Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Breaking The Yoke: A Systematic Unmasking Of Challenges To Sustainable Rural Development In South Sudan, Gai Chol Paul

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

South Sudan, a young nation grappling with the legacy of protracted conflict, faces significant challenges in fostering sustainable rural development. While the immense potential of its vast agricultural lands remains largely untapped, the persistent triple threat of insecurity, deficient infrastructure, and the absence of robust government policy actively hinders progress. The ongoing armed conflict, characterized by inter-communal violence and sporadic attacks, casts a long shadow over rural areas in South Sudan. Thus, I developed this mixed-method multiple-case study, grounded in the sustainable livelihoods framework, to explore challenges that hinder sustainable rural development in South Sudan. I collected data through document …

Research Report: Housing, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Mary Emery, Katelyn Larson, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Rebecca J. Vogt

Nebraska Rural Poll

Executive summary

Most rural Nebraskans support a variety of housing programs and priorities. The support for these various programs was similar to that found in 2016. At least three-quarters of rural Nebraskans would somewhat support or strongly support the following in their community: developing programs to help seniors age in their current home; offering low-interest loans or grants for repair, rehabilitation or home improvement; providing affordable rental housing; establishing a local program that would purchase and remove dilapidated houses making lots available for building; developing senior housing; purchasing, rehabilitating and reselling vacant housing; and establishing a local program that would …

Research Report: Artificial Intelligence, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Mary Emery, Katelyn Larson, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Rebecca J. Vogt

Nebraska Rural Poll

Some rural Nebraskans have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Just over one-quarter have used any AI tool. However, most younger persons have used AI tools.

Given that, it is not surprising that most rural Nebraskans are not at all or slightly informed about artificial intelligence. Just over one-third are moderately informed about AI, and just over one in ten are either very or extremely informed about AI.

Most rural Nebraskans are either not at all or slightly confident that AI is being used in the best interest of the public. Just over one-half are not at all confident that it …

Wine-Rs Or Losers: Assessing Socio-Economic Impacts Of Eu Regulations On Climate-Exacerbated Plant Diseases And Pests Within Northern Italian Viticulture, Kyley N. Fishman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As climate change furthers weather events and unprecedented hot and wet seasons, European farmers are amongst those challenged by these threats. Balancing sustainable and traditional practices while maintaining socio-economic stability can be difficult, especially under European Union (EU) agricultural regulations. A key area of concern for some agro-regulations is viticulture, or grape growing, which is amongst the most climate-sensitive agricultural sectors. These agro-regulations address multiple goals, including sustainability, exports, and cultural heritage protection. Yet, to what extent EU climate-driven agricultural regulations influence regional wine-growing operations’ socio-economics remains unclear, particularly in managing climate-aggravated pests and plant diseases. My thesis aims to …

Household Vegetable Gardening In Quezon City, Philippines: Practices, Benefits, And Constraints, John Luis D. Lagdameo, Angelica Nicolette B. Dejaresco, Ma. Cecilia M. Gonzales, Liz Ignowski, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Arma R. Bertuso

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

The study collected a wide range of information from respondents. It included details about their identities, such as names, ages, and genders. Additionally, it examined household characteristics, including house size, sources of income, and the number of floors in their homes. The research also explored urban food production and planting practices, identifying the types of vegetables grown, the locations of these planting activities, and the technologies used. Moreover, it investigated food acquisition and meal preparation, focusing on sources of food, safety concerns, and the challenges faced in obtaining these items. Diet diversity was assessed through a one-month recall of food, …

East Texas Master Gardener Characteristics, Volunteer Choices, And Willingness To Answer Questions From The Public, Damon Gregory Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

East Texas Master Gardener volunteers were asked to participate in an exploratory Qualtrics survey during the fall of 2023. This study examined the demographic characteristics, volunteer engagement choices, and challenges of Master Gardener volunteers in Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service District 5, focusing on whether current training adequately prepares volunteers for public-facing roles. Findings showed that volunteers were primarily older, retired, well-educated, white females, favoring hands-on activities like garden demonstrations and fundraising over Help Desk question answering roles due to perceived inadequacies in knowledge. Over 80% indicated that mentorship and advanced training could improve their confidence in public interactions. Recommendations …

