Agricultural Aid Research Articles

Agricultural Aid to Ghana and Ethiopia under Different Governance Quality

Background Agricultural development has the potential to strengthen food security, reduce poverty, and accelerate economic growth, especially in the early stages of development. Considering the important roles that agriculture can play in economic development, foreign aid donors have supported agriculture across developing countries. Method This study examined agricultural aid practices by bilateral donors in two African countries, Ghana and Ethiopia using official aid data. The two economies rely on agriculture, continue to receive agricultural aid, and have widely different governance qualities, with Ghana being considered better governed than Ethiopia. Results The study found that donors to Ghana prioritized agriculture over other aid sectors, whereas donors to Ethiopia did not prioritize agriculture, partly because of urgent humanitarian needs that included direct food assistance. Overall, donors to Ghana appeared to give the country more flexibility with agricultural aid by allocating more budget support, using the state channel, and partnering more with developing country-based non-governmental organizations. Donors to Ethiopia, by contrast, appeared to exert stricter control over agricultural aid by providing minimal budget support, making limited use of the state channel, and engaging negligibly with nongovernmental organizations based in developing countries. The largest donor, the US, shaped the overall profile of agricultural aid to Ghana and Ethiopia. While supporting two identical agricultural sub-sectors in both African countries, the US involved different aid agencies, reflecting greater confidence in Ghana. Conclusion Effective institutions in recipient governments may encourage donors to loosen their control over foreign aid, granting greater flexibility to recipient countries.

Foliar Application of γ-Polyglutamic Acid Enhances Growth, Yield, and Rhizosphere Microbiota of Summer Maize Under Varied Water Regimes

Amidst escalating global water scarcity and the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices, the exploration of efficient and eco-friendly agricultural aids has become paramount. This field experiment investigated the effects of foliar γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) application on summer maize under two irrigation levels (0 m3·ha−1 and 900 m3·ha−1 at the bell-mouth stage) and three γ-PGA spraying treatments. The results demonstrated that both irrigation and γ-PGA spraying significantly influenced maize yield and various growth parameters, with notable interaction effects. Compared to the control, single and double applications of γ-PGA increased summer maize yield by 33.3% and 37.0%, respectively, while enhancing dry matter accumulation and nutrient uptake. Foliar γ-PGA application also altered the rhizosphere microbial community composition, increasing the abundances of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, as well as beneficial bacteria such as Arthrobacter, Sphingomonas, Streptomyces, and Altererythrobacter. Additionally, it significantly increased the population of Dung Saprotroph fungi, which are beneficial for crop growth. These findings suggest that foliar γ-PGA application can promote summer maize growth and holds significant potential for agricultural applications.

Achieving Zero Hunger in Nepal: The Role of Foreign Aid in Agriculture

ABSTRACTEnsuring progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “no poverty” and “zero hunger” in the face of changing climatic conditions is crucial for developing countries like Nepal, which, due to limited domestic resources, must rely on foreign aid to strengthen food production. This study examines the critical role of foreign assistance in achieving SDG 2, which focuses on ending hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture. Specifically, we investigate the threshold impact of foreign agricultural aid on agricultural production in Nepal from the first quarter of 1975 to the fourth quarter of 2020. Using threshold analysis, we find a nonlinear relationship between agricultural aid and agricultural production. Below the threshold, agricultural aid boosts production significantly, but above it, the relationship reverses. Additional variables, such as cultivated areas, public agricultural expenditure, and agricultural credit, increase production substantially, although their effects vary between regimes. The farm labor force shows contrasting effects, with a negative impact below the threshold and a positive impact above it. Rainfall negatively affects agricultural production in a low‐aid regime but becomes beneficial in a high‐aid regime. In contrast, temperature has an insignificant positive impact below the aid threshold but significantly hinders production above the specified threshold. Our findings indicate that leveraging substantial foreign aid to increase public investment in agriculture, specifically through infrastructure, research and development, and extension services, will enhance the effectiveness of aid in boosting food production and reducing hunger.

