Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Enhancing Quality Of Life Through Foreign Direct Investment In Northern Mozambique, Sarah-Beth Delay

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has the potential to increase economic activity and improve GDP growth in low-income countries, but can hinder economic development (quality of life improvements) if not sustainable and holistic in manner. Africa serves as a host to many cases of FDI focused on economic growth, but not necessarily improving the quality of life for its citizens. FDI has spread throughout the African continent, where many countries are well endowed with natural resources, like minerals and coal. These economies have experienced rapid GDP growth with few benefits reaching citizens of the host country. Mozambique is a low-income country …

Examining Food Insecurity Among High School Students: A Risks And Resources Model, Jill Niemeier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, risks, and resources among adolescents attending a large high school in Northwest Arkansas. In a sample of 1,493 students, in which the majority are Hispanic/Latino and receive free and reduced lunch, food insecurity relationships were first assessed controlling for a number of sociodemographic variables, such as ethnicity, gender, and social class. In addition, a number of risk and resource variables were identified at four ecological levels: individual, family, school/peer, and community. These risks and resources were analyzed using a three-step ordinal regression model in order to examine how sociodemographic controls, risks, and …

Washington County Assessment: How Viable Are Food Distribution Centers?, Kevin M. Fitzpatrick, Matthew Spialek, Diana Cascante

Food Insecurity

Having previously implemented and executed two comprehensive surveys examining food insecurity, nutrition, and health among Fayetteville intermediate students attending Owl Creek (Fitzpatrick et al. 2009), and Springdale high school students (Fitzpatrick et al. 2015), the current work examined food insecurity at several levels of aggregation in Washington County. The first part of the project entailed cataloging the 32 census tracts in Washington County based on their risk for being food insecure. A food insecurity risk scale was created using 16 social, economic, demographic, and housing variables that all have been associated with food insecurity, poverty, and social risk at the …

Food Insecurity In Northwest Arkansas: In-Depth Interview Summary, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Matthew Spialek, Diana Cascante

Food Insecurity

This summary is based on 20 face-to-face interviews among individuals selected by local service providers that were representative of clients in Northwest Arkansas that have previously been, currently are, or may be at risk to experience food insecurity. The interviews were held throughout Northwest Arkansas, often in the participant’s home, at restaurants, Genesis Church, or 7 Hills Homeless Center, during June and July 2018. Participants were compensated $100.00 for completing a 60- to 90-minute interview. As with all qualitative research, the following insights should be taken as directional in nature and not as measurable, objective facts. However, observations that are …

Modelling The Impact Of National Development Strategies For The East African Rice Sector, Florence Muthee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 2008 food crisis prompted many food importing nations to reconsider the need to be self-sufficient especially in their staple food needs. This awakening led to the launch of the Coalition for Africa Rice Development (CARD) initiative with a goal to double rice production in Africa. Under the CARD umbrella member countries drafted individual National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS). This study is a quantitative assessment of four East African countries’ NRDS: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda within dynamic global rice economy models. The NRDS targets and strategies are not realistic and included under estimation of rice consumption for Kenya, an …

In The Field The Women Saved The Crop: The Women’S Land Army Of World War Ii, Denna M. Clymer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Women’s Land Army brought together rural and urban sectors of the United States in a climate of national and regional crisis. By the time the country was cast into war, the agricultural sector was already caught in a downward economic spiral that drove away laborers. With demand falling, and farms propped up only by experiments in subsidy and parity, when military and industrial jobs emerged in urban areas, farm laborers became scarce. At the same time the war created jobs for men outside of the agricultural sector, farm prices recovered and demand soared, forcing farmers to look to women …

Exploring The Empirical Relationship Between Civic Agriculture And Community Resilience, Beth Joanna Person-Michener

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smaller-scale, qualitative and mixed method studies indicate that civic agriculture generates positive, local-level social change, specifically by increasing social, human and economic capital. These social benefits are also identified as some of the crucial components needed for community resilience to disasters. However, literature directly linking civic agriculture to community resilience is sparse and there is little if any research explicitly examining a relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience. This study lends national scope and an empirical examination of evidence for a positive relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience along the applicable domains of social, human and economic capital …

