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Objective: The objective of this study was to quantify the economic costs and impacts of off‐flavor on U.S. catfish farms. Methods: A survey was conducted to quantify the costs and economic methods using enterprise budget techniques to enumerate the costs of off‐flavor on catfish farms. Result: Diuron was the most popular‐choice algicide for off‐flavor management. Direct annual costs associated with off‐flavor management on catfish farms amounted to US$40 million/year. Total industry economic losses due to off‐flavor was estimated at $73.9 million in 2022. Conclusion: The study confirms the continued significance of off‐flavor in U.S. catfish farming and quantifies the associated economic effects. Impact statementEvaluating the economic cost associated with off‐flavor management practices provides insights into the economic significance of this persistent problem on U.S. catfish farms. This study found that the annual cost of off‐flavor amounts to $2325/ha and $0.272/kg, accounting for 10% of the total cost of production. The direct economic loss to the industry amounted to $40 million annually, with a total negative economic impact of $74 million in 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensity of agricultural land use in Ukraine was analyzed based on soil quality and the values of the land-use intensity (LUI) index and the land-use capacity (LUC) index. In the administrative districts of Cherkasy region, the LUI index ranged from 0.07 to 1.0, and the LUC index ranged from 0.01 ha per 1000 UAH of gross output to 0.19 ha per 1000 UAH, which points to considerable difference in land-use intensity and agricultural land-use capacity. New approaches should be sought to improve the management and use of agricultural land. Functional land use areas should be restructured, in particular, by implementing non-traditional methods of agricultural land use. The results of the study indicate that land-use functions should be modified over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha -- to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha -- to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use. Motives: The purpose of the article was to propose a methodological approach for assessing the intensity of agricultural land use and to suggest directions for land-use restructuring to improve its ecological status. Aim: In the proposed methodical approach, the intensity of agricultural land use was assessed with the land-use intensity (LUI) index and the land-use capacity (LUC) index. To reduce plowing and increase land-use intensity, the functions of degraded arable land should be modified over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha -- to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha -- to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use. Results: The article substantiates the need to modify the functions of arable land over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha -- to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha -- to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering the higher efficiency of nano fertilizers than chemical ones, the current study on nano Zn was undertaken to evaluate its effects on growth, yield, uptake and economics over other Zn sources on lentil. Methods: Field experiment was carried out during rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21 at the Instructional Farm of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India with seven treatments using different sources of Zn through foliar and soil application in randomised block design replicated thrice. Zn uptake was calculated after testing Zn concentration through wet digestion followed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer determination of collected samples. Result: Pooled result of the experiment revealed that foliar spray of nano Zn @ 20 ppm at 30 and 50 DAS (T5 ) resulted significantly higher plant height, LAI, dry matter accumulation, 1000 seed weight, number and dry weight of nodules plant-1, uptake of Zn, economics. This treatment produced 29.34% and 30.33% more seed and stover respectively than without Zn application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB) and Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus (known commercially as redfish) are important commercial sectors of foodfish production in the USA. The objective of this study was to measure the regulatory compliance burden on U.S. HSB and Red Drum farms. Methods: National surveys were conducted in 2021 of U.S. hybrid Striped Bass and Red Drum farmers with response rates of 35% and 89% and coverage rates of 37% and 99.8%, respectively. Result: Results showed that the regulatory costs were one of the greatest costs of production, at 22% of total costs on HSB farms and 15% on Red Drum farms. Nationally, the total annual regulatory compliance cost burden was US$4.5 million for HSB and $2.2 million annually for Red Drum farms. Per‐farm, the regulatory cost burden was $152,698 ($1.20/kg) on HSB farms and $274,746/farm ($1.44/kg) on Red Drum farms. In addition, lost sales revenue on HSB farms was found to equal 92% of total sales revenue, at $31.3 million, and 54% of total sales revenue on Red Drum farms, at $13.6 million. The regulatory categories of greatest cost were those related to water rights and access, predatory bird management, and effluent discharge regulations. Conclusion: Regulatory constraints have likely contributed to the contraction of the HSB sector from 2012 to 2018 and likely dampened the sales growth observed in Red Drum farming over the same time period. Smarter and more cost‐effective approaches to regulatory oversight of U.S. aquaculture are needed that allow for growth to meet increased demand for locally produced food and to remove the economic incentives to import seafood produced under less environmentally sustainable conditions than those in the USA. Impact statementStreamlining and simplifying regulatory monitoring and reporting requirements would reduce costs on U.S. aquaculture. Producing more of our seafood locally in the USA could replace product imported from countries with