Impact of training on the intensification of rice farming: evidence from rainfed areas in Tanzania

Agricultural development is indispensable for poverty reduction and food security in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). This study investigates the impact of rice production training in a modified version of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) on the performance of small‐scale rice farmers in a rainfed area of Tanzania. Utilizing the plot level variation, we employ propensity score matching (PSM) to assess the impact of training on technology adoption, productivity, and profitability. We also estimate a difference‐in‐differences model with plot fixed effects using recall panel data covering the periods before and after training. We found that trainees achieved an average paddy yield of 4.7 tons per hectare and rice profit of 191.5 USD per hectare on the plots where new technologies were adopted, which is higher by about 1.3–1.8 tons and 119–137 USD per hectare than on the other plots. Our study suggests the high potential of transforming favorable rainfed rice growing areas in SSA so as to achieve a rice Green Revolution through training in modern input use and improved agronomic practices.     

A trait-based model of the potential demand for a genetically engineered food crop in a developing economy

We predict the potential demand of smallholder farmers for genetically transformed varieties of a food crop, the cooking banana of the East African highlands. Farmer demand for planting material is derived in an agricultural household model that accounts for variety traits and missing markets. The demand for candidate host varieties is predicted using a Zero‐Inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression system. The fitted model is used to illustrate the sensitivity of farmer demand for improved planting material to (a) investments in research and development, represented by the effectiveness of gene insertion and expression, and (b) other public investments in education, extension, and market infrastructure that support diffusion. By comparing the characteristics of agricultural households we demonstrate that the choice of host variety can have social consequences, favoring one rural population compared with another. Clients for transgenic banana planting material are likely to be poorer, subsistence‐oriented farmers in areas greatly affected by biotic constraints. A model of this type might be useful in assessing the investments needed to support the systematic dissemination of improved planting material. The approach can be generalized to other crop biotechnologies for smallholder farming systems, particularly in developing economies.     

Modelling the Crop Variety Demand of Semi‐Subsistence Households: Bananas in Uganda

We propose an approach to model the derived demand for crop varieties among semi‐subsistence farmers in a developing economy, and apply it to smallholder banana producers in Uganda. We model variety planting decisions as being composed of an extensive margin decision to grow a subset of locally available varieties (variety choice); and an intensive margin decision about the scale or extent of variety cultivation per farm (variety demand). We estimate variety demand equations using a more complete representation of the choice set upon which observed planting decisions are made. Computed elasticities of variety demand with respect to variety attributes indicate that the relative importance of consumption and production attributes varies by location and proximity to markets, from which we draw implications for the social and economic impact of crop improvement. The approach that we propose has broad appeal for analysing adoption decisions for modern or traditional varieties of both major and minor crops in developing countries.     

Farmer knowledge across the commodification spectrum: Rice,cotton, and vegetables in Telangana,India

Crop seeds are a factor of production that can be produced on farm or bought, commodified in varying ways and degrees, and that can change slowly or rapidly—all of which directly impact the crucial process of farmer “skilling.” Seed choices also offer a unique empirical window through which farmer knowledge may be studied. Although other studies have examined the differences between cash and food crops, this research provides new insights into varyingly commodified crops within the same agrarian system. When planting rice, genetically modified hybrid cotton seeds, and garden vegetables, farmers in Telangana, India, face different constraints and opportunities to learn about their seeds and practice that knowledge in the field. These differences arise from agronomic properties of the seeds themselves as well as from the sociocultural meaning that structures the context in which farmers buy, grow, and save them. This measurable discrepancy in farmer knowledge and experience presents an opportunity to examine the variable impact of seed commodification as it is experienced by the same group of farmers across several different crops. Building on theories of commodification and agricultural knowledge, we propose that the different ways in which farmer knowledge operates in these crops reflect a spectrum on which knowledge and commodification are inversely related.     

