Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Do Recipients Of Cash Transfer Scheme Make The Right Decisions On Household Food Expenditure? A Study From A Rural District In Pakistan, Aminah Jahangir, Shehla Zaidi, Jai K. Das, Shifa Habib

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To assess spending by beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme on monthly food commodities, and contribution of the cash grant programme on purchase of nutritious foods.
Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional survey of households enrolled in the Benazir Income Support Programme was conducted during July and August, 2013, in Matiari district of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Monthly household food expenditure on food commodities and use of the cash grant on type of food purchased was assessed through structured interviews of the beneficiaries. Results were computed in 2013 Pak rupees and converted to 2018 United States dollar. Women beneficiaries were …

Assessing Effectiveness Of The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Safety Procedures Education, Ernesto Verduzco

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS) is a local pesticide reform organization with members at the state and local levels aiming towards sustainable agricultural practices. SASS focuses on serving agriculturally working families and community members who reside near agricultural areas. The problem addressed by the capstone is that too many marginalized, low-income communities are facing environmental injustices produced by large corporation’s methods of generating revenue. These injustices include high risk of pesticide exposure due to inadequate training and access to equipment. The project focused on assessing farm workers’ knowledge regarding pesticide safety and decontamination procedures. The Office of the Monterey Agricultural …

Essays On Agricultural Commodity Processing, Bin Li

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation investigates two important issues in agricultural commodity processing: (i) biomass commercialization; that is, converting organic waste into a saleable product, from economic and environmental perspectives, and (ii) optimal procurement portfolio design using multiple suppliers and spot market, and the impact of by-product introduction on this optimal portfolio.

The first chapter examines the economic implications of biomass commercialization from the perspective of an agri-processor that uses a commodity input to produce both a commodity output and biomass. We characterize the value of biomass commercialization and perform sensitivity analysis to investigate how spot price uncertainty (input and output spot price …

The Stigmatization Of Hunger: The Impact Of Social Stigma On Arkansas Youths’ Food Security, Emily Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Arkansas, 26.3% of children are food insecure, meaning they do not have enough or lack the ability to obtain enough food for adequate nutrition (Miller 2019). In recent years, a new phenomenon has been taking place called lunch shaming where children are sometimes forced to wear signs or handstamps that say the child’s lunch account is overdue. This research analyzes how the media frames food insecurity and how perceived social stigmas affect a student’s willingness to seek out help when struggling with food security.

Teaching Economic Risk Management Through A Video Game Concept, Samantha Montella

Senior Honors Projects

Many video games imply economic behavior: making decisions within a game highlights the fundamentals of human action. The basic idea is that virtual worlds, like the real world, present us with a series of choices. Games impose digital scarcity, obliging players to weigh the benefits of different courses of action, make tradeoffs, and incur costs.

Good examples are found in the role-playing game (RPG) genre, where players face tough choices between different specializations and skill trees. Obliging players to make difficult decisions highlights the opportunity costs of choice, not the money cost. Games also encourage players to think entrepreneurially: to …

The Economics Of On-Farm Rice Drying In Arkansas, Clayton Parker

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Globally, rice producers are faced with the temporal problem of deciding the optimal time to being rice harvest. When harvested, paddy rice is typically at a moisture content (HMC) between 15 and 22%. Upon delivery, the rice is subsequently dried by the mill to a moisture content (MC) of 12.5%. Riceland Foods Inc., the largest miller of rice in the world, uses a stair-step pricing model to charge farmers to dry in price/unit as the MC of grain decreases from a range of +22% to 13.5%. This study estimates an alternative linear relationship in the stair-step model to determine MC …

Farm Management Practices Used By Wheat Producers In The Western Great Plains: Estimating Their Productivity And Profitability, Jeffrey Vitale, Pilja Park Vitale, Francis Epplin, Kris Giles, Norm Elliott, Frank Peairs, Paul Burgener, Sean Keenan, Gerald Michels, Gary Hein

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Changes in government farm programs and the introduction of new technology offer wheat producers in the western Great Plains a variety of management practices to alleviate biotic and agronomic constraints inherent in a wheat monoculture. Producers have adopted alternative tillage systems, crop diversification, and insect-resistant varieties in response to the hot, semiarid growing conditions and increased pest pressure. The objective of this study was to determine if those practices generated positive impacts on wheat yield and corresponding net returns. Panel data collected from a group of 141 producers over a four-year period (N = 564) were analyzed using econometric models. …

