Agricultural Productivity Growth Research Articles

Impact of public research investments on agricultural productivity in Chile

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between public research and development (R&D) investment and agricultural productivity growth in Chile during the 1964–2017 period. To achieve this objective, we used a combined approach based on accounting and econometric measures. The results indicated that agricultural productivity grew at an annual average rate of 2.11%. Additionally, the empirical findings show a positive and significant relationship between public R&D investment and agricultural productivity. Furthermore, the cost–benefit analysis reveals a high return (15%–21%) to public R&D resources, which may have contributed to enhancing the productivity performance of Chile's agricultural sector. In this regard, our findings suggest that agricultural R&D spending has been profitable in recent decades and that a higher allocation of R&D resources is justifiable. [EconLit Citations: C22, Q14, Q16].

Dams, cropland productivity, and economic development in China

We use satellite, hydrology, and census data from 1992 to 2014 to quantify dams' impacts on cropland productivity and economic development in China. We exploit a county's river gradient and elevation to address the endogeneity of dam placement. We find that an additional dam reduces a local county's cropland net primary production (NPP) and nighttime light (NTL)-based GDP by 13.7% and 2.9%, respectively. We also find that an additional dam increases a downstream county's NPP by 0.5% and has a positive yet insignificant impact on a downstream county's NTL-based GDP. Dynamic analysis shows that the positive impact of dams on downstream counties' cropland productivity and economic development takes around ten years to realize. We also find that dams have smaller positive impacts on agricultural productivity and economic growth than China's high-speed rail (HRS) construction.

Gender gap in land rights and access to agricultural production in Okigwe Agricultural Zone, Imo state, Nigeria

Land is a vital resource for agricultural productivity and economic growth. Inequalities in access and rights to land by male and female farmers could hamper agricultural productivity. The study assessed the gender gap in land rights and access to agricultural production in Okigwe Agricultural Zone of Imo state, Nigeria. The study identified the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers in the study area; determined the farmer's access to land; ascertained the land rights of the farmers; determined the socio-economic factors influencing access to land in the study area. It was hypothesized that there were no significant differences in the access to land by male and female farmers. Ninety-six (96) male and female farmers were sampled, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentages, Ordinary Least Square Regression and t-test. Results showed that the mean farm size of male and female farmers was 0.2842 hectares and 0.1842 hectares. All male farmers had the right to land, while a few female farmers had the right to land. The result showed that age, income and education significantly affect male and female farmers’ access to land and that there were significant gender gaps in access to land. The study recommended the provision of agricultural credits to enable farmers to acquire land for agricultural production.

Analysis of the determinants of sustainable agricultural technologies adoption in tea production in China: a systematic review

ABSTRACTAgriculture in China is undergoing a swift transformation to modify labour relocation. This change is spearheaded by commercial farms and other Chinese government interventions thereby promoting agricultural production and rural growth. The input-dependent industrial model of agriculture is also considered in conflict with attaining a safe and healthy environment for its inhabitants. The current approaches initiated in the tea sector have witnessed several enriched sustainable agricultural technologies (SATs). The SATs seek to increase yield while ensuring agricultural sustainability via ecological strategies. However, reports have shown farmers have low desire resulting in a lower acceptance rate of SATs among Chinese farmers. We provide a systematic review with a focus on the key determinants of SATs adoption rate in tea production in China from 2000 to 2022. The results revealed the significance and suitability of different approaches in establishing farmers’ adoption behaviour. The specificity of farmers’ SAT adoption behaviour is essentially not compromised by any codified variables but the interrelationship among the determinants, including socio-demographic, agroecological and environmental, technological, institutional, and social networks, and informational, and farmer behavioural factors. We recommend that the government increase awareness of SATs to promote public demand for agricultural sustainability, particularly in developing countries.

Ensemble machine learning-based recommendation system for effective prediction of suitable agricultural crop cultivation.

Agriculture is the most critical sector for food supply on the earth, and it is also responsible for supplying raw materials for other industrial productions. Currently, the growth in agricultural production is not sufficient to keep up with the growing population, which may result in a food shortfall for the world's inhabitants. As a result, increasing food production is crucial for developing nations with limited land and resources. It is essential to select a suitable crop for a specific region to increase its production rate. Effective crop production forecasting in that area based on historical data, including environmental and cultivation areas, and crop production amount, is required. However, the data for such forecasting are not publicly available. As such, in this paper, we take a case study of a developing country, Bangladesh, whose economy relies on agriculture. We first gather and preprocess the data from the relevant research institutions of Bangladesh and then propose an ensemble machine learning approach, called K-nearest Neighbor Random Forest Ridge Regression (KRR), to effectively predict the production of the major crops (three different kinds of rice, potato, and wheat). KRR is designed after investigating five existing traditional machine learning (Support Vector Regression, Naïve Bayes, and Ridge Regression) and ensemble learning (Random Forest and CatBoost) algorithms. We consider four classical evaluation metrics, i.e., mean absolute error, mean square error (MSE), root MSE, and R 2, to evaluate the performance of the proposed KRR over the other machine learning models. It shows 0.009 MSE, 99% R 2 for Aus; 0.92 MSE, 90% R 2 for Aman; 0.246 MSE, 99% R 2 for Boro; 0.062 MSE, 99% R 2 for wheat; and 0.016 MSE, 99% R 2 for potato production prediction. The Diebold-Mariano test is conducted to check the robustness of the proposed ensemble model, KRR. In most cases, it shows 1% and 5% significance compared to the benchmark ML models. Lastly, we design a recommender system that suggests suitable crops for a specific land area for cultivation in the next season. We believe that the proposed paradigm will help the farmers and personnel in the agricultural sector leverage proper crop cultivation and production.

