The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages

This article investigates whether public investments that led to improvements in road quality and increased access to agricultural extension services led to faster consumption growth and lower rates of poverty in rural Ethiopia. Estimating an Instrumental Variables model using Generalized Methods of Moments and controlling for household fixed effects, we find evidence of positive impacts with meaningful magnitudes. Receiving at least one extension visit reduces headcount poverty by 9.8 percentage points and increases consumption growth by 7.1 percentage points. Access to all-weather roads reduces poverty by 6.9 percentage points and increases consumption growth by 16.3 percentage points. These results are robust to changes in model specification and estimation methods.     

Awareness and adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi: what difference can farmer-to-farmer extension make?

Despite the potential of conservation agriculture (CA) for increased crop yields, energy savings, soil erosion control, and water-use efficiency, smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have been slow to adopt. Farmer-to-farmer extension (F2FE) may have a role to play in overcoming the information access problems and lack of knowledge that may preclude widespread adoption. This study uses data for 180 lead farmers linked to their 455 followers to investigate how F2FE influences awareness and adoption of CA technologies in Malawi. Results from a bivariate probit model for follower farmer awareness and adoption of the three CA principles (minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention, and crop diversification) reveal four main findings: First, lead farmer motivation increases their effectiveness at diffusing CA practices to their followers. Second, lead farmer familiarity with and adoption of CA both matter to the spread of CA practices, but familiarity appears more important. Third, lead farmers play a more critical role in increasing awareness than adoption of the CA practices. Finally, F2FE is a complement rather than a substitute for other sources of agricultural extension in Malawi's pluralistic extension system and should support but not replace current systems. Research and policy implications are discussed.     

Shelf Life Date Extension of Fresh-Cut Salad: A Consumer Perspective

ABSTRACT

During the past decades, various technological applications relating to an extension of the shelf life of food products have been introduced. The adoption of such technologies in the fresh-cut salad sector is a key issue for the sustainable management of the supply chain. The aim of the study is to analyse consumers’ attitude towards fresh-cut salad with an extended shelf life date. The analysis was based on face-to-face interviews with 351 consumers living in Lombardy, one of the Italian provinces where the consumption of fresh-cut salad is high and characterized by good margins of development. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation was used as preliminary data preparation for market segmentation. Cluster analysis revealed the presence of three different consumers groups. Only the cluster of ‘favorable’ shows a positive attitude towards the extended shelf life date. Consumers grouped in the cluster of ‘skeptical’ associate such innovation to a low level of product freshness. The cluster of ‘mistrust’ reveals the presence of consumers with safety concerns towards the prolongation of the shelf life date. Such consumers do not reveal a high level of trust in processing firms and their related brands.     

Who will embrace upward line extension? The role of power distance belief

Upward line extension is a significant strategy for enterprise brand management and market expansion. However, a new status product launched by a non-status brand through upward line extension inevitably forms a competitive relationship with the status product launched by a status brand. Based on the categorization theory, this study explores the influence of status product type (non-extended status product, upward-extended status product) on consumer responses and its potential psychological mechanisms. Furthermore, it examines the moderating role of power distance belief (PDB) in the relationship between status product type and consumer responses. The results indicate that consumers develop lower product evaluations and purchase intentions for upward-extended status products compared to non-extended status products (Studies 1, 2a, 2b, and 2c). Perceived fit and signaling effectiveness mediate the effect of status product type on consumer responses (Study 1). More importantly, PDB moderates the effect of status product type on consumer responses, as high-PDB consumers respond similarly to upward-extended and non-extended status products, whereas low-PDB consumers respond more negatively to upward-extended status products compared to non-extended status products (Studies 2a, 2b, and 2c). Perceived fit and signaling effectiveness mediate the interaction effect between PDB and status product type on consumer responses (Studies 2a and 2b). This study augments the literature on vertical brand extension and PDB, and provides practical guidance for marketers intending to launch upward line extension.     

