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Consumer interest in healthy foodstuffs and vegetables has continuously been increasing. In this sense, quality has become a prominent issue in the production, consumption and marketing of vegetables. Seeds and planting processes significantly affect the quality of vegetables. Black carrot production is an important source of income for local farmers of Ereğli and Karapınar Districts of Konya province. Bare seeds of Ereğli local population are commonly used in black carrot production. Farmers produce their own seeds. These seeds undergo only one sieving and are not calibrated. In this study, uncalibrated bare, calibrated and coated seeds were planted and germination parameters were investigated. Experiments were conducted in Kuzukuyu village of Ereğli District, at three different planting distances (2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 cm) in randomized blocks design (3x3) with 3 replications. Planting was done in three rows on a ridge (with 7.5 cm row spacing) at a forward speed of 0.64 m s-1. Mean germination time was calculated as 19.90 days for uncalibrated bare seeds, 20.14 days for calibrated bare seeds and 20.79 days for coated seeds; germination rate index values were respectively calculated as 0.431, 0.761 and 0.656 [seeds (m days)-1]; field emergence rates were respectively calculated as 37.13%, 60.97% and 55.19%; number of plants per unit area were respectively determined as 42.35, 69.14 and 59.61 plants m-2. It was concluded based on present findings that calibrated bare and coated seeds should be used in planting process of black carrot seeds of Ereğli local population. Farmers should be trained on black carrot seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millets are the crops known as the first domesticated cereals, cultivated at the beginning of human civilization and are traditional grains, grown and consumed in the Indian subcontinent from the past more than 5000 years. They are the main food source for people in Asia and Africa who are living in economically disadvantaged status. Globally, millets are cultivated in 735.55 lakh hectre with the production of 890.92 lakh tonnes with productivity of 1211 kg/ha. India ranks first position in millets cultivation followed by Niger, Sudan, Nigeria, Mali etc. In India, millets are grown over an average area of 132.79 lakh ha with the production 162.70 lakh tonnes and yield 1225 kg/ha. More than 80% millets are produced in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat. Millets include major millets (sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet) and small millets (barnyard millets, proso millet, foxtail millet, Kodo and little millet), though, there are some other millets also cultivated in smaller area. These owing to their drought tolerance characteristics, widely cultivated in drought prone areas around the world for fodder and human food. These crops are cultivated in wide range of climatic conditions, marginal soil and low moisture conditions. They are having low requirements of water and fertility compared to other popular cereals. Millets can be cultivated at 200 mm rainfall in poor soils and high temperature with minimum use of chemicals or in other words, we can cultivate millets where other crops fails to grow. Still, millions of people around the world suffer from hidden hunger of micronutrient as sometimes they do not get enough food to survive or they do not get enough nutrients required for healthy life. The most common deficiencies in unbalanced diet are iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) etc. Millets are cheapest sources of energy and contains high content of digestive fibre, protein, vitamin B complex, essential amino acids, folic acid & vitamin E and minerals such as Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorous, Zinc, Calcium & Potassium. Due to higher nutritive value, Nutri-cereals have good prospects of penetrating the food baskets of a wider range of consumers. Millets supposed to be poor man's crops for long, have remained neglected with respect to their appropriate position in the commercialized food system but with the threat of nutrient deficiency among the masses, awareness about nutritive value, value addition and government initiatives, it became the crops of international importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online sales are essential for linking smallholder farmers to a wide range of markets. In essence, online sales not only influence the income received from selling a specific product but also generate spillover effects on total farm income and household income because they promote the sales of other agricultural products and generate regional off-farm work opportunities (e.g. product sorting, packaging, and delivery). Taking citrus as an example, this study explores the income effects of online sales with a focus on net returns from citrus production, net farm income, and household income. We used an endogenous treatment regression model to address the self-selection bias issues of online sales and estimated data collected from 926 citrus-producing households in Jiangxi Province, China. The results show that online citrus sales boost income growth in rural China. Specifically, online sales significantly increased net returns from citrus production, net farm income, and household income by 5,000 Yuan/capita, 8,580 Yuan/capita, and 17,830 Yuan/capita, respectively. The income-enhancing effects of online sales are greater for female household heads than they are for their male counterparts. Our findings emphasise the importance of promoting online sales to improve rural household welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses social accounting matrix multipliers and structural path analyses to estimate effects of COVID‐19 and related fiscal stimuli on five household groups. The COVID‐19 lockdown increased poverty in Pakistan by 15%, which was addressed using a $1.5 billion, digitally implemented Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC) program that reached 14.8 million poor households. The study's models show that the largest multipliers from Ehsaas program finance were in agriculture, as a 1 Rupee shock adds 0.225 Rupee income to households. About 30% of that gain was estimated to go to poor farm families. In contrast, our models find that construction and trade growth added three times as much income to poor nonfarm and urban households as to farm households. However, those sectors added only one third as much total income