Agricultural Gross Domestic Product Research Articles

Understanding the Causes of the Decline in the Iraqi Agricultural Sector’s Contribution to the GDP

The agricultural sector is one of the most important economic sectors in Iraq. It is ranked second after the crude oil sector in terms of its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP). However, its contribution to the GDP declined from 26.93% in 1991 to 10.86% in 2004, 7.23% in 2010, and 4.77% in 2020. This decline can be attributed to many determinants of agricultural production that had a significant impact; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the determinants of agricultural production in Iraq during the period 2004:1- 2020:4 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). The study concluded that there is a short and long-run equilibrium relationship between the GDP and the cultivated area, corruption, inflation, agricultural investment, agricultural production requirements, the availability of water, and employment in agricultural, on the other hand. The results indicated the significant impact of these variables on agricultural GDP in the long run. The main variables contributing to the agricultural GDP are water availability, corruption, and employment in agricultural. The estimates of the short-run parameters would correspond in terms of signs and significance with the results of the long-run estimates, even if the parameters’ values varied in different proportions. It indicates that the Iraqi agricultural sector suffers from a lack of optimal use of agricultural resources. Therefore, decision-makers in Iraq must adopt an effective agricultural policy by setting plans for the optimal use of water and paying attention to the human element to be qualified to carry out employment in agricultural and attract investment in the agricultural sector to develop it. It is also necessary to put in place financial and economic policies that reduce the adverse effects of inflationary pressures in the short and long terms, combat rampant corruption in the country, and preserve agricultural lands and reclamation of unsuitable lands.

A Proposed Comparative Algorithm for Regional Crop Yield Assessment: An Application of Characteristic Objects Method

The agriculture sector plays a vibrant role in the economic prosperity of advanced and developing countries. It is a crucial source of revenue for the majority of the population. Nevertheless, unfortunately, in Pakistan, the share of the agricultural sector in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is gradually declining. Therefore, comprehensive strategies and actions need to be developed and implement to enhance the agricultural productivity of Pakistan. In this study, an attempt has been made to examine the crop yield revenue of Punjab, Pakistan, by ranking the districts according to their contribution to the agricultural GDP of Pakistan's economy. A Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique, namely, characteristic objects method (COMET), which is entirely free of the rank reversal paradox, is used for this purpose. However, to make a fair comparison, in this research, a comprehensive framework is proposed to normalize the crop yield revenue of Punjab under probabilistic nature. The proposed framework is applied to various districts of Punjab, Pakistan, from 1992 to 2019. It is concluded that Jhang, Faisalabad, and Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) are the highest-ranked districts, while Nankana Sahib, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad are the lowest-ranked districts of Punjab, Pakistan, according to their contribution to the agricultural GDP of Pakistan's economy. Outcomes associated with this research would be helpful to build precise and accurate budget allocation policies.

A Decoupling Analysis of the Crop Water Footprint Versus Economic Growth in Beijing, China

Beijing, the capital of China, is experiencing a serious lack of water, which is becoming a main factor in the restriction of the development of the social economy. Due to the low economic efficiency and high consumption proportion of agricultural water use, the relationship between economic growth and agricultural water use is worth investigating. The “decoupling” index is becoming increasingly popular for identifying the degree of non-synchronous variation between resource consumption and economic growth. However, few studies address the decoupling between the crop water consumption and agricultural economic growth. This paper involves the water footprint (WF) to assess the water consumption in the crop production process. After an evaluation of the crop WF in Beijing, this paper applies the decoupling indicators to examine the occurrence of non-synchronous variation between the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and crop WF in Beijing from 1981 to 2013. The results show that the WF of crop production in 2013 reduced by 62.1% compared to that in 1980 — in total, 1.81 × 109 m3. According to the decoupling states, the entire study period is divided into three periods. From 1981 to 2013, the decoupling states represented seventy-five percent of the years from 1981 to 1992 (Period I) with a moderate decoupling degree, more than ninety percent from 1993 to 2003 (Period II) with a very strong decoupling degree and moved from non-decoupling to strong decoupling from 2004 to 2013 (Period III). Adjusting plantation structure, technology innovation and raising awareness of water-saving, may promote the decoupling degree between WF and agricultural GDP in Beijing.