Understanding The Experience Of Being Food Insecure At An Independent College Or University, Natalie Wagner

Dissertations

Many people struggle to consistently access enough food for an active and healthy life (United States Department of Agriculture, 2020). Research has shown that college students experience food insecurity at rates higher than the general population while also facing negative academic, mental, physical, and social consequences (Baker-Smith et al., 2020; Bruening et al., 2018; Dubick et al., 2016; Henry, 2017; Martinez et al., 2018). Although studies on food insecurity among higher education have increased in the past few years, much of the research has been quantitative in nature and has been conducted at community colleges and state-funded institutions (Baker-Smith et …

Leveraging Within-Field Spatial Variability To Optimize Soybean Yield, Seed Quality, And Profitability, Marina Marly Dalla Betta

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Optimizing yield and seed quality in soybean production is critical for both profitability and meeting market demands. However, within-field variability in soil properties poses a challenge in determining optimal management strategies to maximize soybean yield, seed quality, and profitability. This work aimed to evaluate the spatial variability of soybean fields to optimize soybean seeding rates, seed quality, and profitability. Two case studies were used to carry over this research. The first study looked at the optimal economical site-specific soybean seeding rates using 11 on-farm precision experiments across Nebraska. The second study looked at the protein and oil variability within 22 …

Obesity: Influencing Behavioral Consumption Through Meal Kit Distribution, Alejandro Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Founded in 2002, Everyone’s Harvest is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to providing access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers markets and community food programs. Its key initiatives—Fresh Rx, Market Match, Edible Education and Farms Together —focus on alleviating nutrition insecurity and combating diet-related health conditions by providing vulnerable populations the resources to purchase, or receive, fresh produce and gain nutritional knowledge. This study explores a new intervention: the distribution of farmers' market meal kits as a complementary strategy to the current Edible Education program. These meal kits, which feature seasonally available produce and pre-measured ingredients, aim to …

Alternative Agrifood Systems And The Economic Sustainability Of Farmers' Cooperatives: The Chinese Experience, Zhanping Hu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Most registered farmers' cooperatives in China are de facto private enterprises; while many bring economic gains to farmers, they do not function as cooperatives. Among the small minority that started as authentic cooperatives, however, most struggled to provide economic benefits to members, unable to achieve economic sustainability. The failure of true farmers' cooperatives in China has been widely studied; the success of the few that did become economically sustainable, however, remains poorly understood. Using a sample of 70 farmers' cooperatives across the country and comparing three “extreme cases”—cooperatives that are both authentic and economically successful—with the rest, this study argues …

Cooke City – Summer/Winter Visitor Data, Kara Grau, Melissa Weddell, Sophie Morris

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This research note summarizes the findings of ITRR’s Summer (2023) and Winter (2024) Cooke City Visitor Studies. Data was collected from visitors to the Cooke City, Montana, area to gain insight into who visits and what their visits entail. The following tables present travel group demographics and trip characteristics for visitors surveyed during both the summer and winter phases of the study.

Small Beef-Packer Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence And Policy Implications, Azzeddine Azzam, Sunil P. Dhoubadel, Binod Khanal

Cornhusker Economics

As part of a larger research project on the economics of beef supply chain resilience to natural disasters, financed in part by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, we obtained information from 289 processing plants across the United States about their operations during the peak COVID-19 period of March to June 2020 via a telephone survey. We collected data on plant type (slaughter, processing, both), the dominant livestock processed by the plant (predominantly beef, pork, poultry, and sheep/goat), plant capacity (maximum and typical capacity in slaughter head/day), age of establishment, and, whether the plant ceased, …

Beyond Direct Education And Facilitation: Revisiting The Role Of Extension In Community & Regional Food Systems Development, Catie M. Demets, Lindsey Day Farnsworth

Journal of Extension

The fundamental issues that community and regional food systems aim to address are inherently systems problems, yet many Extension programs continue to focus food system development efforts on activities and actors that directly support the food value chain. While important, the impact of these interventions is limited. Drawing from interviews with directors of four of the nation’s leading Community and Regional Food Systems Extension programs, this article makes a case for rethinking Extension’s role in community and regional food systems development in relationship to key leverage points through a typology of Extension roles and corresponding examples.

