Agricultural trade liberalization and economic development: the role of downstream market power

A model is developed to characterize the vertically linked and concentrated nature of developed‐country food markets. This model is then parameterized and used to simulate the effects of varying food market structures on the benefits to developing‐country exporters of agricultural commodities from trade liberalization by developed countries. Results demonstrate that even relatively modest departures from perfect competition can cause much of the benefits from trade liberalization to flow to marketing firms instead of producers in the developing country. The distributional effects under downstream market power differ significantly from the perfectly competitive case and may result, somewhat paradoxically, in developing countries receiving a lower share of the total value added within the food chain as trade reform occurs.     

基于区域差异性的河北省环首都农业竞争优势分析

[目的]通过分析河北省环首都经济圈内农业区域特点,试图找出环首都农业竞争优势,以期为京津冀地区农业产业结构转型升级提供理论依据。[方法]文章以环首都农业为研究对象,利用层次递进法分析河北省环首都经济圈涉及县、市的农业发展特点,重点分析河北省在农业资源、市场拓展、人力资源、区位及物流成本、技术获取转化及错位发展等优势。[结果]张家口、承德环首都北部区域,生态基础良好,绿色农产品、休闲农业是今后的发展方向;保定、廊坊环首都南部区域,具有优越的自然生产条件,畜产品、蔬果的质量与产量均较高。[结论]环首都经济圈内河北省的农业产业优势显著,河北省与北京市、天津市农业区域合作是"环首都经济圈"发展战略的重要组成部分。     

撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益及其影响因素——基于粤赣100家农业经营主体的调查

研究目的:通过对粤赣100家农业经营主体调查,研究撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益及其影响因素,并提出相应的建议。研究方法:首先应用DEA模型中的CCR方法测度了撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益,并进一步应用半对数回归模型和主成分分析法,实证分析了撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益的影响因素。研究结果:总体上,撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益最高的是种植业,最低的是养殖业;发达地区撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益总体上低于不发达地区;绿色、生态农产品的出售比例,绿色、生态农产品与非绿色、非生态农产品的产值比,政府补贴额度,银行信贷额度,社会服务机构数量,主要农业经营者的文化程度、见识广度等因素对撂荒农地再利用的生态经济效益均产生正向的影响,而年龄则对其产生负向影响。研究结论:政府需要在绿色、生态农产品市场,财政补贴,信用贷款,社会服务机构和吸引优秀农民返乡进行绿色、生态创业上提供政策支持。     

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS OF MARKET EFFICIENCY

Important agricultural marketing policies and decisions are constantly before industry and government. Much market research is being supported. There is a need to “bridge” research with policy. The core of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that spans the needed analysis of marketing efficiency. The basic point is that marketing policy must focus on both competition and physical operations. The analysis of this paper builds upon Clark's concept of workable competition and Sosnick's extension to the concept of effective competition. Market efficiency is separated into operational efficiency and exchange efficiency components; the determinants of each component are diagnosed and analyzed in terms of costs and pricing. While the agricultural marketing process produces increments of product form, space, and time utility, costs are incurred. Cost analysis is central to the notion of operational efficiency; cost levels depend upon market organization and the feasible set of market logistics. Exchange efficiency refers primarily to price; the effectiveness with which price reflects costs depends upon market structures and the applicable competitive strategies. The conceptual framework developed in this paper integrates the preceding relationships and formalizes an approach for decisions. Trade-offs often exist between operational efficiency and exchange efficiency components of market efficiency. When a trade-off relationship exists, market efficiency is maximized by equalizing the gain in one component with the opportunity-cost loss in the other component. Le gourvernement el I'industrie font continuellemeni face à?importante décisions dans le domaine des marchés el de la politique agricloe. Ces deux groupes subven-tionnenl les recherches dans ce domaine. II y a un besoin de Her la recherche avec la politique. ?essentiel de cet article est de développer un côdre qui comprend ?analyse nécessaire pour ?efficacité du marché, le point important est que le politique du marché doit se concentrer sur le concurrence et les operations. L'analyse de cet article travail sur le théorie de concurrence réalisable de Clark et sur celle Sosnick traitant de ?Extension de la concurrence effective. ?efficacité du marché est diversé en deux éléments: ?exploitation efftcace el ?echange éfficace, les facteurs déterminant de chaque élément sont soumis à un diagnostic et à une analyse en termes du coût et du prix     

Do Formula or Competitive Grant Funds Have Greater Impacts on State Agricultural Productivity?

