REFLECTIONS ON MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS FOR CONSERVATION OF EXMOOR MOORLAND

The impact of grant aid schemes and modern farm technology is considered in relation to the Study of Exmoor carried out by Lord Porchester. The development in the last three years of an administrative system based on voluntary notification using a moorland map, policies for protection of areas of special landscape value and financial guidelines for compensation is described. The conservation objectives behind management agreements are discussed and present practices with examples are illustrated. Future hazards facing successful use of management agreements are discussed with special reference to problems of funding, misuse of the system and the philosophy of progressive farming.     

DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING: A TOOL FOR FARM FIRM GROWTH RESEARCH

This paper is concerned with dynamic programming as a tool for studying the process of farm firm growth. Studies of growth are restricted by characteristics of the analytical tools used. Dynamic programming provides a method for including added realism in conceptual and analytical growth models. This paper illustrates the formulation of a firm growth problem in a dynamic programming framework and discusses advantages and disadvantages of such models. The type of results obtained from dynamic programming is contrasted with that normally obtained from dynamic linear programming formulations.     

AN ECONOMIC TOOL FOR EVALUATING DISEASE MANAGEMENT IN THE JARRAH FORESTS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA*

A pathogenic, soil-borne fungus has been gradually spreading through the jarrah forest of Western Australia for most of this century. On some sites this fungus can cause almost total forest destruction. Infection is incurable and the effects are irreversible. This paper develops a means for evaluating disease control measures and identifying the optimal level of protection. Standard protection measures are warranted for high and moderate impact sites, over a wide range of risks. Increased expenditure on forest protection is warranted for high and moderate impact sites at especially high risk.     

THE PROBLEM OF IMPUTING A CHARGE FOR FARMERS‘ MANAGEMENT: A COMMENT

In a recent article in this journal, Simon (1979) presented a model intended to provide a basis for the empirical estimation, from FMS data, of the value of the farmer's management input. Unfortunately, Simon's model can be used for this purpose only with the aid of some apparently arbitrary assumptions which are produced without critical examination or empirical evidence. We believe that his approach reveals a mistaken view of how farmers actually behave and a confusion as to the problem and purpose of imputing costs to non-traded items.     

OPERATIONAL ACCOUNTING FOR FARM MANAGEMENT

The accounting system of the Farm Management Service Laboratory of Western Australia is discussed. As a point of reference it uses the system approved by the National Workshop on Standardization of Terminology and Procedures in Farm Management Accounting in Australia. The Laboratory's system is expressly designed to provide a continuous flow of information to the farmer for his control, understanding and evaluation, planning and budgeting, and enhancing credit-worthiness.     

INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR CROP MANAGEMENT: PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS

The use of simulation models and expert systems in the provision of management information is considered with respect to cereal variety selection, together with the advantages and disadvantages that these can bring over more traditional methods of providing farmers with timely information. The integration of the tools of simulation and expert systems can help to overcome their respective limitations. However, considerable emphasis needs to be placed by researchers on the problem of adoption of such software by farmers and advisers if the benefits of such tools are to be even partially realised in the long term.     

AN INDEX OF MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY FOR EGYPTIAN AGRICULTURE: A CASE STUDY OF LARGE FARMS

An index of management efficiency in cotton production is formed for each of five geographical regions in Egypt for farms of large enough size for the functions of management and labour to be separated. The index is introduced as a variable in the production function and reveals distinct differences between the regions in the scope for improving management efficiency.     

A GAME THEORY ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA INDUSTRY

Game theory offers an alternative approach to standard means of resource assessment which can be of value in the definition and assessment of policy options for competing parties. Using a Nash co-operative game it has been possible in this paper to show the significance of fishing strategies for southern bluefin tuna which take into account the age distribution of the catch. Assuming Japan and Australia act according to a cooperative game then the optimal fishing strategy was found to involve Australia avoiding the fishing of the very young cohorts and Japan taking a moderate catch in subsequent older age classes but not the oldest of the age classes. Sub-optimal strategies were also presented and evaluated along with an indication of the level of biomass associated with different strategies. It was concluded that harvesting policies need to be developed both according to weight of fish harvested and age class.     

TOWARDS PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR MULTIPLE USE MANAGEMENT*

The general acceptance of multiple use as a desirable management goal has not been matched by practical guidelines to implement and achieve that goal. As Pearse [5] rightly noted, the most serious obstacles to applying multiple use principles are usually the lack of appropriate data and lack of established methodology. This study did not face prohibitive problems in valuing extra-market goods, but as with all multiple use studies, it did face the problem of applying the standard economic model of the multi-product firm. It is hoped this particular empirical application of the model contributes generally to the provision of guidelines for multiple use management.     

CONSERVATION THROUGH LAND DIVERSION: A SURVEY OF FARMERS‘ ATTITUDES

The need to take land out of intensive arable production offers possibilities for conservation. Assuming that such schemes will operate on a voluntary basis, farmers' reactions to incentives encouraging them to divert land to other uses must be crucial. Samples of farmers in three areas of England were presented with hypothetical schemes to divert cereal land to fallow, permanent pasture and woodland. They were asked for a money ‘bid’ equivalent to the minimum sum to persuade them to enrol land in the scheme an the acreage they would enrol at that level of payment. On average the 147 farmers wanted £348/ha to fallow cereal land, £336/ha to divert arable land to permanent pasture and £437/ha to grow trees. The hypothesis that farmers' response to land diversion initiatives would depend on interaction of conservation attitudes and structural/financial constraints received some support, a result with implications for the design of future land diversion schemes.     

鞍山市矿产资源保护与合理开发的做法与设想

文章基于对矿产资源开发与人口、环境协调发展的认识,根据鞍山市近年来矿产资源开发的实际情况,总结了该市矿产资源保护与合理开发利用的基本做法及所取得的成果.在此基础上提出了今后该市地矿管理工作的设想.     

减员分流是地勘单位企业化经营的重要途径

文章认为,减员分流是地勘单位改革的重大举措。文章简要分析了职工对此问题的顾虑、改革承受意识等思想状况,介绍了黑龙江局下岗职工自愿辞职的政策、作法与效果。     

粮食流通管理刍议

当前粮食流通管理面临的困难和问题1.管理主体多,设置不合理。一是监管职责分配过细。《粮食流通管理条例》规定粮食流通管理由国家发改委、财政、工商、质检、物价、卫生等部门共同负责,管理主体达八家之多。各部门职责按照粮食流通环节、产品品种以及粮食性质划分,其职责分工过于细化,工作职权交叉设置,监管范围交错分配,执行程序过于烦琐。比如粮食质量监管采用粮食流通过程中购销调存加各环节由不同主体分段管理为主,品种监管为铺的方式,操作不便,在实际工作中容易造成互相推委引发部门间矛盾,对粮食市场的管理很难形成合力。因而出现重…     

完善管理体制 促进休闲渔业健康发展

本文对我国休闲渔业发展现状进行分析研究,提出如何加强对休闲渔业的规范管理的一些措施从而促进休闲渔业的持续发展。