Evaluating an Agricultural Extension Program Aimed at Improving Biodiversity in Alberta,Canada

We evaluate an agricultural extension program aimed at increasing on‐farm biodiversity in Alberta. Using reports prepared for program participants by the extension agency, customized surveys were used to collect data on whether recommended practices were adopted. Data were also collected from producers who were willing but unable to participate in the program due to its unexpected cancellation. A count model compared the number of practices adopted by participants and nonparticipants to evaluate the program's efficacy, and a probit model using participants’ adoption data were used to understand factors affecting adoption. Simple, low‐cost, and easily trialed practices were adopted at high rates, though some higher cost practices associated with observable benefits were also adopted at moderate or high rates. Farm‐specific characteristics, such as size, tenure, or group membership were also significantly linked to the likelihood of adoption. Results suggest that the extension program was successful in encouraging adoption of environmentally beneficial practices with caveats; project completion and quality were not verified, and decreasing marginal returns to extension efforts may have been realized within the small participant pool. Nous évaluons un programme d'éducation permanente en agriculture visant l'augmentation de la biodiversité fermière en Alberta. Utilisant des rapports préparés par les agences d'éducation pour les participants de programmes, des sondages individualisés ont servi à la collecte de données concernant l'adoption de pratiques recommandées. Des données ont aussi été recueillies auprès de producteurs qui auraient voulu participer mais qui n'ont pas profité du programme suivant son annulation inattendue. Un modèle de comptage a servi à comparer le nombre de pratiques adoptées par les participants et non‐participants pour évaluer l'efficacité du programme, et un modèle probit basé sur les données d'adoption par les participants a servi à comprendre les facteurs ayant un impact sur l'adoption. Les pratiques simples, peu coûteuses et faciles à tester ont été hautement adoptées. Certaines pratiques à coûts plus élevés, associées à des avantages observables, ont aussi vu des taux moyens et élevés d'adoption. Les caractéristiques spécifiques aux exploitations agricoles comme la taille, la longévité et l'adhésion à un groupe se sont aussi trouvées liées de façon significative aux probabilités d'adoption. Les résultats suggèrent que le programme d'éducation permanente a réussi à encourager l'adoption de pratiques bénéfiques pour l'environnement avec quelques bémols: la réalisation des projets et leur qualité n'ont pas fait l'objet de vérification, et la diminution des rendements marginaux en fonction des efforts d'éducation pourrait avoir été réalisée dans le cadre d'un petit bassin de participants.     

The Impact of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children on Child Health

Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey are used to analyze the effect of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program and other factors on the health of U.S. preschool children. Ordered probit equations are estimated for the physician's overall evaluation of the child's health. The WIC Program has a significant positive impact on the overall health of children. In particular, children in households participating in WIC are significantly more likely to be in excellent health. Increased household income also improves their health.     

美国环保休耕计划的做法与经验

美国自1986年开始实施的环保休耕计划(ConservationReserveProgram,简称CRP)与我国正在实施的退耕还林还草计划相似,是政府提供补贴,农民自愿参加,以生态建设为主要目的休耕和植被恢复项目。项目实施以来,建立了一套以政策手段与市场机制相结合,以优化成本效益为导向,兼顾环境社会效益与农民利益的补贴及管理机制。文章将对项目实施办法及效益评估等方面的问题做一简介,希望对我国正在实施的退耕还林还草工程有所借鉴。     

京津风沙源治理工程区建设成效及可持续发展策略

退耕还林是京津风沙源治理工程中的一项重要措施。退耕还林工程的实施,不仅没有影响当地经济的发展和粮食生产,而且对促进当地农业结构调整及经济增长方式的转变发挥了积极的作用,并产生了明显的生态效益。解决好退耕农户的当前生计和长远发展问题,是巩固退耕还林成果、实现国家生态目标持续性的关键。本文分析了河北省京津风沙源治理工程区退耕还林实施取得的成效与面临三方面的问题,提出了退耕还林可持续发展策略措施。     

Conservation Payments, Liquidity Constraints, and Off-Farm Labor: Impact of the Grain-for-Green Program on Rural Households in China

This study evaluates the labor response of rural households participating in the Grain-for-Green program in China, the largest payments for ecosystem services program in the developing world. Using a panel data set that we designed and implemented, we find that the participating households are increasingly shifting their labor endowment from on-farm work to the off-farm labor market. However, the effects vary depending on the initial level of human and physical capital. The results support the view that one reason why the participants are more likely to find off-farm employment is because the program is relaxing households' liquidity constraints.     

退耕还林工程研究的演进:过程、特征与展望

为了解退耕还林工程研究的演进过程及其特征并展望该领域未来的研究热点,以1999-2018年核心期刊上刊发的1697篇相关文献为样本,应用高频关键词分析方法对退耕还林工程研究的热点和演进特征等进行阶段性分析;对退耕还林工程研究的总体特征进行分析。结果表明:⑴1999-2018年退耕还林工程领域的研究可划分为“探索总结”“多维研究”“主题深化”和“内涵提升”4个阶段。⑵退耕还林工程研究的总体特征包括5个方面:农户主体是最持续的研究对象;农户收入是最重要的衡量尺度;生态效益是最明显的评价目标;退耕还林工程可持续发展愈发受到关注;GIS应用是最重要的技术支持。⑶退耕还林工程成果巩固、退耕还林工程与乡村振兴战略有机衔接、退耕还林工程可持续发展、退耕还林工程成本效益综合评价和退耕还林工程后续产业发展是未来退耕还林工程的研究热点。     

Slippage Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program

Each year, billions of dollars of public funds are expended to purchase conservation easements on farmland. One unintended impact of these programs is that they may bring non-cropland into crop production. Such a slippage effect can be caused by increased output prices and by substitution effects. This article shows that for each one hundred acres of cropland retired under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the central United States, twenty acres of non-cropland were converted to cropland, offsetting 9 and 14% of CRP water and wind erosion reduction benefits, respectively. Implications of these results for the design of conservation programs are discussed.     

