炎帝神农氏与湖南稻作农业的起源

炎帝神农氏是中华民族的始祖,也是稻作农业的创始人。据史实记载,炎帝神农氏在上古代农业方面作出了突出贡献。特别在史前稻作农业方面的贡献尤其突出。据现代考古发掘表明,与炎帝神农同时代的稻作农业非常发达。综合分析史实记载、历史传说、民俗民风和现代考古等都在很大程度上相互应证,形成了一条符合逻辑的证据链条。这些证据链条无一不指向长江中下游的"两湖"和湘江流域。特别是湖南境内的洞庭湖平原及湘江流域更是稻作农业的核心地。现代考古发掘也有力地证明了"南稻北粟"的学说和中国南北文化的差异。也有力批驳了"南蛮"之地的邪说,事实上,在远古时代,南方的文明在一定程度上先于并且胜过北方文明。南方也是中华文明的摇蓝。     

稻米市场销售价格形势分析及展望

本文论述了稻米市场销售价格形势分析及展望。     

Infant mortality,relative income and public policy

Do health outcomes depend on relative income as well as on an individual's absolute level of income? We use infant mortality as a health status indicator and find a significant and positive link between infant mortality and income inequality using cross-national data for 93 countries. Holding constant the income of each of the three poorest quintiles of a country's population, we find that an increase in the income of the upper 20% of the income distribution is associated with higher, not the lower infant mortality. Our results are robust and not just caused by the concave relationship between income and health. The estimates imply a decrease in infant mortality by 1.5% for a one percentage point decrease in the income share of the richest quintile. The overall results are sensitive to public policy: public health care expenditure, educational outcomes, and access to basic sanitation and safe water can explain the inequality–health relationship. Thus, our findings support the hypothesis of public disinvestment in human capital in countries with high income inequality. However, we are not able to determine whether public policy is a confounder or mediator of the relationship between income distribution and health. Relative deprivation caused by the income distance between an individual and the individual's reference group is another possible explanation for a direct effect from income inequality to health.     

The effects of domestic rice market interventions outside business-as-usual conditions for imported rice prices

The Philippine government intervenes in the domestic rice market through the imposition of import tariffs and the provision of producer and consumer subsidies. While policymakers are aware that these programmes come with allocative efficiency costs, they justify the programmes on the grounds that they insulate the domestic economy from unexpected price spikes in the international rice market. An interesting matter for policy evaluation is to quantify the insulation benefit that the programmes provide in circumstances of sudden severe import price spikes. To examine this question, we undertake a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) simulation in which the Philippines is subject to an external rice price shock. We find that the insulation benefit of the support programmes under a 2008-like event is worth approximately 0.10% of real consumption. However, the cost of insuring against these price spikes is significant. We estimate the annual cost of the rice market interventions at approximately 0.40% of real consumption.     

The determinants of trade credit use: the case of the Tanzanian rice market

Most small businesses in the developing economies suffer from a lack of access to formal external finance. One important alternative source of finance for these entrepreneurs is trade credit. Applying a unique data-set containing data on specific trade relations between rice wholesalers and rice retailers in Tanzania, we analyse the determinants of trade credit demand and supply in this market, using a simultaneous equation modelling approach. The analysis shows that while the demand for trade credit is primarily determined by the extent to which retailers need external funds, supply is mainly driven by wholesalers’ incentives to attract and keep clients. Moreover, wholesalers’ willingness to provide credit increases if they have better information about the possibility that the customer will fail to repay the credit.     

The Potential Market for GM Rice with Health Benefits in a Chinese High-Risk Region

Genetically modified rice with a high folate content, i.e., folate biofortified rice, was recently developed to tackle folate deficiency. A consumer segmentation study is conducted to explore its market potential in the Chinese Shanxi Province, where the burden of folate deficiency is among the world’s highest. Cluster analysis of 451 rice consumers identified three segments: enthusiasts (14.2%), cautious (41.2%), and opponents (44.6%). Enthusiasts obtain the highest score of GM food knowledge and attitudes and have the highest GM rice acceptance rate, followed by cautious and reluctant consumers. Regarding GM food information, enthusiasts use almost entirely audiovisual channels and rely more on the industry, while other segments depend more on informal channels and anti-GM sources. Trust levels in these channels/sources differ between enthusiasts (high), opponents (neutral), and cautious (low). Based on multinomial regression, a targeted communication approach is recommended with a focus on female, cautious consumers and rural, low-educated opponents.     

Transmission of Rice Prices from Thailand into West African Markets: The Case of Benin,Mali, and Senegal

ABSTRACT

The integration of West African rice market to the world market is assessed in order to derive the implication for food security. To this end, the transmission of rice price changes on the world market to selected markets in West Africa was examined to test for the presence of transaction costs. Using the two-regime threshold cointegration procedure on monthly price data, evidence in support of the hypothesis of asymmetric price transmission was found between Thailand and some West African markets. Price increases on the world market were more quickly transmitted to domestic price than were price decreases in Benin and Mali, suggesting short-run dynamic inefficiencies and the presence of transaction costs. In Senegal, the adjustment was linear, suggesting greater integration with the world rice market. The results suggest that West African governments should design and implement adequate policies to develop the domestic rice sector, improve market infrastructures in order to reduce their country dependency to international markets and ensure food security.     

高水分稻谷春季通风干燥试验

春季收购的新粳稻谷由于水分偏高,采用在粮库内铁路专用线站台上包打围临时储存,利用二机二风道先行降水到15．5％以后,再转入高大平房仓,利用谷物冷却机平衡水分、粮温,使其安全过夏;与烘干相比,能增收节支,实现高水分粳稻安全储藏,提高粮库经济效益。     

不同水稻品种对钒的积累及化学形态

通过盆栽试验,研究了钒（V）胁迫下不同品种水稻植株中钒的积累和化学形态。结果表明,不同品种水稻各器官中V的分布为根＞茎＞叶＞子实,两种水稻品种吸收的V主要富集在根部。水稻生长期新优188水稻各器官中V的浓度均低于十优838水稻,如在V处理浓度为100 mg·kg-1时,在分蘖期、扬花期、灌浆期和成熟期,新优188水稻植株根中V含量分别为73.10、92.56、57.46、57.81 μg·g-1,茎叶中为8.79、4.52、2.13、2.56 μg·g-1;十优838水稻植株根中的V含量为59.14、94.93、88.59、89.70 μg·g-1,茎叶中为4.64、3.66、2.29、3.24 μg·g-1。推断十优838水稻较新优188水稻有较强的V吸收能力。两种水稻品种中,根部V主要以活性较低的盐酸提取态（FHCl）和醋酸提取态（FHAc）为主,茎和叶中V主要以盐酸提取态（FHCl）和水提取态（Fw）为主,认为V在水稻根部多以难溶于水的重金属磷酸盐或草酸盐而被固定,限制了水稻中V转移到茎和叶,从而避免了高浓度V对植物光合作用及其他生理过程的干扰。     

Price transmission and volatility spillovers in Asian rice markets: Evidence from MGARCH and panel GARCH models

ABSTRACT

This article examines world rice price transmission and volatility spillovers across six major Asian rice markets over the period 2005-13. In addition to the conventional GARCH models, we use a panel GARCH framework to estimate the spillover effects along with the consideration of heterogeneity and interdependence among countries. Empirical results suggest that changes in the world rice price affected not only the price levels of domestic rice markets but also their conditional variances. Moreover, interdependence across rice markets contributed to a strong spillover of a price shock in one country to another within the region.