less rigorous standards, and enhance the sustainability of our food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we investigate whether the increasing investment in smallholder oil palm plantations that contributes to deforestation is motivated by financial gains or other factors. We evaluate the financial viability of smallholder farmers selling fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) to intermediaries or agro-industrial companies with mills, or processing the FFBs in artisanal mills to produce palm oil. We use data collected in four oil palm production basins in Cameroon and carried out a life cycle assessment of oil palm cultivation and CPO production to understand financial gains. We use payback period (PBP), internal rate of return (IRR), benefit cost ratio (BCR) and net present value (NPV) for 1 ha of oil palm plantation over 28 years at a base discount rate of 8% to asses viability. Our results show that smallholders make more money processing their FFBs in artisanal mills to produce CPO than selling FFBs to intermediaries or agro-industrial companies with mills. The sensitivity analysis show that land ownership is the single most important parameter in the profitability of investment in palm oil cultivation and trade. In addition to land cost, smallholders suffer from borrowing at high interest rates, high field management costs, while recording low on-farm FFB/processing yields. To improve the financial viability of smallholders investing in oil palm cultivation, measures are needed to encourage them to access land, get loans at reduced interest rates, reduce the cost of field management, adopt good agricultural practices to improve on-farm FFB/processing yields, as well as to generate additional revenue from the sale of other products.

H. Bodwitch is Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; J. Carah is Senior Freshwater Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco; K.M. Daane is UC Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley; C. Getz is Associate Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley; T.E. Grantham is Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley; G.M. Hickey is Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; H. Wilson is Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside.

Understanding the economic effects of regulations on US aquaculture farms provides insights into which compliance costs create the greatest compliance burden on farms. This can further guide strategies to improve the efficiency of regulatory frameworks and potentially reduce on‐farm compliance costs while maintaining adequate oversight. This study estimated the regulatory compliance burden on US catfish farms as part of a national effort to quantify the cost of regulations on US aquaculture farms. Completed survey interviews of catfish farms in the major catfish‐producing states covered 63% of the total US catfish production area. Total regulatory costs of the US catfish industry were estimated at $45 million annually. Lost farm revenues (measured as the value of lost production, the value of markets lost from regulations, and the value of business opportunities lost because of regulations) were estimated to be $35 million per annum. Catfish‐producing states outside the Alabama/Arkansas/Mississippi region had the highest ($2856/ha) and Alabama the lowest ($1127/ha) regulatory costs per hectare among the surveyed states. The greatest regulatory cost burden on catfish farms ($18 million) was caused by environmental regulations related mostly to the management of federally protected piscivorous migratory birds, followed by labor regulations ($12 million), and taxes/insurance ($7 million). Regulatory costs ($/kg) were 2.6 times higher on smaller (<80 ha) farms relative to larger (>300 ha) farms. Attention is needed to identify alternative regulatory frameworks that provide the same degree of regulatory oversight but are more cost‐efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of climate change on agriculture depend on local conditions and crops grown. For instance, warmer winter temperatures in a given area would reduce chill hours, potentially cutting yields for some crops but extending the growing season for others. Using a century of climate data and six decades of acreage data, we established quantitative economic relationships between the evolution of local climate and acreage of 12 important crops in Yolo County. We then used the historical trend in climate change to project future crop acreages in the county. Only marginal changes in acreage in 2050 were projected for tree and vine crops there, in part because chill hours, although lower, remained above critical values. Walnuts were the most vulnerable tree crop, and the projections indicated some cultivars might be marginal in years with particularly warm winters. Processing tomato acreage might increase, due to a longer growing season, and also alfalfa acreage, if water availability and other factors remain constant.

The spotted wing drosophila, first detected in California in 2008, has become a major insect pest in caneberries and sweet cherries, causing commercial crop losses. Managing it is challenging because it has many other hosts, including riparian and backyard fruit plantings, and it increases rapidly, with generations overlapping one another. In our study we monitored trap captures in two parts of the San Joaquin Valley, within sweet cherry orchards and in nearby locations. Captures of adult flies showed two main periods of activity — spring and fall — and low captures in the winter (except for citrus and evergreen riparian areas) and summer. On many occasions during the year, trap captures were higher outside of the cherry orchards than within them. Additionally, early in the season, when decisions about control programs are being made, the sex ratio of captured flies in cherries was strongly female-biased. The results suggest that during the weeks leading up to harvest growers should experiment by placing traps in different environments surrounding their orchards to determine SWD activity and potential pest pressure locally, and monitor for both male and female flies.

