THE ECONOMICS OF - WHEAT PRODUCTION IN MOROCCO

A representative farm policy impact model was developed using linear programming and primary survey data. The model was used to estimate farm-level effects of proposed national government policies aimed at increasing food security through greater bread wheat production. The four policy options analysed included the introduction of a bread wheat variety resistant to an insect pest, an increase in the official bread wheat support price, potentially unlimited availability of nitrogen fertiliser, and rationing of nitrogen fertiliser at 500 kg per farm. The various policies increased farm income between 2.45 and 18 percent, as farmers made trade-offs between the production of bread wheat and the more profitable durum wheat. Adjustments were made by farmers in the model to meet government-targeted levels of bread wheat production in order to support national food self-sufficiency at minimum cost. Simultaneously, the resources freed were used to produce more durum wheat. The results suggest a need to analyse interregional and international comparative advantages in wheat production prior to implementing proposed policies aimed at increasing bread wheat output.     

ASSESSMENTS OF THE RELATIVE VALUES OF COMPOUND NITROGEN-PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZERS FOR WHEAT PRODUCTION

A general procedure is developed for calculating optimal rates of application of compound fertilizers, containing several nutrients in fixed composition. The calculations are based on response surface models that have been obtained with single nutrient fertilizers. The relative values of alternative compounds can be assessed from the increases in profit that result from their use at optimal rates and this is preferable to simply comparing fertilizer compositions with that of an ideal mix of single nutrient fertilizers. The relative values of a range of standard nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers are assessed for wheat production in southern New South Wales. The results indicate the need for a compound with a low nitrogen/phosphorus ratio of about 0.5. For the range of fertilizers considered it is concluded that it will generally be preferable to use superphosphate, supplementing with nitrogen fertilizer where N deficiency is suspected. The assumptions required for the calculation of optimal fertilizer rates are discussed.     

THE DEMAND FOR DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED SAWN TIMBER: AN APPLICATION OF THE DIEWERT COST FUNCTION

The Australian demand for domestically-produced sawn timber is investigated by considering its major use — as an input into residential construction. Using a cost function approach, a system of equations is derived expressing quantities demanded in terms of relative prices. Cross-price elasticities are estimated and the falling input-output ratio of timber in residential construction is analysed by decomposing the change in this ratio into price, outputs and taste/technology effects. A major finding is that, while substitution of timber for other inputs has been encouraged through relative price movements, this effect has been more than offset by taste and technology trends away from timber usage.     

THE COST OF FOOD MARKETING*

There exists a wealth of statistical data in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on agricultural structure and production, and on the consumption of food, much of which is well known and readily available to research workers outside. But much less is known about the manufacturing and distribution costs of food between the farm gate and the consumer. The purpose of this paper is to present aggregate data relating to food marketing, in much the same way that earlier contributions, notably to this Journal, have covered agricultural output and net income, and farm structure. Changes in the food marketing sector since the end of rationing are briefly set out and, following discussion of some of the conceptual problems involved, estimates are presented of the value added to food between farm or port and the retail level, and of the magnitude of the flows within the sector     

THE HIGH COST OF FARM WELFARE

No abstract available for this article.     

钱亚蕊 寻梦最美儿时记忆

本期提名绿色宝贝小档案姓名:钱亚蕊身高:169cm毕业学校:中国戏曲学院导演系研究生在读爱好:表演、舞蹈、唱歌、朗诵演艺经历:1999年到2004年,连年参加河南省电视台的春节文艺晚会,并被誉为"电视台特约演员";全国第八届推新人大赛,荣获独舞"全国十佳"奖;河南省电视台举办的"明日之星"舞蹈大赛中,获河南赛区(独舞)"十优新人"奖;首届"中国青少年演艺新人"推选活动荣获青少年组的独舞银奖和朗诵金奖。     

TAXES,INVESTMENT INCENTIVES AND THE COST OF AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

This paper examines the effects of taxes and investment incentives on relative capital/labour costs on farms of different sizes. Income tax relief reduces the cost of purchased non-capital inputs to farmers, while investment incentives reduce the cost of capital items. A framework is developed for calculating the relative magnitudes of these effects and it is shown that capital costs have been reduced relative to labour costs throughout the post-war period in the U.K. and on large farms (paying a higher tax rate) more than on small farms.     

