Returns to wheat breeding research in Nepal

Returns to investment in wheat breeding research in Nepal were estimated for two periods: (1) the Green Revolution period (1960–1990), when modern semidwarf wheat varieties first appeared and spread throughout the country, and (2) the post-Green Revolution period (after 1990), when first-generation modern varieties will be replaced by newer materials. Major benefits of the Nepalese wheat breeding program have included maintenance of disease resistance and faster dissemination of exotic germplasm. Attractive rates of return to investment in wheat breeding have been due in part to Nepal's ability to capture spillover benefits from neighboring countries and from international agricultural research centers.     

Extensification of agriculture and deforestation: empirical evidence from Sudan

Extensification of agriculture is one of the major factors contributing to the destruction of forests in Africa. In Sudan, such horizontal expansion comes at the expense of land devoted to trees and other vegetation, thereby inducing conditions that are inimical to sustainable agricultural production. Different factors have contributed to extensification. Although high economic returns from crop (mainly sorghum) production was an important factor encouraging extensification of rainfed mechanized farming, other factors outside agriculture have also contributed to that expansion. This paper uses data from eastern Sudan and an acreage response model, to identify the most important factors influencing acreage expansion. Different measures and forms of risk were used in the acreage response model. The paper shows how policies in the energy sector can indirectly influence acreage expansion in the agricultural sector.     

Using visual products derived from community research to inform natural resource management policy

People living near remote protected areas seldom have their perspectives considered in decision-making on conservation and development. A consequent challenge for researchers and practitioners is engaging with policy-makers about local peoples’ perspectives, in ways that will capture their attention and influence the decisions they make. Some authors claim that visual products have potential for providing such a means, i.e. in communicating ‘local’ messages to policy-makers. In this study we used action research to explore the use of visual products - derived from participatory community research - to communicate local perspectives to policy. Hypermedia DVDs, containing videos, photos, diagrams and text, were used with policy-stakeholders in interviews and group activities. Most participants reacted positively to the DVDs and indicated that visual products provided credible and valuable insight into findings, grounded in local knowledge. The main strength of the DVDs was to provide engaging messages, in a format that allowed integration of knowledge co-constructed by local people and researchers. They were found to be a versatile medium for use with a range of viewers with different needs, as well as a valuable platform to enhance discussion and understanding needed in developing sound policy in natural resource management. We also found the ‘processes’, used in creating DVDs and presenting them to policy-makers markedly influenced the effectiveness of visual products. We suggest that in working with broad and complex areas in NRM, these types of visual products have the best potential in shifting conceptual thinking and generating ideas and awareness among policy-stakeholders, rather than as a means of recommending specific policy.     

On the foundation of agricultural policy research in the United States

This paper identifies three scientific research programs in agricultural economics. The farm management approach (1870-1933), the farm problem approach (1933-1982) and the domestic and global welfare approach (1982-). In respect to agricultural policy research two competitive research programs developed out of the farm crisis of the 1920s. One program argued for government intervention in agriculture. The other argued for stability in the general economy. The former program degenerated during the 1970s because of countervailing empirical evidence and a change in the understanding of positive economics. The latter program stayed progressive by adding the international dimension and by applying welfare economic analysis. Two other important factors influenced the development of agricultural policy. First, the unique institutional set up of the land grant system in which agricultural economics was founded as an applied science with a bias to help farmers. Second, the convergence of agricultural economics towards general economics that shifted the approach from applied to basic.     

Dynamic modelling of agroforestry and soil fertility interactions: implications for multi-disciplinary research policy

This paper attempts to contribute to one of the major aspects of international research agenda in agroforestry. A general framework is developed in this paper to capture the dynamic interactions of various components of agroforestry system. Using a multi-seasonal model of agroforestry, the competition among the system components in resource and input use and the trade-offs between different outputs of agroforestry system are analyzed. Policy implications for multi-disciplinary research are derived. It is argued that quantifying the potential benefits of agroforestry system requires reformulation of existing economic methods of analyzing agroforestry technology to contribute to the fuller understanding of the dynamic interactions among its various components.     

The interface between land use systems research and policy: Multiple arrangements and leverages

In recent years, interest in the policy-informing role of research organisations has grown considerably. It has been argued from within the science domain that the management of land, whether at the field, farm or regional scale, can benefit from computer-based systems analysis. This proposition was examined through 26 semi-structured interviews, by conducting a workshop on modelling support in policy decision-making and investigating 11 European-based cases of policy-oriented modelling research. On basis of these materials, we assess approaches towards policy-oriented modelling within the domain of agricultural production and other environmental services of land. First, we define the boundary arrangements for our field of interest, i.e. computer-based systems analysis of agricultural production and ecosystems services. Such ideotypical classification of boundary arrangements makes explicit the institutional space in which system scientists function. This space enables certain activities, and at the same time constrains other initiatives, dependent on who is perceived to initiate and/or control research activities and to formulate objectives, and whether it is considered appropriate to integrate scientific knowledge development with policy work. Five ideotypical boundary arrangements are proposed: ‘Civil mandate’; ‘Trickle out’; ‘Janus face’; ‘Critical participant’; and ‘Knowledge broker’. In a second step, a number of critical leverage points are identified based on the 11 cases and these are addressed in relation to the five boundary arrangements. The term ‘leverage point’ covers means, conditions and methods that foster use of modelling work that can be changed, and thus may be part of a strategy to increase the chances that a model is used. The leverage points were: reputation of research institute and/or scientists; raising and balancing expectations; communication about and investment in the scientific basis of the modelling work; participation in model development; heterogeneous and extensive social network in policy domain; institute mandate that secures availability of ‘stepping stones’. We conceive of two applications of our research for modellers who are interested in the use of their work in the policy sphere. First, the boundary arrangement classification helps to interpret the experiences of others and to assess the relevance of lessons and suggestions for their own context. Secondly, the combination of the boundary arrangement perspective and critical leverage points presents a basis to design an institutional pathway for enhancing impact of modelling research in the policy sphere. For those researchers functioning in a science-domain-oriented environment, the analysis in this paper suggests that there are more options than the frequently proposed ‘more participation’ for increasing the likelihood that their policy-oriented work is used. These include establishing contacts with research groups or institutes that are in a position to function as ‘stepping stones’, or engaging with others to develop a social network in the policy sphere.     