More than 40 million hundredweights of rice are produced in California's Sacramento Valley every year. After harvest, the rice is stored in facilities on-farm or off-farm until it is transported to mills or to ports for export. We conducted a survey of storage operations to characterize grain storage and pest management practices to guide future UC Cooperative Extension research efforts. The results indicate that grain moisture content, temperature and insect pest management are the most important challenges for both on- and off-farm storage operations. Survey responses show high adoption of integrated pest management programs, with most storage operations relying on monitoring, thresholds, sanitation and aeration to manage pest problems. Fumigant use was reported more frequently in off-farm storage operations than on-farm operations. Cooperative Extension educational efforts should focus on grain and temperature monitoring, insect identification and safe use of fumigants. Research is needed to improve management of grain temperature and moisture content, and insect infestations.

In 2018, we surveyed cannabis growers about their experiences with California's commercial cultivation legalization system. Our results suggest high rates of noncompliance with the new regulations. Of the respondents, 31% reported income from cannabis and had not applied for cultivation licenses, indicating a violation of state regulations. These findings highlight the need to further explore conditions that might incentivize growers to apply for cultivation licenses. Respondents' answers and comments indicate modifications to cannabis cultivation licensing programs might be needed to reduce compliance costs and regulatory inconsistencies and to overcome threats of legal repercussions from enhanced bureaucratic oversight. Growers characterized legalization as a process that excludes small growers, contributes to an increase in black market sales and undermines the economies in rural communities. More research is necessary, including on the socioeconomic and environmental contributions that unlicensed small cannabis growers make to rural regions.

In India, livestock plays an important role in the nutritional and livelihood security of small and marginal farmers. In comparison to the 2012 livestock census, the country's livestock population has increased to 535.78 million with a growth rate of 4.63 per cent. The scarcity of fodder and land allocation for the cultivation of green fodder lead to reduction in the productivity of livestock. Also, fodder production is constrained further with the changing climate due to erratic distribution of rainfall. The failure of dual crops (food and fodder purpose) is increasing as they are becoming vulnerable to vagaries of weather and aggravating the problem of fodder crisis. These problems can be cope with a new alternative tool of producing green fodder for farm animals through hydroponics technology. The studies conducted by different researchers revealed that the optimum seed rate of hydroponically grown fodder was 2.50 to 7.6 kg m-2 for maize, 2.54 kg m-2 in cowpea, 4.66 kg m-2 in bajra, 4 kg m-2 in oat, 4 to 10 kg m-2 in barley and 5.5 kg m-2 in wheat. The fresh yield of hydroponically grown fodder increased to 2.8 to 8 folds in a period of 8 to 14 days. Application of nutrient solutions has recorded higher yield as compared to control; Urea and MOP each @ one per cent at three and 10 days after sowing, respectively in maize increased yield from 4.60 to 5.64 kg-1 seed and 19-19-19 water soluble fertilizer @ 0.5 per cent was recommended for maize, bajra, oat, barley and wheat. The cost of production of the hydroponic fodder was about Rs.2 to 3 per kg of fresh fodder with own seeds to Rs.3 to 3.50 per kg with purchased seeds. Farmers got Rs.25 to 50 additional net profit per animal per day by feeding hydroponic fodder. The hydroponic fodder production system helps to overcome the challenges on fodder availability due to climatic change and also helps fodder production systems in management and efficient utilization of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-farm adoption of agricultural conservation practices or management alternatives depends on conservation ethic, social pressure, regulatory attention, and perceived impact on yield and economic return. Although agro-economic and environmental impacts are assumed to conflict, little research has been conducted to address potential tradeoffs and provide a scientific basis for decision-making. Thus, this 16-year evaluation of adaptive nutrient management was conducted in the Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregion on six fields with structural conservation practices already in place. Each field was randomly selected to receive either commercial fertilizer or poultry litter at rates of 4.5 to 13.4 Mg ha-1. Two major nutrient management adaptations were made (i.e., soil test nitrogen [N] rate recommendations in 2009, and reduction of fallow period length and cover cropping during prolonged fallow periods in 2013). Important results included (1) soil test recommendations that consider historical crop yields reduced N application 25% to 38% for low rates of poultry litter, but did not reduce profits; (2) interannual variability of economic and weather conditions contributed to the lack of statistically significant differences in profit, although profit reduction for high nutrient rate treatments was clear; and (3) litter application, especially at rates in excess of crop phosphorus (P) needs, also increased runoff P losses by 1 to 1.4 kg ha-1 indicating the need for careful management of organic nutrient sources. Results of this long-term study showed that maintaining or increasing economic return does not have to be sacrificed to improve environmental impacts, which is an important consideration as producers make on-farm management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the change in highest and best use (HBU) policy in South Dakota and its impact on agricultural land assessments. Topics mentioned include the policy for determining whether the HBU is cropland or non-cropland in the state, the use of land capability classification from the Natural Resources Conservation Service soil database, and the definition of value-in-use.

