Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Bringing Agriculture Back In: The Central Place Of Agrarian Change In Rural China Studies, Qian Forrest Zhang, Carlos Oya, Jingzhong Ye

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Since the mid-2000s, rural development and politics in China has entered a new phase that revolves around what the central government calls ‘agricultural modernization’. Transforming the once-dominant smallholding, family-based agriculture has become a focal point of the government's programme of rural rejuvenation, where a range of economic changes unleashed by urbanization and industrialization also converge. We argue that in this new context, agrarian change has become the key vantage point from which to study rural China. We review key contributions of the papers in this special issue and highlight their insights on rural differentiation, land politics and rural livelihoods. We …

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 …

Sustainable Development For People Or Profit?, Eric Rr Weaver

Suburban Sustainability

As Earth’s populations grow, will key planetary systems be pushed over the “tipping point” beyond Earth’s carrying capacity for sustaining human life? There is a strong body of literature developing the concept of Planetary Boundaries to help identify the limits for maintaining the Earth’s environmental stability. It is presumed that exceeding the Planetary Boundaries will result in an environmental tipping point, shifting the earth into a new environmental equilibrium detrimental to life as we know it. Research shows industrial agriculture is a major force pressing the environment to, and beyond, these limits. This review of top tier journals details the …

The Perceptions Of The Unwanted Horse Population In Illinois 2015, Kelsey Annette Schueler

Theses and Dissertations

A survey to measure the perceptions of the unwanted horse population in the state of Illinois was developed. Horse owners, non-horse owners, and equine industry stakeholders in Illinois were the focus of the study. Participants were surveyed on their perceptions, awareness, and knowledge of the unwanted horse population in the state. Each survey included questions of current knowledge of legislation, background with equine, current methods to control the unwanted horse population, and methods they believe would benefit the population. A block style survey was developed, emailed to a statewide equine association listserv, and advertised through articles online. Findings show that …

Bringing In The Harvest: Laborers In Massachusetts Agriculture, Jane Becker, Diana Limbach Lempel, Angel Mendez, Maria Moreira

Massachusetts History Conference

Join our panelists as they explore the recent history of laborers in the fields and on the ocean. Although seemingly different, the farm and fishery share an extraordinary diversity of their labor force. Learn how “world farmers,” recent immigrants, and long-time agricultural workers create a distinctive Massachusetts experience that can be explored through history programs and activities.

Moderator:

• Jane Becker, Department of History, University of Massachusetts Boston

Presenters:

• Diana Limbach Lempel, Working Waterfront Festival Archives
• Angel Mendez, Operations Manager, Red Tomatoes
• Maria Moreira, Executive Director, World Farmers, Inc.

Biosecurity Council Stakeholder Workshop - Report By The Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia, Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Biosecurity Council of Western Australia (the Council) held a stakeholder workshop to explore perspectives on risk-based decision making and biosecurity investment across industry, government and community. This report presents a summary and interpretation of the workshop discussion to enable a statement on ‘where we are at’ in terms of biosecurity decision-making and joint effort.

The workshop process identified clear differences in the current biosecurity priorities of industry, government and community:

• Industry priorities were focused on biosecurity activities that would preserve a profitable/sustainable industry.
• Government priorities were targeted toward prevention and early eradication, but also included ongoing actions for biodiversity …

Heir Property In The African American Community: From Promised Lands To Problem Lands, Roy W. Copeland

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

African American landowners have been reluctant to take advantage of intergenerational succession laws which provide for an orderly transfer of property from one generation to the next. This reluctance has led to a prevalence of heir property. Heir property is created when a person dies intestate. Heir property has created an impediment to wealth accumulation and has contributed to African American land loss in America. Partition actions are a byproduct of heir property which has operated to accelerate the loss of real property in the African American community. The Uniform Partition of Heir Property Act provides for procedural safeguards …

Assessing Alabama Consumer Attitudes And Beliefs About Locally Or Regionally Produced Livestock And Products, Nii O. Tackie, Jannette R. Bartlett, Akua Adu-Gyamfi

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Local and regional food production has gained increased interest of consumers in recent years. The study, therefore, focused on assessing consumer attitudes and beliefs on local or regional livestock products. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 432 participants from South Central Alabama, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. A majority of respondents thought using chemicals and additives in locally or regionally produced beef or goat meat was a serious hazard. Therefore, many were willing to pay more for meat certified as locally or regionally produced. Also, most agreed or strongly agreed with statements on …

Chutes And Ladders: Climate Variability And The Decision To Enter Sex Work In India, Kate Pennington

