Agricultural Aid Research Articles

Will Changes in the Common Agricultural Policy Bring a Respectful Approach to Environment in EU Countries?

Abstract Under the 2014–2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the existence of two pillars is maintained and the link between them is strengthened. Regulation (EU) No. 1307/2013 provides a new system of direct payments. The system consisting of the decoupling of agricultural aid from production (partial decoupling) and the provision of general income support, which came into force in 2003, is being transformed into a system in which single farm payments are replaced by a seven-component system of multi-purpose payments: basic payment per hectare, greening component, additional payment to young farmers, redistributive payment, additional income support in areas with natural handicaps, coupled support, voluntary simplified scheme for small farmers. There are three measures related to greening payments: crop diversification: the farmer must grow at least two different crops; preservation of existing permanent grasslands; the creation of an area of ecological interest corresponding to at least 5% of the arable land of a holding over 15 hectares (excluding permanent grassland and perennial crops). The new CAP aims to increase agriculture‘s contribution to the EU‘s environmental and climate objectives, provide more focused support for smaller farmers and allow Member States greater flexibility to adapt measures to local conditions.

Examining the Effects of Agricultural Aid on Forests in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Causal Analysis Based on Remotely Sensed Data of Sierra Leone

In sub-Saharan Africa, extreme poverty highlights the tension between development aid and the environment. Foreign aid is considered one of the most important factors affecting forest health in this region. Although many studies have empirically examined the effects of different kinds of foreign aid on forests, few have investigated the potential impact of agricultural aid. This study investigated the causal effects of agricultural aid on forests in Sierra Leone, a country that relies heavily on agricultural products. We constructed a fine-grained (16-day) indicator of forest growth from 2001 to 2015 by combining remotely sensed data of land cover and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. The high frequency of forest growth data enables us to trace the dynamic causal process. To reduce the confounding effects of heterogeneity, we applied a difference-in-difference design with data at the sub-national level to estimate the causal effect. This study provides robust empirical evidence that foreign agricultural aid harms forests both in the short term (i.e., 16 days) and long term (i.e., years) in Sierra Leone. Agricultural aid projects with agricultural development as their primary objective or aid projects without specific objectives lead to the highest levels of forest degradation.

Promoting Competitiveness of Green Brand of Agricultural Products Based on Agricultural Industry Cluster

Agricultural industrial clusters are the basis for the formation of regional brands of agricultural products and also an effective way to enhance the regional brand value and competitiveness of agricultural products. Based on the agricultural industry cluster, carry out regional brand building of agricultural products, emphasizing that the production of agricultural products from raw material bases to product sales in specific administrative areas, and even the collaborative production services of relevant agricultural technology research and development institutions are connected to the local network, establishing a regional first-class agricultural product brand. The brand grows with the development of regional production bases. Therefore, this paper is aimed at exploring the research on the promotion of green brand competitiveness of agricultural products based on the theory of agricultural industrial clusters, analyzing the internal connection between agricultural product agglomeration effect and brand competitiveness, and exploring its advantages and disadvantages. Using this strategy, this paper will use the research method of specific analysis of specific problems, design an analysis model construction experiment based on the influencing factors of agricultural industrial clusters, and draw experimental conclusions through the analysis and comparison of experimental data. Through theoretical innovation and exploration, a model for the rapid development of green agricultural product brands can be found. The results show that the use of questionnaires to explore the differences in the planting characteristics of green agricultural products in industrial clusters can account for 35% of the brand competitiveness, promote the rapid development of the brand, and enhance the technological innovation ability by 19%. Therefore, combined with the characteristics of the current era, with the help of the national agricultural aid policy, fully absorb the transformation, actively innovate, and improve the level of agricultural cultivation. Analyze different application difficulties, explore development prospects, give full play to the competitiveness of agricultural products, realize high-yield green crops, use these theories as a guide to innovate and integrate, provide valuable experience clusters for the wide application of agricultural industrialization, and achieve sustainable regional economic structure and ecological environment.

Impact of Modern Agricultural Aids on Socio-Economic Development of Farmers of Selected Talukas of Nanded District

This paper deals with the impact of modern agricultural aids on socio-economic development of farmers. This paper also discuss how modern farming helps farmer in developing socio economic condition. This paper also covers the occupation pattern, farming size, income level, modern cropping and their purchasing pattern.

