The influence of management characteristics on the technical efficiency of wheat farmers in eastern England

Technical efficiency of wheat farms in eastern England is measured through the estimation of a stochastic frontier production function using panel data for the 1993–1997 crop years. Variations in the technical efficiency index across production units are explained through a number of managerial and farm characteristic variables following Battese and Coelli (1995) [Empirical Econ. 20, 325–332] and incorporating the spirit of Rougoor et al. (1998) [Agric. Econ. 18, 261–272]. The technical efficiency index across production units ranges from 62 to 98%. The objectives of maximising annual profits and maintaining the environment are positively correlated with, and have the largest influence on, technical efficiency. Moreover, those farmers who seek information, have more years of managerial experience, and have a large farm are also associated with higher levels of technical efficiency. Future studies that seek to explain variation in technical efficiency should include further aspects of the managerial decision‐making process.     

Revealing the determinants of wheat yields in the Siberian breadbasket of Russia with Bayesian networks

Higher crop yields are critical to satisfy the rising global food demand. Russia holds untapped potential for increasing agricultural production because current grain yields are often far below the potentially attainable yields. Western Siberia is an important breadbasket in Russia, where wheat yields fall particularly short of their potential. Our goal was to assess the determinants of yield variations among farmers in the province of Altai Krai in Western Siberia. We conducted 67 structured in-person interviews with corporate farm managers and individual farmers about the potential determinants of wheat yields and complemented these data with 149 additional observations obtained from the provincial agricultural extension service. We used Bayesian networks (BNs) to represent the relationships between the explanatory parameters and contemporary wheat yields and to examine qualitative future scenarios of future yields. The results revealed higher yields on larger farms than on medium and small farms. Our results corroborated that the application of fertilizers and herbicides and the implementation of new equipment had large positive impacts on the yields. The scenario of higher future production costs and lower precipitation resulted in a yield reduction from 7.6 dt/ha to 5.3. Overall, our results suggest that policies aimed at increasing wheat yields should concentrate on the education of farmers and encourage higher input applications, particularly for small-scale farms. Additionally, policies should address concurrent challenges, such as a higher drought frequency, through the application of new equipment, seed material and tillage practices.     

碎麦提取物与昆虫信息素提取物混合诱捕多种储粮害虫效果研究

本文通过实验室模拟仓实验,研究了碎麦提取物与锈赤扁谷盗Cryptolestes ferrugineus、、锯谷盗Oryzaephilus surinamensis、赤拟谷盗Tribolium castaneum、玉米象Sitophilus zeamais、米象Sitophilus ory zae、谷蠹Rhyzopertha dominica信息素提取物混合诱捕储粮害虫效果的影响:本实验应用6种储粮害虫信息素提取物与碎麦提取物混合分别对多种储粮害虫进行诱捕,发现当多种害虫共存时,碎麦提取物与害虫信息素提取物混合对同种害虫的诱捕超过了单独使用碎麦提取物或同种害虫的信息素提取物的诱捕效果,而对于其它害虫的诱捕也都有较显著的增强作用。如碎麦提取物与米象信息素提取物混合除了对米象诱捕有增强作用外,对玉米象也有较好的诱捕作用;结果再次证明昆虫信息素结合食物引诱剂对监测害虫,特别是储粮害虫有较好的增效作用。     

Production function for wheat: a case study of Southeastern Anatolian Project (SAP) region

Functions for total wheat production, the major agricultural crop of Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, and Mardin provinces in Southeastern Anatolian Project (SAP) region in Turkey were developed by using annual data lor the 1963-1989 period. Regression analyses were carried out on the multiple-linear, quadratic, and Cobb-Douglas functional forms of total wheat production in the region effected by cultivation area, fertilizer usage, and rainfall. From the economical theories' point of view the model revealed good insight. The models were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Irrigation is valued quite substantially. Output elasticities of inputs are less than 1 and function coefficient is elastic. Thus input employment can be increased to increase wheat production. Further research based on factor analysis is recommended.     

