The impact of agricultural and household technologies on women: a conceptual and quantitative analysis in Burkina Faso

Agricultural technologies (new cultivars, inorganic fertilizers, soil-and water-conservation techniques) in Sub-Saharan Africa have been primarily introduced to male farmers by male-dominated extension services on the family plots. These yield-increasing, input-intensive technologies increase the demand for farm labor. So, not only do men obtain most of the direct benefits from the introduction of technology but this labor-intensive technology also increases the demands on women's time for additional labor. This raises the question: Are the combined effects of agricultural technologies beneficial or detrimental to women? We first develop a labor-market model that examines the impact of agricultural and household technologies on labor allocation and income determination within the household. We then discuss the important issue of how household labor-allocation decisions and division of income are made within the family in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use a programming model to estimate the effects of these technologies on household incomes and the income of women. The results indicate that the impact of agricultural technologies depends on the type of decision-making prevailing in the household. In contrast, household technologies increase the welfare of women regardless of the type of decision-making. However, with bargaining behavior, agricultural technologies do benefit women and there is some empirical support for this type of household behavior in Sub-Saharan African households.     

The Impact of Transfers and Taxes on Alternative Poverty Indexes

Changes in the headcount rate are the standard metric for gauging how public transfers and taxes affect US poverty. An alternative strategy, one theoretically more appealing and complete, is to rely on distribution-sensitive indexes (Sen 1976, 1981). How would policy's measured impacts change if such an approach were to be used? This study provides empirical evidence using three selected poverty indexes from the class developed by Foster et al . (1984). Pre- and post-policy values of each index are estimated for the total population and for twenty-three demographic sub-groups using data from March Current Population Surveys covering the period 1992 to 1998. The results indicate that the alternative indexes produce consistent ordinal rankings of policy's impact. (In contrast, the measured cardinal effects of policy differ substantially across indexes.) The empirical evidence has a clear implication for anti-poverty policy: government transfers and taxes are effective in lowering poverty headcount rates, in reducing the depth of poverty and in lessening the relative deprivation among the poor.     

`Post-Feudalism’ and the changing structure of agricultural leasing

This paper examines the extent to which recent observations about the declining power of landowners signals the arrival of a post-feudal structure in world agriculture. Using the findings of a desk study of lease arrangements across four continents, the paper shows that, although there are substantial cultural and customary differences in the ways in which agricultural leases have developed, three broad systems can be delineated. These are characterised as: the `feudal’ system, in which landowners remain dominant; a neo-feudal system which, while underwriting private landowning, attempts to combine commercial agriculture with the maintenance of an open and vibrant lease sector; and a post-feudal system, based on improving the financial and technical efficiency of the farming industry. Using this classification, the paper explores the key determinants of the types of lease system which have emerged. It suggests that the suitability of any given system is a function of the overall policy objectives established for the sector. On this basis the paper rejects western constructs of a linear progression from feudalism to post-feudalism. Rather, it suggests that, as both extreme systems are open to exploitation, long-term stability and flexibility is most likely to occur under a neo-feudal regime in which government assumes a pivotal role in supporting both landowners and tenants.     

建立现代农业政府投入机制的基本思路和政策取向

建立现代农业政府投入机制应该建立高效的投入动力机制,重塑规范的资金积累机制,配置有序的投入运作机制,构造合理的投入保障机制。     

农业物流:河南农业的加速器

河南省是我国重要的农产品商品生产基地,农业经济在最近几年发展加快,但农业物流明显滞后。本文结合本省农业物流现状,运用SWOT分析方法,释其利弊,明其得失,探讨有效的发展对策。     

日本村落营农组织发展动因及展开可能性分析

日本村落营农组织在解决农业小规模经营、兼业化、劳动力高龄化问题方面具有独特优势,在维持村落农业和村落机能方面发挥着重要作用.通过回归分析得出,经营所得安定对策及农业村落数对村落营农组织发展有着显著的影响.村落营农组织有助于增加农户收入、减少劳动时间、降低生产成本,效果明显,具有进一步展开的可能性,也为我国解决农业小规模、劳动力高龄化问题,提高农业经营效率,提供了一种可选模式.     

Agricultural land-use dynamics: Assessing the relative importance of socioeconomic and biophysical drivers for more targeted policy

A detailed understanding of multiple human and environmental factors influencing land allocations among agricultural uses can facilitate more efficient and targeted land policy. To show this, we used a comprehensive dataset of socioeconomic, physiographic, and climatic indicators to investigate potential determinants of land-use in Australia’s intensive agricultural region during the period 1992–2010. We applied a seemingly unrelated regressions land-use shares spatial error model with random effects coupled with variance decomposition analysis to identify the statistical significance, direction and magnitude of observed associations between land-use and its drivers.Population: density, rainfall, equity ratio, and access to markets were the most influential policy-relevant land-use factors. Land allocations to cereals and livestock production were significantly influenced by spatiotemporal rainfall and temperature variability. Improved pastures, cereals, annual and perennial crops plantations were larger in regions with better access to markets. Increases in equity ratio (i.e., better financial position) were associated with larger land allocations to improved pastures and annual crops and smaller extensive grazing area. Marginal associations were detected between land-use and output prices, and higher population density was associated with lower shares for all high value agricultural land-uses. The results suggest that improved transportation infrastructure, zoning regulations, and mechanisms to reduce farm debt exposure and risks from climate variability could have significant impact on the configuration of the Australian agricultural landscape.     

Exploring agricultural advice networks,beneficial management practices and water quality on the landscape: A geospatial social-ecological systems analysis

Agricultural practices have been linked to detrimental effects on ecosystems, with water quality of particular concern. Research has been devoted to understanding uptake of beneficial, or best, management practices (BMPs) in agriculture; however, sources of advice and subsequent effects on the landscape have not been elucidated. This study set out to understand (1) what sources of information agricultural producers rely on when making land-management decisions; (2) the characteristics of their advice networks; and (3) how the advice network linked spatially to water quality on the landscape. A watershed in Alberta was used as a case study and respondents identified that regional advisors were relied upon most often for advice and these advisors had the most influence on the adoption of BMPs. Results indicate that respondents with connections to regional actors implemented more BMPs that those without. Regional government actors had a greater effect than regional non-governmental actors. Local actors played a lesser role in advice networks related to BMP adoption. A 3D geovisualization was used to explore linkages among advisors, BMPs, and water quality. This technique may be useful for other scenarios and can contribute to policy development and enhanced practices.     

How will good economic policy environments emerge in Africa?

In Africa, institutions were not established at independence that took proper account of the pluralism of the societies, while civil society failed to press for institutions to control the state. Political leaders have had little self‐interest in pursuing good economic policies, and there is weak civil societal demand for such policies. Foreign aid and the proposed peer review mechanism of the African Union could help strengthen this demand. Social scientists can help by focusing on corruption in top political leadership, reducing ethnicity, and improving political leadership. Selectivity for aid can be ex ante, with resoluteness in withdrawing aid for not keeping promises.