北京市山区沟域经济发展的探索与实践

北京市创新的沟域经济发展模式,对促进山区经济发展和实现首都社会主义现代化建设目标具有重要意义。文章在详细阐述沟域经济的内涵、外延和基本特征基础上,基于北京沟域经济发展实践,总结出三种十类沟域经济发展主要模式;并采用SWOT方法分析了北京山区沟域经济发展的优势、劣势、机遇和挑战,以期为北京乃至国内同类山区沟域产业选择和经济发展提供理论指导和实践依据。     

中间品进口网络特征与全球价值链分工地位——基于“一带一路”沿线国家网络集约性和广延性的经验分析

中间品进口可以通过利用他国优质资源和技术溢出效应强化自身的资源和技术优势,进而促进本国出口产品质量和全球价值链分工地位的提升。一国在全球中间品进口网络中的网络特征（网络集约性和网络广延性）会影响其全球价值链分工地位,区域经济一体化带来的全球中间品进口网络非均质化使一国的区域中间品进口网络特征也会对其全球价值链分工地位产生显著影响。以2007—2017年“一带一路”沿线41个国家为研究样本,构建区域中间品进口网络矩阵并进行社会网络分析,结果表明：样本国家的全球价值链分工地位整体上趋于上升,且各国间的差距趋于缩小,与此同时,区域中间品进口网络的联系和密度增强,各国的网络集约性和网络广延性总体上也趋于提高;样本国家区域中间品进口网络集约性和广延性的提高均能显著促进其全球价值链分工地位的提升,其中技术进步具有调节效应,进口国技术水平的提高会强化其区域中间品进口网络特征对全球价值链分工地位的影响;样本国家区域中间品进口网络集约性和广延性提高对其全球价值链分工地位提升的促进效应具有时空异质性,该效应在“一带一路”倡议提出后比“一带一路”倡议提出前更强,在“一路”沿线国家比“一带”沿线国家更显著。因此,应继续深入推进“一带一路”建设,吸引更多经济体积极参与,并通过整体网络的优化升级和个体网络特征的改善来促进沿线各国全球价值链分工地位提升;同时,要进一步优化中间品贸易的产品结构和空间布局,并加快整体技术进步,以强化和提升中间品进口的技术溢出效应,进而有效提高出口产品质量和全球价值链分工地位。     

Assessing the Impact of Financial Incentives in Extension Programmes: Evidence From Ireland

We evaluate whether the effectiveness of a participatory extension programme changes when an incentive is introduced that financially rewards farmers for participation. Using data from a dairy farm extension programme operated in Ireland, the evaluation assesses whether farmers who joined before the financial incentive was introduced receive larger benefits from the extension programme than farmers who joined after the financial incentive. The results from a propensity score matching analysis reveal that farmers who joined before the incentive significantly improved their farm performance, as measured in gross margins and yields, while farmers who joined after the incentive did not significantly benefit from the extension programme. This implies that the incentive to participate is a windfall gain to these later participants.     

物业管理企业服务的拓展

物业管理企业由于其服务内容的特点决定了其存物业属性、消费者满意度和物业经济性方面具有专门知识,物业管理企业可以利用其自身的专门知识为开发、设计和购买决策等提供服务。物业管理企业可以通过上述途径拓展自身的业务,同时促使开发项目向全寿命周期方向发展,降低项目全寿命周期费用。     

探究品牌延伸的成功因素

随着经济全球化的不断深入,品牌延伸在企业的经营战略中占有越来越重要的地位。然而成功的品牌延伸需要考虑多方面因素,本文首先分析了品牌延伸策略的驱动力以及不当的延伸策略可能带来的负面影响,然后从产品、消费者及企业自身的角度入手,对品牌延伸的成功因素做出了一定的探讨。     

基于数字城市的“一村一镇一地图”的建设研究

本文是基于2013年数字乐昌地理空间框架建设的基础上对2014年乐昌"一村一镇一地图"的建设作对比研究。研究结果表明:12014年乐昌"一村一镇一地图"在2013年数字乐昌地理空间框架建设的基础上在调查地名地址数据方面均有增加,其中水系和自然地貌分别增加了467.92%和810.62%。2在调查内容方面多了一项专题数据内容,包括地址灾害点50个、基本农田保护区、文物古迹346个,并将外业调查的农村地区聚居点的人口、姓氏信息进行整理,形成村镇地图数据库的专题数据内容。