This brief paper tries to highlight two important missing aspects for understanding poverty issues in developing countries. They are the economic analysis of the rural non-farm households, and the behavior of land markets. Taking South Asia as a case, this paper claims that without proper understanding of these aspects, it is difficult to formulate an effective solution to the poverty issue. * ...

This article proposes a semi-parametric stochastic frontier model (SPSF) in which components of the technology and of technical efficiency are represented using semi-parametric methods and estimated in a Bayesian framework. The approach is illustrated in an application to US farm data. The analysis shows important scale economies for small and medium herds and constant return to scale for large...

Bovine mastitis, the most significant disease of dairy herds, has huge effects on farm economics due to reduction in milk production and treatment costs. Traditionally, methods of detection have included estimation of somatic cell counts, an indication of inflammation, measurement of biomarkers associated with the onset of the disease (e.g. the enzymes N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and lactat...

The goal with sexed semen is to produce a calf of a specific sex. Sexed semen is widely available now and many dairy producers are using it to obtain more (and better) heifer calves. Because of its higher cost per dose of semen, combined with a reduced conception risk, sexed semen is primarily recommended for use in virgin heifers. The use of sexed semen varies widely among dairy producers. Som...

The chapter reviews issues, models and empirical findings relating to labor economics. First, some of the general research questions are taken up in the context of labor demand and supply, which is followed by detailed discussions on rural and urban labor markets. In the rural context the agriculture and the non-farm sectors are analyzed separately. Four important streams of arguments in the co...

In many West African countries, large rural multigenerational households farm common household plots as well as allocate individual plots to different family members. Multiple studies have found that women plot managers achieve lower yields than men. This work uses a unique 17-year panel dataset from southern Mali to investigate this gender production differential. The long-span and specificity...

This is an application, which contributes to the improvement of the economy in a farm through the systematic recording and organization of economic and technical data. Initially, given some useful general information on a theoretical level, which relate to the way in which agricultural enterprises are organized. Then, there is the way in which was created “Agrologic”, such as the setting up of ...

Pacific Economic Bulletin Volume 24 number 2 July 2009 © the australian national university The phased removal of European sugar preferences has cast a dark cloud over the sustainability of Fiji’s sugar industry. Using farm-level data, this article examines the extent to which IndoFijian farmers are technically efficient and the challenges faced in improving cane yields to offset the loss of EU...

The animal husbandry industry is a major emitter of ammonia (NH3), which is a precursor of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)--arguably, the number-one environment-related public health threat facing the nation. The industry is also a major emitter of methane (CH4), which is an important greenhouse gas (GHG). We present an integrated process model of the engineering economics of technologies to re...

Agricultural and the rural landscape have undergone significant and wide-ranging changes in demographics, economics, land uses, and spatial land use relationships. This section explores a methodology to examine the spatial relationship, and resulting potential for conflict, of two changes in particular: • consolidation of animal agricultural facilities into larger operating units as a response ...