Impact of Modern Agricultural Aids on Productivity and Income of Farmers of Selected Talukas of Nanded District

This paper deals with the impact of modern agricultural aids on socio-economic development of farmers. This paper also discusses various modern agriculture tools, equipments and their effective use for betterment of farmers. Further this paper focused on role of govt. in promoting and motivating farmers toward use of modern methods of agriculture.

Research on the Teaching Mode of Social Training for Agricultural Aid Talents in Vocational Colleges

In recent years, the state has actively encouraged the talent training to help poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, and has issued a series of supporting policies for this purpose, which has attracted wide attention from all walks of life. Among them, vocational colleges are the key units to carry out talent training. However, from the current situation of talent training in most vocational colleges, there are generally some problems such as poor training effect and low willingness of migrant workers to participate. Based on various difficulties in talent training, the author and the team organized many research activities, analyzed the problems in talent training deeply, and finally summarized five training modes of talents in vocational colleges according to the research results. During the period of exploring the talent training mode, the author summed up the outstanding problems from many practical cases and put forward the solutions, in order to help vocational colleges optimize the talent training mode and help rural revitalization.<br/>

Ownership and Effectiveness of China’s Aid Projects in Africa

The notion of ‘ownership’ has occupied a central place in measuring the effectiveness of North–South cooperation. How is it represented in South–South cooperation (SSC) and how does it affect the effectiveness of SSC? There is no clear answer in the existing literature. In this article, we describe the representation of ‘ownership’ in SSC and explain how it has affected the process and impact of SSC projects using case studies of three uniformly designed Chinese agricultural aid projects in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Based on long-term participatory observation and in-depth interviews, we find that ‘ownership’ in SSC is represented differently from project design to implementation. Divergence and ambiguity exist among different stakeholders on the operation of ‘ownership’. ‘Co-ownership’ of two partners at the local level contributes to the effectiveness of SSC projects while ‘de-ownership’ and ‘forced ownership’ have a negative impact on the survival and sustainable development of SSC projects.

International Aid for Agricultural Development of Timor-Leste

Background: The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is the newest nation in the 21st century, which became independent in 2002. Yet continued violent tensions kept the country from stabilizing its sociopolitical situations and it remains as a least developed country with many challenging issues, including food/nutrition insecurity. The international community has been supporting Timor-Leste to ameliorate it by aiding the agricultural development of the country. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the aid profile of the donors for Timorese agricultural development. The findings of the study intend to provide the Timorese government and donors with a useful dialogue point for more efficient collaboration. Methods: The aid data reported to the Creditor Reporting System are sorted for the profile examination. The analysis is based on the aid disbursement between 2002 and 2019. Results: Australia was the largest donor, mostly shaping the agricultural aid profile of the donors. Japan, USA, and New Zealand were the major donors in that order, following Australia. Yet, their prioritized sub-sectors or interests appeared to vary; Australia prioritized strengthening Timorese seed systems and focused on nutrition-sensitive agriculture, Japan emphasized rice production, USA was mainly interested in cash/horticultural crops value chains, and New Zealand invested mainly in agricultural cooperatives. Of the multilateral organizations, the European Union was the principal donor. Conclusion: The Timorese government and donors may need a strategic collaboration to utilize available resources more efficiently as its food/nutrition insecurity is rooted in complex issues and improving it also hinges on development of other sectors.

Teleconnection of spatial variations of effective onset of rainfall and ENSO\IOD over savanna zones of Nigeria