as agriculture. From the structural path analysis, the importance of capital assets in generating income was seen, as was the possibility of greater poverty reduction from sectors with proportionally fewer intermediate inputs and more value added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Promoting and provision of improved agricultural inputs technology innovations-, is key to increase the productivity through intensification of smallholders farms. However, there are limited rigorous impact evaluations on the contributions of such combinations of improved technologies on household income. This paper investigates the impact of improved agricultural technology use on farm household income in East Shewa Ethiopia. Methods: The study uses a multi stage sampling procedure to select 400 sample households. Data were collected using a household survey, a focus group discussant (FGD) and key informant interviews. Binary logistic regression model and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to analyse the data collected. Results: Results of the propensity score matching analysis showed that households using improved agricultural technologies had on average the annual income higher than the adopters by Ethiopia Birr 14,407.96. We found the importance of promoting complementary agricultural technologies among rural smallholders. Conclusions: The farmers are using improved agricultural inputs widely and their status may be vary from farmer to farmer based on availability, accessibility and lack of awareness of the issues involved. The adoption of multiple combinations of improved technologies has substantial effects that improve the agricultural productivity status of smallholders in the study areas. We suggest that rural technology generation, promotion, dissemination and adoption interventions be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy in agricultural landscapes has led to new debates about siting solar, wind, and other energy projects. Concerns for protecting food production and prime agricultural soils are often leading points of resistance to renewable energy projects. This resistance has grown, even as the urgency of transitioning away from fossil fuels has increased. The economic stakes are high, particularly for farmers seeking to diversify and stabilize farm income with renewables, but few studies have examined the likely magnitude of effects, either on food production or on farm incomes, implied by expanding renewables. How extensively are hosting communities likely to be impacted, and what do farmers stand to gain, or lose, in these debates? Focusing on a portion of New York State (NYS), with its aggressive solar development goals, we evaluated the effects of state solar targets on farmland and the economic potential for farmers leasing land. In comparison to current income from leading crops, land leasing alone would imply an increase of $42 million per year in local revenue, while affecting less than 12 percent of non-food producing, non-prime soils within the study area. The areal impacts are larger in our imaginations than in the real landscapes, and the debate has far-reaching implications for policy beyond farming areas.

Abstract South Africa has two types of animal farming systems, being the commercial industry and subsistence farming in more rural areas, with commercial farmers having more access to veterinary services. To cater for the absence of sufficient veterinary service, the country allows farmers to access certain over the counter medications (stock remedies), as a way to assist them to farm sustainably and profitably. However, with any drug use, their true benefits are only realized following correct use. The aim of this study was to describe and assess the adequacy of the current use of veterinary drugs by rural-based farmers. A scheduled structured questionnaire with close-ended questions and direct observation was employed. The most important finding was the absence of proper training in the area, with 82.9% not receiving any training related to livestock production or use/handling of stock remedies, highlighting the urgent need for proper training. Of interest, a large proportion of the farmers (57.5%) left the care of their animals to herders. Concerns were also noted in the application of withholding periods, transport of medication, disposal of medication, calculation of drug doses, correct route of administration and carcass disposal with no difference in response between farmers receiving training and those who didn’t. These finding not only indicates the importance of farmer training, but shows that for such training to be effective, information should not only cover farming activities but must include primary animal health care and an understanding of information contained in package leaflets. It would also be important to ensure that herdsmen are also included in such training initiatives as they are the primary careers of the animals.

The variability in climate affects the agricultural production especially in drylands. It is necessary to understand and quantify the impacts of resilient technologies as well as effects of extreme events. Keeping these in view, the primary data on household characteristics and the farm income was collected from a sample of 60 farmers each from National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) program adopted village and a comparable control village in the district. The sample was also post classified into small, medium and large farmer to bring out the economic impact across land classes. The impact was estimated following the difference-in-differences (DiD) model as the data allows us to use effectively the data across time and regions. The results show us that the average income of a farm household in the NICRA village is more than 40 percent than non-adopted village and during a drought situation the farmers under NICRA intervention where better off by 19.5 percent. The income from crops and livestock production in adopted village was significantly higher than the control village. The DiD model output showed the farm income of adopted village was 40 percent higher showing that better climate smart interventions improved the farm incomes. The estimate showed that the treated farm household had higher income of Rs. 54,717 than the control during a drought year. Better knowledge and quantification of impact of technology adoption on farm income specially during drought will help to effectively design technological and policy interventions for better drought management in drylands.

