Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Farmers Who Choose To Adopt A New Type Of Cropand Factors That Influence The Decision To Adopt Switchgrass For Energy Production, Pamela C. Ellis

Masters Theses

Evaluating farmers’ perceptions and obtaining feedback about the adoption of a new crop is necessary for improving the efficiency of research, technology exchange, and information flow to policymakers. New technology has created new uses for non- traditional crops (such as switchgrass) as a sustainable source of energy. With new technology utilizing non-traditional crop uses, it is important to discern and understand the determinants of farmers’ behavior and attitudes toward new crop adoption rather than new technology adoption. Farmers must analyze financial and social costs and benefits of new crops, farming practices, and economic activities. Better understanding of the factors farmers …

The Viability Of The Economy Of Oromia: A Point Of Departure, Harwood David Schaffer

Masters Theses

The Oromo, an oppressed, colonized, ethno-national group within Ethiopia, are engaged in a struggle to achieve full political and economic participation within a national entity. Given an undernourishment rate approaching 50 percent and an agriculture which provides a means of livelihood for 80 percent of the labor force, any future leadership will have to address the interrelated issues of agriculture and economy. An examination of production numbers indicates that an independent Oromia would not be at an agricultural disadvantage when compared with remaining as a participating entity within the present boundaries of Ethiopia.

Policies directed toward overcoming undernutrition cannot be …

Measuring Effects Of Housing Densities On Property Values Using Locally Weighted Regression, Alexander Webber Young

Masters Theses

The objective of this study is to determine spatial differences in the marginal values of housing density and their implications for housing development projects. In order to achieve this objective, the values households place on neighborhood density were measured using locally weighted regression in a hedonic housing-price framework. The neighborhood housing density coefficient in the global model confirms the positive and significant value of lower neighborhood density. The spatial distribution of the housing density marginal effects from the local model shows the variation of site-specific values of neighborhood housing density. The marginal effects of lower neighborhood density gradually increase closer …

Tennessee's Kenaf Market Potential As A Feedstock In The Production Of Paper, Gerry Solano Avila

Masters Theses

The goal of this study was to assess the production feasibility and market potential of using kenaf as a feedstock for paper production in Tennessee. This thesis 1) evaluates the potential for growing this crop in Tennessee by comparing the cost and return and the break-even price for kenaf with soybean, corn, cotton and wheat, 2) identifies potential suitable production areas in the state of Tennessee, 3) analyzes the marketing opportunities that could have developed for kenaf at a price that growers would be willing to produce it, 4) identifies potential kenaf marketing structure and marketing channels, and 5) identifies …

An Examination Of Relationships Between Direct Government Payments In Agriculture And Farm Vulnerability In Iowa And Tennessee, Brad Christopher Robbins

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine farms’ dependence on federal United States agricultural subsidies in Iowa and Tennessee. As subsidies and their distribution are continually debated, this research considers the effects on farm enterprises if subsidies had not been distributed in 1996, 2000, and 2003. This is achieved by first developing a classification system for farm enterprises in the two states. The classification system that is used segregates farms into modal groups based on land ownership arrangement and solvency class. Quartiles are used to differentiate land ownership arrangement (i.e. the percentage of operated land owned.) Four solvency classes …

Factors Influencing Louisiana Consumers' Awareness Of Diet And Health Related Issues, Marcus A. Coleman

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The accumulation of too much fat in the body is the leading cause of being overweight and obese, and it can lead to more complicated health problems. Studies show that individuals who are overweight or obese bear a greater risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some forms of cancer. Louisiana ranks fourth in the number of its citizens who are either overweight or obese. Additionally, the state spends almost $11 billion annually treating diet-related health problems. The study's objectives are as follows: (1) to assess the extent to which food label use, awareness of health …

Regional Analysis Of Trade Flows And Marketing Practice Trends In The United States Nursery Industry, Bryan Frank Combs

Masters Theses

The rapidly growing nursery and greenhouse industry comprises an important part of the agricultural sector of the United States with sales growing at nearly 8.0 percent annually from 1966 to 2004. Aggregate information about the U.S nursery industry is readily available, however little information is available on trade flows and marketing practices of the industry.