Master's Theses

There is widespread consensus that climate change will drive large-scale changes in poverty distributions, migration, and participation in risky informal labor markets, especially for poor households in developing countries which are both more likely to depend on the environment for their livelihood and less able to insulate against climate shocks. Within poor households, gender inequality means that women and children will bear a disproportional amount of welfare losses. I examine the impact of climate variability on migration and participation in risky informal labor markets for a particularly vulnerable population: female sex workers in India. Using a unique survey of 5,498 …

Unintended Consequences Of Enforcement In A Fisheries Institution: Results From An Artefactual Experiment In Tanzania, Spencer Maccoll

Master's Theses

Overfishing and the destruction of fishing commons in developing countries is a growing problem. Policymakers and local community leaders are looking for solutions to keep their fishing commons sustainable. Fines and enforcement mechanisms are commonly suggested to help preserve the commons. This paper discusses a novel artefactual experiment conducted throughout several fishing communities in Tanzania to determine the effect of enforcing a ban on illegal fishing gear on fishing behavior. Results indicate that the fishers in the enforcement treatment group depleted the fish stock significantly faster than the unenforced control group. One possible explanation for this result is that the …

Consumption Smoothing And Labor Supply Allocation Decisions: Evidence From Tanzania, Dustin Davis

Master's Theses

This paper tests the hypothesis that agricultural households engage in intermittent wage labor as a way to smooth consumption in the face of idiosyncratic shocks to agricultural income. Using data on agricultural households from the Tanzanian LSMS-ISA National Panel Survey and global commodity price data as a source of plausibly exogenous variation, the sensitivity of wage labor to farm income shocks is estimated. The idiosyncratic shock to post-harvest income is estimated by incorporating pre-harvest information, including local farm-gate prices as instrumented by global commodity prices. The results show that households are more likely to select into wage labor and work …

Sustainable Local Agriculture To Support Liuzhou's Metropolitan Complex, Xiaojie Huang

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

In China, a majority of the population is involved in the large agricultural economy. Since rural incomes lag well behind those of urban areas, improving farm income is a major concern. The rising demand for meat caused by the development of the urban economy and society makes development of a breeding industry a mutually beneficial way to do this. Liuzhou City has a rural population of 1,596,800, accounting for 41.75 percent of the total resident population. The municipal government is focused on the efforts to develop the whole city's breeding industry, but it could not be done using traditional methods. …

Assessing The Educational Program Needs Of Small And Limited Resource Meat Goat Producers, Francisca Quarcoo

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ASSESSING THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM NEEDS OF

SMALL AND LIMITED RESOURCE MEAT GOAT PRODUCERS

by

Francisca A. Quarcoo

The purpose of this study was to assess the preferred educational program needs of small meat goat producers. The specific objectives were to (1) determine if current educational programs by the Caprine Research and Education Unit and/or the Cooperative Extension Program, Tuskegee University, reflect the actual needs of meat goat producers, (2) measure adoption and impact of past educational efforts by the Caprine Research and Education Unit and/or the Cooperative Extension Program, (3) determine the desired presentation or delivery format for future …

Fishing For A Sustainable Future: Aquaponics As A Method Of Food Production, Richard Ramsundar

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis compares and explains the advantages aquaponics farming has over modern industrial intensive farming. Through a comparison natural capital usage, conservation, recycling and cost, the thesis advocates for the expansion of aquaponics usage in urban settings. The thesis also explains the history of intensive farming and aquaponics in America, the science of how aquaponics operates, the economic and environmental costs of modern intensive farming versus aquaponics farming, and the social implications of aquaponics. Lastly, I propose a policy that reallocates farm subsidies by modifying the Farm Bill. Then I propose policies that support creating a new standard of farm …

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 …

Towards An Expansion Of The Salt City Harvest Farm: Exploring A Community Farm’S Impact, Challenges, And The Agricultural Ways And Aspirations Of Its New American Farmers, Rose Tardiff

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Salt City Harvest Farm (SCHF) is a community farm located in Kirkville, NY cultivated by and for New Americans living in Syracuse who wish to expand gardening beyond their backyards and community gardens. While the farm has been operational for two growing seasons, it is an all-volunteer project with limited capacity, and concerns about long-term sustainability. This research was designed to be pragmatic; it seeks to inform the future structure and programming of the SCHF by identifying its projectspecific challenges, drawing on the agricultural aspirations of its New American participants, and investigating how other refugee farming projects in the …

The Future Of Petroleum Security In Asean, Christopher William Dula

Asian Management Insights

Structuralchanges inAsia’s demandfor petroleumthreaten todisrupt supplystability,especially forSoutheast Asia.