IntroductionOver the years, smallholder farmers have faced more vulnerability to risk and uncertainty in India due to their dependence on cereal crops. One way to reduce this risk is through diversified agriculture, integrating different practices for efficient resource utilization, and adopting a farming systems approach. An integrated farming system (IFS) is one such technique that provides year-round income from different components of enterprises. However, the decision to adopt IFS may be determined by several characteristics of farmers, which needs to be delineated through impact analysis to harness the benefits of a systems approach.MethodsThis study analyzes the economic effects of integrated farming systems and assesses their determinants, as well as the dietary diversity patterns of farmers in two states of southern India, i.e., Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A multistage sampling technique was used to obtain cross-sectional data from 367 farmers randomly chosen from one district in Kerala and two districts in Tamil Nadu. The participants have Crop + Horticulture + Animal husbandry (45.45%) as their major system, whereas non-participants have Crop + Animal husbandry (44.35%) as their predominant system. Coarsened exact matching and logit regression methods were used to evaluate the economic impacts of IFS and its influencing factors.ResultsThe findings of the study indicate that age, education, livestock holding, access to credit, and plantation area have a positive and significant effect on participation by farmers in the program. The matching results show that adoption of IFS resulted in a significant economic impact, generating an additional gross income of Rs. 36,165 ha−1 and a net income of Rs. 35,852 ha−1 and improving the dietary diversity of farm households by 8.6% as compared to non-adopters.DiscussionThis study suggests that IFS is a promising approach for improving farmers' livelihoods, economic gains, and nutritional security. Therefore, the integrated farming systems models need to be upscaled through the convergence of government schemes in other regions of India to support smallholder farmers' farming.

AbstractIncome diversification is an essential livelihood strategy among small-scale farmers in low-income countries. Through income diversification, farmers can potentially invest off-farm earnings into their farm business to enhance productivity and income from farming. Conversely, working off-farm can lead to a labour-loss effect which can reduce farm performance. This study therefore assesses the effect of off-farm work (OFW) on farm income using data from 486 smallholder farmers in northern Ghana. An endogenous treatment regression model was used to assess the effect of diversifying income sources on farm income. The results showed that involvement in OFW enhanced farm income per acre by GH¢ 386. Other factors that enhanced farm income included years of formal education and access to extension services and input subsidy. Farmer group membership and household size however reduced farm income. The farm sector can therefore take advantage of the positive linkage with the non-farm sector to improve farm income levels of farmers. In this light, government’s rural industrialization policy should seek to provide more job opportunities outside the farm sector to enable smallholder farmers to take advantage of such opportunities to improve income from on-farm activities.

Family farms and agricultural cooperatives play important roles in modern agriculture in many countries. Different from smallholder farms in scale, family farms have been designated as the predominant unit of farming in China in the recent decade. However, studies on the relationship between cooperatives and family farms' income have been less frequent. Using survey data of 769 planting family farms in China, and employing the endogenous switching regression model, we examine the impact of cooperative membership on family farms' operating income (including total and per capita income). The empirical results show that, after controlling for the selection bias, cooperative membership exerts a positive and significant impact on family farms' income. And the income increase of non-member family farms if they had participated in cooperatives is much higher than that of family farms who are already members of cooperatives. Moreover, family farms that are common members of cooperatives, obtaining more centralized services and engaging in grain crop farming, would benefit more from cooperative membership. Technology-related service, marketing and information are critical pathways via which cooperative membership would increase family farms' income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated adoption and determinants of adopting the bed planter developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and the impacts on productivity and farm income in the Rajshahi and Faridpur districts of Bangladesh. Primary data were collected during 2019 from 41 adopters and 80 non-adopters using a multi-stage random sampling technique. On average, the adoption rate of the BARI bed planter was 15%. Socio-economic characteristics such as farm size, farming experience, training, and extension contacts significantly differed between adopters and non-adopters. A probit model showed that farmer experience, extension contacts, and farmers' club membership were key variables influencing the likelihood of BARI bed planter adoption. Policy recommendations based on these results include modifying current extension approaches and increasing investment in farm machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the impact of agricultural trade openness on horizontal agricultural income inequality in South Korea during the period 1993–2018 using the Kuznets curve hypothesis of the openness-income inequality nexus and autoregressive distributed lag model. We find an inverted-U relationship between agricultural openness and horizontal agricultural income inequality. Further, our results indicate that financial development reduces income inequality within the sub-sectors of agriculture in the country. From these results, the inverted-U relationship between agricultural openness and income inequality should be monitored, and the agricultural sector should be provided with financial support to sustain domestic agricultural production to buffer price volatilities attributed to world agricultural supply shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the lack of income opportunities for Dalits in Nepal, as they are the most affected group in any disaster. The presence of vulnerable family members in Dalit households may further increase their income deprivation. We therefore studied Dalit households' income sources and identified income determinants in Gandaki Rural Municipality in Gorkha District—the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake. We