This article examines the impact of public agricultural research and extension on agricultural total factor productivity at the state level. The objective is to establish whether federal formula or competitive grant funding of agricultural research has a greater impact on state agricultural productivity. A pooled cross-section time-series model of agricultural productivity is fitted to annual data for forty-eight contiguous states over 1970–1999. Our results show that public agricultural research and agricultural extension have statistically significant positive impacts on state agricultural productivity. In addition, Hatch formula funding has a larger impact on agricultural productivity than federal competitive grant funding, and a reallocation of Hatch formula funds to competitive grant funding would lower agricultural productivity. This seems unlikely to be a socially optimal policy. Furthermore, from a cost–benefit perspective, our study shows that the social marginal annualized real rate of return to public resources invested in agricultural research is 49–62%, and to public agricultural extension, the rate is even larger.     

劳动力市场分割、要素配置效率与农产品流通产业增长——一个有调节的中介效应检验

本文通过建立有调节的中介效应模型,探讨了劳动力市场分割影响农产品流通产业增长的路径.研究表明,产业间劳动力市场分割和城乡间劳动力市场分割都显著地抑制了农产品流通产业增长,并通过有调节的中介路径产生影响;产业间劳动力市场分割比城乡间的劳动力市场分割在更大程度上维护了农产品流通产业较低的要素配置效率;规模效率对要素配置效率...     

“互联网+农业产业链”金融创新模式运行分析——以大北农生猪产业链为例

本文以大北农生猪产业链为例,在分析"互联网+农业产业链"金融模式运行机制的基础上,探究农业产业链金融创新模式缓解农户融资难、融资贵的机理。通过分析发现,"互联网+农业产业链"金融模式通过云计算、大数据等信息化手段建立数字信用体系,并利用大数据有效控制农业生产风险和市场风险,为农户提供低成本、无抵押、快速便捷的信贷资金,有效解决农户融资难问题。同时,该模式为产业链上各经营主体提供贷款、结算、理财、保险等金融服务,提高了整个产业链的资金使用效率。此外,在"互联网+农业产业链"金融模式下,小农户能与产业链上的其他主体处于同等市场地位,契合"去中心化"的思路,实现小农户和现代农业发展的有机衔接。     

基于DEA模型的山东省农地利用经济效益分析

山东省农地面积较广,利用类型丰富,农地的合理利用对推进山东省农业经济发展及土地资源的可持续发展具有重要意义。文章阐述了山东省农地利用状况,从自然因素、土地投入、农业土地利用结构、农业从业人员素质、农产品市场意识及经营手段等方面探讨影响农地利用经济效益的因素,通过构建DEA模型,对农地利用经济效益进行应用分析,并提出加大农业用地投入和建设、优化农业用地结构和规模、强化市场经营意识和管理等提高山东省农地利用经济效益的对策建议,以期为山东省土地合理规划利用提供理论依据。     

THE SHIFT OF COST CURVES AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH BENEFITS

In the estimation of agricultural research benefits, so far the only procedure taking into account the conditions under which new technology is introduced has been the semi-empirical Lindner-Jarrett construction. The present paper describes quantitatively the effect of various factors on the benefit estimate: original cost curve, technical parameters (yield increase and implementation cost), willingness to adopt new technology, and the market mechanism. Numerical results are given from which it is concluded that empirical constructions are unsatisfactory and that some overestimation of research benefits in previous analyses may well have occurred.     

Development Assistance and Exports: The Case of the United States

The relationship of development assistance and exports has been a controversial subject in recent years. U.S. public organizations feel that development assistance, particularly for research, while intended primarily and immediately to encourage economic development in low-income nations, will also help increase the effective demand for agricultural exports. Some commodity-oriented U.S. farm groups, on the other hand, see assistance primarily in terms of leading to increased competition for exports of their product. They would have the U.S.A. provide less international support for agricultural development and they have had some influence. While there has been considerable debate on the subject, this has not yet resulted in the development of an enlightened national policy. The paper attempts to sort out the facts and perceptions that have led to this situation and to provide some policy suggestions. Two important needs are for: (a) greater public understanding, and (b) strengthened domestic research and improved linkages between domestic and international research activities. Paradoxically, the latter point tends to be overlooked by some of the farm groups but is essential if the U.S. is to remain competitive in what is likely to become a more open international market in the future.     