The Food Stamp Program and Food Insufficiency

Food stamp participants have higher food insufficiency rates than eligible nonparticipants, even after controlling for other factors. Given the Food Stamp Program's prominent role in the alleviation of hunger, this is a counterintuitive result. We conjecture that these higher rates are due to adverse selection insofar as households more likely to be food insufficient are also more likely to receive food stamps. We establish a theoretical framework to address this adverse selection. Using a simultaneous equation model with two probits, we show that once one controls for this adverse selection, food stamp recipients have the same probability of food insufficiency as nonrecipients.     

Reducing the Cost of the Dairy Program

The effects on farm incomes and consumer prices of elimination of the special export program and both an immediate and phased elimination of the direct subsidy with compensatory increases in support prices are examined. The supply of milk is assumed to be verticle at a level determined by the amount of quota which in turn is set so that butter supplies and demand balance at the support price. The analysis then is concentrated on the demand side which is represented by the demands for 13 categories of dairy products at the consumer level. The demands are represented in a linear programming model to simulate changing relative prices of individual products caused by the changing support prices. Dropping the special export program unambiguously leads to gains in Canadian welfare. Both an immediate and phased reduction of the direct subsidy requires either a large increase in consumer prices or decrease in farm income. All policy alternatives require a reduction of quota. Gradually eliminating the direct subsidy has the advantage that growth in demand due increases in population and per capita incomes will offset the reduction of quota due to the policy. L'article qui suit examine les consequences, aux revenus agricoles et aux consommateurs de l'élimination du programme spécial d'exportation ainsi que de l'élimination immédiate et progressive de la subvention directe avec compensation sur les prix d'indemnités. On suppose que l'offre du lait est verticale à un niveau déterminé par le quota qui lui est établi de façon à ce que l'offre et la demandé du beurre soient en équilibre avec les subventions. L'analyse, est done surtout du côté demande, et, est répresentée par les demandes de 13 catégories de produits laitiers au niveau du consommateur. Les demandes sont répresentées dans un modèle de programmation linéaire simulant le changement des prix relatifs des produits, causé par le changement des subventions. Laisser tomber le programme spécial d'exportation mène éventuellement à une augmentation du bien-être des canadiens. De toute façon l'élimination immédiate et progressive de la subvention directe requière soit une augmentation du prix aux consommateurs ou une diminution dans les revenus agricoles. Toutes alternatives requièrent une réduction du quota. L'avantage de l'élimination progressive est que la demande évoluant de la croissance de la population et des revenus per capita contrebalance la réduction des quotas.     

Structural Breaks,the Export Enhancement Program and the Relationship between Canadian and US Hard Wheat Prices

This paper examines the long‐term relationship between the export prices of Canadian and US hard wheat and the effects of the US Export Enhancement Program (EEP). Using monthly prices for 1974–2001, we adopt the cointegration procedure of Johansen et al. (2000) which permits structural breaks. Results show that a long‐term relationship exists, and there are two breaks that coincide with the EEP. The first break is in late 1985 when the long‐term US/Canadian price ratio fell by 5.5%, while the second is in early 1995 when it increased by 9.2%. Weak exogeneity tests imply that Canada is the price leader, and impulse responses show that long‐term equilibrium is restored within five months following a shock to either price.     

论当前我国民营企业的战略规划

民营企业是当代中国尤其是沿海经济发达地区企业群中的重要组成部分 ,随着我国微观经济主体的多元化和市场化 ,市场经济的进一步深化和渗透 ,我国民营经济将进一步发展壮大 ,其辐射面和影响面会越来越广 ,在整个经济体系中继续增大其权重。但市场经济毕竟是竞争经济 ,尤其在我国即将“入世” ,企业参与全球竞争这一重大制度变迁下 ,优胜劣汰将日趋加剧 ,众多的民营企业逃脱不了“几家欢乐几家愁”的境地 ,“巨人集团”和“爱多”等一系列轰动一时的民营企业的衰败提醒了我们的民营企业家 ,中国甚至全球的市场环境已逐步成熟和理性 ,成熟的市…     

Economic Analysis of the Western Grain Stabilization Program

On the basis of the assumptions laid out in section 2.2, the current program is projected to pay out over the prospective five-year simulation period an amount approximately equal to what it takes in. In determining the payouts, the introduction of the new trigger mechanism is expected to make a significant, but not overwhelming contribution. Over the prospective five-year period, the current program is expected to be actuarially sound.
The first proposed change to the current program is the adjustment of income and expenses for inflation. Such a change appears to generate much larger payouts than the current program, and to have a greater stabilization potential than the current program. However, such payouts could not be sustained by the fund as it presently operates, and it is expected that the fund would be rendered actuarially unsound. After five years, the probability of the fund being in a deficit is 93 percent. The point projection of this deficit is about $1 billion.
The second proposed change is the reduction in the number of years for averaging, from five down to three. This change appears to generate a slightly larger total payout over the simulation period. In addition, it does not appear to impact significantly on the program's actuarial soundness. The one significant feature of this change is that it appears to diminish the program's stabilization potential.
The third proposed change is the incorporation of debt interest as an expense in the determination of payouts. This change appears to generate a modestly higher total payout. Nonetheless, the fund is still expected to be actuarially sound at the end of the period, and the probability of a deficit is only 19 percent. The significant feature of this change is that the stabilization potential of the program would be enhanced.