Improving Beef Cattle Profitability By Changing Calving Season Length, Christopher N. Boyer, Andrew P. Griffith, Ky G. Pohler

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

We determined the impacts of calving season length on net returns and variability in net returns for spring-and fall-calving herds in Tennessee. Weaning weight as a function of calving date was estimated using a 19-year data set and simulation models generated distributions of net returns for 45-, 60-, and 90-day calving periods with and without using hypothetical improved reproductive management (IRM) practices. Shortening the calving period from 90 days increased expected net returns in the spring-and fall-calving herds. The 45-day fall-calving period with IRM maximized profits, but an extremely risk-averse producer would select a 45-day fall-calving period without IRM.

Financial Implications From Contracting Avian Influenza In A U.S. Broiler Operation, Jordan M. Shockley, Tyler Mark, Kenneth H. Burdine, Levi Russell

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This essay evaluates the on-farm financial impacts of an avian influenza outbreak on a U.S. commercial broiler operation. It investigates how the timing and length of the outbreak impacts farm financial performance for two different farmers, beginning and experienced. Results indicate that a beginning farmer is more susceptible to significant financial losses. Both farmers are financially impacted more when avian influenza is contracted early in the investment and when the contamination and eradication of the virus was prolonged. Furthermore, this essay highlights the problems of using standard financial measures for analyzing disease outbreaks under production contract arrangements and presents alternative …

Impact Of Saturated Thickness To Protect Farmers From Drought In High Plains Aquifer, Olivier Tuyizere, Taro Mieno

UCARE: Research Products

●The High Plains aquifer is the primary source of water supply for irrigating major crops in the region including corn and soybeans ●Climate change is expected to reduce groundwater availability in High Plains Aquifer and increase extreme climatic events such as droughts. ●Aquifer depletion leads to lower well yields, which in turn diminish the effectiveness of irrigation against drought.

●Estimate the effect of saturated thickness to protect irrigated corn and soybeans production against severe drought in the High Plains Aquifer. ●Calculate the impact of aquifer depletion on farmers’ ability to protect against severe droughts based on the regression results.

Conflict In Kashmir, Matthew Atkison '22, Sarah Oquendo '22, Manaal Shamsi '22

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

The topic we are discussing in our presentation is the controversy of Kashmir. Kashmir is a region that has recently been in a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan due to it being between the two nations and it having access to an abundant supply of resources. Kashmir has basically been blocked off by the rest of the world and because of this, many protests have sprung in the region, often violent ones with students throwing rocks at officers. Nothing has been done to solve the situation other than Pakistan and India pointing the blame to each other. Many have …

Fighting Waste And Feeding People: Exploring The Context Of Campus Food Waste And Student Recovery Efforts, Sarah Becker, Max Stout, Maddie Kuklentz, Savona Cerra

Environment and Sustainability Presentations

Wismer on Wheels is dedicated to our mission of not only reducing food waste on campus, but also reducing food insecurity in our wider community. The work of our team of over 35 student volunteers reflects that dedication. This past year we became the official Food Recovery Network chapter for Ursinus, broadened outreach efforts on- and off-campus, and boosted food waste education, all while recovering unprecedented quantities of food. In this presentation, we celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated volunteers while exploring deeper questions about food waste on the Ursinus campus. Why are we seeing such massive food recovery numbers …

A Fishy Situation: Large-Scale Versus Small-Scale Aquaculture In Zambia, Ellie Templeton

Business and Economics Presentations

This study examines the socio-economic effects of large-scale and small-scale farmers on fish production in Zambia. The government has recently encouraged small farmers to raise fish in order to decrease poverty and increase food security. However, it can be hard to make money when the large-scale, wealthy farmers are taking over the market. The possession of chicken manure to aid in fish production was significant in its impact on yields. It can be assumed that since this manure is expensive, poorer, smaller farmers are not reaping the benefits of this fertilizer since they cannot afford it.