真空低温烹饪甜皮鸭工艺优化研究

为推动真空低温烹饪技术在甜皮鸭生产工艺中的应用,本研究以传统甜皮鸭生产工艺为基础,结合现代低温烹饪技术,通过单因素实验与正交实验对其工艺进行优化。最终确定低温烹饪甜皮鸭最佳工艺参数:慢煮温度为75℃,慢煮时间为50 min,油炸温度为150℃,油炸时间为1.0 min。本研究为低温烹饪甜皮鸭生产提供理论参考,同时也为低温烹饪技术在其他产品生产中的应用提供借鉴。     

How do Agricultural Programmes Alter Crop Production? Evidence from Ecuador

Evaluating agricultural programmes requires considering not only the programmes’ influence on input and output indicators, but also considering the relationship between these indicators as embodied in the production technology. This article examines the impact on production of an intervention in the Ecuadorian Sierra designed to improve returns to potato production through training and through linking smallholders to high‐value markets. Critical to identifying the impact of the programme is the careful construction of a counterfactual and meticulous data collection. To assess the impact of the programme on production, a weighted estimation, where weights are constructed through propensity score matching, is employed to estimate a production function within a damage abatement framework. The function incorporates a series of interaction terms to assess the impact of the programme on the production technology. The findings provide evidence that the programme enhances yields both through a general shift in technology as well as increased input use. The results suggest that the use of effective farming techniques that are learned through the programme induce this technological shift.     

Nutrient consumption and household income in rural Mexico

We estimate the income elasticity for a variety of macro- and micronutrients using a sample of poor rural households in Mexico. The nutrient-income elasticity is estimated using both parametric and semiparametric methods. A special focus is placed on the nonlinearity of the relationship between nutrient intake and income and on measurement error and endogeneity issues. One major finding is that income elasticity for calories is close to zero when we control for measurement error issues. For some nutrients, namely fats, vitamin A and C, calcium, and heme iron, we find a sizeable positive income elasticity robust to the choice of the estimator and percentiles at which it is evaluated. These nutrients are also those for which we find the largest deficiency in our sample. In addition, we find that for the poorest households in our sample, the deficiency of total energy, protein, and zinc is not accompanied by a positive income elasticity.     

Can the Internet improve agricultural production? Evidence from Viet Nam

This paper aims to contribute to the growing literature on the potential benefits of the Internet on rural livelihoods. We estimate the relationship between Internet access and agricultural production in rural Viet Nam using a panel dataset from 2008–2012. This is a time span during which Internet access increased substantially and government‐run and private online outlets providing information about agriculture started to operate. Our findings suggest that Internet access is associated with a 6.8% higher volume of total agricultural output. We find that this result is manifested through more efficient use of fertilizer. Our findings are stronger for younger households. The less developed northern provinces have benefited the most from the arrival of the Internet. The results are weaker in the case of rice, which is related to strong government involvement in rice production and prices.     

Custom‐hired tractor services and returns to scale in smallholder agriculture: a production function approach

Historically, agricultural transformation has often accompanied the increase in the returns to scale. Little direct evidence exists, however, on what actually causes such increase, despite the knowledge of many factors that are associated with this increase. We fill this knowledge gap by testing whether hiring in tractor services has raised returns to scale in agriculture at the household level in Nepal Terai that has undergone rapid growth in the tractor use through custom‐hiring services. Using Switching Regression and Inverse‐Probability‐Weighted Generalized Method of Moments, we address two sources of endogeneity involved with the estimation of returns to scale; (1) farmers’ self‐selection on whether to hire in tractor services and (2) use of inputs in the production function. For both Cobb‐Douglas and Translog production function specifications, we find that hiring in tractor services significantly increased the returns to scale in agricultural production by about 0.2 ～ 0.3 among farm households not owning tractors, for which suitable control groups are found. Findings are robust under various alternative specifications.     

Knowledge diffusion and agricultural development

Low agricultural productivity remains the primary source of poverty in the developing regions and yet little is known about the influence on agricultural productivity of domestic and international accumulated R&D knowledge and the channels through which this knowledge is transmitted internationally. Following a large scientific literature, this article argues that R&D and R&D knowledge spillover are ecozone‐specific and, therefore, are transmitted internationally through ecozones, where ecozones are the broadest biogeographic division of the earth's land surface. Using data for a panel of 88 countries, it is shown that international knowledge spillovers are ecozone‐specific and have been an important contributing factor behind the marked widening of the income gap between developed and developing countries since 1983.     

Does IPM Have Staying Power? Revisiting a Potato‐producing Area Years After Formal Training Ended

Integrated pest management (IPM) potentially reduces pesticide use and costs of agricultural production. However, IPM is knowledge intensive and its spread may dissipate over time due to knowledge required for its effective implementation and to competing messages about pest control. We examine IPM spread and adoption several years after formal intensive IPM outreach efforts ceased in a potato‐producing region in Ecuador. We describe adoption patterns and sources of IPM knowledge in 2012 and compare them with patterns that existed when outreach ceased in 2003. Results show that IPM adoption continues in the area but with a lower proportion of farmers fully adopting all practices and a higher proportion adopting low to moderate levels as compared to 2003. Almost all potato farmers in the area use some IPM practices, reflecting a major increase in IPM use. Farmer‐to‐farmer spread has supplanted formal training and outreach mechanisms. IPM adoption significantly lowers pesticide use and saves production costs for adopters.     