Repercussions of Sustainable Agricultural Productivity, Foreign Direct Investment, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Decay: Recent Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean

This research aimed to assess and implement the long- and short-run relationship of agriculture and environmental sustainability with control variables. Purposely, this research consolidated theoretical and conceptual principles to create a systematic structure in agriculture for the development of both sectors, i.e., agricultural and the environment. On this ground statement, this research was motivated to contemplate the relationship between carbon dioxide emission, agricultural production, gross domestic product, renewable energy consumption, and foreign direct investment using annual data series of Latin American and Caribbean countries from 1971 to 2018. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) was used as an econometric methodology to examine the relationship among the variables. Agriculture is the most vulnerable sector in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the economy is heavily dependent on it. The main results of this research indicated that agriculture and CO2 emissions were positively related to each other for the long and short run, which means that agricultural activities increased the CO2 emission levels. At the same time, the control variables showed mixed associations with environmental degradation as gross domestic product (GDP) was positively significant and renewable energy consumption was negatively significant. The error correction (ECt−1) term was negatively significant, confirming the long-run relationship and the speed of adjustment from short- to long-run equilibrium. Agricultural production and GDP led to increments in CO2 emissions, while renewable energy consumption negatively contributed to toxic emissions. The speed of adjustment in Latin American and Caribbean countries was nippy. It required 2.933 periods for the transformation from the short periodic phase to the long term. A comprehensive approach is the research debate rigorously and holistically based on divergent sectors of an economy and their relationship with environmental sustainability. The econometric method, symbolic system, and conceptual existence were designed originally.

IMPACT OF BROAD MONEY AND EXCHANGE RATE ON AGRICULTURAL GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: AN UNRESTRICTED VAR MODEL APPROACH

Expansionary monetary policy is a major driver of economic changes via money supply. Broad money, which represents total money supply in an economy, has several economic impacts. The study examines the impact of broad money (MS2) and exchange rate (XR) on agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP) in Nigeria. Secondary data from 1981 to 2018were obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Johansen Co-integration test and Vector Autoregression model were employed. Broad money had a large coefficient of variation. Variables were stationary at the first difference, supported by a spurious regression of d1lnagdp on d1lnms2 and d1lnxr whose R2 (0. 2411) was greater than Durbin Watson statistics (1.889914). Johansen's Co-integration test rules out the long-run relationship. Using the AGDP model of the VAR, the result shows that the chi2 statistic (16687.39) is statistically significant (P<0.01), with an R2 of 0.9978. Ms2 and XR have coefficients of 0.3389 and 0.2502, respectively, with statistically significant (P<0.01) and z-statistics of 3.92 and 5.44, respectively. The findings suggest increased broad money for increased agricultural gross domestic product. An increase in the exchange rate should be adopted for an increased agricultural gross domestic product but with caution to forestall the trade-off effect on inflation.

Synergy between sectoral output, energy and CO2 emission: a panel cointegration analysis of South Asia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the synergy between sectoral output, energy use and CO2 emission with other factors for a panel of South Asian economies including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is done using annual panel data from 1980–2019 using dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and Toda-Yamamoto techniques.FindingsEmpirical findings reveal the existence of a statistically significant long-run cointegrating relationship between energy use, sectoral output such as agricultural, industry and service gross domestic product (GDP), globalization, urbanization and CO2 emission. DOLS and FMOLS result posits that in the case of the South Asian region agriculture GDP does not contribute to increasing CO2 emission while service and industrial GDP is responsible for increasing CO2 emission along with urban population, energy use and to some extent globalization. More remarkably, the contribution of the service GDP is greater than the other two sectoral outputs in increasing CO2 emission with a feedback hypothesis.Practical implicationsAs CO2 emission is a global phenomenon with a cross-boundary effect, these empirical findings might contribute to formulating implementable energy and environmental policies to sustain growth, as well as to protect the environment in the regional context.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by providing an empirical investigation of South Asia incorporating the contribution of sectoral output to understand the potential contribution of each sector on energy and emission. This is the first study on the South Asian context from the perspective of sectoral output, energy and emission.

