Is native timber tree intercropping an economically feasible alternative for smallholder farmers in the Philippines?

Integration of trees on upland farms in the Philippines has been slower than expected and desirable from an environmental perspective. Our economic and risk analysis points to current policies as part of the problem. The study compares three domesticated indigenous timber trees (Shorea contorta V., Pterocarpus indicus J., and Vitex parviflora W.) intercropped with maize against a benchmark of the widely used exotic mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla K.). We used a biophysical simulation model (WaNuLCAS 3.1) to represent interaction between trees and crops for a fundamental level of water, nutrient and light capture as the basis for production functions. External conditions affecting systems profitability were accounted for in the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM). Elements of risk were introduced through Monte Carlo simulation. Study results revealed that from a farmer’s perspective intercropping systems provide similar (within an uncertainty range of + or ? 10%) returns to monocropping scenarios. When net subsidies and taxes are accounted for, social profitability evaluations favour tree intercropping at high tree densities. The net effect of the current bias in price policies towards food production therefore refrains farmers from making decisions to integrate trees on farms; a decision that is actually in the national interest on economic grounds, even without consideration of positive environmental effects.     

动物福利经济学研究现状及推进建议

动物福利不仅是伦理问题,还关系到食品安全,已成为重要的全球性议题。当前,社会对动物福利的关注已对动物产品的生产与消费、畜牧产业的发展以及国际贸易产生了重要的影响。在此背景下,从经济学视角对动物福利进行的研究也越来越丰富,成为农业经济学研究的重要领域,并逐步发展成为动物福利经济学。本文通过梳理现有研究,从动物福利的潜在效用、经济属性、市场需求、生产决策以及相应的改善政策等方面对动物福利经济学的研究进行了综述,并对推进我国该领域的研究提出相应建议,以期引起国内学者对该议题更多的关注与研究。     

Economic analysis of the impact of adopting herd health control programs on smallholder dairy farms in Central Thailand

The economic impact of adopting herd health programs for mastitis and reproduction by small-scale dairy producers of Central Thailand was assessed using a policy analysis matrix (PAM). Following a reduction in the incidence of bovine disease on adopter farms, an increase in private net profits is observed. More importantly the social costs of supporting dairy farmers is reduced; the PAM effective protection coefficient was reduced by 35% for mastitis program adopters and by 44% for reproductive program adopters, indicating improved social efficiency of dairy policy. Other indicators of efficiency and policy implications are discussed.     

Strategies to increase agricultural productivity and reduce land degradation: evidence from Uganda

This paper estimates a structural econometric model of household decisions regarding income strategies, participation in programs and organisations, crop choices, land management, and labour use, and their implications for agricultural production and soil erosion; based upon a survey of over 450 households and their farm plots in Uganda. Many factors have context-specific impacts and involve trade-offs between increasing production and reducing land degradation. Government agricultural extension and training programs contribute to higher value of crop production in the lowlands, but to soil erosion in the highlands. By contrast, non-governmental organization (NGO) programs focusing on agriculture and environment help to reduce erosion, but have less favourable impacts on production in the lowlands. Education increases household incomes, but also reduces crop production in the lowlands. Poverty has mixed impacts on agricultural production, depending on the nature of poverty: smaller farms obtain higher crop production per hectare, while households with fewer livestock have lower crop production. Population pressure contributes to agricultural intensification, but also to erosion in the densely populated highlands. Several household income strategies contribute to increased value of crop production, without significant impacts on soil erosion. We find little evidence of impact of access to markets, roads and credit, land tenure or title on agricultural intensification and crop production and land degradation. In general, the results imply that the strategies to increase agricultural production and reduce land degradation must be location-specific, and that there are few 'win-win' opportunities to simultaneously increase production and reduce land degradation.     