Plot size and maize productivity in Zambia: is there an inverse relationship?

This article examines the relationship between maize productivity and plot size in Zambia. It offers a unique empirical approach. First, it focuses on maize, which is the major crop on small and medium size farms in Zambia, but also accounts for the endogenous determination of the size of the plot devoted to maize. Previous studies have used total farm size or harvested area. Second, it corrects for selectivity in maize cultivation. Third, it controls for differences in land quality and weather conditions across districts. Finally, it offers a structural interpretation of the above framework by modeling farm decisions as a sequential, two‐stage process, in which land is first allocated to the different crops based on the information set of the farmers at the time of planting, and the yield is affected by subsequent application of inputs, the quantities of which may depend on additional information that is revealed after planting. We use this recursive structure and the differences in the information sets over time to identify the model. The results show that the endogeneity of plot size is very important in this analysis. When considering plot size as an exogenous explanatory variable, we find a monotonic positive relationship between the yield of maize and plot size, indicating that economies of scale are dominant throughout the plot size distribution. However, when we correct for the endogeneity of plot size, we find that the inverse relationship dominates the economies of scale in all plots up to 3 ha, which constitute 86% of our sample. These results suggest that market imperfections should be targeted by any policy aimed at increasing maize productivity in Zambia.     

近世日本传统暖地稻作技术研究:兼与清代中国的比较

近世日本的传统暖地稻作技术(1)是为应对暖地气候条件及土壤环境而诞生的一种特色水稻栽培方法。其中,"稀播疏植"核心技术的实施有效缓解了暖地气候所带来的秧苗徒长、过繁茂化等问题;合理排灌、高肥栽培、综合防治等配套技术的应用有效确保了稻田的水肥供给和虫害防治的效果;而暗渠排水、干鰯肥田、鲸鱼油防虫等措施则极具日本地方特色。从技术的实施效果来看,传统暖地稻作技术实现了水稻的稳定高产和瘦田增收,对于当代农业生产依然具有十分重要的生态价值和借鉴意义。通过与同时期清代中国的比较发现,日中两国在水稻用种、插秧规格、稻田灌溉等方面的做法较为相似,即两国都主张通过"稀播疏植,精细管理"的方式来发展稻作生产。基于比较结论和种种史实,我们推测日本这一技术的形成在很大程度上应是受到清代中国的影响。     

千岛无核柿发展存在的问题与对策

千岛无核柿是浙江省淳安县特有柿树优良品种,论述千岛无核柿在原产地的生产现状和外地引种情况以及栽培技术研究现状。由于零星分布、分散经营,难以形成规模化生产;管理粗放,技术推广不到位,难以实施可持续经营;贮藏保鲜、产品加工滞后,销售市场组织化程度低,难以实现产业化。提出加强宣传与技术培训;加大良种生产和种源保护力度;优化栽培技术,实施标准化生产;优化政策和布局,扩大产业规模;加快产品加工和开发,积极开拓销售市场等发展对策。     

典型家庭农场组织化程度对生产效率的影响分析

现阶段中国农业生产仍属于高投入、低效率的粗放模式,粮食安全缺乏可持续性.研究不同规模下不同组织形式的家庭农场生产效率,有助于揭示在中国农业高质量发展阶段中通过转变农业经营组织形式提高粮食生产效率,保障国家粮食安全的新路径.本文利用湖北武汉、安徽郎溪等地家庭农场的问卷调查数据,采用三阶段DEA方法比较纯种植与种养结合两类...     