Rice Value Chain Development And Policy Sequencing In Southern Africa, Sandratra M. Razafinjoelina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of the 2008 food crisis, net food importing countries questioned the reliance on the volatile world market to meet their food demand. Consequently, the necessity to be selfsufficient returned to the forefront of national priorities. In Africa, the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) initiative was initiated and aimed to double rice production in the continent by 2018, with the eventual goal of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production. To attain this goal, each of the 23 CARD member countries drafted a comprehensive value chain upgrading strategy called the National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS). This study intends to …

Risk Mitigation Through Diversified Farm Production Strategies: The Case In Northern Mozambique, Olivia C. Caillouet, Lawton L. Nalley, Amy L. Farmer

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Mozambique, like many other parts of the low-income world, faces perennial challenges with food security. With a rapidly growing population and arable land on the decline, sustainable agriculture is vital to managing the already depleted natural resources of Sub-Saharan Africa more effectively while increasing food security. Food security issues for subsistence farmers in most low-income countries are a product of endogenous (crop yields) and exogenous (currency fluctuations as many agricultural inputs are imported) factors. In Mozambique the value of the local currency, meticals, has decreased by approximately 50% since January 2015 compared to the U.S. dollar. While this makes exporting …

Then And Now: Ten Years Of Arkansas Women In Agriculture, Paige Morgan Acklie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States Agricultural Census show that between 2002 and 2012, the number of farm women operators in Arkansas grew 14 percent (from 19,856 to 22,637). These women operators have made up an increasingly larger percent of all farm operators in the state (from almost 29% to nearly 33%). There is little published information regarding how women’s roles, challenges and factors important to their success may have changed over time. While some surveys of farm women have been conducted, these surveys are generally insufficient because data exist only for one point in time.

This research uses the first, middle and …

Nutritional Deficiencies During The Harvest Season According To Household Consumption And Level Of Nutritional Knowledge: A Case Study Of Northern Mozambique, Maggie Jo Hansen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mozambique is classified as a low income country, the lowest development classification defined by the World Bank. It is underdeveloped in food security, agricultural production, and nutritional status, and research shows its residents are not foreign to poverty and malnutrition. Low protein, starchy foods (maize, rice, wheat, cassava) comprise the majority of the Mozambican diet; these starchy foods are the most available for consumption. Although availability impacts diet, educational barriers may also threaten the knowledge of nutrition and perceptions of healthy foods. Illiteracy and lack of education are extreme challenges to disseminating nutritional education efforts in the rural Nampula region. …

The Effect Of The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program On Participants’ Diet Quality: Does Supermarket Access Matter?, Rachel Ann Spencer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project assesses the effectiveness of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) within the context of supermarket access. EFNEP is a national community nutrition education program that strives to give participants the tools to live healthier lives. Analysis was performed on participants from 16 Arkansas counties that completed EFNEP during 2013 or 2014. The program outcome is measured in terms of the change in Healthy Eating Index (HEI) as calculated from 24-hour diet recalls at program entry and exit. Supermarket locations were obtained from the USDA Food Nutrition Service’s SNAP Retail Locator and represent the food environment near …

2016 Community And Family Institute Springdale Study: Examining Nutrition, Food Security, & Health Among 10-12th Grade Students, Kevin Fitzpatrick

Food Insecurity

Provides a comprehensive overview of health and nutrition findings from Springdale high school students in grades 10-12. The report highlights responses from nearly 1500 students and examines their connections to their family, school, and community.

A Regional Approach To Analysis Of Food Security Framework And Policies Of The Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas), Hannah Elizabeth Shear

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food security is always a concern for consumers, but especially for those in West Africa, where the population of food insecure people has continued to grow over the past decade despite attempts by initiatives such as the World Food Program and the establishment of Millennium Development Goals. The people of West Africa are subject to repetitive natural disasters and are often in political upheaval. Many economic policies have been established to mitigate the impact that production disasters have on the consumers; one of these policies is the utilization of regional food reserves.

In 2010, the Economic Community of West African …

Economic Feasibility Of Aquaponics In Arkansas, Leah Ashley English

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concerns regarding population growth and resource scarcity have led to a recent renaissance of food production research. Over the past few decades, scientists have discovered new and innovative methods for growing food that, cumulatively, may hold the key to efficiently and sustainably feeding an ever-increasing world population. One method, known as aquaponics, has shown promise as being a sustainable solution for producing food locally in all parts of the world. Although many studies have shown aquaponic food production to be technically feasible, there are relatively few studies concerning the economic feasibility of aquaponics in various regions. To determine whether aquaponics …

Food Waste At Retail, Erin G. Killeen Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food waste at retail represents forgone sales and embodies store management and disposal costs. Fresh produce is the largest contributing sector to food waste at retail and bulky, seasonal products are an added challenge when stores experience a high waste event. In order to improve, retailers need to better understand the costs of food waste, as well as how management strategies can impact these costs.