Residual demand measures of market power of Russian wheat exporters

Traditionally, the international wheat market has been considered a good example of a market with perfect competition. Yet, several articles provide evidence of imperfect competition and price discrimination in the wheat trade. However, these studies focused on traditional high‐quality wheat exporters such as Canada and the United States. In contrast, this article investigates whether Russian wheat exporters exercise market power in eight selected importing countries using the residual demand elasticity (RDE) model. The article makes two major contributions. First, it focuses on a nontraditional exporter, who exports mainly wheat of mediocre quality to low‐ and middle‐income countries. Second, the RDE model is estimated for the first time using a nonlinear estimator, the instrumental variable Poisson pseudo‐maximum likelihood estimator. This is important because the double logarithmic functional form can provide biased results in the presence of heteroskedasticity. The results indicate that Russian wheat exporters can exercise market power in only a few markets, while they are price takers in the majority of importing countries.     

Wheat in the world food economy: Increasing role in developing countries

Wheat is the oldest and most important of the cereal grains in world food supply. In the last two decades the role of wheat in the world food economy has increased substantially, especially in the developing world. This article describes and analyses the role of wheat and highlights and interprets changes that have occurred in the last two decades of rapid change. The authors analyse, in turn, trends in production, consumption, trade and prices with special emphasis on the developing countries.¹ Finally, the authors speculate on how these trends are likely to be effected by future events.     

外源添加食盐、牛奶和蔗糖对小麦面筋力学特性的影响

以强筋、中筋和弱筋三种不同筋力的小麦面粉为材料,研究了添加食盐、蔗糖和牛奶等外源物质对小麦粉面筋力学特性的影响。结果表明:在面粉中添加少量的食盐,可以提高面筋的硬度和面筋的黏弹性,有助于改善面团的力学特性;在面粉中添加一些蔗糖,对于面筋的硬度影响不大,但却较大幅度降低面筋的黏弹性,弱化面筋的力学特性;在面粉中添加一定量的牛奶,可以提高面筋的硬度,尤其是低筋粉的面筋硬度,并有助于提高面筋的黏弹性,特别是面筋的黏性。     

印度小麦和大米政策分析

在过去60年间,印度粮食政策引导其小麦和大米业经历了从供不应求到自给、再到有剩余用于出口的重大转变。近年来,由于政府运作成本巨大、粮食生产和人均消费增长缓慢,政府正在努力将更多的粮食消费补贴面向低收入消费者,对中央政府对公共粮食收购和分配领域的运作实行地方分权,并且放慢生产者价格补贴增长速度。作为世界上最大的粮食生产和消费国之一,印度未来粮食政策变革必将对全球小麦和大米市场产生重大影响。     

The role of agricultural cooperatives in sustaining the wheat diversity and productivity: the case of southern Italy

We hypothesize that institutions such as agricultural cooperatives influence regional levels of variety diversity through input supply, processing or marketing functions. This diversity can also affect yield, a partial measure of crop productivity. We test these hypotheses with data from southern Italy, a mega-diversity spot and centre of diversity for durum wheat. Cooperatives in the southern regions of Italy process farmers’ harvests of durum wheat into bread, label it, and sell it locally. In this relatively marginalized region of the country, cooperatives enable farmers to capture more of the value of the final product and reduce marketing costs. To test the hypothesis, we apply a two-stage estimation approach with a Cobb-Douglas production function and panel data analysis. Findings suggest that the density of cooperatives in a region is associated with greater spatial diversity in wheat varieties grown, and that, over a 14-year period, this diversity positively affected crop yields.     

Seasonality and spatial integration in agricultural (product) markets

The recent testing approaches of the ‘Law of One Price’ which ate based on co-integration analysis are modified by incorporating the seasonal components of the agricultural price series into the testing procedure. Application of the modified testing approach to the soft wheat market of live European Union member stales produces mixed results as some of the markets turn out to be integrated while in some cases a unified market cannot be assumed. I hese results differ in some cases from those obtained by co-integration tests which ignore seasonal unit roots.