Nigeria is blessed with human and natural resources, particularly oil and gas and a large expanse of arable agricultural land. These resources have become the cause of insecurity, conflict, corruption and environmental degradation affecting the livelihoods of its inhabitants and its ability to deliver on its potentials as a nation. This paper attempts an analysis of the effects of the struggle for Nigeria's abundant natural resources on its politics and economy. Qualitatively driven with reliance on secondary sources of data, the paper argues that the parochial interests of the corrupt elites and their manipulative tendencies generate insecurity, conflicts and endemic poverty for the bulk of its population and concludes that Nigeria must rise above these tendencies if it must realize her potentials as a resource rich nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging phenomena are noticed in many branches of the economy. The human factor plays a very important role in the manufacturing processes of enterprises. Its importance is also currently significant in many sectors of the national economy and in the economic development of local communities, regions and countries. Not only the population, but also age and the related ability to work are important. In the knowledge-based economy, formal and informal qualifications of employees, their level of education and professional experience are also very important. All these factors affect the competitiveness of the business entities in which they work and which they manage. The aging of the population with a large intensity also negatively affects the development of agriculture and rural areas. However, they can also become a reason for developing previously unknown forms of activity, e.g. care farms. The research carried out concerned the group of owners of small farms operating in south-eastern Poland. They were implemented as part of the SALSA project "Small farms, small food and sustainable food and nutrition security". As indicated by the conducted research, most of the small farms were managed by people at a mature or older age. The share of people aged up to 40 years was at the level of 20.2%. This shows that young people are mostly not interested in running small farms. The level of education of farmers was also low, which was particularly evident in older age groups. Many older farmers also spoke negatively about the future of their farms, which was often associated with the lack of successors. The presented results prove the existence of many problems resulting from the aging of small farm owners and the need to undertake remedial actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the trends in today’s tourism sector is the development of environmentally-friendly tourism activities which rely on natural resources of cultural heritage and on biodiversity. This is definitely the case for agritourism, a form of rural tourism. The purpose of this paper is to identify the development aspects of Polish agritourism with particular emphasis on natural and cultural attractiveness. To demonstrate the relationship between agritourism activities of Polish farms and the cultural and natural attractiveness, the Hellwig’s synthetic development indicator was used. As shown by research, the cultural and natural attractiveness of a destination is an important exogenous development factor. Another finding was that the intensified efforts undertaken by the farmers to access EU funds were not focused on areas with valuable natural or cultural resources and an untapped agritourism potential; instead, they were oriented at regions dominated by semi-subsistence or family farms. For a large part of farmers, the new form of support is about to become a source of additional incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of elasticities of substitution between inputs is a standard method for addressing the effect of a change in the mix of inputs used for production from a technical or cost standpoint. Most estimation methods use parametric production or cost functions or frontiers to estimate these elasticities. A potentially useful nonparametric alternative is data envelopment analysis (DEA). The purpose of this paper is to derive elasticities of input substitution for both technical and cost frontiers using DEA, extending the use of this approach in the field of economics and associated fields. The paper provides derivations for both Hicksian (production and cost frontier) and Morishima (cost frontier) elasticities of input substitution, as well as a parsimonious method for estimating them using DEA. The derivations are presented using an agricultural example form Kansas, USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Concerns about the use of child labor in West African cocoa production became widespread in the early 2000s in many high-income countries. In 2015 in Ghana, 91.8% (or a total of 878,595) of the children working in the cocoa sector were involved in a form of hazardous work. Child labor in cocoa production is not just a symptom of poverty but also a contributing factor, as children often forgo a formal education to work in cocoa orchards. Current Ghanaian law prohibits child labor, but, with many cocoa households living in poverty, child labor becomes a necessity for survival, and as such, current child labor laws are rarely enforced. Therefore, an effective policy that eliminates child labor could compensate farmers by providing an economic incentive. In this paper, we develop and calibrate a farm household model to estimate the cocoa price premium necessary to eliminate child labor from cocoa production while leaving the farm household welfare unchanged. This welfare-neutral price premium removes