Entrepreneurship opportunities in horticulture sector

Horticulture sector has the potential to enhance the farm income, provide livelihood security and earn foreign exchange. However, focused policy interventions are needed to realise the potential of this sector. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally. During 2019-20, the production of fruits is 102.03 million MT and that of vegetables is 189 million MT and that of flowers is 2.94million MT. The salient features of commercial horticulture are perishability, intense technology, high profitability accompanied with high investment and high risks including vulnerability to post-harvest losses. Overall, it demands very good entrepreneurship and leadership.The review reveals the trends of the horticultural sector in India and identifies the growth prospects. According to the Economic Survey 2020-202, the share of agriculture in gross domestic product (GDP) has reached almost 20 per cent for the first time in the last 17 years, making it the sole bright spot in GDP performance during 2020-21. The resilience of the farming community in the face of adversities made agriculture the only sector to have clocked a positive growth of 3.4 per cent at constant prices in 2020-21, when other sectors slid. The share of agriculture in GDP increased to 19.9 per cent in 2020-21 from 17.8 per cent in 2019-20.The Horticulture has become a key driver for economic development in many of the states in the country and it contributes 30.4 per cent to GDP of agriculture, which calls for technology-led development. The research priorities are for genetic resource enhancement and its utilization, enhancing the efficiency of production and reducing the losses in environment friendly manner. Horticultural sector accounts for about 37% of the total exports of agricultural commodities, and the exports have recorded sustained rising trend.The major concerns of the sector are improving the productivity through research and development, enhancing the share of value-added products, geographical diversification of exports and enhancing the infrastructure including cold storage and rural roads.The horticulture sector has been considered as the sun rising sector of Indian agriculture because of its contribution to livelihood and nutritional security. Here are some strategic options to overcome the hurdles in the entrepreneurship climate setting process to enhance farmers’ income.

An Overview of Current Approaches and Challenges to the Control of Endemic Infectious Cattle Diseases in Albania.

Agriculture is an important production sector in Albania that makes a significant contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The livestock sector contributes more than half of the agricultural GDP. The Albanian cattle population represents 50% of the total livestock units and accounts for 85% of the national milk production, the rest being supplied by small ruminants. Cattle productivity, health and welfare are hindered by infectious diseases, some of which are also transmissible to humans (zoonosis). The aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the control of selected regulated and non-EU regulated cattle diseases in Albania and to highlight specific challenges for the Albanian cattle industry. The most important infectious cattle diseases in Albania for which national control and eradication strategies are in place are bovine brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, and anthrax, which are all zoonotic. Additionally, lumpy skin disease recently emerged in the Balkan region and is currently subject to controls. Most of the available funds and European Union support are allocated to the control of EU regulated zoonotic diseases. For control of non-EU regulated cattle diseases, no funds are available resulting in the lack of national control programmes (CPs). Based on research, clinical investigations and laboratory results, several non-EU regulated cattle infectious diseases appear endemic in Albanian dairy farms. While no national CPs exist for any of them, regional initiatives are available on a voluntary basis to control infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bovine viral diarrhea. In the voluntary CPs, there is no monitored requirement to prove disease freedom of purchased animals and to re-evaluate the herd's free status after the introduction of animals into a herd. Data on animal movements that are routinely collected could potentially be used to control the risk of purchase, but quality needs to be further improved to increase its usefulness in disease CPs. This overview aims to collate existing information on the CPs implemented in Albania and to evaluate these to highlight gaps and threats in disease control, as well as opportunities and strengths through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, with the goal of providing a framework for the future implementation of animal disease control measures in Albania.

Eatery, energy, environment and economic system, 1970–2017: Understanding volatility spillover patterns in a global sample

This paper explores the complex patterns of volatility transmissions among oil price, agricultural energy consumption, biofuel consumption, food production, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in a sample of 157 countries spanning the period 1970–2017. We employ a panel vector autoregressive model to construct time-varying volatility spillover indices. The main findings include the following: (i) On average, spillover effects account for about 20% of total volatility in the system in the sample period. (ii) Agricultural energy consumption is the dominant gross volatility emitter in this system, while GHG emissions are the dominant gross volatility receiver. (iii) Oil price fluctuation contributes approximately 43% to the total volatility in GDP per capita. We do not observe a strong link between agricultural emissions and GDP per capita in terms of volatility spillovers. Importantly, given the observed significant impact of oil price, energy consumption, and food production on changes in welfare, we conjecture that monitoring the interactions of these sectors is a policy priority.

THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL EXPENDITURE ON AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT IN NIGERIA

Agriculture contributes immensely to the economic development in Nigeria, efficient and effective management of the sector will enable the country to feed its increasing population, provide job opportunities, foreign exchange earnings and the provision of raw materials for the industries. However, due to policy and agriculture expenditure inconsistency coupled with political instability the sector has not been performing up to its expectation. This study makes immense contribution to the existing arguments by empirically analysing the effect of government agriculture expenditure on agriculture growth in Nigeria, using time series data from 1961-2013 obtained from the Central bank of Nigeria. Granger causality technique of data analysis was used in testing the secondary data. Agriculture gross domestic product (AGDP) was used as a proxy for agriculture growth, while government expenditure on agriculture was used as indicators of government expenditure on agriculture (GAEXP). The result of this study shows bidirectional causality between Government agriculture expenditure and agriculture GDP in Nigeria at the fourth lag lengths between 1961 and 2013. In other words agriculture expenditure granger causes agriculture GDP and also agriculture GDP granger causes agriculture expenditure. The study therefore recommends an urgent attention to be given to consistent budgetary allocation towards agricultural sector. The study also suggest, that government expenditure on agriculture sector should be continuous and not only in the time of falling agriculture product. This will continuously increase agriculture output and growth as well.