The Community Influence Of Sponge And Coral Aquaculture In Zanzibar, Hanna Gaertner, Asma Ahmada Hamad, J. Richard Walz

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Aquaculture has been presented as a means of income for coastal communities, particularly in the context of climate change and resource exploitation. The NGO Marine Cultures in Jambiani, Zanzibar has established a sponge cultivation program for women in response to declining feasibility of seaweed farming from warming ocean temperatures. In addition, the organization strives to restore a severely damaged reef while providing employment for coral farmers and tour boat operators. This study analyzed the influence of aquaculture on community stakeholders, primarily with respect to sponge cultivation and secondarily in regard to coral farms. Using Marine Cultures as a case study, …

A System Dynamics Model Of Supply-Side Issues Influencing Beef Consumption In Nigeria, Kelechukwu G. Odoemena, Jeffrey P. Walters, Holger Maximilian Kleemann

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

The per capita consumption of beef in Nigeria is reducing amidst a rising population that is dependent on beef as a major source of animal protein. In this paper, a system dynamics (SD) model was developed with the aim of testing exploratory policies aimed at reversing this trend. The simulations of various policy tests showed that, of all the policies tested, having a higher carcass yield seems to be the most efficient solution, but its feasibility faces some steep biological and ecological challenges. However, a combination of policies that cuts across the land–cattle–market nexus is necessary to obtain a consumption …

A Nutritional And Environmental Analysis Of Local Food Pantries Accessible To College Students In Rural North Carolina, Emily E. Frymark, Jonathon Stickford, Alisha Farris

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Food insecurity is a growing concern among college students and is especially prevalent in rural areas. Food pantries often serve as a resource to food insecure individuals yet, their policies, standards, and nutritional quality vary due to the unpredictability of food donations.

Purpose: To examine the nutritional quality of food items and adherence of best practices at local food pantries accessible to college students near a university in rural Appalachia.

Methods: Three food pantries in North Carolina were selected due to their proximity to a local, rural university. Food items were analyzed for nutrient and food …

Transformative Change In Rural Ethiopia: The Impact Of Small- And Medium-Scale Irrigation, Logan Cochrane, Anne Cafer

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Rural livelihoods in Ethiopia are vulnerable due to their reliance upon variable rainfall and the lack of access to irrigation. Irrigation coverage in the country is low, as the existing systems tend to cover state-run and commercial operations. There is significant potential for irrigation to play a transformative role in rural lives and livelihoods. Much of the evidence available in Ethiopia focuses upon technical studies of irrigation systems or impacts on households after gaining access to irrigation. This article highlights the causes and pathways of change. We focus on more financially-viable and environmentally-sound small- and medium-scale systems, versus the large-scale …

Understanding The Impact Of Psychological Empowerment, Workplace Motivation, And Social Capital On The Job Performance Of Farmers In Honduras: A Mixed Methods Study, Susan Lale Karimiha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A farmer’s job performance is critical to the production of raw materials such as food, fiber, and fuel and is therefore an important concern for individuals, businesses, and economies across the world. The literature on improving farmers’ job performance has focused more on introducing new technologies, and less on the psychosocial factors that improve job performance. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological empowerment, workplace motivation, and social capital on farmers’ job performance in Honduras.

A mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, a …

Online Shoppers Spending On Fresh Produce; Do Those On Government Assistance Spend Less?, Wyatt Tucker Lucas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study applies an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model to explain differences in the amount that online shoppers might spend per month on fresh produce, given specific consumer characteristics. It also uses a multinomial logit model to determine the relative probability of online shoppers spending more or less, given specific consumer characteristics. The independent variable of interest in both models is whether or not the respondent is a recipient of a government assistance food program. These analyses used data from a stratified random sample of 1,205 online shoppers residing in the southern region of the United States. “Online shoppers” in …

Improving Sustainability Using Cover Crop Grazing To Improve Soil Health And Fertility While Increasing Grain And Livestock Production, Kylie Paige Ewing

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cover crops have become an increasingly popular option for alleviating agronomic and environmental concerns, such as erosion. Dual utilization can increase forage use efficiency and increase immediate economic return but understanding the impact on soil health and grain production may affect viability of this strategy. In a two year study conducted in Bowling Green, Kentucky, soil health was analyzed comparing three treatments: grazed wheat (Triticum aestivum; WGR) to un-grazed wheat (W) and grazed tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea; TF). Sixteen cow calf pairs were randomly allocated to grazed wheat or tall fescue for two weeks. Soil samples were analyzed following grazing …