This study characterised the spatio-temporal patterns of effective rainfall onset dates, their variability and their relationship with ENSO/IOD over Savanna zones of Nigeria. Daily rainfall and ENSO/IOD data for the period 1971–2015 were used. The Intra-Seasonal Rainfall Monitoring Index (IRMI) was applied to identify and classify effective rainfall onset dates. The classified effective rainfall onset dates were subjected to the Mann-Kendall trend test. The coefficient of variation (CV) was employed for the variability test, while Pearson’s product-moment correlation was employed to establish an association between variables. The results indicate a variation in the effective start of rainfall of 15 days, and 30–60 days, in the Guinea Savanna and Sudano-Sahelian Savanna zones, respectively, between the western and eastern axes. The onset date trend test revealed that stations in the guinea savanna zone tended to have later effective onset dates while stations in the Sudano-Sahelian savanna zone tended to have earlier onset dates of rainfall. The correlation test showed a significant and insignificant positive relationship between effective rainfall onset dates and the ENSO/IOD phase, particularly in the stations across the guinea savanna zones of the study area. It is expected that this information on the variability of effective rainfall onset dates, when provided in aid of rain-fed agriculture, could support decision-making on crop types to be cultivated and on the planning of sowing dates across the study area. These findings are of high importance to the entire West African sub-region, including other parts of the world that share similar monsoon rainfall and physical characteristics of these savanna zones.

Analyzing the impact of agricultural donor aid on food security in West Africa

Despite the abundance of agricultural donor aid to the less-developed nations, especially in West African countries, little is known regarding its role in enhancing food security. This study argues that the flow of aid to the productive sector would have a sustainable impact since it has a multiplier effect on the recipient countries by enhancing productivity in the agricultural sector. Therefore, by filling this gap, the research aims to analyze the impact of agricultural donor aid on food security in 16 West African countries between 2009-2018. The study adopted quantitative cross-country panel data and utilized the Two-Stage Least Square Regression model (2SLS) to examine to what extent agricultural aid has impacted food security in the sub-region. This method was adopted to address the endogeneity problems in this research model specification, where it is assumed that there is a reverse causality between donor aid and food security. The findings indicate that agricultural aid has impacts on food accessibility, and utilization in West Africa. This impact is based on good governance and the institutional qualities of recipient countries.

Does Foreign Capital Really Matter for Employment? Evidence from Agricultural Dominance African Countries

This paper examines the impacts of foreign capitals (FDI, migrant remittances, and agricultural aid) on overall and sectoral employment using a simple labor demand model for a panel of 43 African countries from 2002 to 2018. Our econometric investigation reveals the presence of cross-section dependence and a long-run relationship among variables. Using the dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), the augmented mean group (AMG), and the common correlated effects means group (CCEMG) methods, we find that only migrant remittances and FDI positively affect total employment. Still, FDI has a positive significant effect on agriculture, industry, and service employment. Our findings also indicate that migrant remittances reduce employment in agriculture and increase job creation in the service and industry sectors. Finally, aid to agriculture does not contribute to job creation in African countries and even negatively affects industry employment. This study supports the view that migrant remittances contribute to transforming the employment structure in Africa countries. Some recommendations are proposed.

Масовий штучний голод 1921–1923 рр. у Донецькій губернії

The study is dedicated to the centenary of the mass artificial famine of 1921–1923. Attention is focused on the development of the process in the territory of Donetsk province, which was one of the officially recognized starving. The chosen topic is relevant because to date it has not yet received comprehensive scientific coverage. On the basis of published and archival sources, a gradual exacerbation of the food crisis is shown. The statistical evidence on crops and harvests of Donetsk province are presented, confirming the natural component of hunger. At the same time, the artificiality of hunger was noted as a result of the seizure of grain for the tax in kind and the needs of the starving Volga region. The position of the head of the communist regime regarding the food situation in the region is given. The author focuses on the fact that neither the provincial nor the republican center initiated preventive measures to avoid the spread of famine to the entire region. The question of recognizing the province as a victim was raised by starving workers because of the instability of the centralized food supply of the „all-Union stoker”. The official recognition of the Donetsk province as a victim became the basis for the introduction of measures to combat hunger. The sources of obtaining bread for Donbas are considered as well. The role of Ukrainian agricultural provinces and foreign aid are emphasized. Various methods of filling the reserves of the committees to help the hungry were indicated – from a voluntary donation to a compulsory share contribution. Compared to the situation of the workers, the peasants suffered more from hunger. Rural districts of the north and south of the province were considered as food self-sufficient. This confirms their non-recognition of the famine in 1922-1923. To survive, the peasants put up passive and active resistance, which was a reaction to the internal policies of the regime, in particular taxation with compulsory confiscation of food. Analysis of the worked-out sources allows us to conclude that the Donetsk province suffered greatly from hunger and only thanks to its status received assistance. This partially reduced the effects of famine that was an artificially created catastrophe by the communist regime.