Comparative study on cost of cultivation and economic returns from rice-wheat and sugarcane-wheat cropping pattern in western region (Meerut) of Uttar Pradesh

The share of agriculture in gross domestic product has registered a steady decline from 36.4 per cent in 1982-83 to 20 per cent in March 2020-2021. Yet this sector continues to more than half a billion people providing employment to 52 per cent of the workforce. In the western Uttar Pradesh two cropping systems mainly Rice-wheat and sugarcane-wheat covers a larger area under production system. In Combined, both these cropping systems add up around to 12 million hectare area but the major part falls under North-West India. A sample of 80 famers who have livestock were selected for sample collection. For analysis the data Average weighted mean and CACP cost concept were used for calculation of economics of farming systems.There for the net return per hectare in small, medium and large category was Rs. 174390.40, 161003.60 and 152396.80 respectively. It was also observed the net return was higher in Sugarcane-Wheat cropping system than the Rice-Wheat cropping system.

Projecting potential impact of COVID-19 on major cereal crops in Senegal and Burkina Faso using crop simulation models

ContextThe rapid emergence of COVID-19 could have direct and indirect impacts on food production systems and livelihoods of farmers. From the farming perspective, disruption of critical input availability, supply chains and labor, influence crop management. Disruptions to food systems can affect (a) planting area; and (b) crop yields. ObjectivesTo quantify the impacts of COVID-19 on major cereal crop's production and their cascading impact on national economy and related policies. MethodsWe used the calibrated crop simulation model (DSSAT suite) to project the impact of potential changes in planting area and grain yield of four major cereal crops (i.e., rice, maize, sorghum, and millet) in Senegal and Burkina Faso in terms of yield, total production, crop value and contribution to agricultural gross domestic product (GDP). Appropriate data (i.e., weather, soil, crop, and management practices) for the specific agroecological zones were used as an input in the model. Results and conclusionsThe simulated yields for 2020 were then used to estimate crop production at country scale for the matrix of different scenarios of planting area and yield change (−15, −10, −5, 0, +5, +10%). Depending on the scenario, changes in total production of four cereals combined at country levels varied from 1.47 M tons to 2.47 M tons in Senegal and 4.51 M tons to 7.52 M tons in Burkina Faso. The economic value of all four cereals under different scenarios ranged from $771 Million (M) to $1292 M in Senegal and from $1251 M to $2098 M in Burkina Faso. These estimated total crop values under different scenarios were compared with total agricultural GDP of the country (in 2019 terms which was $3995 M in Senegal and $3957 M in Burkina Faso) to assess the economic impact of the pandemic on major cereal grain production. Based on the scenarios, the impact on total agricultural GDP can change −7% to +6% in Senegal and − 8% to +9% in Burkina Faso. SignificanceResults obtained from this modeling exercise will be valuable to policymakers and end-to-end value chain practitioners to prepare and develop appropriate policies to cope or manage the impact of COVID-19 on food systems.

Agriculture and GDP Causality Nexus in Morocco: Empirical Evidence from a VAR Approach

The agricultural sector continues to be the backbone of the Moroccan’s economy, employing 38% of the active working population and contributing to 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, Moroccan agriculture is subject to multiple constraints, including volatility due to climatic conditions which continue to condition the economic performance of the country as a whole, despite the decrease in the share of agriculture in the sectoral composition. The main objective of this study is to econometrically explore the causality nexus between agriculture and GDP in Morocco, especially since the sector has benefited from new development strategies. Using Moroccan time series over the period 1980 to 2017, the paper employed the Granger causality based on the vector autoregressive model (VAR) in a dynamic multivariate framework, using five macroeconomic variables: GDP per capita, agricultural GDP, investment rate, money supply, and trade openness. The empirical results from the analysis detect the presence of bidirectional Granger causality between agriculture and GDP, implying a feedback relationship, and some unidirectional causal relationships involving the other macroeconomic variables used in the VAR model. The findings have important policy implications for the government to establish effective agricultural strategies, in particular with the inauguration of the new agricultural strategy «Green Generation» in 2020.