observed a higher dependency of Dalit households on daily wages, livestock sales, social security allowances, and vegetables sales; however, remittance and seasonal job earnings represented the largest share of household incomes. We observed a significant difference in per capita income between farm (US$46) and non-farm (US$273) income sources, with the difference smallest in the lowest income quantile and the largest in the highest quantile. When the household head was a single woman, we observed a reduction in non-farm (by 29%) and total incomes (by 23%). Likewise, when the household head had a chronic health problem, or the household included an elderly family member, there was a reduction in the household's income. We suggest economic interventions for Dalit households to prevent increased social exclusion in the development process, specifically focusing on vulnerable individuals and households in the lowest income quantile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines causes behind recent changes in income inequality in China, especially its moderation since 2008, using household survey data and decomposition analyses. It is found that, by income sources, contributors to the moderation in inequality were wage income, pension, and other transfers, offset somewhat by the inequality‐increasing effect of changes in net farm and nonfarm business incomes, net asset income, imputed rent, and personal income tax and social security contribution. By household characteristics, contributors to inequality moderation were a narrowing in the urban–rural income gap, rural–urban migration, and a decline in regional income disparity, offset by widening inter‐industry earning differentials, a rise in the education premium, and changes in some unknown factors. These results are likely an outcome of some fundamental drivers working together, including processes of catch‐up growth and structural transformation, market‐driven forces including technological progress and globalisation, government policy actions, and remaining market distortions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land expansion by existing smallholder farmers (SHFs), aka stepping-up, is a major pathway to the rise of medium-scale farmers (MSFs) in Africa. In this paper, we investigate if and how armed conflicts constrain the ability of SHFs to transition to MSFs. We find that increased conflict intensity reduces the likelihood that a SHF will expand to a larger scale, especially for farmers who rely mostly on farm incomes, rather than off-farm incomes, for their livelihoods. These findings uphold other evidence that peace and stability influence private investment, including land-based investments, that are associated with economic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic growth convergence between advanced nations and the rest of the world has been found to reduce global income inequality. However, less is known about convergence within nations, especially in developing economies with substantial regional heterogeneities. Using the neoclassical framework, this study tests for farm income convergence in India, where agriculture employs over 200 million workers. Household farm income is estimated in 599 districts using three pan‐India situation assessment surveys (2003, 2013, and 2019). The conditional convergence model—augmented to capture spatial spillovers—shows farm incomes are converging across Indian districts but at slower rates in recent years and among farmers in the left‐tail of the income distribution. Irrigation infrastructure, crop diversification, and distance to the urban market explain farm income growth, and hence, spatial income disparities. Returns to these factors are high for middle‐income farmers than for the rich or poor. Spatial spillovers, likely from technological change, captured in residuals also had a positive impact on farm incomes. Results remain unchanged when farm income was replaced by its value added. Connecting the poorest to the markets, strengthening infrastructure and promoting diversification for the middle‐income groups, and nudging high‐income farmers toward value chains could help equitable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study has been undertaken to assess the profitability and efficiency of polyculture of Pangasius pangasius and Piaractus brachypomus along with carps which has become an alternative for composite carp culture. Farmers (n=60) from Andhra Pradesh were surveyed using a structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed with various statistical and econometric tools viz. B-C ratio, Cobb Douglas production function, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Results of B-C ratio revealed that polyculture was profitable for small and large farmers with net incomes of $5,742 and $5,135 respectively. Feed cost has the higher share in total cost with 58% and 50% for small and large farmers respectively. C-D production function depicted that factors feed and labor days were significantly affected farmer's income (p<0.001). The estimated technical score of 0.82 using DEA suggested that farmers can produce same level of output with use of 18% less inputs. Higher percentage of large farmers was technically more efficient than small farmers. The allocative score of 0.81 with cost efficiency score of 0.65 indicated that the same level of output using the combination of inputs corresponds to the minimum cost of production. Acquiring knowledge and managerial skills on efficient use of farm inputs, scientific mix of cultivable fish species, use of low-cost protein-rich feeds, and adoption of scientific feeding strategies would help the farmers to reduce cost of production and increase farm income. The department of fisheries intervention is needed for the promotion of aquaculture with diverse fish species, setting of optimum stocking density and supply of quality feed at reasonable price, and checking of price fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the determinants of off-farm work in Swiss agriculture between 2003 and 2013. By differentiating between the between-farm effects and the within-farm effects, our model provides new insights into the labour allocation process as compared with standard cross-sectional or panel data models. As regards the between-farm variations, our results show that younger farm families without children and farm households with higher non-agricultural education levels of both the farmer and the partner are more involved in working activities outside the farm. However, the within-farm time effects provided a more differentiated picture: impacts of changes in most variables over time tended to be smaller, and in case of two variables show opposite directions. In addition to a negative between-effect of farm income on the allocation of off-farm labour, our results on within-farm effects suggest that an increase