A CROSS-COMMODITY APPRAISAL OF DEMAND-RAISING RESEARCH BENEFITS: PORK AND CHICKEN IN AUSTRALIA

A multi-commodity model is developed for evaluating the gains from research which raises the demand for a commodity, and applied to the pig and chicken industries in Australia. The major finding is that the gain to pork producers is larger, and the gain to consumers smaller, with a cross-commodity consideration than without. Bigger differences in results are observed with larger values of the cross-price elasticity between pork and chicken, and with a larger shift in demand for chicken. However, the aggregate benefits to the Australian pig industry are not significantly affected by price changes in the market for chicken. The implication of the analysis is that, by ignoring the cross-market feedback between commodities closely related in consumption, consumers (or taxpayers) of the commodity experiencing a rise in demand may bear a higher-than-optimal outlay on public research directed to increasing the demand for that commodity.     

我国家庭农场发展现状及其对策研究

家庭农场是在我国农村现有基础上建立的,是新型的农业生产主体,是实行农业现代化的金钥匙。家庭农场的出现,既增加农民的收入,又可以实现农业生产的产业化。文章运用文献分析和实地调研相结合的研究方法,分析了当前我国家庭农场的发展现状,即我国家庭农场呈现出经营规模不同、经营品种不同、经营效益较好、具有市场竞争力等明显特征。家庭农场的发展面临大好机遇,但是也存在土地产权认识不明晰、资金短缺、劳动力缺乏等瓶颈问题。并提出明确家庭农场认定标准、引导土地向家庭农场流转、农民的技术培训、完善农业保险、政府给予一定的资金政策等建议,旨在为各地区制定发展家庭农场政策提供参考。     

Ex Ante Research Evaluation and Regional Trade Flows: Maize in Kenya

Public sector investment in agricultural research is an important component of developing country efforts to bolster staple cereal production in the face of rapid population growth. This paper uses a spatial equilibrium model to evaluate the potential impact of maize research in six regions of Kenya. The application highlights the important role of research in meeting future food needs, as well as the geographic variability of producer and consumer benefits from technology and trade policy options. Despite significant research induced supply shifts, Kenya will require additional production increases of 1.5 to 2 per cent per year to meet stated goals of self-sufficiency in maize production with open markets. Import restrictions can ensure self-sufficiency and generate producer welfare gains at greater expense to the majority of Kenyans who are net consumers of maize. In the debate over trade policy, public sector investments in maize research should be seen as a potential mechanism to compensate producers for welfare losses associated with market liberalisation.     

Issues in benefit-cost analysis of agricultural research projects

Use of benefit-cost analysis for economic comparison of agricultural research projects remains confounded, inter alia , by lack of rigour in specifying the without-project scenario and how benefits from an innovation endure after its adoption declines. Failure to account for the without-project scenario favours projects to the extent that more benefits are foregone than costs avoided. Moreover, it is unreasonable to assume generally that aggregate benefits from an innovation continue at the peak level until the end of a 30–40 year planning horizon. A general BCA model for agricultural research projects is presented to enable flexible handling of these issues.     

电子商务背景下农产品F2F电商模式及其发展策略分析

由于信息交流不通畅、农产品价格波动频繁等原因,农产品电子商务在互联网技术发展带动下应运而生,各类农产品电商模式不断出现,其中农产品F2F电商模式就是最为重要的发展模式之一。文章通过归纳总结,从当前几种农产品电商模式特点出发,提出了农产品电商新模式——F2F(Farm to Family)。该文阐述了农产品F2F电商模式的运营模式内涵及当前发展现状,其次,剖析了F2F农产品模式的优劣点,最后根据前文分析,提出了积极构建农产品物流配送系统、积极培养农产品电子商务优秀人才、强化农产品的品质管理加快农产品电商发展的对策措施。     