the negative effects of eliminating child labor for the farm household. Varying degrees of child labor exists, with certain forms posing a greater risk to children’s wellbeing. The results show that eliminating the worst forms of child labor would require a cocoa price premium of 2.81% and eliminating regular work (non-hazardous work but over the maximum hours allowed for a child) and the worst forms would require an 11.81% premium, which could be paid for by the well-established Ghanaian Cocoa Marketing Board. An incentive for the Cocoa Marketing Board to pay the price premium and monitor and enforce this policy would be the ability to differentiate their cocoa as child-labor free and not lose market share to countries who cannot currently certify this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversification of shrimp farming with marine finfish in a farmer participatory research model was attempted. The study is intended to find an economically viable finfish culture during the fallow period of shrimp farms. The Silver pompano, Trachinotus blochi iintercropped with Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei culture in coastal shrimp ponds was assessed for growth, survival, and economic viability. During the grow-out period of 100 days, fishes grew from 40.23 ± 1.40 g to 256.56 ± 1.08 g in weight and 12.83 ± 0.19 cm to 25.11 ± 0.09 cm in length. The daily weight gain (DWG) and daily length gain (DLG) were 2.16 g/day and 0.12 cm/day, respectively. Relative growth rate (RGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) recorded for weight was 537.80% in 100 days and 1.85% per day, respectively. Pompano has exhibited its sturdiness and adaptability to the land-based culture system as evidenced by an overall survival percentage of 89.8% including nursery and grow-out phases. The realized feed conversion ratio was 1.94. The culture period of 100 days is found to be enough to attain a desirable harvest size of 250 g. The projected production potential of the experimental demonstration farm of 4500 m2 water spread area for culture was 16.2 tonnes/cycle with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.34 over operational cost. The present participatory trial empirically proved the viability of Silver pompano as an intercrop in coastal shrimp ponds. Thus, the introduction of Pompano in shrimp ponds is recommended and can be promoted for sustainable intercropping with shrimp farming along the Indian coast for improving people’s livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is the fifth largest cocoa-producing country in the world, and an increase in cocoa farming efficiency can help farmers to increase their per capita income and reduce poverty in rural areas of this country. This research evaluated the efficiency of Indonesian cocoa farms using a non-parametric approach. The results revealed that the majority of cocoa farms are operated relatively inefficiently. The average technical and allocative efficiencies (0.82 and 0.46, respectively) of these cocoa farms demonstrated that there is potential for improvement. The potential cost reductions range from 36 to 76%, with an average of 60%, if farmers practice efficiently. The technical and allocative efficiencies and cocoa farm economies are affected by the use of quality seeds, organic fertilizers, frequency of extension and training of farm managers, access to bank credit and the market, the participation of women, and the farm manager’s gender. An increase in the output would increase farmers’ income and reduce poverty in rural areas. This research suggests that the availability of extension and training provided to farmers as well as support for women farmer groups should be increased. Credit programs are also important for cocoa farmers, so policymakers should develop programs that make production credit more accessible for farmers, especially through cooperatives and banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the development impacts of migration and remittances in migrant source communities by applying insights from the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) theory to Ethiopia’s migration. Using household survey data, we empirically evaluate how household participation in migration arises and so that the subsequent labor losses and the influx of remittances affect income sources and asset accumulation of smallholder farm households. To account several econometric issues and consistently estimate the impacts of migration and remittances, we adopted three-stage least-squares method complemented with endogeneity and multicollinearity test. Besides, using logistic and multinomial logistic regressions respectively, we estimate the determinants of the household migration decision to have migrants, as well as the probability of the household to send out temporary or permanent migrants. Findings suggest that larger and wealthier households are less likely to have migrant family members, while households living below the poverty line, as well as villages with the highest unemployment rate, are the most likely to have both temporary and permanent migrants. However, a rise in months spent out of agriculture has a significant negative effect on crop income and asset accumulation, but only for permanent migration. By contrast, the influx of remitted income from migrants has led to increased crop income and asset values in the form of land and livestock holdings. Finally, this manuscript provides more comprehensive evidence by showing the net-returns of migration in terms of initial lost-labor effects and the positive developmental impacts that it produces varied for households with different types of migration and production conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the