in farm income per annual family work unit could be compatible with a higher share of off-farm work during the analysed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study looked into the use of input in sesame production with the view on seeing the returns to its production in Ringim Local Government Area, Jigawa State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from 100 randomly selected farmers using the multistage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics, net farm income and regression model were used in data analysis. The result showed that the mean age of the respondents was 38 years with secondary education been most popularly attained. The respondents had a household size of 3 persons cultivating a farm size of 3.5ha with experience of 8 years on average in sesame production. The results also reveal net farm income and return on naira invested of N 46,190.59 and 1.54 respectively, an indication of a profitable enterprise. The semi-log functional form gave the best fit based on the normal econometric criteria with coefficient of multiple determination of 0.312 implying that about 31 percent of the variation in yield of sesame was explained by the specified explanatory variables. It also revealed that there was under utilization of all the production inputs under consideration. It is therefore encouraged that more of the limiting factors (farm size, quantity of seed and quantity of organic manure) observed be put into cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It is imperative to achieve sustainable growth in farmers' earnings to sustain poverty alleviation efforts and achieve rural revitalization goals. The authors investigated the nature of the non-linear relationship between farmers' e-commerce participation and income growth, analyzed the rationale behind this correlation and examined the moderating effect of digital finance on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted an empirical investigation using rural household data from the China Household Finance Survey and the regional digital finance index compiled by Peking University. The authors employed a fixed-effect model and a moderating effect model to identify the non-linear influences of e-commerce participation on farmers' income and to analyze the positive synergies of digital finance. The authors used identification and estimation techniques to mitigate the endogeneity problem, specifically employing heteroscedasticity-based instruments. Findings: There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between e-commerce participation and farmers' income. Digital finance reduces the declining trend in the marginal effects of e-commerce and increases marginal values. Furthermore, the synergistic effect can promote the quality and efficiency of business activities by easing credit constraints, reducing risk aversion and stimulating innovative activities, which in turn can lead to sustained revenue growth. Originality/value: Few studies have focused on the non-linear relationship between e-commerce and farmers' income. This implies that achieving sustained income growth using e-commerce alone is difficult. The synergy between e-commerce and digital finance is a feasible path for achieving this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to determine the propensity of livestock farmers to adopt ICTs in the Barnala district of Punjab, India. The convenience sampling technique was used to select 60 livestock farmers from all three blocks of the Barnala district and the data was collected from respondent livestock farmers via direct interview using a pre-formulated schedule. Livestock farmers were using ICT (GADVASU apps) to enhance their farm income. The commonly used ICT tools were mobile phones, Internet browsing, newspapers, and television. The use of ICT (GADVASU apps) by livestock farmers was effective as it contributed to enhancing livestock productivity. Socio-economic and institutional factors significantly influenced the use and adoption of ICTs by livestock farmers. Tobit analysis results indicated that age, education level, herd size, and participation in extension activities were significant (p<0.1) determining factors influencing the adoption of ICTs. Farmers have small herd sizes, little experience using ICT, and higher education levels. Adoption of ICTs (GADVASU apps) may be sustainable among livestock farmers if the extension agencies prioritise developing strategies and programmes to educate farmers. The government also subsidises farmers so that they can purchase data and ICT tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the technical efficiency of honey and beeswax production in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. A total sample size of 120 honey and beeswax producers was used. Primary data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The gross margin and net farm income for honey and beeswax production per cycle were calculated at 924,235 Naira and 891,850 Naira respectively. This shows that honey and beeswax production was profitable in the study area. Significant predictors influencing the technical efficiency of honey and beeswax production were labour input, bee feed and sugar syrup, land size, number of beehives, quantity of antibiotics and vaccines, and cost incurred in honeybee pest, disease, and predator control. The socio-economic predictors negatively influencing the technical efficiency of honey and beeswax production were age, gender, household size, educational level, experience in beekeeping, and membership of cooperatives. The average technical efficiency score for honey and beeswax producers was 56.3%, leaving a gap of 43.7% for improvement. The constraints faced by honey and beeswax producers were a lack of modern equipment, a lack of credit facilities, inadequate extension services, inadequate training and capacity building, transportation problems, and disease, pest and predator attacks. The study recommends that modern beekeeping equipment should be provided for honey and beeswax producers to increase productivity. Furthermore, training and capacity building should be organized for honey and beeswax producers to increase both productivity and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture, entwined with climatic conditions, plays a pivotal role in Thailand's sustenance and economy. This study aimed to examine the trends of climate variability and its correlation with crop yields and social and farm factors affecting farm net income in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. Time series climate data (2002–2020) on temperature and rainfall and yields were analyzed using the Mann–Kendall trend test and Sen's slope estimation to investigate the trends and their changes. The Pearson correlation was used to assess the association between climate variability and cultivated crop yields, and multiple linear regression was used