The goal of this study was to identify structural adjustments in the nursery industry as indicated by regional trade-flow trends, production practices, and marketing practices in the nursery and greenhouse industry from 1988 to 2003. This was accomplished through a comparison of responses to two …

Identifying And Analyzing Potential Watershed-Based Water Quality Trading Programs, David Carlos Roberts

Masters Theses

Over thirty years since the passage of the Clean Water Act, much of the nation’s rivers and streams fail to meet water quality standards. Pollution from nonpoint sources is increasingly responsible for these failures. Existing regulatory approaches may not be capable of meaningfully reducing water quality impairments due to their inability to control emissions from nonpoint sources. Water quality trading may provide a cost-effective solution to many of the persistent water quality impairments caused by nutrients and other oxygen demanding pollutants. However, trading will require the presences of market participants-both buyers and sellers of pollution reduction credits-in order to be …

Dietary Inequality Among The Elderly In The United States: Decomposing Inequality In The Healthy Eating Index, Yuling Lin

Masters Theses

This study uses the concentration index methodology to investigate the inequality in nutritional intake among American elderly. The concentration index provides a summary measure of socioeconomic inequality of the variables in question. Its decomposition enables comparisons across individuals with different characteristics such as gender, age, households income levels, and government program participation. Data are drawn from the 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals collected by the U.S Department of Agriculture. Analysis is carried out for the Health Eating Index and one of its components, namely intake of fruits. Results suggest that high education level, receiving the food stamps, …

Perceived Importance Of Precision Farming Technologies In Improving The Efficiency Of Phosphorus, Potassium, And Nitrogen In Southeastern Cotton Production, John Colby Torbett

Masters Theses

Understanding the factors that influence cotton farmers; perceptions about the importance of precision farming (PF) technologies in improving the efficiency of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and nitrogen (N) fertilization is important because PF technologies have the potential to reduce costs, increase profit, and reduce negative environmental impacts. In the Southeastern United States, crops are generally produced in fields that have a high degree of variability in the availability of soil nutrients. The fertility level and amount removed by a crop at the end of the growing cycle are usually not uniform over an entire field. Because of high variability of …

Measuring The Degree Of Market Power In The Export Demand For Soybean Complex, Dwi Susanto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous studies on market power hypothesis strictly assumed that the data used in the analysis were a stationary process. This assumption has been argued that not all time series exhibit a stationary process such that conventional asymptotic theory cannot be applied. This study adopts the “New Empirical Industrial Organization” (NEIO) approach developed by Bresnahan (1982) and Lau (1982) to measure the degree of market power in the export market for soybean complex. The non-stationary properties of the data were accommodated by formulating the model in an error correction framework (ECM) developed by Bårdsen (1989) and applied by Steen and Salvanes …

Cost-Efficacy Of Wetland Preservation And Restoration In Coastal Louisiana, Christiane Aust

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana faces a tremendous crisis of coastal wetland loss, where an estimated 1,900 square miles of coastal land has been lost in the past century. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) has been the largest single source of restoration funding, providing approximately $560 million for more than 155 restoration projects since 1991. Recently reauthorized by Congress to the year 2019, current spending under CWPPRA constitutes less than 10% of the funding required to sustain coastal Louisiana as it exists today. A descriptive analysis of selected projects (n=109) was conducted to analyze the economic efficiency associated with various …

Analysis Of Trade In The Western Hemisphere Utilizing A Gravity Model Framework, Brian Matthew Hilbun

LSU Master's Theses

With the recent proliferation of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) the tendency world-wide has been seemingly toward trade liberalization. This thesis is primarily concerned with the impacts RTAs have had in the Western Hemisphere regarding agricultural trade flows. Utilizing the framework of the Gravity Model, agricultural trade flows for 24 Western Hemisphere Nations were examined. In the course of the study it was expected that if RTAs were to have an effect it would be a positive Trade Creation Effect and a negative Trade Diversion Effect with positive effects for GDP of importer/exporter and population size of importer/exporter and a negative …

Awareness Of The Environmental Quality Incentives Program And Subsequent Adoption Of Best Management Practices By Cattle Farmers In Louisiana, Joyce Mamle Obubuafo

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, the US livestock industries have undergone structural changes that have led to larger livestock operations with their associated environmental problems. Louisiana is within one of the major cow-calf production areas in the US (the Southeast). Louisiana accounts for about 1.72% of the total US cattle operations. In an attempt to control degradation of the environment, conservation programs have been put in place, one of which is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP was established in the 1996 Farm Bill, involving the payment of government subsidies to landowners willing to implement specific cost-intensive conservation practices. The …

The Effects Of Perceptions On Consumer Acceptance Of Genetically Modified (Gm) Foods, Jae-Hwan Han

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of risk/benefit beliefs on consumer purchase intentions for genetically modified (GM) foods. A random, national, mail survey is conducted. Three main problems are addressed in the study. The first problem addressed is to analyze the relationship between consumers risk/ benefit beliefs regarding GM foods, and their willingness to buy GM crop and meat products. The second problem deals with linkages between a consumer’s risk/benefit beliefs about GM foods and willingness to pay (WTP) for GM foods with a benefit disclosure. The third problem addressed is to test a causal relationship between knowledge and trust toward …

A Semiparametric Assessment Of Export-Led Growth In The Philippines, Lorna E. Amrinto

