GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY RESPONSE: PADDY IN SRI LANKA

An aggregate analysis of supply response in the paddy (rice) sector of Sri Lanka during 1952-87 is conducted to identify the impact of pricing policy, irrigation programmes, institutional credit and concessional sales on area, yield and overall supply. The focus of the estimation procedure is the selection of an appropriate functional form for regressions and on the price variable that best represents the price to which producers respond in making area and yield decisions. In the case of both area and yield, the econometric criteria favour the acceptance of log-linear equations with the ratio of the guaranteed price of paddy to fertiliser price. On the basis of overall supply elasticity estimates, it is concluded that while pricing policy, irrigation programmes and institutional credit provide incentives to the expansion of paddy production, concessional sales of rice act as a disincentive.     

EXPLAINING VARIATIONS IN SHARE CONTRACTS: LAND QUALITY,POPULATION PRESSURE AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

Substantial variations in landowner's share under sharecropping arrangements are documented. Partial relationships between landowner's share and land quality and between landowner's share and physiological population density are explained by extensions of the competitive theory of share tenancy. It is shown that high landowner's share can be expected to be associated with high land quality and or high physiological density. The tendency for increases in population to be associated with increases in landlords' shares can be ameliorated by land-saving technological change.     

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND SURPLUS LABOUR IN EGYPTIAN AGRICULTURE, 1952–1972

This paper has two main purposes. First to determine if technical innovation has occurred in Egyptian agriculture and whether or not it has been labour-using in nature. Secondly, to determine whether or not the marginal product of labour in Egyptian agriculture has been negative (surplus labour). The time period covered by the study is 1952 to 1972. The above objectives were met by estimating a weak disposability of inputs (WDI) production function. The characteristics of the weak disposability of inputs function were discussed in great detail, since much of the profession is unfamiliar with this functional form. The function was then estimated and the results seemed to indicate that this functional form was appropriate for Egyptian agriculture. The results of the estimation process indicated that labour-using technical innovation had indeed occurred, although at a very slow rate. In addition, for most of the time period covered the marginal product of labour was indeed negative.     

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE ARID ZONE OF NEW SOUTH WALES

The results described challenge the generally accepted interpretation of the factors underlying the changes in sheep numbers in the arid zone of New South Wales. The extent to which long-run changes in rainfall have been ignored is highlighted. Estimates of output per man are derived, using the C.E.S. production function, which show that there has been a small positive rate of technological change. Three-quarters of such technological advance has been due to factors which affect numbers of sheep carried, the remainder due to factors affecting wool production per sheep.     

CHANGE,ADJUSTMENT AND THE ROLE OF SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE: EVIDENCE FROM SRI LANKAN RICE FARMING*

Human capital comprising various components, such as different types of training, experience and skills, influences the capacity of economic agents to adjust to changing environments. We distinguish between formal education, general experience and various types of specific experience as determinants of adjustment to disequilibria in agriculture and demonstrate that their relative importance varies according to the nature of the changes facing the farmers. The results provide strong support for the importance of land-specific experience even in 'modernising' situations.     

THE IMPACT OF SUPERVISED CREDIT PROGRAMMES ON TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE*

Restrictions on input use frequently accompany the granting of institutional credit to farmers in developing agriculture. A general economic framework is suggested to analyze the net social benefits of such a policy. The paper discusses the potential for manipulating the policy variables to foster more rapid adoption of new agricultural technology. An empirical analysis of the impact of a supervised credit programme in Guatemala on farm performance and farmer decision-making is presented.     

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND INPUT ALLOCATIONS IN SRI LANKAN MULTICROP FARMING

A primal production analysis is conducted of 182 farm households producing multiple outputs in the Sri Lankan dry zone. The approach involves systems estimation of the production functions with first-order equations for variable inputs and permits recovery of the production technology for each crop. Land and family labour are regarded as constraining inputs. Shadow prices are computed for the constraining inputs and yield important implications for increasing household profits. Evidence of global homotheticity in a subset of three inputs is found for three of the crops. Weak separability is rejected in all tested subsets except for fertiliser and chemicals used in the production of vegetables. Input demand elasticities are computed for allocations satisfying necessary and sufficient conditions for profit maximisation. Highly elastic conditional input demands and output supplies are implied.     

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE CANADIAN LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY: AN INPUT-OUTPUT APPROACH1