to detect the factors influencing the farm net income. The findings show that the total annual rainfall showed an unchanged trend, but the annual temperature increased over time. Higher temperature negatively impacted longan yield but positively affected maize, with no significant impact on rice yield. The rainfall trend had no effect on crop yields. Despite declining trends in some cultivated crops' yield, farm net income was unaffected by individual crop types. Farm income relied on cumulative output and geographic location. This research emphasizes the need for integrating climate data and forecasting models considering agronomic and socio-economic factors and crop suitability assessments for specific regions into adaptation policies and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed rural farmers access to extension services and its implications for increased adoption of improved farm technologies in Delta State, Nigeria. It examined the personal characteristics of the respondents of the study, the rate of farmers access to extension services, evaluates the impacts of farmers access to extension services on farm technology adoption and identified the strategies that could be adopted to improve extension service access to farmers. The respondents were randomly selected through multi-stage sampling technique and the data gathered were analyzed using descriptive and inferential techniques. Results revealed that most of the respondents were males (65.96%), married (67.38%), have secondary education (38.29%) have membership with cooperative societies (86.52%) and have access to credit provision (82.27%). The average age, household size, farming experience and farm size was 40.04 years, 7 persons, 10.78 years and 3.23 ha. respectively. The rate of access to extension services was high (45.39%) and that have positively impacted on the farmers in several ways. Several strategies were agreed that can improving the rate of access of farmers to extension services to include: improving on farmers educational level (mean = 4.31) and members of farmers social group (mean = 4.31). Personal characteristics like gender, age, level of education, household size, cooperative membership and farm income were found to significantly affect the rate of farmers access to extension services. The result also showed that farmers access to extension services have also impacted significantly to household welfare. Based on results, the study recommended that there is still need to privatize, if not all but some sensitive aspects of the extension service system that could help to better the farmers output, income and welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anadolu Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi, Ziraat Fakultesi 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.)

Copyright of Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural & Agribusiness Economists is the property of Polish Association of Agricultural & Agribusiness Economists 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 article examines the importance of landholdings in explaining income inequality among family farms in four districts in Georgia following the land reform of the 1990s. Income inequality is decomposed by sources of income and by determinants of income. The results indicate that farm income is a disequalizing source of income among family farms in these districts. In addition, a uniform increase in landholding is expected to reduce income inequality. Combining the two results, we conclude that the impact of land reform on farm household income inequality depends on the resulting distribution of landholdings. It can reduce inequality if land is distributed relatively equally, but inequality can increase if the wealthier farmers are able to gain control of more (and perhaps better) land resources. A possible implication of this result is that for land reform to be equalizing, distributing land to smallholders should be accompanied by additional policies and regulations supporting small farmers, such as land titling and registration, support for cooperation, and access to credit and other market services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study estimates crop diversification in the Karbi Anglong district, Assam, North East India, as well as the cost and returns from shifting cultivation in the hilly areas, along with policy measures for maintaining their sustainability in the long run. The study comprised both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from four blocks of the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. Two villages from each block were selected based on the intensive shifting practices, and 10 respondents from each village were selected randomly, making a total sample of 80 respondents. The average crop diversification in the region was greater than 0.8, indicating that the region is highly rich in diversity. The variable cost mainly consisted of hired human labour and seeds, of which labour cost was highest for cultivation because shifting cultivation is labour-intensive. Though the returns over total cost and variable cost for different crop mixes showed positive outcomes, it was necessary to recommend a policy to reduce human labour costs in hilly regions. So, a policy has been recommended to make small farm machinery (smaller than power tillers) readily available to farmers for cultivation in hilly regions. This will help reduce the human labour cost, thereby increasing the net returns of the farming community and distribution of higher-yielding seeding materials among them. This would enhance their income, so farmers in the study region must be encouraged to increase the extent of crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers face various types of risks that affect their behavioural strategies and well-being. In 2022, the main problem was the rapid and uncontrolled acceleration of inflation in the markets of raw materials, energy and food products. Farmers have faced price volatility in food, raw materials and energy. The purpose of the article was to analyse the impact of the price factor on farmers' incomes, including the total impact of prices on manufactured products and energy carriers. The regression-based analysis showed the negative nature of such an impact, which requires increased state support for farm income during the crisis period. As a result of the study, we proposed to reorient government support from simple subsidies to incentives for farmers to produce bioenergy from waste. This measure will increase farmers' energy independence, reduce income dependence on rising energy prices, and increase the efficiency of public spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Motivation: Ensuring viability of farming and increasing farmers' incomes are key policy concerns in India at present. To realize these aims, markets need to function well: market