This paper tests whether structural change in US agriculture is an important channel to TFP growth and evaluates the relative impact of (i) public research and education policies, (ii) private R&D and market forces, and (iii) government farm programs on structural change. We specify a structural econometric model, fit it to US state aggregate data, 1953–1982, and use the associated reduced-form...

this study examined the influence of socioeconomic variables of farmers on their choice of cassava varieties in kogi state of nigeria. a total of 360 cassava farmers were selected through multi-stage random sampling procedure. data collected through structured questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, customer-buying behavioral model and dynamic programming model. the results sh...

The objective of the present study is to estimate and compare the costs and returns in deep litter and cage systems of poultry rearing and also to identify the constraints, which affect the poultry production in India. Results of this study reveal that the fixed investment per farm is found to be more on cage system of rearing for all the three size groups. In both systems, the feed cost decrea...

abstract the production unit size is one of the effective factors in optimum uses of inputs. since optimum size is affected by the characters and economical conditions in each district, the studies for determining the optimum farm size should be done specially for each crop and each district. in this study tried to determine the optimum rice farm size in guilan province which is one of the most...

This essay assesses the relationship between farm size and productivity. Both parametric and nonparametric methods are used to derive efficiency measures. Smaller farms are found to have higher net farm income per hectare, and to be more technically efficient, than larger farms. JEL Classifications: Q12, O12

this study was conducted to determine timeliness costs in using machinery and their effects on farmers’ revenues. in addition, optimum cropping pattern was compared with the existing one assuming removal of timeliness cost. for the purpose of the study, mixed integer and linear programming methods were used. the study was conduced in marvdasht region in southern iran. the data were collected th...

ARE LARGE FARMS MORE EFFICIENT? Accurate estimates of returns to scale require that inputs and output are measured without error and that environmental and managerial differences among firms of varying sizes are taken into account. Measurement problems affecting estimates of returns to scale in agriculture include: (1) combining the farm dwelling with capital inputs, (2) correlation of environm...

The study examined the patterns and determinants of agricultural credit use among farming households in Oyo State, Nigeria. The primary data used for the study were obtained from a cross sectional survey of 114 farm households drawn by multi-stage random sampling technique. Both descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were used to analyze the data obtained. The study revealed that 47.4%...

Agricultural policy faces conflicting social goals. On one hand, efficient large-scale agriculture provides an adequate, low cost food supply, but many Americans continue to idealize the smaller family farm, believing that it promotes a democratic society with strong values. The changing structure of agriculture from many small farms to fewer but larger farms is a concern often expressed. Many ...

Over the past 23 years (1990 to 2012), French beef cattle farms have expanded in size and increased labour productivity by over 60%, chiefly, though not exclusively, through capital intensification (labour-capital substitution) and simplifying herd feeding practices (more concentrates used). The technical efficiency of beef sector production systems, as measured by the ratio of the volume value...