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Investigating the linkage between resource utilization and economic development is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. This study focuses on the relationships between human appropriation of net primary productivity due to harvest (HANPPh) and rural income across agricultural, pastoral, and agro-pastoral transition areas in Inner Mongolia, China, from 2001 to 2020. Spatiotemporal variations in ecological resource utilization and the decoupling index between resource utilization and rural income were quantified. Findings indicate an increase in overall ecological resource utilization. The agro-pastoral transition areas exhibit the highest resource utilization among traditional agricultural and pastoral regions but have the lowest rural income. No absolute decoupling between ecological resource utilization and rural income growth has been achieved in any region. Most of the land, accounting for 43.3% of the region, falls under a relatively sustainable type of relative decoupling, supporting notable increases in rural income and limited growth in ecological resource consumption, despite having a low population density. Conversely, 37.0% of the rural population reside on lands where resources are overused, constraining income growth. This suggests a spatial mismatch in the sustainable development of land and population. For long-term sustainability, balancing economic development and resource utilization is essential, necessitating appropriate goal setting and promotion of economic decoupling from resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Women remain central to household food and nutrition security. However, they continue to face several constraints with respect to access, control and use of credit and income. There is theoretical assertion that increasing women's decision-making authority over family income increases spending and leads to gains in nutrition. However, empirical evidence on the links between rural women's income control and household food and nutrition security is inadequate, especially for a developing country, such as Cameroon. Methodology We employ the food consumption score nutrition quality analysis, the income domain of the Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index and the Partial Least Square Structural Equations Modelling to examine data collected from 600 rural households in the West region of Cameroon to establish the effects of women’s control over income use on household nutrition quality. To ensure the reliability of our findings, additional tests such as the Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test with Lilliefors correction, and the Finite Mixture PLS approach are employed. Results From the analyses, we observed that a significant percentage of households have poor nutritional quality, particularly in terms of iron-rich food consumption. Women's control over income use remains low and varies based on the source of income. The analyses show that women's decision-making concerning income use and women's perception of their decision-making ability regarding income use and expenditure are positively associated with higher nutritional quality for the household. In addition, we establish that women's perceptions of their ability to make decisions about income use have a positive direct and total effect on nutrition quality, but a negative indirect effect on the latter, with the direct positive effect outweighing the indirect effect. Conclusions Inadequate consumption of iron-rich foods is pervasive for most households and there is limited control over income used for the majority of women in the study area. Enhancing women’s control over income use has significant implications for household nutrition quality. Hence, women should be empowered to fully exploit their potential at the household level to enhance food security at the community, regional and national levels.

Agriculture plays a leading role in the economic growth and development process. Ensuring the continuity of production depends on the purchasing power of the producers. The sustainability of production and the development of the rural welfare index in favor of the producers will increase the driving role of the agricultural sector, which is also a resource for other sectors. This study determined the variables affecting the Domestic Terms of Trade of the greenhouse tomato producers in Antalya, Türkiye. The product price has been determined as the major factor affecting the Domestic Terms of Trade. In addition, it was concluded that a one-unit increase in the product price increases the Domestic Terms of Trade by 34.99 units. Interviews revealed that the continuity of consumption needs is more important than the continuity of production. It has been determined that the high and variable input costs cause erosion in the incomes of the producers. Agricultural policies will be more effective both in the short and long term when the aim is to improve the welfare and purchasing power of producers, rather than intervening in agricultural prices or reducing prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, income disparities between regions continue to widen, especially in rural areas where environmental policies are implemented, where regional development is more underdeveloped and inequality is high. This paper provides an explanation from the perspective of social capital. Based on the panel data of 2077 counties in 2001–2015, this paper finds that the difference in social capital between ecological and non-ecological functional areas is not only from the gap in the total amount but also from the gap in the income effects. Empirical evidence shows that, although there is a positive correlation between social capital and rural income, the difference between the income effects is further caused by the lower level of social capital in ecological functional areas than in