imperfections can increase production and transaction costs for farmers and thereby reduce incomes. A longstanding and repeated observation in India is that land productivity is inversely related to farm size, an inverse relation (IR) which may well indicate imperfectly functioning land, labour, and credit markets. Purpose: The study revisits the inverse relation, to examine whether market imperfections still prevail in India, particularly in output, input, factor, and credit markets. Methods and approach: Based on multi‐stage sampling, 1,800 households spread over 45 villages and 21 districts were surveyed across Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab. Micro‐econometric methods were applied to the household‐level data to test for relations between farm size and land and labour productivity, and implied evidence of market imperfections. Findings: A strong IR between land productivity and farm size on the output side, and farm size and family labour use on the input side can be seen. However, intensive use of family labour on small farms is not the only determinant of farm size‐productivity relations. It is found that smaller farmers are relatively more constrained in obtaining credit. The results suggest that Sen's labour dualism theory, together with imperfections in land and credit markets, offers important insights. Also, drawing from the recent literature, measurement errors in plot size and production and "edge effect" could be some of the contributing factors. Policy implications: Our findings point to the prevalence of surplus family labour on small farms, even a decade after the enactment of a major employment guarantee programme (MGNREGS), exacerbated by small farmers having limited access to institutional credit. Thus, particularly for marginal and small farmers, reforming land lease markets to enable easier access to land, providing better access to institutional credit, and improving literacy to enable farmers to deploy abundant household labour in other occupations, are needed to address some of the observed imperfections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home gardens have been an integral part of the recent food‐based interventions aimed at stimulating changes in dietary patterns and improving nutrition. However, evidence of their effects on food security, dietary quality, child anthropometry and incomes is limited, particularly among vulnerable populations groups. Using panel data from a sample of approximately 1900 households from vulnerable population groups in Odisha, India, difference‐in‐differences and other econometric techniques, we analyse the effects of home gardens on food security, dietary quality, child anthropometry and income. On average, home gardens contribute to better household food security, higher dietary quality of men and women but do not contribute to higher children's dietary quality and anthropometry. Also, home gardens increase monthly per adult equivalent incomes by 37% and reduce the prevalence of poverty by 11.7 percentage points. Quantile regression results suggest that home gardens enhance food security and incomes in all quantiles, but richer farmers benefit more than poorer farmers. Overall, home gardens can enhance household food security, dietary quality of men and women, and income gains among vulnerable farming population groups, but they may not suffice to improve child dietary quality and anthropometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No reliable supports protect European Union (EU) farmers from the catastrophic risks arising from extreme weather events, which are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change. We compare alternative EU safety net policies to reduce farm income downside risks, which are transparent, predictable, and fair and operate with indices on an EU Member State (MS) level. Simulations with a tailored global model of a series of historic yield shocks as observed over past decades serve as a test bed to quantify the costs and benefits of these policies across EU MS using various risk metrics. The results highlight properties of and rankings among these polices useful for guiding future policy design and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) agricultural baseline projections are important in shaping US agricultural policy. We investigate the degree to which previous findings of bias and inefficiency of USDA baseline projections of farm income and its components are driven by underlying macroeconomic assumptions. Once we control for the deviation of underlying macroeconomic assumptions from their observed path, we find that USDA projections of net cash income and its components are optimal for 73.3% of the projection horizons and the length of informative horizons improves. These findings may help USDA projection users, adjust their expectations when making plans and decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue features 14 new research papers investigating the role of farmers' organizations (e.g., collective action, self‐help groups, producer companies/organizations, and cooperatives) in supporting sustainable development. The key findings include: (1) farmer groups and cooperatives promote farmers' adoption of good farm management practices, new agricultural technologies and sustainable farming practices, although not substantially improving farm yield; (2) outsourcing services provided by agricultural cooperatives help to increase the technical efficiency of crop production; (3) cooperative membership enhances members' bargaining power and enables them to sell their products at higher prices; (4) cooperatives motivate rural laborers to work in off‐farm sectors, while self‐help groups empower rural women in decision‐making; (5) internet use improves agricultural cooperatives' economic, social, and innovative performances; (6) direct administrative intervention supporting cooperative development may lead to the emergence of shell cooperatives; (7) participation in forest farmer organizations enables wood value chain upgrading; (8) increasing the cooperative size in terms of income, equity, and assets increases the profitability of savings and credit cooperatives; and (9) creating cross‐border cooperation between cooperatives generates benefits for all parties involved. These findings can inspire the design of policies aimed to support farmers' organizations in achieving sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membership in agricultural cooperatives may influence intra‐household decisions regarding the division of household labor. However, the linkages between cooperative membership and labor allocation remain unexplored. To fill this gap, we examine the impact of cooperative membership on off‐farm work decisions of couples engaged in farming, using data collected from 595 banana farmers in China. The recursive bivariate probit model and endogenous‐treatment