Resistance, Acquiescence Or Incorporation? An Introduction To Land Grabbing And Political Reactions ‘From Below’, Marc Edelman, Ruth Hall, Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Ian Scoones, Ben White, Wendy Wolford

Publications and Research

Political reactions ‘from below’ to global land grabbing have been vastly more varied and complex than is usually assumed. This essay introduces a collection of ground- breaking studies that discuss responses that range from various types of organized and everyday resistance to demands for incorporation or for better terms of incorporation into land deals. Initiatives ‘from below’ in response to land deals have involved local and transnational alliances and the use of legal and extra-legal methods, and have brought victories and defeats. The relevance of political reactions to land grabbing is discussed in light of theories of social movements and …

Improved Dairy Cattle: Impact And Distribution In Rural Tanzanian Communities, Jeremy Weaver, Alexon Mwasi, Lindsay Weaver

Interdisciplinary Journal of Best Practices in Global Development

Improved dairy cattle are recognized as an integral part of improving the livelihoods for the rural and urban poor in developing countries. The aim of this research was to measure impact, reveal challenges, map distribution, and establish recommendations for moving forward in improved livestock distribution initiatives. The methods consisted of a hybrid model using both quantitative and qualitative modalities, especially focusing on personal interviews, focus group discussions, field observation, and GIS data capturing. GIS based comparisons could not be made because of a lack of available GIS demographic data for the area. The combined modalities approach (especially the in-depth interviews …

Economic Impact Of The Pork Industry On South Dakota, Gary Taylor

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of A Community Garden On A Local Township, Mariah E. Reitz

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Due to increasing food insecurity and food deserts, community gardens can increase the accessibility for those under-served populations. These community gardens can help with the mental and physical health of the public. The goal of this research is to determine if a community garden will benefit a smaller community like that of a suburban Township and to use these trends to increase community health education and availability, social cohesion, and overall health behaviors and practices. A survey evaluated overall consumption of fruits and vegetables, affordability of healthy foods, and education on the consumption of these foods as well as assessing …

Economic Impact Of The Beef Industry On South Dakota, Gary Taylor

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Water Poverty In Disadvantaged Communities In California, Alyssa J. Galik

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has nearly one million residents that lack daily access to clean drinking water, yet it recently became the first state in the US to declare water a human right through the passage of 2013 Assembly Bill 685. The majority of water quality violations take place in the rural San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated, low-income communities, which have difficulties accessing clean, drinking water due to issues including quality, affordability, and physical availability. The role of community participation in improving water poverty has been studied extensively in developing countries but its impact is infrequently …

Traditional Ecological Knowledge And Sustainable Food Sourcing: Dayutang Village, Hani Rice Terraces, Nina Whittaker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Reflecting on the importance of dynamic agricultural management techniques in addressing climate change and food security, this paper examines the Hani rice terraces of southern Yunnan as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). It identifies local inhabitants’ traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) as a key source of their success, and uses research conducted in Dayutang Village, Yuanyang County from May 4- June 2, 2015 through participative observation and guided conversation to explore the role of Hani TEK in sustainable food sourcing around the village. The TEK used in food sourcing in Dayutang is shown not only to provide villagers with …

An Assessment Of The Impact Of Sand Mining: Unguja, Zanzibar, Caroline Ladlow

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Resource consumption is one of the most crucial environmental problems facing the world today. Therefore nonrenewable resources need to be sustainably used to ensure the survival of both future generations and the resources at stake. The goal of this study was to investigate the impacts of sand mining on the environment, economy, and communities of Zanzibar. The environmental, economic, and social impacts of sand mining activities were studied at various sites on the island of Unguja. The effects on vegetation, coastal erosion, communities, and local economies were researched based on field observations and interviews with local people and officials at …

Western Farmers’ Markets In Kathmandu: Vendor Perspectives, Caroline Saunders

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to understand Western farmers’ markets (FMs) in Kathmandu by understanding vendors’ motivations for attending FMs; and further, their perspectives on the purpose and potential for expansion of FMs in Kathmandu’s food economy. In the US and Europe, FMs are often seen in the literature as a component of a social movement (SM) called the ‘alternative food movement’ (AFM) concerned with environmental sustainability and social justice within the processes of food production and consumption (Isenhour 2012). FMs, a type of direct market that offer face-to-face interaction between producers and consumers, are a site for the transmission of values …

Urban Gardening Practices In Bangalore: Towards A More Localized Food System?, Delfina Grinspan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Localized Food Systems (LFS) have garnered much attention in recent years among civil society, research, and policy circles, among others. Increased attention and efforts to build more localized food systems are principally motivated by the awareness of the pressures exerted by increasing urbanization on food security and access, and concern for the ecological and social costs of the dominant globalized food system. In their varying purpose to address these two issues, LFS tend to be characterized by certain patterns of (localized) land, water, and other resource use; by direct marketing and distribution arrangements; and by the presence of extensive linkages …