social inclusiveness of agricultural extension services in India. We estimate the probability and frequency of farmers’ access to extension services and resulting changes in crop income across different caste groups. The literature suggests that caste-based social segregation manifests in various spheres of life, and perpetuates economic inequality and oppression. An econometric analysis of nationally-representative data from rural India verifies this with respect to the agricultural sector. Farmers belonging to the socially-marginalized castes are found to have a lower chance of accessing the public extension services, primarily due to their inferior resource-endowment status. Contacting extension agents at least once increased the average annual crop income by about 12 thousand Indian rupees per household, which is equivalent to 36% of the annual crop income of those without access to extension services. There exists significant impact heterogeneity. Farmers from the socially-marginalized castes hardly benefited from accessing the extension services. Based on these observations, we have developed a number of policy recommendations that could improve the social inclusiveness of agricultural development strategies in rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore how wheat spot and futures market volatility has been impacted by government farm programs during the 1950-1993 period. We find that changing volatility in both markets is highly associated with changing farm programs. The mandatory allotment programs of the 1950s and early 1960s (1/3/50-4/10/64) were associated with low volatility, while the voluntary programs initiated in the mid 1960s seem to have induced high volatility (4/11/64-12/22/85). Both market-driven loan rates and conservation reserve programs appear to have helped volatility revert to lower levels since the mid 1980s (12/23/85-12/30/93). We also examine seasonality and causality in conjunction with the farm programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do modern convenience foods cost a lot more than less highly-processed ones? Are housewives really being extravagant in using them to save time and effort? Are they the real culprits in slashing the farmer's share of the food dollar in recent years? These are some of the questions that have been debated in Congress, the press, and within the food industry as pre-cooked meals, cake mixes, frozen fruits and vegetables, and a host of other convenience items have grown in popularity. In the past few years an increasing volume of material has been coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that throws more light on these controversial questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article responds at length to the article "The Changing Farm Market," by Vergil D. Reed, published in the October 1958 issue. The author challenges some of Reed's conclusions and offers insights into farm market segments. Although growing productivity does increase overall purchasing power over time, it does not follow that individual farmers will experience short-term purchasing-power benefits. In addition, Reed's assertion that the self-sufficient or subsistence farm is no longer common is disproved by statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Further, the farm market is not homogenous, although farmers tend to be loyal to machinery and feed brands. The author also comments on changes in distribution of goods to farms and forecasts farm trends of interest to marketers.

The impacts of climate change on agriculture depend on local conditions and crops grown. For instance, warmer winter temperatures in a given area would reduce chill hours, potentially cutting yields for some crops but extending the growing season for others. Using a century of climate data and six decades of acreage data, we established quantitative economic relationships between the evolution of local climate and acreage of 12 important crops in Yolo County. We then used the historical trend in climate change to project future crop acreages in the county. Only marginal changes in acreage in 2050 were projected for tree and vine crops there, in part because chill hours, although lower, remained above critical values. Walnuts were the most vulnerable tree crop, and the projections indicated some cultivars might be marginal in years with particularly warm winters. Processing tomato acreage might increase, due to a longer growing season, and also alfalfa acreage, if water availability and other factors remain constant.

The spotted wing drosophila, first detected in California in 2008, has become a major insect pest in caneberries and sweet cherries, causing commercial crop losses. Managing it is challenging because it has many other hosts, including riparian and backyard fruit plantings, and it increases rapidly, with generations overlapping one another. In our study we monitored trap captures in two parts of the San Joaquin Valley, within sweet cherry orchards and in nearby locations. Captures of adult flies showed two main periods of activity — spring and fall — and low captures in the winter (except for citrus and evergreen riparian areas) and summer. On many occasions during the year, trap captures were higher outside of the cherry orchards than within them. Additionally, early in the season, when decisions about control programs are being made, the sex ratio of captured flies in cherries was strongly female-biased. The results suggest that during the weeks leading up to harvest growers should experiment by placing traps in different environments surrounding their orchards to determine SWD activity and potential pest pressure locally, and monitor for both male and female flies.