non-ecological functional areas. It is proved that there is a gap between the income effects of social capital in ecological function areas and non-ecological function areas, especially among the low-income groups of the two sectors. The results of the further decomposition of the differences show that the total difference in rural income between ecological function areas and non-ecological function areas is about 40%, of which the contribution of social capital is greater than the contribution of the two sectors. Therefore, the national key ecological functional areas need to explore new models for poverty reduction through social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable income growth and poverty reduction remain critical challenges at the forefront of research in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas. To overcome these challenges, the role of rural transformation (RT) has emerged and gained importance in recent years. The present study is based on district-level data and covers the period from 1981 to 2019. The study attempts to quantify the role of rural transformation in boosting rural per capita income and alleviating rural poverty in the country. The study also aims to explore the impact of stages of rural transformation on rural per capita income and rural poverty alleviation. The empirical findings reveal that rural transformation (RT1 and RT2) is essential in enhancing rural per capita income and alleviating rural poverty. The role of the share of high-value crops (RT1) is more pronounced than the share of non-farm employment (RT2) in boosting rural per capita income and poverty alleviation. The trend of larger contribution of RT1 to enhance rural per capita income also continued at 2nd stage of rural transformation. In the case of poverty reduction, at 3rd stage of rural transformation, the role of RT2 is dominant. Our results indicate that districts at higher stages of rural transformation (both RT1 and RT2) tend to correlate positively with increased rural per capita income and reduced poverty rates, suggesting that progress in rural transformation is associated with improved economic conditions. However, it is important to note that this correlation does not necessarily imply a direct causal relationship between rural transformation and these economic outcomes; other factors may have influenced this relationship. In addition, the welfare impacts are more noticeable among the districts where a simultaneous shift from grain crops to cash crops and from farm employment to non-farm employment is observed. The study provides baseline information to learn experiences from fast-growing districts and to replicate the strategies in other districts, which boosts the RT process that may increase rural per capita income and enhance poverty reduction efforts.

A number of recent studies have investigated the relationship between bride prices and social development. However, there has been little empirical evidence that bride prices affect household income. Based on a unique set of bride price data from China and data from China's Labour Force Dynamic Survey (CLDS), this paper studies the effect of bride prices on rural household income. The findings show that higher bride prices can significantly reduce rural household income. For income categories, higher bride prices have a significantly negative impact on the agricultural income of rural households, while higher bride prices can boost rural households' remittance income by inducing individuals to work as migrant workers. There is a significant age difference in the impact of rural household income. Finally, the relationship between bride prices and income is an inverted U-shape, and moderate bride prices are conducive to income growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Agriculture plays a leading role in the economic growth and development process. Ensuring the continuity of production depends on the purchasing power of the producers. The sustainability of production and the development of the rural welfare index in favor of the producers will increase the driving role of the agricultural sector, which is also a resource for other sectors. This study determined the variables affecting the Domestic Terms of Trade of the greenhouse tomato producers in Antalya, Türkiye. The product price has been determined as the major factor affecting the Domestic Terms of Trade. In addition, it was concluded that a one-unit increase in the product price increases the Domestic Terms of Trade by 34.99 units. Interviews revealed that the continuity of consumption needs is more important than the continuity of production. It has been determined that the high and variable input costs cause erosion in the incomes of the producers. Agricultural policies will be more effective both in the short and long term when the aim is to improve the welfare and purchasing power of producers, rather than intervening in agricultural prices or reducing prices.

Increasing rural income is the common requirement of poverty alleviation and a rural revitalization strategy. As a financial system arrangement, inclusive finance plays an important role in rural income. This paper analyzes the influence of inclusive finance development affecting rural income. Taking 13 regions in Xinjiang as samples, we used a fixed-effects and mediating-effect model to conduct empirical tests. We found that inclusive finance development can significantly promote rural income in Xinjiang. The role of inclusive financial development in the rural income in deep poverty areas is weaker than that in non-deep poverty areas. Meanwhile, with the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative, the role of inclusive financial development in rural income has been significantly enhanced. Taking the per capita economic output as the mechanism variable, we found that it is a vital channel for inclusive finance to improve rural income.