Greenhouse abatement policy: insights from the G-cubed multi-country model

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Japan last December was a lost opportunity to set a realistic policy framework for addressing climate change in the coming decades. A number of countries proposed targets for greenhouse emissions, to be reached by a target date. The outcome was a range of different targets for each country. Analysis with the G-cubed multi-country model suggests that fixed targets are a costly way to address climate change. The extent of potential cost suggests the agreement will eventually fail. A better way to address climate change is to focus on uniformity in policy instruments that deliver differentiated outcomes rather than focus on differentiated policy settings.     

欧洲渔业政策、社会科学研究：21世纪面临的挑战

本文为英国赫尔大学地理学院David Symes发表在Maine Policy2010年第34卷268—275页文章的中泽文。在扩展欧洲渔业政策的科学基础过程中,尽管生态系统方法和经济建模得到显著运用,社会科学对于政策有关的研究作用仍不甚明显。在有关体制结构和渔业管理理论的理解方面虽有进展,但对欧盟第六次研发与技术发展架构（2002～2006年）的分析指出,在多学科项目领域以外,社会科学的运用仍然不足。渔业社会科学的流散性和渔业政策明显缺乏社会目标的特点合理解释了社会科学难以运用到渔业政策的原因。CFP（共同渔业政策）改革预计将在2012年展开,包括中央和区域机构之间责任的重新分配,为跨学科和专业领域的政策相关研究提供更多的机会。为应对这一挑战,将需要在社会科学和跨自然和经济科学界限构建强大的网络建设。     

Rural banking in Nigeria: Empirical evidence of indicative policy variables from Anambra State

Ten years after the establishment of the Rural Banking Scheme (RBS) in Nigeria, there are clear indications that the problems and issues which led to the scheme are still prevalent. These include a low level of rural savings mobilization, inadequate use of banking services, and lack of credit for rural people. The central assumptions of the scheme were that increasing the physical proximity of banks to rural people enhances rural savings mobilization and, in turn, increases the flow of funds to the rural sector. Consequently, Nigeria established a quasi-commercial bank type of rural banking system, by means of legislation requiring commercial banks to open branches in rural areas. This study questions the validity of the underlying assumptions, and sets out to investigate the appropriate mix of policy variables necessary for establishing an effective rural banking system in Nigeria and other developing countries. Rural residents were surveyed to find out which variables are important in determining rural bank use. Discriminant analysis showed that four variables were significant in discriminating between rural bank users and non-users. These variables were household income, years of formal education, gender of respondent, and the awareness of the existence of the rural bank branch. The proximity of the bank to the respondent's residence was not a significant determining variable. These findings have important implications for rural bank designers and implementors in Nigeria and other developing countries. They suggest that the current emphasis on the physical distance, as a critical factor in rural bank development, should be replaced by a broader and a more comprehensive strategy which would incorporate and utilize an appropriate mix of policy variables to enhance the effectiveness of the rural banks in Nigeria.     

Production and uses of subject-matter research in federal service: observations from research on Farmer Mac

Rapid institutional innovation in the 1980's has led to problems that exceed the scope of research normally assumed by individual researchers. During such periods of rapid change, subject-matter research may be particularly useful. This paper reviews research on the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) and examines its role in the policy debate.     

Land use policy in China: Introduction

This themed issue of Land Use Policy builds mainly on papers presented at an international conference on ‘Land Use Issues and Policy in China under Rapid Rural and Urban Transformation’, convened by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China, in October 2012. The conference set out to share and promote new scientific findings from a range of disciplines that advance research on land use policy in China. The contributions to this themed issue provide conceptual–theoretical and empirical takes on the topic, around four main areas of interest to both researchers and policymakers: nation-wide land use issues, the Sloping Land Conversion Program, land engineering and land use, and land use transitions. Various land use issues have been associated with rapid urban–rural transformations in China, giving rise to formulation of new policies directly affecting land use. However, these have contributed to new land use problems due to the nature of the policies and the difficulties in policy implementation constrained by the special ‘dual-track’ structure of urban–rural development in China. In view of this, this themed edition makes a compelling call for more systematic research into the making and implementation of China's land use policy. It also emphasizes the challenges for further research on land use policy in China.