INTENSIFICATION OF RAINFED LOWLAND RICE PRODUCTION IN WEST AFRICA: PRESENT STATUS AND POTENTIAL GREEN REVOLUTION

The objective of the current paper is to explore the factors influencing the expansion and intensification of rice production in rainfed lowland sites. The village/lowland‐level data show the following: (1) the expansion of lowland rice cultivation has been driven by population pressure and accessibility to the market; and (2) the adoption of water control technologies is enhanced by the existence of immigrants and accessibility to the market. Rice cultivator data show that investment in water supply canals is influenced by land tenure security and that the canals enhance yield. This suggests that investment in water control technologies in rainfed lowland is necessary to realize a rice Green Revolution. Considering the fairly high average yield already achieved with water control technologies and the vast area of lowlands without water control technologies in rural area, there is a high potential of a rice Green Revolution in rainfed lowland in West Africa.     

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.     

英国“20:20小麦”研究项目调查

2012年6月13日,英国洛桑研究所和英国生物技术与生物科学研究理事会联合发起了雄心勃勃的"20:20小麦"研究项目,计划在未来20年内,即到2032年,使英国的潜在粮食产量从目前的大约8 t/hm~2增至20 t/hm~2。实施"20:20小麦"项目可使小麦潜在产量最大化;可确定小麦根系吸水和养分的情况,以提高小麦光合作用的效率;可对作物进行改良。洛桑研究所是英国最大的农业研究中心,有得天独厚的试验条件和世界领先的研究技术,并注重国际合作和开放创新。期望通过对"20:20小麦"研究项目的介绍,为我国农业科研提供参考和借鉴。     

Quality of governance and varieties of capitalism in the European Union: core and periphery division?

A growing body of literature suggests that the quality of governance has a significant effect on economic development. Investigations highlight that the quality of government institutions varies substantially in the European Union. These differences raise the question of whether they comply with the various models of capitalism. However, the various approaches of institutional analyses either neglect the role of the state or consider only the welfare function and the extent of state intervention. This article uses the databases of the World Bank and the World Economic Forum to classify the members of the European Union into clusters based on the quality of governance. Cluster analyses find notably clear-cut clusters in both cases. These clusters do not coincide with the usual varieties of capitalism; instead, they indicate a gap between the northern and western vs. the southern and eastern European countries, which is a core vs. periphery division. This gap indicates a long-lasting challenge in the deepening of European integration.     

The dilemma of cheap food and self-sufficiency: The case of wheat in Iran

Self-sufficiency in wheat has been one of the major goals of Iranian agricultural policies since the Revolution of 1979. Even so, the country failed to achieve this goal by the early 2000s, despite a satisfactory growth in wheat production. This paper addresses this failure and the political difficulties in introducing reforms that would reduce the need for import. First, the production and consumption of wheat are examined. The conclusion is that the cheap-bread policy has mainly been responsible for the imbalances between domestic supply and demand, and the continued reliance on wheat imports. Moreover, the paper argues that the subsidy program is an expensive safety net for the needy and shows that the Iranian government has intended to reform the program since the early 1990s. However, subsidy reforms are politically sensitive, especially in developing countries where subsidies are considered very important, both for supporting the poor and for political stability. An analysis of the Iranian attempts at subsidy reform suggests that they have not yet succeeded, mainly due to such political considerations.     

南北贸易中产品种数变化与国际贸易摩擦

本文扩展了保罗·萨缪尔逊提出的国际贸易摩擦的静态理论模型,运用赫尔普曼(1993)和Fujiwarw(2004)分析南北贸易的理论与方法,提出了解释南北国际贸易摩擦的动态模型,并运用相关统计资料,对动态模型的基本结论进行了实证分析。     

消费者特征与小品种食用油购买行为的实证研究——以茶油为例

利用福州、广州、长沙3个油茶产区省会城市的664份问卷调查数据,运用二元Logistic回归模型,对消费者购买小品种食用油(茶油)的影响因素进行实证分析的结果表明:消费者文化程度、家庭结构、对健康重视程度、对小品种食用油具有高营养价值的认可程度、重视食用油营养价值的程度、重视食用油口感的程度、对小品种食用油价格的态度、对小品种食用油品牌的信任程度、对小品种食用油销售推介的认可程度、对亲友推荐的认可程度、距离小品种食用油销售地的远近程度、区域环境等是影响人们购买小品种食用油的重要因素。其中小品种食用油具有高营养价值的认可程度、重视食用油营养价值的程度、对小品种食用油品牌的信任程度、认可亲朋好友推荐的程度、消费者家庭结构、自身文化程度与小品种食用油的购买行为呈正向相关关系;对小品种食用油价格的态度、重视食用油口感的程度以及与小品种食用油销售地的距离对小品种食用油购买行为有负向影响。另外,消费者个体特征变量中的性别、年龄、收入水平等以及健康状况对小品种食用油的购买行为没有显著的影响。不同地区的居民对小品种食用油购买行为存在差异。最后,在研究结论的基础上提出政策启示。     

留样盲测方法用于原粮质量控制的研究

本文检测了稻谷、玉米和小麦留样的水分及脂肪酸值,阐明了检测期间内留样水分及脂肪酸值的变化规律,探讨了采用留样盲测方法对原粮水分和脂肪酸值检测项目进行质量控制的有效性及适用性。研究结果表明：在温度20℃～25℃、相对湿度60％-80％的保管条件下,稻谷、玉米和小麦水分项目的留样盲测数值在60天的跟踪期均较稳定,适宜用该方法进行质量监控;而对于脂肪酸值检测项目,稻谷和玉米留样再测的有效期则分别缩短至50天和35天。     

Technology adoption under seed access constraints and the economic impacts of improved pigeonpea varieties in Tanzania

Dry‐land legumes, well adapted to drought‐prone areas, have largely been neglected in the past despite the good opportunities they offer for income growth and food (and nutritional) security for the poor. This study evaluated the adoption and impact of two farmer and market‐preferred and disease‐resistant pigeonpea varieties that were developed and promoted in semi‐arid Tanzania. The new varieties were resistant to fusarium wilt, a fungal disease devastating the crop. However, farmers wanting to adopt new varieties did not adopt due to seed access constraints and under‐developed seed delivery systems. Adoption of new varieties is therefore analyzed using an augmented double hurdle model that allows estimating variety adoption conditional on seed access thresholds accounting for the additional information on sample separation. The study identifies the crucial role of seed access (local supply), extension, education, participatory decision making, capital, and household assets in determining adoption. The social economic benefits of the technology and policies for improved seed access were further analyzed using the extended economic surplus method (DREAM model). Even under restrictive assumptions, overall discounted benefits were found to be quite attractive, indicating the need for additional efforts to scale‐up the success story. Analysis of changes in research benefits from relaxing the seed access constraint showed that net gains would increase by up to 30% if farmer access to improved seeds can be assured. Smallholder farmers are the major beneficiaries along with consumers and rural net‐buyers who gain from productivity‐induced lower market prices.