The shrimp farming is an important economic activity practiced on the coast of the state of Sergipe, being responsible for the income of many families and local commerce. Even so, there are no studies that address the characterization of its production. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the productive model adopted by the farmers in the coast of the state of Sergipe, to analyze the legal situation of the enterprises and the socioeconomic aspects of the activity in the local population. For this, a survey of all the databases on shrimp farming available at the Shrimp Breeders Association of the State of Sergipe, the State Environmental Administration and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics was carried out. In Sergipe small enterprises predominate, mainly adopting a family model. The majority (53.62%) of the producers have up to 2 nurseries, and 66% produce in areas under 1 hectare, with semi-extensive farming, low mechanization of production and practiced by a large number of low-income people. The Greater Aracaju region stood out because of its high activity concentration. The study allowed to analyze the activity of shrimp farming in the state of Sergipe, indicating the characteristics of this activity, serving as a basis for its socioeconomic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has been the land of the 'Queen of Textiles', that is, silk, from a very old time. At present, India occupies the second position in the production of silk in the world, only next to China while occupying the first position in the consumption of the same. Mulberry silk accounts for 69.16% of the total silk production in India and eri comprises of 20.87%. However, in the state of Assam, non-Mulberry silk (eri and muga) occupies the lion's share (around 99%) in the total silk production, thereby making the sericulture sector of Assam different from the rest of India. The IPCC (2007) has projected that the global temperature would most likely rise by 4.3 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the next century and silk being an agro-industrial product will be deeply affected. With muga being more susceptible to climate change, the muga cultivators would be more severely affected than the eri cultivators. In light of the above situation, this paper would attempt to analyse two issues. Firstly, it would try to see the differentiated impact of climate change on eri and muga cultivation of Assam and secondly, it would try to understand the resultant impact on rural income and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of the high-speed railway (HSR) network in China has significantly shortened the space–time distance between cities. China is striving to enter an anti-poverty era, which is increasing the importance of research on the poverty reduction effect created by upgrading transportation infrastructure, in particular, HSR development. Describing the characteristics of accessibility and the mechanisms by which that accessibility reduces poverty could provide the insights needed for determining suitable anti-poverty paths. By using data for 2341 counties and equivalents in China during 2007–2018, this study analyses the railway accessibility improvements and the poverty reduction effect created by HSR development. On average, HSR in China contributed to a significant increase in potential economic accessibility (317.8%) and a decrease in weighted average travel time (39.9%) for counties. Based on accessibility calculations, the Theil index was used to measure the disparity level of regional accessibility and regional poverty measured based on the income of rural residents. The results indicate that HSR leads to an increase in inequality in terms of travel time and potential economic accessibility at a national level. Pearson coefficients reveal a strong correlation between disparities in accessibility and in rural income among provinces. Furthermore, using the full sample, and sub-samples of poor and non-poor counties in China, the association between regional accessibility and poverty was examined by using two-way fixed effect models and spatial econometric models. The estimated results show that a 1% improvement in potential economic accessibility leads to an aggregate rural income improvement of 0.03–0.17%; the ratio of rural income to urban income increases by 0.04–0.12% and a larger effect is observed in poor counties. The weighted average travel time reduction also leads to improvement in rural income and reduction in the urban–rural income gap. The empirical results obtained by different robust test methods, including different sample groups, different estimated methods and accessibility indicators, are shown to be robust. These findings can help transportation departments formulate poverty-alleviation-oriented transportation planning and investment policies and inform future policies for countries planning to construct HSRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several developing countries have implemented programs to support rural families, but there is still a lack of evidence on their effectiveness. This paper seeks to address the existing gap by analyzing the impact of the Second Water Cisterns Program (SWCP) on the income of Brazilian family farmers. The policy intervention consists of a social technology that harvests rainwater for use in agriculture. We combined data from family farmers with administrative data from the program, identifying the participation status of each farmer. Using the Differences in Differences strategy and exploring the time when the farms received the cistern over the period from 2007 to 2016, our results show that the SWCP has a positive impact on the income of rural farms, causing an increase of 5.9%. Heterogeneous effects indicate a greater magnitude of impact among low-income and smaller family farmers. Moreover, the effect is more pronounced for farmers in municipalities with a lower share of agriculture in the total economy as well as for farmers in municipalities with lower rainfall. Our findings highlight the importance of production and productivity as a potential mechanism for raising the income level of rural farmers, with the impact concentrating on low-income family farmers. Based on the cost–benefit analysis, each Brazilian Real invested in SWCP generates an average return of approximately BRL 0.11. These findings suggest that the provision of low-cost social technologies to families in rural areas may be an important mechanism for local economic development. • We estimated the impact of the Second Water Cisterns Program on the income of Brazilian family farmers. • We show that the program has a positive impact on the income of rural farms. • The positive effect on income is larger for low-income and smaller family