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Digital technology plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable farming and ensuring food security, especially in developing countries. This study evaluates the impact of Internet technology usage on technical efficiency in crop productivity, using data from 600 wheat farmers in rural Pakistan. It addresses the imperative need to enhance agricultural practices within the context of sustainable food production. To achieve this, a matched sample of Internet users and non-users was formed through propensity score matching. The study employs the stochastic frontier method with sample selection adjustment, ensuring a robust evaluation of technical efficiency between these groups. The findings reveal a positive influence of Internet usage on efficiency, persisting even after mitigating self-selection bias from observed and unobserved factors. Internet users exhibit a technical efficiency score of 0.62, surpassing the 0.55 score of non-users. Quantile regression analysis exposes varying impacts of Internet usage on technical efficiency, with less efficient farmers experiencing substantial improvements. Widespread Internet adoption holds the potential to significantly enhance agricultural production for growers. The research underscores the role of promoting Internet utilization to stimulate growth and improve farming efficiency within the evolving digital economy. Policymakers are advised to promote the adoption of modern technology to enhance crop production and support economic growth.

Digital technology plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable farming and ensuring food security, especially in developing countries. This study evaluates the impact of Internet technology usage on technical efficiency in crop productivity, using data from 600 wheat farmers in rural Pakistan. It addresses the imperative need to enhance agricultural practices within the context of sustainable food production. To achieve this, a matched sample of Internet users and non-users was formed through propensity score matching. The study employs the stochastic frontier method with sample selection adjustment, ensuring a robust evaluation of technical efficiency between these groups. The findings reveal a positive influence of Internet usage on efficiency, persisting even after mitigating self-selection bias from observed and unobserved factors. Internet users exhibit a technical efficiency score of 0.62, surpassing the 0.55 score of non-users. Quantile regression analysis exposes varying impacts of Internet usage on technical efficiency, with less efficient farmers experiencing substantial improvements. Widespread Internet adoption holds the potential to significantly enhance agricultural production for growers. The research underscores the role of promoting Internet utilization to stimulate growth and improve farming efficiency within the evolving digital economy. Policymakers are advised to promote the adoption of modern technology to enhance crop production and support economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main risks that tend to affect the profitability and well-being of smallholder rice farmers in Tanzania is volatile rice prices. Improving the capacity of farmers to manage price risks is essential to increase rural incomes. This article applies descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and probit model to examine price risk management strategies of smallholders rice farmers, and factors affecting their use. Results have shown that most rice farmers prefer to manage price risk through spot market strategies, even though forward contracts perform better. The factors that significantly affected the adoption of the risk management tools were farm income, technological intensity, income diversification activities, access to market information, and storage facilities. Findings suggest that policies aimed at establishing and promoting commodity- derivative markets, improving market information systems, supporting the construction of warehouse facilities in rural areas, and improving access to credit for farmers could enhance farmers’ ability to manage price risks. Governments can also set up price guarantee schemes to help farmers cope with the loss of income resulting from catastrophic events or major market disruptions.

Hyperaccumulator–cash crop intercropping remediation is a research hotspot for heavy metal contaminated farmland, but few studies evaluated its feasibility based on practice. Field experiments and survey statistics were conducted to obtain parameters of Pteris vittata–Citrus reticulata/Zea mays intercropping, and potential of intercropping remediation was evaluated based on remediation efficiency and economic benefits. The results showed that intercropping hyperaccumulator with cash crop (especially herbs) had a certain negative effect on remediation efficiency because of the influence on planting density and harvest times of hyperaccumulator; while trees could partly alleviate this effect. Until achieving the predetermined target, the net remediation cost of P. vittata–Z. mays was 18.2 $/g As, followed by P. vittata monoculture (13.3 $/g) and P. vittata–C. reticulata (8.6 $/g). Based on the proposed evaluation model, nealy half of the P. vittata intercropping modes had low economic benefits, insufficient to compensate the cost of sacrificing remediation efficiency. Based on the data from two soil remediation projects, when net income of cash crops intercropped with As-hyperaccumulators exceeded 5865/1607 $/hm2 (herbs/trees), the economic benefit of intercropping will be relatively obvious. Therefore, cash crops should be considered from three aspects: planting conditions, spatial allocation and economic benefits. Novelty statement: This work analyzed remediation efficiency and economic benefits of intercropping remediation. An economic benefit evaluation model was established to evaluate intercropping remediation modes. The selection principle and net income threshold of cash crops in intercropping was put forward for the first time. The selection principle of cash crops in intercropping remediation was put forward. An evaluation model of P. vittata intercropping remediation was established. The net cost of extracting 1.0 g of soil As in each remediation mode was proposed. Net income of herb/tree intercropped with P. vittata should exceed 5865/1607 $/hm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims at exploring the performance of the price discovery function of cornstarch futures market in China. In order to test the stationarity of the cash and futures prices of cornstarch, the augmented Dickey–Fuller test is applied. Both prices are integrated of order one. Then, the Johansen cointegration test is conducted to test the cointegrating relationship between those two prices. Finally, the Granger causality test is performed to observe the direction of causality. The evidence shows that there is a long-run relationship between cash and futures prices and the futures price Granger causes cash price. As a whole, price discovery of cornstarch market in China is present although it is a newly emerged market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discover an effective maize price for trading and policy-making reference by assessing the price transmission of the US spot and futures maize prices to Chinese counterparts. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply a systematic, quantitative method to analyze the integration between US and Chinese maize markets. Based on the residuals of the variables through error correction model, the directed acyclic graph (DAG) among six price variables is conducted. With consideration of the dependence on and direction of six price variables, the variance decomposition of each variable is calculated. Findings – This paper shows that the vertical price transmission passes from wholesale price to farm-gate price. The horizontal price transmission ranges from spot price to futures price at the domestic market and from the American spot price to domestic spot price, from the American spot price to domestic futures price and from the American futures price to domestic futures price. The American maize spot and futures prices, and in particular the spot price, have greater effects on domestic maize prices contemporaneously. It also indicates that the American spot price is the leader price in the long run at both maize markets. Originality/value – This paper contributes by using the DAG method in this paper. It also contributes by helping policy makers and market participants find the leading prices and offers insight into ways of gaining power of price setting in the maize market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the inflection points and main influencing factors for arsenic (As) accumulation in Pteris vittata L. under field conditions is important to improve the phytoremediation efficiency. In this study, data on the entire growth cycle (270 days) of P. vittata over a year were recorded through a field trial. The results showed that the As accumulation characteristics of P. vittata were obviously different from those observed in greenhouse experiments. The aboveground biomass of P. vittata began to stabilize on day 180; the As concentration increased to a peak on day 90 and subsequently declined until day 180. The As accumulation was 318.11 g/hm 2 after 120 days, reaching 96.7% of the highest value predicted by the logistic model. The results indicated that soil humidity is the key influencing factor for As accumulation by P. vittata. Increasing the soil humidity can substantially improve the As extraction efficiency. Based on the results of As accumulation in P. vittata, it could be suggested that the effect of As efflux on P. vittata was not significant. According to theoretical calculations, the total As loss caused by rainfall leaching accounted for less than 2.2% of the total As accumulation. The parameters obtained herein are significant for guiding the remediation of As-contaminated soils under similar climatic conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)