东北粮食主产区农村土地承包经营权规模化流转定价机制研究—— 以黑龙江省克山县为例

研究目的:通过建立农村土地承包经营权规模化流转定价机制,促进农村土地承包经营权流转市场完善,为合理确定农村土地承包经营权规模流转价格提供科学依据。研究方法:区间价格模型,Hurwicz准则,层次分析法,收益现值法。研究结果 :克山县农村土地承包经营权规模流转的价格区间为6380元/hm~2到9155元/hm~2;通过对比供需双方土地流转意愿的影响因素,计算得土地流转价格系数为0.498;在价格区间内引入Hurwicz准则,测算土地承包经营权规模流转价格是可行的。研究结论:以村集体经济组织为中介代理人、以维护流转双方利益为准则的土地承包经营权规模化流转定价机制不仅体现利润分享原则,也丰富了马克思地租地价理论的实践应用,符合赋予农民更多财产权利、拓宽农民财产性收入的政策改革方向。     

水肥一体化技术的环境效应与经济效应分析——基于山东省苹果种植户的调研数据

目的 绿色农业技术的环境与经济收益核算,对于推进技术应用、解决农业面源污染问题和实现生态文明建设具有重要的参考价值。究竟绿色农业技术有没有顺利实现农户的经济目标与社会的环境目标？现有研究诸多争议与困惑。方法 文章以水肥一体化技术为例,基于山东省649份苹果种植户的实地调查数据,借助内生转换模型,从微观层面探讨了水肥一体化技术的环境效应和经济效应。结果 （1）总体来看,农户采纳水肥一体化技术实现了节肥增收的目的。（2）采纳水肥一体化技术后,样本农户能够节约化肥施用量11.79%~20.98%,提高农产品收入8.15%~9.07%。（3）不同规模农户采纳水肥一体化技术的节肥增收效应存在显著差异。对于采纳水肥一体化技术的规模户而言,其化肥减量作用强度明显高于小规模农户。与此同时,采纳水肥一体化技术只对规模户有明显的农产品增收作用。结论 注重完善市场流通机制下农产品质量监督体系,使绿色农产品能够获得质量溢价的收益。同时创建有利于水肥一体化技术推广应用的土地规模条件,获得规模化带来的节肥增收效应。推动外部性内部化补偿制度实施,政府对具有正外部性行为的农户给予补偿。     

Spatial allocation and the shadow pricing of product characteristics

The paper considers an industry transforming primary commodities (farm products) into processed commodities (food products). It focuses on the allocation of embedded characteristics (carbohydrate, protein, etc.) both across space and among commodities. The approach generates a spatial competitive market equilibrium of production, consumption, transformation, and trade for both primary and processed commodities, along with the spatial distribution of shadow prices for the product characteristics. The model provides a basis for analyzing the allocation and pricing of agricultural products, food products, and characteristics in spatial markets. The empirical usefulness of the model is illustrated in the context of regional resource allocation in the U.S. dairy sector.     

Positioning and Competitiveness of Producers of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Abstract

The balsamic vinegar of Modena (BVM) is one of the most popular among the emerging Italian food products worldwide. This industry is characterised by a strong heterogeneity of the operators and by a relevant growth of sales and export. This paper first describes the main features of the market environment and the factors allowing all the BVM producers to gain a competitive advantage and their ability to compete. Second, a perceptual competitiveness map of BVM industry describing the competitive environment and highlighting the competitive factors managed by the enterprises are drawn using discriminant analysis. Cluster analysis is also applied to group the operators according to their position in the marketplace and to their competitive features. The study is useful to identify new opportunities for company differentiation and potential market niches or market segments with a lower level of competition. The analysis highlights that there is a low level of differentiation amongst the competitive arena, and the opportunities for differentiation appears linked to the following main drivers: an increased perceived level of quality, the introduction of an innovative products, the management of the price level and the identification of new attractive markets.     

DISTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH GAINS UNDER DIFFERENT MARKET STRUCTURES: THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE WITHIN THE UK DAIRY INDUSTRY

This paper describes a model for assessing the aggregate level and distribution of benefits within the UK dairy industry from research aimed at reducing the costs of dairying equipment and machinery. The effect of the market structure of the farming and processing sectors is examined. It is shown, in this model, that the machinery sector always loses from a technological advance. The benefits and losses to the other sectors depend on the organisational structure of farmers and processors. Finally, the effect of imposing a levy on farmers to pay for research is discussed. The losses are shown not to be distributed in the same way as the research gains. The results have direct implications for the funding of research.