Agricultural Aid and Agricultural Production in Africa

ABSTRACT This paper uses panel data and a dynamic common correlated effect estimator to investigate the effects of non-food agricultural aid on agricultural output in African countries during the 1970 to 2018 period. Using five measures of agricultural outputs in per capita terms and controlling for a number of covariates, we find that non-food agricultural aid, at the aggregate level, has positive and statistically significant short- and long-term effects on agricultural output in African countries. Using disaggregated aid data, we also find that several components of non-food agricultural aid have significant positive effects on agricultural output in Africa, while some components of non-food agricultural aid have no significant effect on agricultural output, suggesting that the composition of the aid matters for aid effectiveness. The results are robust to several specifications and different estimation methodologies including estimators that account for cross-sectional dependence. The results of this paper have implications on aid policy and research.

Design and Development of Information System for Tractor Distribution in Maros Regency

One of the major issues in agricultural machinery aids program from the central government is the difficulty to access information regarding distribution of the machines. Therefore, it is important to design and develop an application that provides the information about location of the four wheels and two wheels tractors distributed by the local, provincial, and central government in Maros Regency. The aim of this study was to develop a Geographical Information System that can be used to locate and map the agricultural machinery distribution. So far the data collection process is still done manually. This system need to be replaced with a system that makes it easier and efficient to map the distribution of hand tractors and four-wheel tractors. The tools used in developing the GIS application were Android Studio software and Google Maps API. The system developed can be easily maintained and data can be updated in real-time by an administrator and accessed by anyone through a login procedure.

Pemeliharaan Mesin Hydraulic Shear Menggunakan Pendekatan Reliability Centered Maintenance dan Manajemen Suku Cadang

Production equipment that has a high operating time becomes a vital aspect in supporting the operational system, and its maintenance becomes a critical point that must be planned. This research discusses maintenance policies that focus on machine reliability and parts availability to produce proper maintenance actions, optimal maintenance scheduling and good spare-parts management. The research was conducted on a developing manufacturing company engaged the field of agricultural aids in the city of Bekasi. This study focused on hydraulic shear machines because they have the largest downtime value of 8,344.8 minutes. This problem has a negative impact on the company because it can reduce the yield. Based on these conditions, the study was conducted using the Reliability Centered Maintenance method to update the maintenance patterns and Poisson Process to determine the number of component requirements needed for the next one year. The data obtained in the form of historical damage to the machine, component cost, labor cost and production cost. This research produces an optimal preventive replacement time interval that is every 154 hours for the oil seal component, 242 hours for the shear blade component, and 324 hours for the oil hydraulic hose (1/2") component. While the number of critical components required for the next 1 year is 37 units for oil seal component, 10 units for shear blade components, and 7 units for oil hydraulic hose (1/2") component.

The socialist origins of the Green Revolution: Pandurang Khankhoje and domestic ‘technical assistance’

ABSTRACT Origin narratives of the Green Revolution have been periodized to influence who is seen as an expert and memorialized as such. This article pushes us to reframe technical assistance to include in country agricultural aid activities needed for many foreign assistance initiatives to succeed. Many agricultural-based technical assistance projects of the twentieth century trace their origins to the emergence of a Rockefeller Foundation-led Green Revolution. This essay argues that in Mexico the arrival of so-called foreign technical assistance was not new but rather a continuation of socialist-based agricultural initiatives based on transforming rural life thru science. In addition to missing the influence of pivotal national institutions and scientists, key transnational, pre-exisiting relationships are often overlooked. This essay illustrates the importance of pushing back the time-line by using the case of Pandurang Khankhoje, an Indian agronomist working in Mexico before the arrival of Norman Borlaug and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Benefits and Problems in the Implementation of the Special Effort of Rice, Corn, Soybean Production Enhancement Program