DYNAMIC INTERRELATED DEMAND FUNCTIONS FOR FACTORS OF PRODUCTION AND THE AGGREGATE PRODUCTION FUNCTION IN UNITED KINGDOM AGRICULTURE

Taking the price situation as given in product and factor markets, a non-linear differential equation model of gross output, employment, capital accumulation, and gross input for united Kingdom agriculture is derived by incorporating internal adjustment cost functions into the representative decision-maker's objective function, and estimated using a discrete approximation. The results are consistent with efficient use of resources, but further incentives for capital investment and a greater exodus of labour could upset this. Adjustment costs as estimated account for 2.6 per cent of the value of output; those associated with net investment for 1.8 per cent, and those associated with employment and gross input for 0.57 and 0.23 per cent respectively.     

LAND VALUATION FOR TAX ASSESSMENT AND LAND USE PLANNING–THE SEARCH FOR AND USE OF APPROPRIATE MEASURES*

This article examines the conceptual problems of measuring agricultural land values for taxation purposes and for land use planning. It is shown that prevailing market prices are often deficient. One alternative method of measuring these values is by means of the soil productivity points currently used by the Ministry of Revenue in Ontario. It is shown that the foundations on which this method is based are weak, and that many problems arise in attributing a dollar value to these points. Finally, a shadow pricing technique is suggested. It has its weaknesses in land assessment for taxation, but it has great merit in evaluating land for land use planning.
Cet article étudie les problémes possibles qui se présentent dans l'évaluation des terres agricoles pour les fins de l'im pôt et de la planification de leur utilisation. L' article indique que les prix courant ne reflètent pas la valeur réelle de ces terres. Le Ministère tin Revenu de l'Ontario propose line autre méthode de valorisation: cette d' évaleur le terrain selon sa produclivilé. L' article démontre que les raisons sur lesquelles cette methode est fondée sont faibles et que de nombreux problèmes surgissent lors de l'attribution d'une valuer monétaire à ces points d'évaltialion. Enfin, on suggère tine technique utilisant les "shadow prices', qui a des faiblesses quand il s'agit ďévaleur les terrains pour raison d'impot mais qui a de grands mérites pour leur évaluation en rue de la planification de leur utilisation.     

PRIVATISING THE PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE: PROMISE AND PITFALLS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

In the absence of some form of government intervention, knowledge is a classic public good which will be under-produced because of lack of price excludability. Government intervention may take the form of establishing intellectual property rights, or other means of shielding knowledge-based innovations from imitation or copying. Such intervention offers the prospect of 'privatising' the production of knowledge in the sense that a certain level of private knowledge production may become profitable if producers can appropriate at least part of the benefits of R&D. However, publicly funded R&D or extension still can 'crowd out' private knowledge production by charging lower prices. The principal finding of this study is that such 'crowding out' behaviour may be efficient in the sense of being potentially Pareto superior even if it is at the expense of public funding for so called 'orphan' areas of knowledge production which are privately unprofitable. The reason why conventional conclusions about privatisation and 'crowding out' of private goods need not apply to rural research and extension is that private goods are both rival in consumption and price excludable, while knowledge is intrinsically non rival in consumption even if it can be made price excludable.     

THE SHIFT OF COST CURVES AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH BENEFITS

In the estimation of agricultural research benefits, so far the only procedure taking into account the conditions under which new technology is introduced has been the semi-empirical Lindner-Jarrett construction. The present paper describes quantitatively the effect of various factors on the benefit estimate: original cost curve, technical parameters (yield increase and implementation cost), willingness to adopt new technology, and the market mechanism. Numerical results are given from which it is concluded that empirical constructions are unsatisfactory and that some overestimation of research benefits in previous analyses may well have occurred.     