Bias from Farmer Self‐Selection in Genetically Modified Crop Productivity Estimates: Evidence from Indian Data

In the continuing debate over the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on farmers of developing countries, it is important to accurately measure magnitudes such as farm‐level yield gains from GM crop adoption. Yet most farm‐level studies in the literature do not control for farmer self‐selection, a potentially important source of bias in such estimates. We use farm‐level panel data from Indian cotton farmers to investigate the yield effect of GM insect‐resistant cotton. We explicitly take into account the fact that the choice of crop variety is an endogenous variable which might lead to bias from self‐selection. A production function is estimated using a fixed‐effects model to control for selection bias. Our results show that efficient farmers adopt Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton at a higher rate than their less efficient peers. This suggests that cross‐sectional estimates of the yield effect of Bt cotton, which do not control for self‐selection effects, are likely to be biased upwards. However, after controlling for selection bias, we still find that there is a significant positive yield effect from adoption of Bt cotton that more than offsets the additional cost of Bt seed.     

生物质能源发展的政策激励体系构建研究

生物质能源作为一种可再生能源,开发利用前景广泛。目前我国生物质能源的发展面临着诸多障碍,需要强有力的政策支持。首先论述了我国生物质能源发展的现状,阐明了其发展的主要制约因素。然后对生物质能源进行外部性分析,得出政策激励和激励体系构建对生物质能源发展的必要性的结论。最后,提出了构建我国生物质能源发展的激励体系的对策和建议。     

Energy Productivity Growth in the Dutch Greenhouse Industry

Profitability of Dutch greenhouse firms is largely dependent on energy costs, and policy makers focus on reducing the use of energy by these firms. This article uses Russell measures of TE to develop indicators of energy productivity growth. Results show that energy productivity grew by 2.8% annually in the period 1976–95, with technical progress being the key factor driving the process of productivity growth. From this we conclude that policies aiming at enhancing the adoption of technological innovations are more effective, if due attention is paid to measures for improving TE.     

节水型社会建设效益的计算方法初探

以节水型社会的系统分析为基础,以水资源学和福利经济学的相关理论为依据,提出节水型社会建设成本效益分析的方法和步骤。以我国北方的8个地区为研究对象,以地区节水型社会建设规划为依据,对其进行成本效益分析,结果表明该地区节水型社会建设的平均效益成本比为2.32。     

A regional agricultural efficiency convergence assessment in Romania – Appraising differences and understanding potentials

This study proposes an assessment of the regional agricultural efficiency convergence potential across the Romanian development regions during a period of sixteen years (from 2001 to 2017). Using the Cobb-Douglas function and the cluster analysis, it investigates the agricultural development and efficiency in the development regions of Romania, based on the available official datasets. The main aim of the research is to appraise the potential of these seven development regions (Bucharest – Ilfov Region was excluded), and to understand the differences between them, from the perspective of agriculture’ future, and the impact agriculture can have on the sustainable development of each region, through a new domestic agricultural paradigm. The results suggest that agriculture has a major impact on the development of a region as a whole, and that, in the absence of future reform measures in agriculture, the regions will be highly affected by their agricultural underperformance.     

财政支出对我国农业增长的多途径影响

本文采用变系数生产模型,将全要素生产率中涉及各生产要素质量提升的部分剥离,从而识别财政支出通过不同途径影响农业增长的内在机制,并利用省级面板数据(1978-2015年31个省份)和县级面板数据(1993-2010年2495个县),从宏观和中观视角实证考察和比较了各改革阶段财政支出通过不同途径对农业产出的影响及其长期总体...     

黑龙江省能源碳排放特征及影响因素分析

能源消费是碳排放的主要来源.随着黑龙江省经济的快速发展,能源消费的急剧增长以及以煤为主的能源结构在一定时间内很难改变,因此,碳排放量在短时间内很难下降.本文基于碳排放量的基本等式,采用因素分解法,定量分析了1978-2009 年间,能源结构、能源效率和经济发展等因素的变化对黑龙江省人均碳排放的影响.结果显示经济发展对拉...