This paper uses input-output analysis to quantify the interdependence among the livestock industry and other related industries, and to develop within-agriculture multipliers based on these inter-relationships. The study uses the technique developed to analyze the rate of technological change within the beef industry, and to project domestic demands for beef and pork, and labor requirements in meat processing to 1975. Major conclusions are 1) that income linkages for agricultural production are large, although multipliers developed in this study tend to be less than those of other recent work, an expected condition reflecting their intra-agriculture nature; 2) that little improvement occurred in the efficiency of the total livestock industry between 1951 and 1961; 3) that Canadian beef and pork requirements are forecast to increase by 5.2 and 4.5 per cent annually, respectively, to. 1975, and 4) that substantial increases are forecast in labor requirements in meat processing. CHANGEMENT TECHNOLOG1QUE DANS ?INDUSTRIE DU BETAIL AU CANADA - UNE METHODE ?ANALYSEDESINTRANTSETEXTRANTS -Cette étude utilise ?analyse des intrants et extrants pour déterminer ?interdépendance de ?industrie du bétail et ?autres industries connexes, et pour établir des multiplicateurs au sein de ?agriculture fondés sur ces interpénétrations. ?étude se serf de la technique élaborée pour ?analyse du taux de changement technologique dans ?industrie bovine, et pour ?extrapolation de la demande intérieure pour le boeuf et le pore de boucherie, et.les besoins de main-d'oeuvre dans la préparation de la viande jusqu'à 1975. Void les principales conclusions: 1) que les enchaînements de revenu dans la production agricole sont considérables, bien que les multiplicateurs établis dans la présente étude soient moindres que ceux ?autres récents travaux, une condition vraisemblable qui reflète leur nature intra-agricole; 2) que ?efficacité de ?ensemble de ?industrie du bétail s'est très peu améliorée de 1951 a 1961; 3) qu'on prévoit que les besoins canadiens de boeuf et de pore de boucherie augmenteront de 5.2 et 4.5p. 100par année, respectivement, jusqu'à 1975; et 4) qu'on prévoit des augmentations considérables dans les besoins de main-d'oeuvre dans le secteur de la préparation de la viande.     

中国油籽生产和贸易：入世前的变化及前景

我国是植物油籽生产大 国,各类植物油籽年产量超过 5000万吨．约占世界总产量的 14％,是仅次于美国的世界第 二大植物油籽生产同。同时, 我国也是植物油籽的消费和 进口大国,各类植物油籽的年 消费量在6000万吨左右,约 占世界的16％。其中,进口部 分超过1000万吨,占到世界     

河南省温庄村迁村腾地的经验及问题

“迁村腾地”对实现耕地总量动态平衡这一战略目标有重要的意义。结合河南省汝州市温庄村的实际,总结了该村迁村腾地的主要做法及其经验,并对其存在的问题提出了相应的措施。     

马来西亚的渔业管理与执法体制

本文介绍了马来西亚渔业的发展政策、许可制度、执法以及对外国渔船的管理等状况,以供我国渔业管理部门参考。     

坚持科技创新应用提高仓储科技水平

仓储技术的研究和应用,确保储粮安全是根本,延缓品质陈化是方向,提高经济效益是目的。近几年中储粮总公司成都分公司认识到位,理念更新,加大科技投入,建立有效奖励机制,扩展信息交流平台,科技研究和推广有声有色,有力地促进了仓储管理水平的全面提高。     

MANAGEMENT AND SIZE ECONOMIES IN THE ENGLAND AND WALES DAIRY SECTOR

Analyses of size economies in the England and Wales dairy sector have generally been made on the basis of comparisons of input-output measures. These measures have been classified according to input use and farm size and have led to conclusions about efficiency and structural change. This paper examines the influence of managerial ability on economies of size using econometrically estimated long-run average cost (LAC) functions from Milk Marketing Board data for 1980/1. The results show that the LAC curve is U-shaped though skewed to exhibit greater economies than diseconomies of size. Better managed farms are shown to produce any given level of output at lower average cost. Moreover, they have larger optimal levels of output.     

地勘单位技术创新中存在的问题及对策建议

本文针对地勘单位在技术创新中存在的认识片面、机构不全、投资不足、盲目跟风和分配不公等问题,提出了提高认识、培育技术创新体系、增加投入、与科研机构联合与协作、培养一支高素质技术创新队伍和建立竞争激励机制以及管理和运行机制等对策建议.     

THE RURAL POOR AND TECHNOLOGICAL OPPORTUNITY IN THE DRY ZONES OF SOUTHERN ASIA

In contributing to the appraisal and evalution of technological innovation, agricultural economists have a major but changing role to play. Whereas hitherto the concern has been chiefly to compare sharply different exogenous and indigenous technologies, the challenge now is to assess technological change of either or both these kinds

• ? in ecologically sensitive and relatively unproductive areas
• ? when the bulk of the people are poor and survival is the most common preoccupation
• ? where innovations could impinge at many points in household life-systems but are, singly, likely to have only small impact
• ? where the institutional structure will be crucial to their acceptance and might itself have to change.

     

1991年—2003年我国粮食产量变动的原因分析和未来变动趋势预测

经过计算，1991年—1998年全国粮食产量与全国粮食播种面积相关系数0．693；全国粮食产量与全国粮食单产相关系数0．978；1998年—2003年全国粮食产量与全国粮食播种面积相关系数0．942；全国粮食产量与全国粮食单产相关系数0．727．     

INPUTS,OUTPUTS AND PRODUCTIVITY CHANGE IN THE AUSTRALIAN SHEEP INDUSTRY

Tornqvist quantity indexes of output and input are computed for the period 1952/53 to 1976/77 from Australian Sheep Industry Survey data. The computation includes estimating the annual service flow from durable inputs. Total productivity in the sheep industry is estimated to have increased by 2.9 per cent per annum during this 25-year period. While the ratio of capital employed per unit of labour has increased, materials, services and livestock have been the inputs for which the quantity used has increased most rapidly. On the output side, there has been a move towards greater diversification with both crop and cattle enterprises on 'sheep properties' increasing in relative importance.     

关于企业债权管理的问题和防范措施

文章列出了企业债权管理方面常见的六个问题,针对这些问题提出了七项防范措施.     

三江平原水土资源的综合开发利用初探

三江平原拥有丰富的水土资源 ,对三江平原水土资源开发利用现状、存在的问题及发展方向进行分析、探讨 ,提出建议