技术进步、规模化经营与我国甘蔗主产区生产效率研究

[目的]农业种植业的发展是多种因素共同作用的结果,文章旨在探究技术进步和规模化经营两个重要着力点对农业种植业可持续健康发展的影响。[方法]通过DEA-Malmquist指数分析方法,利用2003—2017年中国甘蔗主产区甘蔗种植投入产出面板数据,测算了在农业种植业发展过程中的综合技术效率、技术进步以及全要素生产率增长状况,并对各甘蔗主产区技术进步以及规模化经营情况作对比分析。[结果]我国以及广东、广西的甘蔗生产效率呈下降的趋势,海南和云南则呈上升的趋势;技术进步是提升广东和云南甘蔗种植业生产效率的直接因素,而对广西和海南甘蔗种植业生产效率贡献最大的是规模化经营;近年来,广东、广西的甘蔗种植生产技术进步缓慢,甚至出现技术衰退;广东、广西和海南3地的甘蔗规模化经营还存在一定的优化空间,尤其是广东和海南地区。[结论]我国及各甘蔗主产区应根据农业种植业的区域发展差异,以因地制宜为首要原则,重视技术进步和综合技术效率同步改进的同时,更应注重通过技术进步来推动规模化经营的发展。     

Analysis of individual private forestry in northern Spain according to economic factors related to management

In addition to being motivated by profit, the management decisions taken by non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners involve other considerations beyond timber, such as non-timber goods and services, as well as factors that affect the level of timber output from the land. Ensuring and improving forest profitability to make NIPF management viable is one of the main challenges faced by this type of landowner. This study empirically explores and assesses management by NIPF owners, through analysing attributes of forest economics (investment in holdings, expenditure on planting and silviculture, public subsidies, along with timber and non-timber incomes). With the aim of predicting outcomes, a multiple regression model was also constructed to investigate and quantify the relationship between socioeconomic and holding factors, and the planting activities carried out by NIPF owners. For this, 103 resident forest landowners in a forest region in northern Spain were interviewed in person, during March 2004, about their commitment to and involvement in land management during the period 1999–2003. The results mainly revealed that attractive forest returns and favourable market conditions for timber production are significant factors for investment in and development of forestry, with personal and family conditions also being important factors in explaining the type of land management carried out. In particular, the multiple linear regression model for forest planting activity correctly explained 84.5% of the variability observed in the study population, indicating that both the investments in and the incomes from forestry play an important role in the activity, as does the size of the holding. The findings may be of interest in promoting public measures related to timber markets and economic incentives for forest management, which will allow landowners to develop economically viable practices, as well as enabling fulfilment of social and environmental demands for sustainable forestry and rural development.     

山东省苹果种植面积的时空演变特征分析

[目的]利用1978~2015年山东省苹果种植相关数据,实证分析山东省苹果种植面积的时空演变规律及其内在影响因素。[方法]从省域、区域、地市层面分析山东省苹果种植面积的时空演变规律,并运用多元线性回归模型实证分析山东省苹果种植面积变动的具体影响因素。[结果]山东省苹果种植面积从1978年的18.330万hm~2增至2015年的29.968万hm~2,总体增加,并以1995年为拐点先增后减,呈"倒U"形分布。从区域层面看,胶东半岛苹果种植面积稳步增加,泰沂山区、鲁西鲁北平原苹果种植面积持续萎缩,直接导致山东省苹果种植面积的不断减少和苹果主产区向胶东半岛的迁移。从地市层面看,山东省17地市中仅有胶东半岛的烟台、威海两地市苹果种植面积有所增加,其余15地市苹果种植面积均有不同程度的减少。说明山东省苹果主产区呈东进西退、北进南退的变迁特征。[结论]山东省苹果种植面积变动是资源禀赋、种植成本、种植业内部比较效益、种植传统和种植惯性、非农就业机会、非农就业收入、国家政策、地区政策、技术进步等众多因素共同作用的结果。基础设施条件、种植传统和种植惯性、非农就业机会、非农就业收入、地区政策的影响更为显著。其中,种植传统与种植惯性、地区政策对山东省苹果种植面积产生显著正向影响;非农就业机会和非农就业收入产生显著负向影响;基础设施条件向耕地的倾斜也产生显著不利影响。而种植成本、种植比较效益、国家政策、技术进步等因素的影响并不显著。     

Is off-farm income reforming the farm? Evidence from Mexico

Does access to off-farm income complement or compete with agricultural production? This article explores the effect of off-farm income on agricultural production activities, using data from the 2003 Mexico National Rural Household Survey. We first discuss the theoretical conditions under which access to off-farm income may influence production in an agricultural household model. Instrumental-variable (IV) estimation methods are then used to test whether agricultural production activities, technologies, and input use differ between households with and without access to off-farm income. We find that off-farm income has a negative effect on agricultural output and the use of family labor on the farm, but a positive impact on the demand for purchased inputs. There is also a slight efficiency gain in households with access to off-farm income. Findings offer insights into how household production evolves as rural households increasingly engage in off-farm income activities.