Achieving National Food Security in Sub‐Saharan African Countries: The Role of Foreign Agricultural Aid

ABSTRACTAfrican policymakers have astutely prioritized agricultural expenditure as a crucial strategy to address food insecurity in the continent. However, the available financial resources are insufficient to achieve this objective. Foreign agricultural aid has been proposed as a viable supplement to domestic resource mobilization efforts in bridging the resource deficit. This article investigates the food security implications of sector‐specific aid (agricultural aid) between 1990 and 2020, thus broadening the current understanding. By considering the heterogeneous nature of SSA, this study delves deeper into the relationship between foreign agricultural aid and food security in the region. It investigates both panel and country‐specific causal relationships, providing a more nuanced understanding of the subject. Quantile panel‐type regressions are employed. Coefficients from the fixed effects and random effects with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors are also reported. Additionally, causal linkages between foreign agricultural aid and food security are examined through panel causality testing with bootstrapping. Findings show that agricultural aid contributes to closing the resource gap and improving food security. Also, the effectiveness of agricultural aid is greater when food security is relatively poor, and its impact diminishes as food security improves. Causal relationships suggest that agricultural aid is a determinant of food security. The level of food security is also an indicator of agricultural aid inflows. Thus, strategies such as population control, poverty reduction, and increased access to agricultural land can enhance food security.

Impact of Social Media Agricultural Aid Advertising on Online Customers’ Purchase Intention

Due to the prosperity and development of social media, many farmers turn to social media advertising to help farmers to improve the sales of agricultural products. However, due to the lack of farmers to capture the hot spots and characteristics of social media advertising, the sales of agricultural products cannot be greatly increased. In order to deal with this phenomenon, this study through the questionnaire survey and data sorting and analysis method, for the online customer purchase intention has significant influence of four advertising characteristics, let farmers in social media to help farmers advertising can pay more attention to the four aspects, to achieve more effectively to improve the sales of agricultural products, eventually can help social media to help farmers advertising to attract more online consumers, increase online customer purchase intention. The aim is to achieve harmonious win-win, increase online sales volume to help farmers get rid of poverty and become rich.

Towards ‘retroliberalism’ or food security?: Donor development aid to the agricultural sectors of four Melanesian states, 2008-2021

Background Development aid to Pacific Islands states tends to take the form of grants to provide services in health, education and transport, however Melanesian states are largely rural, and it may be time to consider stronger support for the agricultural sector as a mode of development to provide for future food security, decreased reliance on imports, and improved nutrition in an era of climate change adaptation. Methods To understand the place of family farming in the donor development strategies of four Melanesian states we first assess the place of foreign aid in total development finance to Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji between 2008–2021. Using data from the Lowy Institute a detailed study of aid flows highlights the respective place of official development assistance (ODA), other financial flows, private flows and remittances in the financial flows for each recipient state. We then focus on donor aid flows and their sectoral breakdown concentrating on the ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (AFF) sector, and within AFF on the sub-sectors of donor intervention. Results We demonstrate the main areas of interest for each donor, paying particular attention to aid to agriculture, specifically who gives it, and why. Conclusions We conclude by noting that the orientation of agricultural aid to Melanesian states is outward and directed toward producing niche products for the global economy, and not inward or directed towards supporting the development of a stronger agricultural sector, nor the resilience of local population through food security. We thus argue that donor development aid to the agricultural sectors of these four Melanesian states is more reflective of ‘retroliberalism’ than of genuine concern for Pacific Islands food security.

Impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the Development of Rural Territories: Principal Component Analysis in SW Spain, Extremadura (2007–2020)

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a European Union (EU) policy aimed at supporting farmers, guaranteeing food security, and promoting sustainable rural development, which has undergone numerous reforms to adapt to the needs of the agricultural sector and society in general. The main objective of this work is to statistically analyse CAP aid in southwest Spain, specifically in Extremadura, a region characterised by areas at risk of depopulation and deep rural areas, during the last two periods of European aid (2007–2013 and 2014–2020). In this study, by means of principal component analysis (PCA), agricultural, economic, and demographic variables were interrelated, together with geographic information systems (GIS), to evaluate their impact on the development of the regional agricultural sector. This methodology will help to identify areas with improvements in their territorial structures and can therefore serve as a basis for their application in other European territories. Through the analysis, we identified areas where the interrelation of the variables showed improvements in their demographic, social, and economic structures, with the municipalities of populations over 10,000 inhabitants in Extremadura being the ones that compose the territorial substructure A. Therefore, this work shows how European agricultural aid can disproportionately favour the most dynamic territories and leave the less developed regions at a disadvantage.

