Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Livelihood Security Among Refugees In Uganda: Opportunities, Obstacles, And Physical Security Implications, Karen J. Norris

Student Publications

This research project was designed to investigate the challenges refugees face in securing a livelihood, to understand the extent to which the United Nations, the government of Uganda, and various aid groups are able to assist refugees in achieving self-reliance, and the capacity that refugees have to empower themselves. It also endeavors to expose any disparities between nationality groups, and the impact of these differences. Furthermore, this project aims to explore the impact of refugee livelihood security on regional physical security and community stability.

The study found that despite international and national policies, and efforts by both non-governmental organizations and …

The Need For A More Stable Cacao Industry, Lauren Griffith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The cacao industry is slowly growing in the region of Bocas del Toro, Panama. It is largely populated by indigenous farmers, but there are others who have invested in the business as well. With so many people becoming involved in the industry this study aimed to determine if the system represented a stable model. Through interviews and participant observation the stability of income, steadiness of demand, opportunity for growth, and the effect of organic certification were examined to determine the overall stability. It was found that very few farmers sell only cacao and rely on the sale of other crops, …

Movimento Dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra: Constructing Humanity, Phoebe Rosenheim

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Neo-Marxist theory suggests that capitalist structures are dehumanizing and that alternative structures should be constructed to re-humanize the people. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) constructs settlements of small, self-governing family farms as an alternative to the large agricultural estates that dominate Brazil. The settlements have transformed the way workers see themselves. They have successfully developed a humanizing alternative; MST members see themselves as subjects. It is important for Social Justice movements to understand how MST has achieved such powerful differences from Capitalist societies in order to replicate humanizing social structures. My study sought to understand how MST’s agricultural …

A Village National: The Transformative Potential Of Fortifying The Preexisting Structures Of An Organic Nepal, Alexandra Sarazen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is in the midst of a severe food deficit as well as in the process of recovering from a 10 year civil war. Today, nearly 80 percent of the population works in the agricultural sector which accounts for 38 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Recent declines in agricultural production have depressed rural economies, increased widespread hunger and catalyzed an influx of urban migration from outside of Kathmandu. Within its total population of 29 million people, 55% earn less than $1.25 a day, 29% of children under 5 years of age are underweight, and 41% of the same demographic …

Agriculture And The Food System: A Short History And Country Case Study In Mongolia, Marissa L. Markowitz

Capstone Collection

This paper includes a brief history of the human food system. It includes an exploration of the formation of the food system, the development of the modernized food and agriculture system, and challenges arisen throughout. Additionally, a specific case study into Mongolia and the unique geography of its food system is highlighted. The purpose of providing the case study is to consider challenges of a food system in transition amidst development in one country. Recommendations for Mongolia anent sustainable development are provided.

Technical Appendix: Economic Impact Of Commercial Fisheries On Local County Economies From Catch In California National Marine Sanctuaries 2010, 2011 And 2012, Vernon R. Leeworthy, Desiree Jerome, Kelsey Schueler

Working Papers

This report documents the data and methods of estimation used in estimating the economic impact of commercial fishing catch from all four National Marine Sanctuaries in California on local county economies in terms of harvest revenue received by fishermen and the associated economic impacts, including multiplier impacts, on total output, value added, income and the number of full- and part-time jobs.

This report is part of a series of reports meeting the priorities in the “Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) West Coast Region Socioeconomic Plan FY 2013 – FY 2014” and “national program priorities” on establishing the connection between …

Valuation Of The Ecosystem Services Provided By Coastal Ecosystems In Shandong, China: Developing A Non- Market Valuation System, Jing Guo

Working Papers

Non-market valuation assesses the contributions of ecosystem services to human well-being by determining the preference of users. That is how much money users are willing to pay for ecosystem improvements or how much they are willing to accept for ecosystem losses. Through exploring these preferences, the natural capital can be accounted for economically and quantitatively. It can not only lead to better understanding of ecosystem benefits, but also make it possible to compare ecosystem services with other conventional goods and services (e.g. real estate) in monetary terms.

Shandong is a coastal province of China, which is located on the eastern …

Agricultural Biotechnology, International Trade, General Equilibrium And Efficiency, Comlanvi Martin Konou

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ongoing debates about the adoption of the agricultural biotechnology in the developing countries and EU have dominated the literature in development economics and biosciences. This dissertation considers some environmental, economic and social consequences of the technology from three perspectives: 1) the impact of the ongoing pest density on the performance of the agricultural biotechnology in India; 2) trade consequences of EU restrictive trade policies towards biotech products; and 3) the adoption decision of the technology in the EU and the developing economies.