The Costs Of Ecosystem Disturbances, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

Presents an illustration of the interdependencies inherent in natural ecosystems. An ecosystem may be defined as: “… a single environment and every living (biotic) organism and non-living (abiotic) factor that is contained within it or characterizes it. An ecosystem embodies every aspect of a single habitat, including all interactions between its different elements” (Knapp 2020). In such interdependent systems, removal of one or more of the essential “elements” can severely disrupt the functioning of the system and such disruptions can give rise to negative impacts on the environment and human health and well-being.

From Sustainable Agriculture To Sustainable Agrifood Systems: A Comparative Review Of Alternative Models, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper reviews, compares, and critically evaluates two broad groups of sustainable agriculture models: “sustainable agriculture” and “sustainable agrifood systems”. The “sustainable agriculture” models—comprising organic farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, carbon-capture agriculture, and nature-based solutions—focus primarily on improving ecological sustainability through farm-level practices. These models emphasize reducing external, industrial inputs, enhancing biodiversity, and promoting climate resilience, relying on technological and market-based solutions to address environmental concerns. On the other hand, the “sustainable agrifood systems” models—agroecology, alternative food networks, and permaculture—offer more ambitious visions of systemic transformation. These approaches not only seek to implement environmentally sound practices but also aim to …

Montana's Trail To The Stars: Understanding Stargazing In Eastern Montana And Beyond, Carter Bermingham, Ava Worbets, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Night sky recreation is an emerging yet relatively unexplored segment of the tourism industry within Montana. Despite being home to some of the darkest skies in the nation, little is known about those who choose to stargaze in Montana. This study was designed to gather insights from previous visitors to Montana to better understand night sky recreation in the state and how visitors perceive Montana’s night skies. Part of the research purpose also was to provide information on respondents who visited a site along Montana’s Trail to the Stars, a collaborative effort between Southeast Montana, Central Montana, and the Missouri …

Montana Resident Report: Tourism Impacts And Perceptions Of Recreation And Visitor Behavior Q1 2024, Carter Bermingham, Megan Schultz, Matthew Pettigrew, Glenna Hartman

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

A summary of Montana residents’ perceptions of others’ ability to appropriately participate in outdoor recreation. Other topics include community respect, as well as amenities and challenges presented from tourism.

Rabbit Control In Urban And Semi-Urban Areas, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on control options for rabbits in urban and semi-urban areas in Western Australia (WA).

Rabbits cause considerable losses to agricultural and horticultural industries. They can cause serious environmental problems, such as soil erosion and degradation of native vegetation. Rabbits also compete with native fauna for food and habitat.

Rabbits may be a problem or a nuisance in urban environments where they can damage lawns and gardens, buildings, garages, and sheds. Rabbits can also damage golf courses, sports grounds, and parkland reserves.

The options for control of rabbits in urban areas are more limited than in rural …

Telework And Food Insecurity In The United States, Andrea Leschewski, Bhaskar Kaushik, Triwit Ariyathugun, Bridget Bafowaa

Mountain Plains Business Conference

Nearly 20% of Americans telework or work from home. Telework has the potential to impact household food insecurity by reducing household time constraints and increasing household disposable income and time flexibility. Using data from the Household Pulse Survey, this study analyzes the association between telework and food insecurity in the United States. Two-stage least squares results indicate the association between telework and food insecurity varies with income. Telework is associated with reduced food insecurity among households with income between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) and increased food insecurity among households with income below 100% FPL.

Using Field-Level Data To Address Profit And Yield Impacts Of Climate-Smart Production Practices: An Application To Soybean Production In Illinois, Sarah Sellars, Gary Schnitkey, Laura Gentry

Mountain Plains Business Conference

This study investigates the effect of cover crops on soybean yield and profit in Illinois. The analysis utilizes a unique and precise field-level panel data set of farmer data combined with weather data for 2015 to 2022. Using a linear fixed effects econometric model, we estimate the effect of cover crops and tillage on yield and profit. We find no difference in yield and a decrease in profit of $40 per acre from using cover crops. No-till systems have a one bushel per acre lower yield than one pass tillage system, but we find no difference in profit.