Bilateral agricultural aid to Ghana and Uganda: donor practices under different institutional quality

Agriculture has been the backbone of African economies, and agricultural development has the potential to drive overall economic growth. Considering the importance of agriculture in Africa, foreign aid donors have supported the sector to help push economic growth and reduce poverty. Studies indicate governance quality of a recipient country is an important factor for agricultural aid. Building upon this, the paper explores how bilateral donors provided agricultural aid to two African countries that have different institutional quality, Ghana and Uganda. The analysis of agricultural aid in those two countries was carried out with bilateral aid-profile data from 2011 to 2022. Despite the similar economic importance of agriculture in Ghana and Uganda, donors to Ghana invested the largest amount in agriculture among aid sectors, followed by health. On the other hand, donors to Uganda supported mainly health-relevant sectors with agriculture being ranked only fifth. Donors in both countries implemented agricultural aid mostly as project types. Yet, donors disbursed their aid funds through different aid channels. Donors to Ghana disbursed 48% of agricultural aid funds through the public sector institutions channel (or the state channel). By contrast, donors to Uganda disbursed only 24% of agricultural aid funds through the state channel, essentially bypassing Ugandan public agencies. They instead provided 76% of agricultural aid through the non-state channels such as non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, and private entities. Similar donor preferences of the aid disbursement channels were observed with total aid across all aid sectors. Overall, the donor aid profiles suggested donors provided Ghana with more flexible agricultural aid, while in Uganda they controlled agricultural aid more tightly. There could exist multiple underlying reasons for this, but the different level of institutional quality is highly likely one of the possible reasons. For foreign aid, governance quality is an important issue equally to both donors and recipients. Key words: Africa, agriculture, aid channel, bilateral aid, foreign aid, Ghana, governance, Uganda

The role of private sector investment in agriculture: A catalyst for sustainable development in Asia

AbstractThe agricultural sector is a crucial driver for sustainable development in many countries, as it directly or indirectly contributes to various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, this sector requires increasing financial investment to rejuvenate and modernise production processes. This study investigates the impact of private sector investment on agricultural production across selected Asian countries from 2001Q1 to 2020Q4. The results of the Driscoll‐Kraay regression and the method of moments quantile regression reveal that private agricultural investment positively affects agricultural production. The findings indicate positive contributions from agricultural aid, domestic credit, and rural population, whereas remittances negatively affect agricultural production. The Dumitrescu‐Hurlin panel causality test results establish bidirectional causality between farm production and its determinants (private agricultural investment, agricultural aid, domestic credit, remittances, and the rural population). Based on these findings, we recommend that policymakers and governments incentivise and facilitate private agricultural investment to drive sustainable development. This strategy could boost agricultural productivity and enhance a more resilient agricultural system capable of withstanding environmental challenges while improving farmers' incomes and livelihoods.

Agricultural Aid and Cocoa Production in Developing Countires: Examining Ghana as a Case Study

Aid, especially Official Development Assistance (ODA), remains a lifeline for growth and poverty alleviation in developing countries. However, there is a trend in rising ODA and the variance between pledged and actual aid delivered. Therefore, there is a need for an analysis of ODA's effective use, particularly in critical sectors such as agriculture that underpin the economies and livelihoods in the developing world. This study assesses ODA's impact on the cocoa industry as an economic pillar and a significant export for many developing countries. Ghana shall serve as a case study, given its substantial dependence on the cocoa industry.