Effects of Agricultural Inputs Use on Agricultural Productivity in Nepal: An Empirical Study

Agricultural inputs have crucial role to deliver increased productivity and sustained agricultural growth in an economy. However, adequate empirical research is not available related to effects of agricultural inputs use on agricultural productivity in Nepalese context. Thus, empirical study was conducted so as to reveal the effects of agricultural inputs use in agricultural production sector. This study utilized time series data of 30 years (1990 to 2019) retrieved from various secondary data sources of agricultural input supply in Nepal. Then, data obtained were processed and analyzed in two ways: First, Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of different agricultural inputs were estimated using Log-Lin regression model. Second, the parameters estimates of Cobb-Douglas regression analysis was obtained taking Agricultural GDP as the dependent variable and independent variables viz. cultivated area, irrigated area, population engaged in agriculture, fertilizer consumption, pesticides application, improved seeds used and government expenditure. The results depicted that growth rate of various agricultural inputs use had raised significantly and was in increasing trend during the study period. Furthermore, cultivated area, irrigated area and pesticides application were found statistically significant and had significant impact on growth of agricultural GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

Impact of Traders Competitive Rivalry on Supply and Demand Relations in Livestock Markets in the Drylands of Kenya

Globally, the livestock sector is rapidly growing and contributing 40% of the total value of agricultural output. Livestock keeping is one of the main vibrant economic sectors in many Africa countries. In Kenya, livestock contributes 12% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 42% to Agricultural GDP. 80% of Kenya’s landmass is Arid and Semi-Arid, home of about 16 million people dependent on agro-pastoral livelihoods. Though the largest Kenya region, Turkana County is the poorest, with 70% of the population depending entirely on livestock keeping. While many impediments retard the development of livestock in Kenya’s drylands, using the case of Turkana County, the study objectives focused on the effects of competitive rivalry evident in many markets and its effects on the supply and demand relations, and the impact of theory integration on the supply and demand in markets. 168 primary respondents (Livestock traders) and 24 secondary respondents (Government and Civil Society employees) were sampled to participate in the study. The study results showed that competitive rivalry significantly influences supply and demand relations in livestock markets in the pastoral areas, hindering the adoption of formal business models for market organization, functionality, and better performance. As a result, livestock prices, marketing and market governance systems, coordination of livestock trade in the county, and access to cross-border markets remain negatively affected. Recommendations for application include empowerment of traders, youth, and women through business training, exposure, and introduction of adult literacy programmes to help improve the ability of the local traders to read, write, and use technology to share market information, and do transactions. Access to capital financing, infrastructure development, and organization of marketing performance will reinforce linkages between livestock production zones and various market segments. Strengthening the governance of livestock markets by promoting leadership and management practices, and enforcement of business principles will inculcate in markets ethical competition while rooting out rivalry tendencies. Supply, demand, and theory integration in livestock trade remain critical areas for future research. Despite many limitations to the growth of livestock economy in pastoral areas, the drylands still pose significant opportunities to nurture healthy and productive livestock resources that can compete in internal and external markets while attracting substantial economic returns to empower rural economies, strengthen entrepreneurship, and make pastoral livelihoods more resilient.

Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) and Agricultural Performance in Nigeria: A Threshold Regression Analysis

Credit financing deficit is one of the problems militating against the performance of agriculture in Nigeria. Against this background, the government of Nigeria introduced the agricultural credit guarantee scheme fund (ACGSF) in 1977 to encourage banks to increase and sustain lending to agriculture. Unfortunately, the scheme has not achieved the desired results. Hence, this study seeks to evaluate the thresholds of ACGSF on agricultural performance in Nigeria between 1981 and 2019. The performance of agriculture was captured using real agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Annual time series data were obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin and the World Development Indicators (WDI) and analysed using threshold regression. Although insignificant, the results show U-shaped relationship between real agricultural GDP and ACGSF. In addition, ACGSF has significant positive effects on real agricultural GDP at 1060389 (₦’ thousand) and 5951809 (₦’ thousand) thresholds. The study concludes that sustain increase in the value of agricultural loans guaranteed and the inclusiveness of more smallholder farmers who dominate the Nigerian agricultural space will translate into robust contribution of the scheme to agricultural performance in Nigeria.