Agricultural biotechnology appears to be successful in increasing yield and reducing the use of pesticides. However, most studies …

Overcoming Barriers To Local Food Access: A Case Study, Brittany Ryan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis focuses on the idea that food insecurity and access are real issues in the lives of many Americans. Simply stated, food insecurity is when a person does not have enough food to eat or does now know where his/her next meal is coming from. More importantly when looking at food insecurity is the realization that healthy, local food access is even more prevalent an issue – with increasingly more under-resourced individuals and families being food insecure and unhealthy at the same time. This thesis includes a literature review on diet and nutrition in the United States, a chapter …

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 …

The Impact Of The African Growth And Opportunity Act (Agoa): An Empirical Analysis Of Sub-Saharan African Agricultural Exports, Addisalem Zenebe

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) which was signed into law in 2000 as part of U.S. trade legislation has the objectives of increasing trade and investment between the U.S. and eligible Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, by reducing or eliminating tariffs applied to African exports of different products. This Act represents a promising approach to economic growth and development in SSA through international trade.

This thesis examines the impact of AGOA on African agricultural exports. The study uses the gravity trade model framework and panel data depicting annual agricultural trade from 35 eligible SSA countries to the United States …

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 …

South Dakota Agricultural Land Values And Cash Rental Rates: 2013, Larry Janssen, Burton Pflueger, Bronc Mcmurty

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Private Agri-Food Standards: Supply Chains And The Governance Of Standards, Elizabeth Ransom, Carmen Bain, Vaughan Higgins

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The articles in this second special issue of the International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food on private agri-food standards consider key issues involved in the shift from government to governance within agri-food systems. The first special issue, published in February 2013, focused on ‘the contestation, hybridity and the politics of standards’ (Bain et al., 2013, p. 1). The articles in the first issue complicated our understanding of the relationship between public and private standards by examining the politics associated with their formation, implementation, and outcomes. At the same time, the first special issue drew attention to the diversity …

Poultry And The Press: Urban Chickens And The National Stage, Nicole Iroz-Elardo

Metroscape

After a 2010 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) conference bus erupted into chatter from a tour guide’s passing comment about a new ordinance allowing chickens into Minneapolis backyards, I wondered about the magnitude of the urban chicken movement. Legalizing urban chickens is, in fact, occurring more often. A Lexus-Nexus Power Search of the term ‘chicken ordinance’ does not even register a hit in 2000. Yet in 2010, 141 articles discussed potential changes to urban chicken ordinances. Such an explosion of national news coverage suggests urban chicken keeping reaches beyond Portland’s borders.

What is driving this interest in urban …

Sarah R. Graff And Enrique Rodriguez-Alegría, Eds. The Menial Art Of Cooking: Archaeological Studies Of Cooking And Food Preparation, Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Description Of 2011 Biofuels Policy Alternatives, Wallace Tyner

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

In the US, at the end of 2010 Congress extended the ethanol tax credit (VEETC) of $0.45/gal. for one year with the clear message to the industry and lobby groups that it wanted a long-term solution to be passed and implemented by the end of 2011. Following are some of the policy options that are being considered in 2011:

• Continue the 45 cent/gallon subsidy and the import tariff as at present
• Shift the subsidy from blender to biofuel producer
• Subsidy that varies with the price of crude oil or gasoline
• Subsidy based at least in part on performance in reducing …

Blue Growth In The Middle Kingdom: An Analysis Of China’S Ocean Economy, Rui Zhao, Stephen Hynes, Guang Shun He

Working Papers

This paper builds on the work carried out by OEAS in China, which established the framework of ocean economy accounting in China. It also demonstrates how it is possible to compile ocean economy data, from the existing government databases in China. The Chinese ocean economy was divided into two separate parts for the purpose of the analysis presented; the ocean industry and ocean-related industry. Data was collected for 12 major ocean industries. Using a similar methodology to that developed in previous international studies, it was found that the major ocean industries produced US$239.09 billion in value added output in 2010 …

Influence Of Wine Health Benefit Knowledge And Prior Health Concerns On A Consumer's Willingness To Purchase Wine, Erica Llanos

Agribusiness

With the substantial increase in demand for wine, enhanced knowledge of consumers’ preferences for wine can help give wineries an opportunity to improve sales and bring in new marketing techniques. Over the past several years, the demand for functional food and beverages have increased, which is why promoting the beneficial aspects of red wine when consumed, can be a marketing tool that sets a winery apart from its competitors. This study used over 200 survey responses of individuals located throughout the U.S. in order to determine further information about wine health benefit knowledge in relation to the willingness of consumers …

Impacts Of The Federal Farm And Ranch Lands Protection Program: An Assessment Based On Interviews With Participating Landowners, J. Dixon Esseks, Brian J. Schilling, Alexander Hahn

Center for Great Plains Studies: Staff and Fellows Publications

Focus of the Study

From mid-February to mid-May 2012, a research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln surveyed 506 owners whose agricultural land was protected from development through conservation easements that were funded in part by USDA’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). This program “provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners, USDA provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement …

¿Del Mar Quién Es Dueño? Artisanal Fisheries, Tourism Development, And The Struggles Over Access To Marine Resources In Playa Gigante, Nicaragua, Nikolai Alexander Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In post-revolutionary Nicaragua tourism development has been embraced as a way to inject foreign exchange into an ailing economy. Despite rapid growth of the sector, particularly along Nicaragua's southwestern Pacific coast, little attention has been given to the impacts of this development on local producers. This research focuses on the tourism development taking place in the fishing community of Playa Gigante and its impacts on artisanal fisheries. Additionally, I focus on the struggles over access to marine resources, especially with creation of La Anciana Marine Protected Area (MPA), a marine conservation corridor being pushed forth by the largest resort development …