Using pumpkins as an example of bulky, seasonal products, a twofold research project was conducted to better understand contributors to, and costs of food waste at the retail level. In part one, using data from …

The Ability Of Select Probiotics To Reduce Enteric Campylobacter Colonization In Broiler Chickens, Sandip Shrestha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter is the leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide and is often associated with consumption and/or mishandling of contaminated poultry products. Probiotic use in poultry has been an effective strategy in reducing other enteric foodborne pathogens but not consistently for Campylobacter. As Campylobacter resides and utilizes intestinal mucin for growth, isolates selected on the basis of mucin utilization might be a strategy to screen for efficacious probiotic bacterium. In this study, bacterial isolates demonstrating increased growth rates in mucin, in vitro (trials 1 or 2), or isolates demonstrating a reduction of Campylobacter counts when co-incubated with mucin, in vitro (trials …

Improved Methods For Identifying, Applying, And Verifying Industrial Energy Efficiency Measures, Andrew Chase Harding

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy efficiency is the least expensive source of additional energy capacity for today's global energy expansion. Energy efficiency offers additional benefits of cost savings for consumers, reduced environmental impacts, and enhanced energy security. The challenges of energy efficiency include identifying potential efficiency measures, quantifying savings, determining cost effectiveness, and verifying savings of installed measures. This thesis presents three separate chapters which address these challenges. The first is a paper presented at the 2014 industrial energy technology conference (IETC) that details a compressed air system project using the systems approach to identify cost effective measures, energy intensity to project savings, and …

Information Content Of Usda Rice Reports And Price Reactions Of Rice Futures, Jessica Darby

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rice is a predominant food staple in many regions of the world, and international rice markets play a vital role in ensuring the food security needs of developing countries. It is important to develop economic tools and market-based instruments to aid in the price discovery process, mitigate the effects of price instability, and make rice markets more responsive to the needs of both consumers and producers. The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic value of USDA supply and demand forecasts, specifically WASDE and NASS, with respect to rice futures markets. Two event study approaches are utilized in …

Tribal Food Sovereignty In The American Southwest, Julia Guarino

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Food is an issue that implicates tribal sovereignty for historical, cultural, and public health reasons. This article undertakes a policy analysis of the importance of food to tribal sovereignty, and suggests that tribes, many of which have begun to do so already, make robust use of the concept of "food sovereignty" as part of their overarching project of protecting and promoting tribal sovereignty in general. This article sets the stage for understanding the importance of food sovereignty to tribes by exploring the history of food and culture in the American Southwest, where the public health consequences of changes in diet …

Does Financial Literacy Contribute To Food Security?, Katherine Grace Carman, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Food insecurity, not having consistent access to adequate food for active, healthy lives for all household members is most common among low income households. However, income alone is not sufficient to explain who experiences food insecurity. This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and food security. We find that low income households who exhibit financial literacy are less likely to experience food insecurity.

Information Content Of Usda Rice Reports And Price Reactions Of Rice Futures, Jessica L. Darby

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Rice is a predominant food staple in many regions of the world, and it is important to determine how efficiently the U.S. rice market helps to ensure world food security. This question can be answered by gauging the price discovery performance of the U.S. rice futures market and the economic usefulness of the U.S. government’s supply and demand forecasts. So, to this end, we employ two event study approaches: (1) to examine variability in returns on report-release days as compared to returns on pre- and post-report days, and (2) to regress price reactions on changes in usage and production information. …

Matching Missions: Hunger Relief Programs And Impact Of Food Donation Partners In Northwest Arkansas, Amy May West, Jennie Popp

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

In 2012 and 2013, Arkansas ranked first in the nation in food insecurity in both categories of “low food secure” (21.2%) and “very low food secure” (8.4%). The Cobblestone Project developed a hunger relief donation partner, The Farm, in order to help address food insecurity in Northwest Arkansas. In spring 2014, The Farm partnered with the University of Arkansas to 1) better understand the demographics and need of hunger relief organizations, 2) calculate the impact of donations to hunger relief organizations, and 3) assess satisfaction of donations from The Farm to hunger relief organizations. A series of surveys were targeted …

