Organically grown products experienced a doubling in percent penetration of organic sales into retail markets during the period from 1997 to 2003; however, there is still a debate over the perceived quality advantage of organically grown fruits and vegetables. In a study focusing on commercial production of processing tomatoes, samples were analyzed from 4 growers with matched organic and conve...

The tea plantation sector has been considered to be a major source of livelihood and employment for the population of the regional economies. Structural changes in this sector have led to the emergence of labour categories such as permanent estate workers, casual estate workers and self employed small tea growers. Several studies have attempted to understand the human development status of the ...

This paper reports on a qualitative case study which explored farm management practices by women cotton growers who used computer-based information systems, most particularly the agricultural farm management software, CottonLOGIC, within the Australian cotton industry. The study found that, although gender differences and inequalities persist, the agency of women cotton growers ensures not only...

This study investigated the information needs of cotton growers residing in two villages in the district of Bahawalpur. Face-toface interviews were conducted by visiting farms or homes using a semi-structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed by applying descriptive statistics. The results indicated that cotton growers required information, in general, in the areas of soil management and p...

The mountain environment is perceived today by vine-growers as a strong structural constraint. Yet in the current context of climate change, in which we turn to genetics, irrigation or innovation in cultural practices to maintain production quality, could the mountain environment emerge as a solution for adapting to climate change in vine-growing? Here we explore the role of cooperative policie...

In this paper we investigate sorting patterns among chicken contract producers. We show that the sub-game perfect Nash equilibrium of this contracting game reveals a positive sorting where higher ability producers sort themselves into contracts to grow larger chickens and lower ability types sort themselves into contracts to grow smaller birds. We also show that eliciting this type of sorting b...

Reduced-tillage, cover crop intensive production systems have several important potential benefits for sweet corn growers including: fuel and labor savings; reduced equipment wear and tear; more timely planting under wet conditions; and improvements in soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Since sweet corn is an important rotational crop for many high value vegetables, improvements...

Based on in vitro data, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends chemical disinfection of raw sprout seeds to reduce enteric pathogens contaminating the seed coats. However, little is known about the effectiveness of decontamination at preventing human disease. In 1999, an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Mbandaka occurred in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. Based on e...