The Impact Of Environmental Regulation On The Structure Of The Us Hog Industry, Gibson Nene, Azzeddine M. Azzam, Karina Schoengold

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Abstract: This paper develops a comparative statics model of long-run industry equilibrium in the presence of size-based environmental regulation stringency and applies the model to the United States hog industry. The economic model shows that when size-based environmental stringency is also size-biased, large farms downsize, expand, or do neither depending on how environmental stringency shifts their marginal production cost relative to their average cost. Empirical testing using data from the top-ten hog producing states suggests that environmental regulation stringency has limited impact on small farms and leads to a reduction in the number of large farms. We cannot reject positive …

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights 2012-2013, Bruce B. Johnson, Jim Jansen, Anil Giri, Boone Mcafee, Ethan Smith

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports

This report represents the 35th annual edition of the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments series. It has continued to provide an important informational role regarding agricultural land market dynamics for the many stakeholders. As stated in the introduction of the first annual report: “The dynamics of the farm real estate market, particularly in recent years, suggests that accurate and complete information concerning this market is of great importance. From the standpoint of the public interest as well as that of individual participants, all land market decisions should be based upon a sound understanding of the current market situation.” 1 …

The Contribution Of Finance To Agricultural Production In Nigeria, O. M. Mbutor, R. E. Ochu, I. I. Okafor

Economic and Financial Review

Several studies have found a positive correlation between agricultural financing and the performance of the agricultural sector. But fewer efforts have been directed at sieving out the agricultural output that is exclusively associated with the extent of funding. This study aimed to ascertain the actual portion of total agricultural output that could be attributed to agricultural financing in Nigeria. The vector error correction methodology was applied following the nature of data properties. The results showed a positive effect of finance on agricultural output. However, variance decomposition revealed the poor state of agricultural financing with a disproportionate dependence of the sector …

Capital Accumulation With And Without Land Market Liberalization: Beyond The “Win-Win” Situation, George Vachadze

Publications and Research

This paper examines the effect of land market liberalization on the dynamics of capital accumulation. It is shown that the land market liberalization, which is accompanied with the transfer of agricultural technology, may not always offer a “win‐win” outcome for developed and developing countries. Improved agricultural productivity generates a growth enhancing externality. However, land market liberalization affects the balance between the equalizing force of the diminishing returns technology and the un‐equalizing force of the low income elasticity of the agricultural commodity demand. As a result, land market liberalization accompanied with the transfer of agricultural productivity, may not always guarantee a …

Examination Of A Farmers Market On A University Campus., Jennifer Grant

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sustainability and locally sourced goods are pressing issues in today’s society for many environmental, economic, and cultural reasons. Farmers markets are becoming a highly popular method of implementing these ideas. As universities have begun to address their own processes to support sustainable practices, appeal has grown for adding a farmers market on campus. Information pertaining to markets already created and the process of implementation is not readily available. This study seeks to explore the rationale for a campus farmers market as a sustainable development on a university campus and review the processes by which a market may be established as …

Three Essays On Renewable Energy, Kepifri Alpha Lakoh

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation studies three main issues related to renewable energy in the United States and in Sub Sahara Africa.

The first chapter seeks to provide answers to a very fundamental question for second generation biofuels: “How much crop residue can farmers harvest from their fields for sale to cellulosic ethanol companies without affecting current levels of production?” The model developed is applied to 101 counties from four Midwestern states in the United States (Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming). Results show that soil organic matter significantly contributes to explaining changes in technical efficiency and total factor productivity. Furthermore, average crop …

Food And Community, W. K. Kellog Fou9ndation

Mickey Leland Center Information Portal

The purpose of this guide is to present a consistent voice and set of messages for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Food & Community program. These messages are catalysts that tell the story of our work together – what the work is about and, more importantly, why it matters. This guide is for W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) grantees, partners and staff involved in Food & Community. We are all in this together, working to reach our individual, organizational and collective goals. Though we each have messages specific to our cause, we can build a stronger national voice – and increase our …

Final Evaluation Of The North East Agricultural Region (Near) Strategy, Andrew Blake, Don Burnside, Vicki Williams

All other publications

No abstract provided.

Resources And Relationships: Food Insecurity And Social Capital Among Middle School Students, Don Edward Willis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and Social capital among 5th-7th graders attending an intermediate school in Northwest Arkansas where nearly 70 percent of students participate in the free or reduced lunch program. The central research questions are: Does Social capital have a direct impact on children's food insecurity? And, does Social capital mediate the influence of negative circumstances on children's food insecurity? This study finds that Social capital does have a significant association with food insecurity, even when controlling for multiple demographic and circumstantial factors. However, there appears to be no mediation of circumstance by Social capital. …