Impact of Government Expenditure on Agricultural Value Chain in Nigeria

This research examined the impact of government expenditure on agricultural value chain in Nigeria. It uses annual time series data for the period 1998-2018. Statistical Techniques, survey, simple percentages and the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) methods were adopted. The OLS result using Multiple Regression analysis revealed an insignificant positive relationship between government expenditure and Agricultural value chain, proxy by Aggregate importation of rice (AMR). Imports had a negative sign; it is a leakage on the economy. It however, showed that agricultural gross domestic product (ADP) has a positive relationship with government expenditure, at 5 percent level. The pair-wise Granger causality tests showed that government expenditure on agriculture (GEA) granger causes aggregate importation of rice (AMR), this was indicated by their respective F-statistics and probability values which stood at 0.39420(0.6815).. In conclusion, government expenditure, with supportive policies, would have huge impact on agricultural value chain in Nigeria. The agricultural sector is the engine of economic recovery, growth and development, therefore an improvement in government spending to the sector is recommended. This study contributes to the downstream linkages in the agricultural sector.

Supply Chain Analysis of Rice (Oryza sativa. L.) Sub-Sector in Kanchanpur District, Nepal

Rice shares about 20% of the agriculture gross domestic product (AGDP) and nearly 50% of the total calorie requirements of Nepalese people. The study was conducted to assess the different supply chain actors involved in the rice subsector in Kanchanpur district during April- August 2020. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect the information by selecting 110 respondents including 75 rice producers, 10 agro-vet, 5 millers, 5 wholesalers, and 15 retailers. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis. The findings revealed that there was a dominance of males (62%) over females (38%). The mean allocated area and productivity were 0.99 ha and 4.26 Mt/ha respectively. Cooperatives (33.33%) hold a major possession in the case of seed producers whereas their own seed (40.6%) and agro-vet (35.7%) hold a major source of seed in the case of grain producers for home consumption and marketed surplus. The average B: C ratio of the paddy growers was found to be 1.40 in the study area. The market margin and producer's share was higher in seeds supply chain NRs 29 per kg and 47.2% as compared to the grain supply chain as NRs 27 per kg and 46% respectively. About 77% of the paddy growers preferred to sell their produce to house and the remaining 23% sold to market. This research reflects the production constraints along with the establishment of an effective supply chain to assure the reliability of supply at an economic price.
 Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 7, Issue-4: 224-233

Mapping China’s regional economic activity by integrating points-of-interest and remote sensing data with random forest

Nighttime light imageries are widely used for mapping the gross domestic product (GDP) over large areas. However, nighttime light imagery is inappropriate to disaggregate agricultural GDP and inadequate to differentiate the GDP from the secondary and tertiary sectors. Points-of-interest, a kind of geospatial big data with geographic locations and textual descriptions of the category, can effectively distinguish industrial and commercial areas, and therefore have the potential to improve the precise GDP mapping from secondary and tertiary sectors. In this study, a machine learning method, random forest, was used to disaggregate the 2010 county-level census GDP data of mainland China to 1 km × 1 km grids. Six Random Forest models were constructed for different economic sectors to explore the non-linear relationships between various geographic predictors and GDP from different sectors. By fusing points-of-interest of varying categories, the spatial distribution of economic activities from the secondary and tertiary sectors was effectively distinguished. Compared to previous studies, the strategy of developing specific Random Forest models for different sectors generated a more reasonable distribution of GDP. Our results highlight the feasibility of using point-of-interest data in disaggregating non-agricultural GDP by exploiting the complementary features of the different data sources.

The milk processing: Status, challenges and opportunities in ethiopia

Livestock production in Ethiopia contributes about 16.5% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 35.6% of the agricultural GDP, 15% of export earnings, and 30% of agricultural employment. The performance of livestock product marketing was poor in the last decade, despite some improvement in recent years, especially in terms of aggressive policy and strategy on export of livestock and livestock products, indicating that the sector is still underexploited. There is need to promote the market-oriented production of milk export. Knowing the common challenges and opportunities are very much important in designing smart livestock and livestock product marketing systems in the country. The common milk processing products market constraints in Ethiopia include lack of clear milk marketing system, factors of culture and religion, inaccessibility of market and lack of transport, seasonal based demand, lack of effective extension service to use newer technologies and practices, lack of market information, lack of holistic intervention and localized markets. Despite these challenges, there are some golden opportunities that increase the milk demand and to some extent increase milk consumption trend. Hence, the need to review this work was to access literatures available regarding milk processing, status, challenges and opportunities in Ethiopia.