Whether Access to Agricultural AID Improves the Welfare of Farmer Households in Palopo, Indonesia with Budget as a Moderate Variable

Purpose: The agricultural industry significantly contributes to poverty alleviation, particularly in rural regions as opposed to metropolitan ones. Hence, government programs should be able to target the areas afflicted by poverty effectively. Rural regions serve as the hub of commercial operations and play a crucial role in safeguarding and empowering farmers, particularly those who are small-scale. Methodology/approach: This research aims to analyze the access to assistance and agricultural estimates by examining farmers' prescriptions. Data analysis techniques in this study are explanatory, descriptive statistical techniques with quantitative approaches and inferential statistical analysis using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The objective is to determine if there is an impact on the growth in farm family welfare in the City of Palopo based on data from 105 farmers. This study utilises a descriptive and explanatory methodology, including quantitative techniques and inferential statistical analysis via Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) utilising Partial Least Squares (PLS). Hypothesis 1: Influence Aid (X) positively and significantly impacts to (Y) Household Welfare is accepted. The outcomes of SEM analysis obtained T statistical = 4.339 > T table = 1.983 and P value = 0.000 < Cut off Value = 0.05. Hypothesis 2: Influence the Aid (X) positively and significantly to (Z) Budget is accepted. The outcomes of the SEM analysis obtained T statistical = 89,957 > T table = 1.983 and P value = 0.000 < Cut off Value = 0.05. Hypothesis 3: Influence the Budget (Z) positively and significantly to (Y) Household Welfare is accepted. The outcomes of SEM analysis obtained T statistical = 2,872 > T table = 1.983 and P value = 0.004 < Cut off Value = 0.05. Hypothesis 4: Influence the Aid (X) positively and significantly to (Y) Household Welfare through Budget (Z) as a moderate variable is accepted. The outcomes of SEM analysis obtained T statistical = 2,830 > T table = 1.983 and P value = 0.005 < Cut off Value = 0.05. Originality/scientific novelty: It was found that the access of farmer group households to agricultural assistance and the sustainable use of budgets and their very effective distribution in general can be said to greatly improve the welfare of farmer group households. This research is topically broader in scope making it very specific based on the scope of sources in Palopo, Indonesia. As far as is known, these results have not been previously reported. Practical value/implications: Management in the distribution of aid and access to agricultural budgets which are very vulnerable to misappropriation by the state apparatus has been identified as not improving the welfare of farmer households. One very effective way is to increase inherent surveillance.

THE EU STATE AID REGIME IN AGRICULTURE –LEGAL ASPECT

State aid to certain economic sectors in the European Union was an acceptable model until the establishment of the single market in 1992. The EC acknowledge that the allowance is imputable to the MS and that it constitutes State aid. In the light of the foregoing, the Commission concludes that the measures at issue in the present case constitute State aid (Article 107(1) TFEU).”Special rules on provision of state aids were created as secondary law rules by the EU Council and EU Commission”. State aid to promote the economic development of the agricultural sector is part of the wider framework of the “Common Agricultural Policy” (“CAP”). This paper analyzes EU state aid regulation in the agriculture sector, with special focus on the provisions of the “Agriculture Block Exemption Regulation” – ABER. The paper also analyzes agricultural aid, which must be notified to the EC as being authorized under the “Agriculture Guidelines”.

Whether Access to Agricultural Aid Improves the Welfare of Farmer Households in Palopo, Indonesia With Budget as a Moderate Variable

Whether Access to Agricultural Aid Improves the Welfare of Farmer Households in Palopo, Indonesia With Budget as a Moderate Variable

«Правильная сеть…»: Забайкальский отдел Елизаветинского Комитета в годы Первой мировой войны как региональная модель партнерства государства и общественности в сфере благотворительности

On the basis of archive materials, the author analyzes the activity of the Trans-Baikal branch of the Committee of Her Imperial Majesty Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on providing charitable aid to the families of persons called up for military service (ZOKEF). In the article, organizational, financial and human resources are identified, as well as the main types of the aid. The author tries to analyze the role of the military Governor, the regional elite, and various social and professional groups. When the organizing the ZOKEF they found an option that didn’t infringe the independence of other charitable associations of the region. In 1915 they established a network of eight County commissions of SOKEF, which opened more than 155 units. A study of the dynamics of ZOKEF activity showed that since the spring of 1915, the main activity was provision of agricultural aid: hiring the extra labor force, the supply of agricultural machinery. This aid united the agronomic service, trusteeship agencies, and cooperatives under the leadership of ZOKEF. An important area of the work was to support those associations that were engaged in the childcare. The author identified behavioral strategies of the participants of ZOKEF.