farmers. • Production and productivity serves as a potential mechanism to increase the income of rural farmers. • The provision of low-cost social technologies is an important mechanism for the development of local economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing rural depopulation is a serious concern in China and worldwide. Given the rapid development of e-commerce in rural China, this study examines the impact of e-commerce on rural depopulation and explores its underlying pathways. Employing a staggered difference-in-differences estimation using combined county-level panel data, our research reveals that e-commerce significantly mitigates rural depopulation, resulting in a 1.4 % increase in the population growth rate. Furthermore, this study identifies several pathways through which e-commerce counteracts rural depopulation, encompassing the creation of employment opportunities, the cultivation of rural entrepreneurship, the augmentation of rural income and its growth, as well as the enhancement of rural infrastructure and public services. The findings propose e-commerce as a potential solution to address the challenge of rural depopulation. • This study examines the effect of e-commerce development on rural depopulation in China. • This study reveals that e-commerce significantly counteracts rural depopulation. • This study identifies the multiple mechanisms through which e-commerce counteracts rural depopulation. • This research proposes a potential solution to combating the global issue of rural depopulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was an effort to evidence the poverty alleviation in rain-fed areas of Punjab with the help of livestock. For this purpose survey research design was used and data was collected with the help of an interview schedule from randomly selected 200 samples from two purposively selected districts Chakwal and Rawalpindi. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Data depicts that the maximum number of respondents were belonging to the age category of above 40 years of age and 70 respondents were recorded as illiterate. There were 75% of respondents (148) who claimed that there are multiple major income sources. The respondents who had a low level of poverty and a high level of poverty were the same in the study area. Among respondents, 25% said that they don't have easy access to the local livestock market for selling animals and their products. Moreover, according to the livestock farmers cow has proven the least productive species in the study area. There is an ignorable trend of spending on mechanized livestock management/handling, paid extension services, and loan repayments. Almost 81% of the livestock farmers said that they only keep the health record of their livestock head. Above 50% of the farmers said that are unable to afford the veterinary services available. In the case of LDDD, LED and DVS, farmers said that they have assisted us. But the farmer organization and NGOs have not contributed a little in this regard. There should be pro-poor policies and reforms in helping the development practitioners for institutional reforms to support vulnerable livestock farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Savings in rural areas; It is an important factor in making use of advanced manufacturing technologies, which are especially important in terms of production quantity and quality. The main purpose of this study is to reveal the propensity to save in rural areas, which generally have limited fund raising power. The data of the research consists of original qualified data to be obtained through a survey from 126 agricultural farms in Kemalpaşa, Tire and Kınık districts of İzmir. According to the research results, 52.4% of the producers stated that they have savings, while 47.6% stated that they do not. It is seen that the rate of saving increases depending on the level of income in the agricultural enterprises. Since 50.0% of the households who cannot save do not have sufficient income, 25.0% of the households are affected by cost of living, economic crisis, etc. due to some reasons, 23.3% of them cannot save due to their debts. Increasing the level of savings in rural areas is primarily through increasing the difference between agricultural product prices and input costs. Increasing all kinds of support to rural areas will also play an important role in increasing the level of savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of the high-speed railway (HSR) network in China has significantly shortened the space–time distance between cities. China is striving to enter an anti-poverty era, which is increasing the importance of research on the poverty reduction effect created by upgrading transportation infrastructure, in particular, HSR development. Describing the characteristics of accessibility and the mechanisms by which that accessibility reduces poverty could provide the insights needed for determining suitable anti-poverty paths. By using data for 2341 counties and equivalents in China during 2007–2018, this study analyses the railway accessibility improvements and the poverty reduction effect created by HSR development. On average, HSR in China contributed to a significant increase in potential economic accessibility (317.8%) and a decrease in weighted average travel time (39.9%) for counties. Based on accessibility calculations, the Theil index was used to measure the disparity level of regional accessibility and regional poverty measured based on the income of rural residents. The results indicate that HSR leads to an increase in inequality in terms of travel time and potential economic accessibility at a national level. Pearson coefficients reveal a strong correlation between disparities in accessibility and in rural income among provinces. Furthermore, using the full sample, and sub-samples of poor and non-poor counties in China, the association between regional accessibility and poverty was examined by using two-way fixed effect models and spatial econometric models. The estimated results show that a 1% improvement in potential economic accessibility leads to an aggregate rural income improvement of 0.03–0.17%; the ratio of rural income to urban income increases by 0.04–0.12% and a larger effect is observed in poor counties. The weighted average travel time reduction also leads to improvement in rural income and reduction in the urban–rural income gap. The empirical results obtained by different robust test methods, including different sample groups, different estimated methods and accessibility indicators, are shown to be robust. These findings can help transportation departments formulate poverty-alleviation-oriented transportation planning and investment policies and inform future policies for countries planning to construct HSRs.

