Impact of Purchase Intentions on Full and Partial Bids in BDM Auctions: Willingness‐to‐pay for Organic and Local Blueberries

We conduct a series of Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) auctions to elicit consumers' willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for organic and local blueberries. Participants' intentions to purchase the auction product were collected to determine how purchase intentions for the auction products affect their partial bids (WTP for an additional attribute) as well as full bids (WTP for the auction product). The results suggest, as expected, that full bids from participants with purchase intention for the auction product are significantly higher than those from participants without purchase intention. However, the partial bids, which are inferred from the full bids, for organic and local attributes are consistent across participants with different purchase intentions. Therefore, if the focus of a BDM auction is consumers' WTP for product attributes, purchase intentions may not be an important influence on the value.     

互联网使用对专业苹果种植户农地转入的影响研究 ——基于信息搜寻、社会资本和信贷获得中介效应视角

研究目的：从信息技术使用视角探究互联网使用对专业苹果种植户农地转入的影响及其机制,进而探索互联网能否成为激活农地流转市场的重要媒介。研究方法：内生转换Probit模型和中介效应模型。研究结果：（1）互联网使用对专业苹果种植户农地转入具有显著正向影响。基于反事实假设,使用互联网的专业苹果种植户若未使用互联网,其农地转入概率下降17.6%。（2）互联网使用主要通过提高信息搜寻能力、增加社会资本、提升信贷获得水平三条路径影响专业苹果种植户农地转入。（3）互联网使用对低收入组和自有地面积为小规模的专业苹果种植户的农地转入作用更大。研究结论：要重视以互联网为代表的信息技术对农地流转的促进作用,不断提升农村地区的互联网覆盖率,加快农地流转市场化进程。     

Yield Effects of Tissue Culture Bananas in Kenya: Accounting for Selection Bias and the Role of Complementary Inputs

We analyse yield effects of tissue culture (TC) banana technology in the Kenyan small farm sector, using recent survey data and an endogenous switching regression approach. TC banana plantlets, which are free from pests and diseases, have been introduced in East Africa since the late 1990s. Although field experiments show significant yield advantages over traditional banana suckers, a rigorous assessment of impacts in farmers’ fields is still outstanding. A comparison of mean yield levels between TC adopters and non‐adopters in our sample shows no significant difference. However, we find evidence of negative selection bias, indicating that farmers with lower than average yields are more likely to adopt TC. Controlling for this bias results in a positive and significant TC net yield gain of 7%. We also find that TC technology is more knowledge intensive and more responsive to irrigation than traditional bananas. Simulations show that improving access to irrigation could lift TC productivity gains to above 20%. The analytical approach developed and applied here and the finding of negative selection bias may also be relevant for the evaluation of other agricultural technologies.     

Adoption and welfare impacts of multiple agricultural technologies: evidence from eastern Zambia

Using plot level panel data and multinomial endogenous switching regression, this article analyzes the adoption and welfare impacts of multiple agricultural technologies in eastern Zambia. We adapt a multinomial endogenous switching/treatment effect regression framework to correct for selection bias and endogeneity originating from both observed and unobserved heterogeneity. Results indicate that joint adoption of multiple agricultural technologies had greater impacts on crop yields, household incomes, and poverty than the adoption of individual components of the technology package. Our findings suggest that efforts aimed at raising household incomes and reducing poverty should focus on promoting the adoption of multiple agricultural technologies through provision of improved support services such as extension and input supply.     

链接与断裂:小农户与互联网市场衔接机制研究——以农村电商的生产经营实践为例

本文运用田野调查等质性研究方法,从微观层面探究从事农村电商的小农户与互联网市场的关系。农村电商使小农户具备了链接互联网市场的能力和途径、增加了收入、复兴了乡土手工业、缓解了农村的发展困局,在一定程度上重构了城乡关系。调查发现,随着农村电商的转型,在产业要素配置效率日渐失衡、农村营商环境的内在局限性和互联网市场游戏规则驯化的共同作用下,小农户与互联网市场的关系逐渐趋于断裂。电商村出现大批量小农户退出互联网市场和农村资源流失的现象,农村再次陷入原有的发展困境。因此,如何发挥政府的治理作用,并为农村电商的持续发展提供有效的公共服务,成为基层乡村治理的新任务和新挑战。     

Spatial determinants of productivity growth on agri‐food Spanish firms: a comparison between cooperatives and investor‐owned firms

This study analyses the effect of the spatial factor, location, and interaction effects among peer companies, on the productivity growth of agri‐food companies in Spain. With this aim, we build a productivity growth index and apply a multiequational Seemingly Unrelated Regression on a sample of 344 Spanish cooperatives and investor‐owned firms for the period 2010–2012. Our findings show that agri‐food firms are influenced by spatial factors finding interesting differences between cooperatives and investor‐owned firms. With regard to the geographical location, cooperatives in the western of Spain show higher productivity growth rates, whereas investor‐owned firms in the northeast of Spain present better results. The interaction effect among closer peer companies is also a relevant factor to determine the productivity growth in agri‐food companies. This factor is more relevant for cooperatives than for investor‐owned firms.