ESTIMATES OF COST FUNCTIONS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS*

Rural depopulation has put in question the economic viability of many rural institutions. This paper discusses a number of the important conceptual issues that need to be considered when examining the economics of one group of rural institutions, namely schools. Measurement of educational output in particular is fraught with many difficulties. The paper then presents some estimates of cost functions for primary schools in rural areas of New South Wales. The approach combines conventional statistical methods of deriving cost functions with synthetic procedures based on the technology of schooling. It is found that economies and diseconomies of size do exist with respect to certain costs, but it is not clear whether savings can be realized from consolidation of schools, due to the existence of extra pupil transport costs resulting from consolidation.     

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION POLICIES AND MEAT PROCESSING MARGINS: THE CASE OF NEW ZEALAND, 1967-1988*

The New Zealand export meat industry has been through a considerable number of changes in the 1980s. The deregulation of export slaughter facilities, Supplementary Minimum Prices, Producer Board intervention, declining livestock numbers and domestic cost pressures have all affected the performance of the domestically based processing sector. Major changes in market access and demand have influenced off-shore marketing operations, particularly for sheepmeats. Additionally, there has been a change in the type of meat exported with a greater proportion of further processed product shipped in recent years. As an example of the impact of these developments on livestock producers, the producer share of the United Kingdom wholesale market return for a representative prime lamb carcase has fallen from 40 per cent in 1978 to 25 per cent in 1988. In this article the pattern of intervention in the New Zealand pastoral meat industries from the mid-1960s is detailed, emphasising the different environments of the beef and sheepmeat enterprises. Then the principal factors influencing domestic processing margins for these products are empirically examined. Alternative model specifications and alternative estimation techniques are compared and contrasted. The results of these analyses are discussed in terms of the historical patterns of assistance and structural change, and in terms of current rationalisation pressures on the meat processing sector.     

RISK DECISIONS FOR BEEF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE COLOMBIAN SAVANNAS

A beef simulation model was used to examine a range of production possibilities for increasing the output of extensive ranching systems in the tropical savannas of eastern Colombia through the use of sown grass-legume pastures of higher inherent digestibility than that of the native species. Generalised stochastic dominance was used to compare some promising alternatives with the unimproved savanna-based production system and with each other. As the planning horizon of the decision maker was reduced, so variability, measured as the coefficient of variation of output, increased significantly. The impact of risk on the long-term acceptability of a complete investment was limited.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCED MEANS OF PRODUCTION IN UK AGRICULTURE

Neoclassical production theory assumes that outputs and inputs can be separated into two distinct commodity groups. However, this fails to take account of the presence of produced means of production in agriculture which undermine the ceteris paribus assumption on which partial equilibrium analysis is based-a criticism identified as part of the broader Sraffian critique of neoclassical economics. A simulation exercise designed to investigate the importance of produced inputs in UK agriculture found evidence of perverse aggregate supply response resulting from the use of feedgrain, an output from the cereal sector, as a produced input in the livestock sectors. This empirical result lends some support to the Sraffian analysis; however, it is suggested that the perversity arises from failure to take account of the produced input, and that computing ‘net output’     

PRODUCTION ECONOMICS AND THE MODERNIZATION OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURES

A traditional agriculture operates in a relatively static physical, economic and cultural environment and as a consequence becomes relatively well adjusted to that environment. Modernization of agriculture occurs when substantial and continuing change in the decision-making environment provides incentives to make new farming decisions. Farming then becomes dynamic as farmers attempt to reach constantly shifting points of equilibrium. Agricultural production economics in low income countries has been too much applied to a search for disequilibria within the given static environment and not enough to the possibilities and results of deliberately changing that environment.     

试论合理降低基础施工现场成本的环节和途径

本文论述了基础施工现场成本管理的四个环节;指出了提高人的素质、推广运用科学技术、提高劳动生产率、管好施工材料和物资、严格控制工程质量、确保安全生产等八条降低成本的有效途径