LSU Master's Theses

This study contributes to the literature on the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis by adopting a semiparametric approach under two levels of temporal aggregation to investigate the ELG hypothesis in the Philippines. To assess the impact of model specification on the ELG hypothesis, parametric and semiparametric ECMs are estimated using Philippine annual and quarterly data on GDP, exports, exchange rates and gross fixed-capital formation, focusing on the role of exchange rates. The causal relationship between exports and economic growth is examined using the Granger-causality procedure. It can be concluded that for the Philippines, the ELG hypothesis is (a) sensitive to model …

Econometric Essays On Specification And Estimation Of Demand Systems, Anil Kumar Sulgham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on two research themes related to econometric estimation of linear almost ideal demand systems (LAIDS) for U.S. meats. The first theme addresses whether nonstationarity (unit-roots and cointegration) contributes to a dynamic specification of LAIDS models. The results of the effect of nonstationarity are reported in two case studies. The second theme explores the relationship between age and household size with budget shares to specify semiparametric LAIDS model. The results are reported in a third case study that compares parametric and semiparametric models estimates of price and expenditure elasticities. The first case study conducts a comparative analysis of …

Exchange Rate Effects On Bilateral Agricultural Trade Analysis On The Dr-Cafta, Jennifer Eileen Bocock

LSU Master's Theses

Economic theory states that the exchange rates influences movements in agricultural prices and are in an important determinant of the agricultural sector trade. This paper reviewed the theory and economic models under which exchange rate fluctuations create shifts in the excess supply and demand between countries in the international market along with a history of relations between the United States and the DR-CAFTA region. The theory is econometrically tested through the OLS method to examine to what extent the real exchange rates between the United States and less developed countries were constant with accepted theory. The agricultural trade movements were …

Export-Led Growth In Southern Africa, Ramona Sinoha-Lopete

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis was to examine the validity of the Export-Led Growth (ELG) hypothesis in nine Southern African countries using annual data for the period 1980-2002. The thesis used time series econometric techniques to test for the causal linkage between exports and economic growth in Southern Africa. Dynamic econometric models were estimated to test for time series properties: unit root (ADF and PP tests), cointegration (Johansen’s procedure), and Granger-causality (Likelihood Ratio test-LR). The results of the unit root tests show that most of the series are stationary in first differences (series in levels have unit root—I(1)). Co-integration and …

Analysis Of U.S. Aquacultural Producer Preferences For Genetic Improvement And Cryopreservation, Brian Paul Boever

LSU Master's Theses

Aquaculture industries in the U.S. generate $1 billion in farm-level sales. Genetic improvement of fish stocks may be a way to increase the market share of aquaculture within the U.S. seafood market as well as the market share within the world market. This study evaluates the preferences, beliefs, and opinions of aquaculture producers across the U.S. about topics such as cryopreservation, genetic improvement, and the future of the aquaculture industry. Willingness-to-pay values for specific genetic improvements by aquaculture grow-out producers were elicited. A national survey of aquaculture producers was used to elicit the information used in the analysis. The survey …

Trade Creation And Trade Diversion Effects In The Eu-South Africa Free Trade Agreement, Gregory Emeka Kwentua

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines trade creation and trade diversion effects in the EUSAFTA using the standard gravity model of bilateral trade flows. The estimation of the gravity equation was carried out using the OLS analysis. In order to ascertain the overall trade creation and trade diversion effects explanatory variables such as GDP, distance and dummy variables were incorporated into the estimation equation to explain bilateral trade flows and exports respectively. The main focus was on the estimation of trade creation and trade diversion effects, resulting from participation in selected regional and preferential trade agreements like EU, COMESA, SACU and EUSAFTA. Additionally, …

Analysis Of Consumer Attitudes And Their Willingness To Pay For Functional Foods, Cate Nakaweesa Munene

LSU Master's Theses

Survey data collected from randomly selected participants within the four geographical regions of the U.S. were used to evaluate consumer attitudes towards functional foods and determine their willingness to pay for these foods. Contingent valuation using the payment card method was used to elicit premiums that consumers are willing to pay for a spread that maintains a healthy heart (spread A), a spread that is proven to significantly reduce cholesterol (spread B) and a loaf of bread that may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers (bread A). Ordered probit regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect …

A Comparative Study Of Household Demand For Meats By U.S. Hispanics, Carlos Ignacio Garcia

LSU Master's Theses

The general objective of this research project was to study the consumption behavior of U.S. Hispanics for meat products. A comprehensive review of literature on the studies of U.S. Hispanic consumers was performed by means of a systematic survey; different sources of information useful in studying Hispanic consumers were documented. The simultaneous increase in population and income of Hispanics in the United States is attractive to food companies, and makes more relevant the study of their consumer behavior patterns for discovering future market opportunities. Censored incomplete demand systems of the LinQuad form were used for recognizing the consumption patterns by …