Copyright of Revista Pretexto is the property of Revista Pretexto and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Effects of RETI on urbanization are identified. • RETI is the pivotal role in the urban sustainable development. • Greater promoting effect is related with geographical location, human capital and energy sources. • Mechanisms of RETI's effects on urbanization are shown by industrial structure, productivity effectiveness and rural income. Renewable energy technology innovation (RETI) is a bran-new technological innovation of renewable energy. Not only does it reflect the residents' needs of pursuing high-quality life, but also construct the tighter relationship between population urbanization and urban sustainability. This paper selects China's prefecture-level cities as research sample to explore the impact of RETI on urbanization from 2010 to 2021. I find that RETI can promote urbanization significantly by methods of fixed effect, IV and other robustness, and then heterogeneous tests show differently owing to factor of geographical location, human capital and energy sources. Notably, RETI promotes urbanization by improving industrial structure, productivity effectiveness and rural income. To date, this study has discovered the urbanization improvement effects of RETI primarily, providing theoretical basis and practical recommendations for governments, energy agencies and local residents to realize efficient and sustainable urban development mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite regional differences, spatial distribution has not been addressed in studies on rural income in Iran. The main goal of this study is to analyze the spatial pattern of inequality in rural areas of the country. In this research, Moran's I index, Theil index and Gini coefficient have been used for the period 2005-2015. The results show that both inter-regional and intra-regional components affect the unequal distribution of rural income, but the importance of the intra-regional component is slightly higher. The study of the data obtained from the Moran's Ι index shows that there is evidence of the spatial clustering phenomenon in rural economy of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Galician Journal of Economics / Revista Galega de Economía is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China's composition of energy sources is highly geographically dependent. A large rural population still reside in areas where carbonate composites are the major energy sources. Consequently, the resulted carbon pollution has been an increasingly seriously environmental problem. We conduct a field survey with a sample of 6000 rural households in 30 rural counties in 25 provinces in China. The findings include the following. First, for cooking, fuelwood is the most commonly used fuel in rural areas although some economically developed rural areas employ natural gas. Second, most rural residents use coal for heating in winter season, while places like Guangdong mainly utilize gas, and Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai primarily employ electricity. Third, the combustion of fuelwood and coal poses severe threat to the environment and rural residents' health. We argue that the key to improving China's rural energy consumption structure is to boost the income level of the rural residents. Meanwhile, the government should increase the investment on the research and implementation of the renewable energy, on construction of the power grid and other energy infrastructure. Targeted subsidy in certain areas is a useful supplement mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the main topic in regards to the rural areas is the low development and the population migration. The necessity of studying the phenomena arise from the above and makes the studies in this direction mandatory. This research is based on data collected from Romanian National Statistics Institute and European Commission reports. The main objective is to analyze the general situation from 1989 up until now, with emphasys on the period 2012-2016. We can notice a descending trend registered regarding the population migration, mostly due to the lack of opportunities and lack of investors that can create jobs. This paper aims to find the most effective ways that can contribute to a harmonized development of rural areas by adding values added to the involved sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest resources remain vital to the survival of many rural communities, though the level of forest reliance varies across a range of sites and socio-economic settings. This article investigates variation in forest utilization across households in three ethnic groups living near a forest restoration area in Sumatra, Indonesia. Survey data were collected on 268 households, with a four-month recall period and three repeat visits to each selected household within a year. Random sampling was applied to select households in five villages and five Batin Sembilan (indigenous) semi-nomadic groups. Sampled households belonged to three ethnic groups: 15% were Batin Sembilan, 40% Local Malayan, and 45% Immigrant households. Indigenous households displayed the highest reliance on forests: 36% of their annual total income came from this source, as compared with 10% and 8% for Local and Immigrant households, respectively. Our findings showed that the livelihoods of indigenous groups were still intricately linked with forest resources, despite a rapid landscape-wide transition from natural forest to oil palm and timber plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of ecology introduced a new perspective into the study of financial development. A regional financial ecology which includes rural households, enterprises, financial institutions, social organizations, and the government would allow the core entities to supplement each another and promote the development of rural credit and agricultural loan market. Based on cross-regional data, this paper analyzed the relationship between financial ecology, rural income, and agricultural development. The results show that in counties with a better financial ecology, rural