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.     

Patterns of Change in Child Labour and Schooling in Turkey: The Impact of Compulsory Schooling

Substantial improvements have taken place in the employment and schooling of children in Turkey. Decomposition analysis based on data from two time periods shows that a substantial part of the drop in child labour and over half of the increase in school enrolment can be attributed to the changing cost and benefit structures of work and schooling rather than to changing population characteristics. This paper establishes that work and schooling are incompatible activities and that the negative association between them has increased over time. The observed changes are attributed to the extension of compulsory schooling and the ban on child labour.     

The Sensitivity of Returns to Research Calculations to Supply Elasticity

Returns to research are thought to be robust under alternative supply elasticity assumptions. We show, both conceptually and numerically, how advances in approximating social benefits make returns to research sensitive to the supply elasticity. Despite this greater sensitivity, these advances retain conceptual and practical advantages. We make recommendations for dealing with the increased sensitivity.     

Economic Returns to Yield-increasing Research on Wheat in Western Canada

A multi-sector mathematical programming model of Canadian agriculture (CRAM) is employed to determine the rate of return to yield-increasing research on wheat conducted during 1962–91. The estimated internal rate of return to yield-increasing research ranged between 27% and 31% for the low wheat price scenarios. It was higher at 34–39% for the high wheat price scenarios. Producers captured 80–90% of the benefits. The results support the magnitude of estimated economic benefits reported in previous studies.     

The Determination of Ex-Ante Returns

This study documents ex-ante returns to research in three areas of plant biotechnology-anther culture, protoplast and somatic hybridisation and recombinant D.N.A. techniques. The study uses Delphi forecasting methodology to estimate the potential contribution to increased yield expected to result from research in these emerging agricultural technologies. Returns to research were measured as internal rates of return and were found to vary from 15 percent to 40 percent.
Cette étude traite des rendements ex-ante de la recherche dans trois domaines de la biotechnologie des plantes—les techniques de la culture anthère, de l'hybridation somatique et protoplastique, et de la recombi-naison de l'A.D.N. L'étude utilise la méthodologie de previson Delphi pour estimer la contribution potentielle à l'accroissement des rendements anticipés de la recherche dans ces technologies agricoles nou-velles. Les rendements de la recherche étaient mesurés par les taux de rendement internes qui variaient de 15 percent à 40 percent.     

Willingness-to-Pay Estimates and Their Relevance to Agribusiness Decision Making

Although methods such as contingent valuation have received a great deal of attention in environmental valuation literature, fewer studies have reported willingness-to-pay estimates with agribusiness applications. Because agribusinesses are increasingly interested in producing and selling differentiated goods and services whose values has not been established by well-functioning markets, we provide a short introduction to willingness-to-pay methodology and provide a discussion of several different methods used to estimate willingness-to-pay. More specifically, we discuss how much of the work in environmental and experimental valuation literature can be extended to agribusiness applications, which have their own set of unique issues.     

Small-Ruminant Marketing in Southwest Nigeria

This paper describes the structure of the small-ruminant trade in southwest Nigeria, analyses the factors determining the price of animals, and examines the relationship of prices between markets. Animals imported from the north dominate the sheep and goat trades, and supply and prices are highly seasonal. However, multiple regression shows animal prices to be largely predictable in terms of the characteristics of the animal (breed, sex and live-weight) and the market in which it is sold (location and month of sale). Prices are relatively closely correlated between markets over time, and price relationships between markets reflect the respective structures of the trade in northern and southern animals. Price margins between markets reflect the level of traders' commission and storage costs in addition to the direct costs of transport. The study concludes that there is no evidence for market inefficiency or segregation, and that there is considerable market potential for increased local production of sheep and goats. In policy terms, the market's efficiency implies that government involvement beyond its present, limited facilitative role would not be justified.     

林业重点工程资金使用效益审计探讨

文章探讨了林业重点工程资金使用效益审计的意义,提出改革传统的林业重点工程审计观念,建立和完善林业重点工程资金使用效益审计的组织机构、规章制度和网络系统,制定科学的林业重点工程资金使用效益审计方法和评价指标体系。