jointly, the results show that a government export agency can reduce risks from 27% to 89% by following a multicommodity hedging program which manages several risks simultaneously. The model and technique developed are applicable to many multiproduct firm and international risk management situations.
Empirical testing of alternative price spread models in the South African maize market
Authors: Faminow Merle D. , Laubscher J.M. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTReduced‐form price spread models have been recently utilized by Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon to evaluate the economic factors affecting the marketing margins for agricultural products. Drawing on Gardner, Heien, Buse and Brandow, Waugh, Tomek and Robinson, and others they specify alternative retail‐farm price spread models and attempt to determine which best fit the data in the context of underlying theoretical rationale.This paper continues in the spirit of Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon by evaluating alternative specifications of the retail‐farm price spread for white maize in South Africa. However, several important differences do remain. Wohlgenant and Mullen analyzed the price spread for beef using annual data, while Thompson and Lyon modeled the price spread for oranges using weekly data. The time period under consideration can be expected to affect the choice of model because fixed markup rules that might be evident using a short‐run period of analysis (e.g., Thompson and Lyon) become untenable over the long run with underlying supply and demand shifts. In this paper, monthly data, which may be interpreted as an intermediate‐run period, are used along with dichotomous supply‐demand shifters. In addition, Brorsen et. al. have shown that price uncertainty affects the price spread in the marketing channels of agricultural commodities. Thus, the analysis in this paper extends the framework of Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon to include measures of price risk. Finally, like Brorsen et. al. this study pertains to the grain market, while Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon studied the marketing margin for non‐storable commodities.
Modelling stochastic crop response to fertilisation when carry‐over matters
Authors: Jomini Patrick A. , Deuson Robert R. , Lowenberg‐DeBoer J. , Bationo André 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSoils in a large part of Niger's agricultural area are sandy and very low in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and organic matter. This low soil fertility combined with low and erratic rainfall constitutes a severe constraint on food cropping in the area. Although agronomists have advised chemical fertilization as a means of improving soil fertility, little fertilizer has been used in this area of the world.The economic management of soil fertility in the agricultural area of Niger is analyzed using a dynamic model of farmer decision‐making under uncertainty. The model is based on agronomic principles of plant growth and accounts for the carry over of P, an immobile nutrient.At current input prices, a soil P content of at least 14 ppm is found to be desirable. This target is above the natural soil fertility level of about 3 ppm. It can be maintained with a moderate annual application (12 kg P2O5 ha−1) of simple superphosphate. Results also suggests that returns to N fertilization are too low and variable to warrant the use of this input.
Development of agriculture in Ethiopia since the 1975 land reform
Authors: Belete Abenet , Dillon John L. , Anderson Frank M. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractA stated objective of the Ethiopian Government since it came to power in 1975 has been to increase the production of crops for both domestic consumption and export. Consequently, a number of plans and programs have been proposed and implemented to bring about such development in Ethiopian agriculture. This paper mainly focuses 011 a macro review of the general course of Ethiopian agricultural development since the land reform of 1975. The food production in Ethiopia has lagged behind the population growth as evidenced by the gap between the growth rates of population (3%) and food production (1.8%) over the period from 1970 to 1983. Recently, this situation has, perhaps, further deteriorated. Seventy‐one percent of the total land mass is estimated to be suitable for agriculture, but only about 19% is cultivated. This suggests an underutilisation of land. Moreover, Ethiopia has a persistent subsistence production problem in agriculture. Agricultural research and education which are essential to development have not been given due attention by the policy makers. As a result, the agricultural technologies used by farmers have changed little in this century. Moreover, small‐scale farmers, although still the most potent economic force in the country, have not been given the incentives necessary to expand production, and currently receive less than adequate support from the central government. Some 85%, 50%, and 79% of total agricultural credit, fertiliser and improved seeds respectively go directly to socialist enterprises (state farms and producers' cooperatives) which, up to 1985, have jointly accounted for only 5% of the total cultivated land and 4% of the national crop production. The favouring of large‐scale and capital‐intensive state‐owned farming enterprises with credit, subsidies, and fiscal incentives, while neglecting smallholders, has contributed to the stagnation of agricultural production in Ethiopia. Overall, the analysis indicates that there has been no significant development of agriculture in Ethiopia following the 1975 land reform.
Economic factors affecting human fertility in the developing areas of Southern Africa
Authors: Fairlamb Cheryl D. , Nieuwoudt Wilhelmus L. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSouth Africa's annual population growth rate, in the traditional sector, is 3.5% (1980‐2000), a rate similar to those experienced in the rest of sub‐Saharan Africa, and over which the World Bank has expressed concern. For the purposes of this study, economic factors explaining family size choice in the traditional sector were examined and linkages between family size decisions and socio‐economic variables analysed. Household utility was maximised subject to resource constraints of time, labour and income, from which a demand curve for children was derived with emphasis on the opportunity cost of wives' time and the quantity‐quality trade‐off for children. A stratified sampling technique was used to collect data from KwaZulu households in South Africa. Regression analysis was used to estimate the demand function and principal components analysis confirmed the underlying theoretical linkages. Results show that wife's education (expected income or opportunity cost), child help (benefits) and desired family size were important explanatory variables. Three components extracted represented the substitution effect, the income effect and child investment theory. Results show that investment in education, taken as a proxy for expected earnings, is a strong policy option for reducing family size.