Poisson regression model are employed to address the self‐selection bias inherent in cooperative membership. The results show that cooperative membership increases the probability of participating in off‐farm work by 38% for husbands and 31% for wives. Having large households reduces the probability of husbands but increases that of wives working off‐farm. Cooperative membership is also associated with more time spent on off‐farm work and higher earnings for both husbands and wives. Our findings point to the potential of agricultural cooperatives to increase farm couples' off‐farm employment, thus increasing household income and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the research was to determine the significance of cattle farming (especially dairy cows) in the use of forage area, mainly permanent grassland, and its relationship with the natural environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (methane), water consumption, and biodiversity. The analysis concerned 1,823 dairy farms under observation of the Polish FADN between 2018 and 2020 and managed by natural persons. The following aspects were taken into account: production potential of farms, production and economic results, organization of plant and animal production depending on the structure of forage area determined by the share of permanent grassland in the area. It was found that the production potential of the dairy farms under consideration and their production and economic results were negatively correlated with increased share of permanent grassland in the forage area. It was also found that a higher share of permanent grassland in the forage area: meant a higher share of valuable nature area in the farm; was specifically correlated with the balance of organic matter in the soil; the balance was positive in all of the considered cases, i.e., they kept an increasing amount of water in the soil and increasing amounts of carbon dioxide each year; resulted in a significant increase in water consumption per 1 liter of milk produced, but the situation was related to increased share of permanent grassland in the forage area and lower milk yield of cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The income stabilisation tool (IST) is the latest tool proposed by the European Union (EU) to manage agricultural risks. It aims at stabilising farm income by compensating income losses. Using a discrete choice experiment, this paper investigates grapevine farmers' acceptance of the IST in Croatia and tests whether behavioural factors such as risk preferences, probability weighting and subjective probabilities related to future farm income explain acceptance of this new tool. Results suggest that there is demand for the IST. Pessimistic farmers are more likely to participate in the IST than others, suggesting that subjective probabilities influence farmers' decisions about agricultural risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, 80 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal farmers. They primarily depend on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood security. The rice-rice cropping system reduces farm income, declined soil fertility and other soil degradation problems. The farming system approach is a holistic tool to address the problems of mono-cropping through diversification that enhances farm income, production and employment. A field study was conducted during 2011–2018 to study the impact of the rice-based integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) for profitability, carbon emission and sustainability. Recycling of resources and residues led to higher productivity (58.9 %) and net profit (48.5 %) over the initial year by adopting rice-based ICLS. This system had a net profit of $ 3097/year and generated 776 man T days/ha/year employments. In ICLS, the recyclable farm waste material of 28.98 tons is converted into organic manures of 16.03 tons and saves the fertilizer’s cost of $ 504 per year. It can be a sustainable model with a sustainable yield index (0.11) of for wet situations with less carbon-emitting and profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of demographic shifts on income inequality among farm households over an 18-year period, from 2003 to 2021. Our principal aim is to determine whether changes in income inequality are driven more by intra-group changes in age/household size groups or by changes between these groups. Furthermore, the study aims to understand which age/household size groups are associated with changes in income inequality. The methodology of this study involves using the generalized entropy (GE) index, which allows for the decomposition of inequality within and between population subgroups. The study divides the total population into subgroups based on age and household size and analyzes both static and dynamic inequality. Results show that (i) the within-group effect for static farm income inequality is more significant than the between-group effect. (ii) On the other hand, for changes in inequality (dynamic inequality), the between-group effect in the case of age and the within-group effect in the case of household size are important. (iii) Changes in income inequality are more related to structural changes in the age group of farmers than to the size of household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Common Agricultural Policy 2021–2027 includes stronger environmental and climate targets to contribute to Green Deal objectives. By using direct payment funds for sustainable agricultural practices, the CAP aims to strengthen incomes, reduce climate impact, protect biodiversity, etc. However, there are many conditions farmers must meet to access funds under eco-schemes, and there are many concerns about their impact on income and profitability. It is, therefore, important to understand the impact of subsidies on Romanian farms. This study analyses income inequality on three Romanian farms (with a cultivated area between 2400 and 2600 ha, 550 and 610 ha, and 40 and 66 ha during the 2019–2021 period), focusing on the impact of different income sources (production and subsidies). The study is based on data collected during the 2019–2021 period and uses Gini coefficients and concentration indicators. The results show the following: the inequality-reducing effect of subsidies depends on crop rotation and changes in income from agricultural production; the influence of subsidies on inequality at the farm level is very low; the dependence on direct payments can be overcome by good crop selection and management; farmers cannot survive without subsidies, especially in years with difficult conditions; the impact of subsidies was higher for the lowest-profit variants. These findings are important because eco-schemes are voluntary, and stakeholders are not expected to spend the money allocated to eco-schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]