The Special Efforts of Rice, Corn and Soybean Production Enhancement Program has been performed since 2015 and in its implementation several benefits and problems have been identified. The aim of this research was to identify the benefits, problems as well as the adoption and feedback of the application of technological innovation in East Java Province. The survey was conducted in June 2019 with data and information analysis conducted descriptively with the discussion utilized the deepening results through focus group discussion. The deepening results showed the benefits of participating in the program, which were: increased institutional activity, increased knowledge, and increased productivity. On the other hand, the problems were: the recipient was not in accordance with CPCL/prospective farmers and location; seed aid was not enough, it was not as expected and it was too late; Agricultural machine tools aid was still less and the size did not match the cultivated land. The expected feedbacks from technological innovation side were: (i) seed varieties aid adjusted to the location and farmers expectation also the arrival has to be on time and right amount; (ii) agricultural machine tools aid was not only for rice, the type and size of the agricultural machine tools followed the conditions of farmers' land and training for the operators who operate it.

Pendampingan dalam Perencanaan Penanaman Bawang Merah pada Kelompok Tani Harapan Jaya Kelurahan Talang Keramat Kecamatan Talang Kelapa Kabupaten Banyuasin

Agriculture is the process of utilizing biological resources. One of the community groups that run agricultural activities is the Harapan Jaya Farmers Group. It is located on Jalan Kauman RT 15, RW 03, Talang Kramat Village, Talang Kelapa Regency, Banyuasin, South Sumatra, which was then called a partner in the Community Partnership Program. Based on the interviews, observations, data analysis and identification of problems with the partners, several major problems were found: low pH land, lack of agricultural equipment, partners’ lack of ability to understand the techniques of shallots cultivation, less attractive packaging, and the absence of promotion. The solution to these problems was by conducting pre-implementation socialization and discussion, seeding shallots, planting media preparation, liming and fertilizing, planting shallots, designing agricultural equipment and conducting product marketing training. The results are the partners have completely understood about the process of planting shallots both from seed and from shallots tuber seedlings. The partners are also able to understand the working mechanism of agricultural aids thus they are able to repair the damage of their simple tools. Partners who are relatively young are able to manage the web thus it is expected to simplify the marketing process. Increasing the partners’ ability can increase the partners’ independence both personally and in groups. Increasing the potential of the agriculture field, especially regarding the planting of shallots could erase the pessimistic view of planting shallots in marshy and low pH land.

Does agricultural aid reduce child stunting?

Abstract ‘Making agriculture work for nutrition’ is a widespread belief. The evidence base on the positive impacts of agricultural interventions on nutrition, however, is scarce. This paper revisits the relationships between agriculture and child nutrition through the impacts of foreign aid earmarked to agriculture on the prevalence of child stunting using a sample of 90 developing countries observed between 2002 and 2014. We find evidence for a moderate effect of agricultural aid on child stunting. Among agricultural aid, we find that aid inflows supporting agricultural education, research and services, agricultural water, and agricultural policy are effective towards child stunting reductions. Food aid is most effective at reducing child stunting. Last, we find that agricultural and food aid inflows are particularly effective in conflict settings.

Yield effects of climate-smart agriculture aid investment in southern Malawi

Binding resource constraints in many low- and middle-income countries aggravate food insecurity risk in the face of climate change. To help mitigate such risk and increase food security, international development agencies have invested billions of dollars in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) programs over the past decade. However, rigorous evidence on the food security impacts of CSA aid through crop yields remains scant generally, and specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies have not explicitly linked CSA adoption and yield impacts with CSA aid interventions among smallholder farmers. Here, we respond to this knowledge gap by estimating the impact of a major CSA aid effort (the United States Agency for International Development-funded Wellness and Agriculture for Life’s Advancement (WALA) project) on agricultural yields in Southern Malawi. Based on primary survey data from a sample of 808 households in the project area, we use endogenous switching regression and a control function approach to estimate CSA adoption and impacts on maize yield in 2016, controlling for potential program placement bias, selection bias in CSA adoption, and endogeneity issues. We found a 53% increase in maize yield among CSA adopters in the drought year of 2016. Results demonstrate that policies and funding streams supporting CSA in low-income, dryland contexts such as southern Malawi can have important impacts on food security by boosting crop yields in the face of increasing climate uncertainty and extreme weather shocks.