Background: Ethiopia bears a high burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Early access to VL diagnosis and care improves clinical prognosis and reduces transmission from infected humans; however, significant obstacles exist. The approximate 250,000 seasonal mobile workers (MW) employed annually in northwestern Ethiopia may be particularly disadvantaged and at risk of VL acquisition and death. Our study aimed to assess barriers, and recommend interventions to increase access, to VL diagnosis and care among MWs. Methodology/Principal findings: In 2017, 50 interviews and 11 focus group discussions were conducted with MWs, mobile residents, VL patients and caretakers, community leaders and healthcare workers in Kafta Humera District, Tigray. Participants reported high vulnerability to VL among MWs and residents engaged in transitory work. Multiple visits to health facilities were consistently needed to access VL diagnosis. Inadequate healthcare worker training, diagnostic test kit unavailability at the primary healthcare level, lack of VL awareness, insufficient finances for care-seeking and prioritization of income-generating activities were significant barriers to diagnosis and care. Social (decision-making and financial) support strongly and positively influenced care-seeking; workers unable to receive salary advances, compensation for partial work, or peer assistance for contract completion were particularly disadvantaged. Participants recommended the government/stakeholders intervene to ensure: MWs access to bed-nets, food, shelter, water, and healthcare at farms or sick leave; decentralization of diagnostic tests to primary healthcare facilities; surplus medications/staff during the peak season; improved referral/feedback/reporting/training within the health system; free comprehensive healthcare for all VL-related services; and community health education. Conclusions/Significance: Contrary to what health policy for VL dictates in this endemic setting, study participants reported very poor access to diagnosis and, consequently, significantly delayed access to treatment. Interventions tailored to the socio-economic and health needs of MWs (and other persons suffering from VL) are urgently needed to reduce health disparities and the VL burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is unequivocal evidence in the literature that epidemics adversely affect the livelihoods of individuals, households and communities. However, evidence in the literature is dominated by the socioeconomic impacts of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while evidence on the impact of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) on households’ livelihoods remains fragmented and scant. Our study investigates the effect of the EVD epidemic on the livelihoods of Liberian households using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). The study also explores the effect of the EVD epidemic on agricultural production and productive efficiency of farm households using Spatial Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SSFA). We collected data from 623 households across Liberia in 2015, using a systematic random sampling design. Our results indicated that the annual income of sample households from communities where EVD occurred did not differ from the annual income of households from communities where EVD did not occur. Nonetheless, the majority of sample households reported a decrease in their income, compared to their income in the year before the survey. This suggests that the impact of the EVD epidemic might not only have been limited to communities directly affected by the epidemic, but also it may have indirectly affected communities in areas where EVD was not reported. We also found that the community-level incidence of EVD negatively affected crop production of farm households, which may have exacerbated the problem of food insecurity throughout the country. Moreover, we found that the EVD epidemic weakened the society’s trust in Liberian institutions. In a nutshell, our results highlight that epidemics, such as the recent EVD outbreak, may have long-lasting negative effects on the livelihoods of a society and their effect may extend beyond the communities directly affected by the epidemics. This means that the nation’s recovery from the impact of the epidemic would be more challenging, and the social and economic impacts of the epidemic may extend well beyond the end of the health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in the Algerian Sahara underwent radical transformations during the second half of the 20th century. Agricultural development programs, aiming to integrate the Sahara in the national economy, were based on an agribusiness model implemented outside existing oases – in the so-called extensions – through the conquest of new agricultural land and the use of pumped groundwater. The rehabilitation of existing ‘traditional’ oases received less attention as their capacity for agricultural development was thought limited. While the new agricultural landscape is considered by policy makers to be a creatio ex nihilo , we demonstrate that the extensions are in fact, the creatio ex materia of the ancient oases, and that the two Saharan agricultural landscapes are firmly connected. The objective of this article is then to challenge the dichotomous view of Saharan agricultural development and the underlying binary policy categories. This demonstration is based on a study of the Sidi Okba oasis and the surrounding extensions. The results of this study first show that the binary framing of agricultural development in Algeria’s Sahara is inadequate, as it neglects the temporal and spatial continuities and the hybridity of both landscapes. However, the study also shows that binary policy categories, even when they are inaccurate, participate in the construction of the new Saharan agricultural realities. We conclude that the new extensions are a better-adapted version of the traditional oasis in the context of globalization but in continuity with the ancient oasis. Questions concerning the social, economic and environmental sustainability of this model remain to be answered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]