households have a higher income and RCCs enjoy higher quality assets. Further case study show that, a better regional financial ecology can significantly alleviate the problem of asymmetric information in the agricultural loan market and lower the transaction costs between market participants. In order to set up a better financial ecological system, the operation quality of regional economy must be raised, the financial infrastructure and institutions must be improved, and the urban-biased financial development strategy must be changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines, from a gender perspective, the types of occupation and sources of income of family women and men from the rural areas of the state of Paraná, Brazil, in the period between 2001 and 2008. The estimates reflected that the number of families in the analyzed period was stabilized, reversing a decline occurred in the nineties of the last century. A sharp reduction in agricultural occupations and a worrying process of proletarianization were found, being women the most affected by these phenomena. The non-agricultural occupations opened an important place for women income generation separate from male spaces. Men revenues from agricultural occupations are still the largely responsible in the formation of family income and social transfers are the major source of income for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute significantly to a rural household's livelihood in the African semi-arid tropics. This study examines the income from NTFPs and the dependency on these of different socio-economic groups in Northern Benin. Using survey data from 230 households of two villages, we firstly compared incomes of five different ethnic groups being differentiated by their traditional source of livelihood and regional provenance. Secondly, we investigated disparities between three income groups. On average, income from NTFPs accounted for 39% of total household income and had a strong equalizing effect on it. However, the economic relevance of NTFPs differs between households: Poorer households are relatively more dependent on NTFPs in order to fulfill basic needs than wealthier households. However, the latter extract more NTFPs in quantitative terms and have significantly higher cash returns than poorer ones. This is mainly due to a significant greater land holding. Moreover, our study revealed that net income from NTFPs reflects traditional sources of livelihoods of different ethnic groups. In conclusion, both conservation and development strategies should take into consideration the socio-economic context of different beneficiaries of savanna woodland resources in order to apply appropriate measures to poverty reduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our analysis based on the SVAR model of the relationship between the growth and inequality of income in rural China shows that the economic growth can reduce the inequality in income distribution, which is actually a cause of economic growth in rural areas. The IRFs suggest that inequality is conducive to the increase of human capital and investment but it can also cause greater inequality. The rural economic development itself demonstrates a weak trickle-down effect, which is mainly caused by investment outflow due to economic growth. Variance decompositions suggest that in the long run inequality exerts greater influence on economic growth than human capital and investment do. Income growth plays a role of check and balance automatically on income disparities, thus reducing the growth speed of inequality in rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural protection in rich countries, which had depressed Australian farm incomes via its impact on Australia's terms of trade, has diminished over the past two decades. So too has agricultural export taxation in poor countries, which has had the opposite impact on those terms of trade. Meanwhile, however, import protection for developing country farmers has been steadily growing. To what extent are Australian farmers and rural regions still adversely affected by farm and non-farm price- and trade-distortive policies abroad? This paper draws on new estimates of the current extent of those domestic and foreign distortions: first, to model their net impact on Australia's terms of trade (using the World Bank's Linkage model of the global economy); and second, to model the effects of that terms of trade impact on output and real incomes in rural versus urban and other regions and households within Australia as of 2004 (using Monash's multi-regional TERM model of the Australian economy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agro Sur is the property of Universidad Austral de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper revisits the issue of income convergence by examining the question of whether poorer Census Block Groups have been catching up with wealthier Census Block Groups over the 1980-2000 period. The dataset consists of 161 Census Block Groups in Alabama's west-central Black Belt region. Estimates of a spatial lag model provide support for the conditional convergence hypothesis and explain roughly 60 percent of the variation in income growth. Income growth was positively and significantly correlated with education and employment, and negatively and significantly correlated with majority African- American population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underlying factors in the growth of agriculture as a sector and of rural incomes in developing countries are investigated, using data from 85 countries during 1960–2001. Hypotheses about growth are derived from both the general growth literature and the empirical literature on past agricultural growth in the United States and other industrial countries. The growth of agriculture as a sector is surprisingly independent of the growth of income per capita for those who work in that sector. Neither is necessary nor sufficient for the other. Agricultural economics is in many circumstances not the key discipline in understanding the economics of rural income and poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]