Democracy, natural resources, and agricultural aid in Africa: Exploring the complex nexus of aid effectiveness and resource rent dependency

AbstractThe aid effectiveness is continually debated in development economics; there is no consensus among scholars on the impact of aid in developing countries, even though characterized by good institutions. An emerging issue in this discussion is the role of natural resources in determining the nature of the agricultural ODA (Official Development Assistance) and democracy nexus. Consequently, this study examines the effect of democracy on the agricultural ODA in Africa and how the country's natural resource rents mitigate this relationship using panel data of 50 countries over the 1995–2019 period. A set of econometric tools is used to estimate the time‐series cross‐sectional models, which include country fixed‐effects model and system generalized method of moments (system GMM), both to account for potential endogeneity and confoundedness issues. Regression results show a long‐run positive effect of democracy on agricultural ODA. However, this relationship is nonlinear. The interaction between democracy and resources indicates that natural resource wealth mitigates the positive gains from democracy on agricultural ODA. The study concludes that, while democratic reforms enhance the effectiveness of foreign aid directed to the agricultural sector, this positive effect depends on the natural‐resource wealth status of the country.

Development of antifungal electrospun nanofiber mats containing Meyerozyma caribbica

Development of antifungal electrospun nanofiber mats containing Meyerozyma caribbica

E-Agri Kit Agricultural Aid using Deep Learning

This project presents an agricultural aid application, developed and designed, to help farmers by utilizing Image Processing, Machine Learning and Deep Learning concepts. Our application provides features such as early detection of plant disease, implemented using various approaches. After evaluation, results showed that Convolutional Neural Network was performing better for plant disease detection with an high accuracy. It further helps the farmer to forecast the weather to decide the right time for agricultural activities like harvesting and plucking. To avoid reoccurrence of disease due to loss in soil minerals, a crop specific fertilizer calculator is incorporated which can calculate the amount of urea, diammonium phosphate and muriate of potash required for a given area

Evaluation of cacao projects in Colombia: The case of the rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP)

Evaluation of cacao projects in Colombia: The case of the rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP)

Research on the Sustainable Development Strategy of E-Commerce Agricultural Aid Model after the Epidemic -- Taking the Practice of Pinduoduo Anti-Epidemic Agricultural Aid as an Example

In the first half of 2020, the national rural online retail sales reached 766.85 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5%. A large number of rural e-commerce companies have entered the epidemic period, and e-commerce has also become an emerging model of poverty alleviation. Relying on contactless distribution, rural e-commerce has not only got rid of the product backlog and unsalable products, but also successfully stabilized the supply of dishes for urban and rural residents. In the post-epidemic era, after getting rid of the temporary dividend, where should the e-commerce model to help agriculture go? This paper will be from the current situation analysis, bottleneck analysis, strategy crack three levels, explore how to help the post-epidemic era how to resolve the embarrassing situation, and the example of electricity platform during the epidemic actively fulfill corporate social responsibility, to become a long-term effective agricultural mechanism to practice.

Local Partisan Biases in Allocations of Foreign Aid: A Study of Agricultural Assistance in India

In principle, aid from donor organizations to developing countries should be based on need and the likelihood of positive impact, but political biases may intrude into decisions about aid allocations. This article elaborates a theory about why a particular form of bias, one based on partisan affiliations, can affect where aid goes and whether the goals of aid are met. Party networks can facilitate coordination of decisions and leverage bureaucratic capacity, but they can also ensure that resources, such as aid, stay in the control of copartisans to boost reelection goals. The empirical analysis evaluates whether partisan bias is evident in the locations and impact of World Bank agricultural aid to India. The authors analyze georeferenced data on aid projects, election results, and cropland coverage at the levels of state parliamentary electoral constituencies and administrative districts from 1995 to 2008. They find that alignment between local legislators and the political parties that govern state and national governments is associated with a greater number of new aid projects and with anomalous changes in cropland coverage. The evidence is consistent with arguments that partisan bias works primarily through patronage to achieve strategic party goals.