Toward A Just Food Regime: Consumption, Ideology, And Democratic Strategy, Adam B. Lichtenberger

Journal of Food Law & Policy

United States agricultural policies incentivize the growth and consumption of industrial foods. Industrial foods are linked to a host of social and ecological ills. However, agricultural policies are insulated from political criticism, in part, by the myth that consumers freely and rationally choose industrial foods. This neoliberal myth is congruous with the American preferences for "stealth democracy." That is, the neoliberal myth is an elegant, but ultimately erroneous, reconciliation of conflicting political preferences: Americans do not want to be involved in politics, but they also do not want the political process to be used by special interests or politicians to …

Consumer Acceptance And Willingness To Pay For Genetically Modified Rice In China: A Double Bounded Dichotomous Choic Contingent Valuation Survey Calibrated By Cheap Talk, Jing Jin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considering population growth, limitations on land and water resources, and contamination to the ecosystem due to agricultural activities, current rice production in China is facing pressure to fulfill national demand. Self-sufficiency of rice has been a long-held political objective of the Chinese government and it is national goal to maintain the equilibrium between the national production and consumption or even achieve a supply surplus in rice. With the developing bio-technology of genetic modification (GM), scientists believe that using genetically modified cultivars may ease the pressure mentioned above. However, both the government and the people are very cautious about large-scale cultivation …

Assessing Food Policy Options In Asia To Reduce Price Volatility Of Rice Market, Ranjitsinh Mane

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is a staple food in Asia and its prices at national and international levels are largely influenced by different policy actions of trading countries. The consequence of the 2008 food crisis was food riots and rationing of rice in many nations. The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries have adopted an institutional framework called ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserves (APTERR) to address food security concerns of ASEAN countries that may arise due to climate change, supply chain disruptions or price speculation in the regional rice market. The RICEFLOW model is used to study the effectiveness of the strategic grain …

Essays On Smallholder Farmers In Jamaica: Context-Specific Evidence For Food Security Policymaking, Deborah Evadne Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of three essays that examined the experiences and welfare of traditional food crop farmers in Western Jamaica. It systematically analyses the interplay between smallholder farmers and often overlooked variables in society. The study used qualitative interviewing, field observations and discourse analysis techniques to generate context-specific evidence for food security policymaking.

The first essay examined smallholder farmers' motives for farming. This formed the basis for a farmer typology that provides a portrait of the participants, and was used to inform findings in subsequent essays in this dissertation. The theory of planned behavior provided the conceptual grounding and …

The Effect Of School And Neighborhood Environmental Factors On Childhood Obesity, Yiwei Qian

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation consists of three chapters exploring the effect of school program and neighborhood environment on childhood obesity outcome using individual panel data set of Arkansas public schoolchildren.

The first chapter (Section 2) investigates how the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), a program that provides funding for the distribution of free fresh fruits and vegetables to students in participating schools, affects childhood obesity. We combine matching methodology and difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the effect of the FFVP on childhood BMI outcomes. Estimates of the FFVP effect are sensitive to different matching methods. Methods that provide a good balance between …

Evaluating Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Changing Herd Sire Genetics On Arkansas Cow-Calf Operations, Daniel Keeton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research looks at impacts of changing sires, and thus bull genetics, on cow-calf operations of varying land and herd sizes in the state of Arkansas. A 2012 Across-Breed EPD table, adjusted to the Angus breed, was used to estimate breed sire effects on birth weight and weaning weight of the herd's offspring (Kuehn and Thallman 2012a). Together with modified animal performance, the use of 2012 and most recent five- and ten- year Arkansas state average prices, allowed the evaluation of changing herd sires by accounting for breed type and hide color differences in prices. Using a spreadsheet tool that …

Two Studies On Childhood Obesity: Effect Of Obesity On Academic Achievement And Effect Of Food Store Access On Diet Quality, Gaogao Yu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis includes two studies on childhood obesity. This first study investigates whether childhood obesity rates affect their academic achievement scores by using a school-level panel data set on Arkansas 4th and 6th grades. The main results indicate that childhood obesity rates do not significantly affect academic achievement scores. Controls for education inputs such as library volume, educational expenditures per student and teacher salary show consistently significant positive relationship to students' test scores in both whole sample and in subsample analyses by socio-economic and minority status. The second study examines the effect of a neighborhood food environment feature, specifically food …