A Study on the Growth and Determinants of Agricultural Production in Mizoram

Purpose: This study attempts to evaluate the trends in the area, production and productivity of selected crops from 2001 to 2011. It also analyses the determinants of production of selected crops. Theoretical framework: 55.17 per cent of the primary workforce is employed in agriculture and related industries (Census, 2011). Although agriculture's contribution to GSVA is declining over the year, agriculture and allied sectors continue to be the primary source of income for rural communities, so policymakers and planners must pay careful attention to the sector. Design/methodology/approach: Secondary data such as statistical abstract of Mizoram (Various issues) was used to collect data and analyzed quantitatively using multiple regression to ascertain the determinants of selected crops and also Compound annual growth rate evaluate the trends in the area, production and productivity of selected crops grown in Mizoram from 2001 to 2011. Findings: The findings indicated that the area and production of selected agricultural crops have a positive CAGR over the past two decades, while the productivity of turmeric, orange, banana, and grape have a negative CAGR. The regression analysis revealed that increase or decrease in production is strongly influenced by land area and yield. Research, Practical & Social implications: The study would be beneficial and applicable for decision-makers, planners, and civil society organisations for developing effective strategies for starting up future development plans. Originality/value: By staying focused explicitly on agricultural production, determinants, sustainable consumption, and decision making, this study makes an improvement to the present body of knowledge.

The Roles of Hormone Signals Involved in Rhizosphere Pressure Response Induce Corm Expansion in Sagittaria trifolia.

Soil is the base for conventional plant growth. The rhizosphere pressure generated from soil compaction shows a dual effect on plant growth in agricultural production. Compacted soil leads to root growth stagnation and causes bending or thickening, thus affecting the growth of aboveground parts of plants. In arrowhead (Sagittaria trifolia L.), the corms derived from the expanded tips of underground stolons are its storage organ. We found that the formation of corms was significantly delayed under hydroponic conditions without rhizosphere pressure originating from soil/sand. In the initial stage of corm expansion, the anatomic structure of arrowhead corm-forming parts harvested from hydroponics and sand culture was observed, and we found that the corm expansion was derived from cell enlargement and starch accumulation. Comparative transcriptome analysis indicated that the corm expansion was closely related to the change in endogenous hormone levels. Endogenous abscisic acid and salicylic acid concentrations were significantly increased in sand-cultured corms. Higher ethylene and jasmonic acid contents were also detected in all arrowhead samples, demonstrating that these hormones may play potential roles in the rhizosphere pressure response and corm expansion. The expression of genes participating in hormone signaling could explain the rising accumulation of certain hormones. Our current results draw an extensive model to reveal the potential regulation mechanism of arrowhead corm expansion promoted by rhizosphere pressure, which will provide important references for further studying the molecular mechanism of rhizosphere pressure modulating the development of underground storage organs in other plants.

Constraints Faced by the Farmers in Accessing Services from Digital Agripreneurs

The agricultural sector has witnessed a transformative shift with the advent of digital technologies and the rise of digital Agripreneurs. These digital Agripreneurs act as intermediaries, connecting farmers to a range of essential services, including market information, weather forecasts, agricultural inputs, financial services, and advisory support. While these services have the potential to revolutionize farming practices and improve farmers' livelihoods, several constraints hinder their effective access and utilization. The study investigated the constraints encountered by farmers while accessing the services from Digital Agripreneurs in Karnataka. The data were collected among the farmers who were getting services related to crop health monitoring, inputs, weather forecast, and market-related information from these Digital Agripreneurs. The ex-post facto research design was employed; several kinds of constraints were gathered through a literature study and expert opinion. They were given in an interview schedule for the farmers to rank accordingly. The acquired data were analyzed, and ranks were assigned based on Rank-Based Quotient percentage. The major constraints faced by the farmers in accessing services provided by Digital Agripreneurs were Lack of practical evidence on the utility of information (98.71%), Fear of loss on adoption (92.64%), Lack of face-to-face contact to verify the credibility of information (86.29%), Lack of service centers in the vicinity (76.29) and so on. By overcoming these limitations, Digital Agripreneurs can empower farmers with valuable insights, tools, and technologies, leading to enhanced agricultural practices, productivity, and sustainable growth in the sector.

Impacts of US Public R&D Investments on Agricultural Productivity and GHG Emissions

AbstractThis study formally links the literature on R&D-driven productivity growth to studies which examine GHG emission benefits from increased farm productivity growth. Using a global agricultural model and estimates from the literature, this study examines the impact of greater US public agricultural R&D spending over 2025−2035. The results show that roughly doubling public R&D investments in US agriculture could provide greater economic gains relative to its costs over the period 2017−2050. The GHG mitigation co-benefits from these investments also can be enhanced by combining R&D policies with strategies aimed at directly reducing farm inputs.

СОЦІО-ЕКОЛОГІЧНІ НАСЛІДКИ АГРОПРОДОВОЛЬЧОЇ СПЕЦІАЛІЗАЦІЇ УКРАЇНИ: ПРИЧИНИ І СПОСОБИ ЇХ УСУНЕННЯ

Міжнародні організації, світова наукова спільнота відзначають наростання екологічних процесів, пов’язаних із сільськогосподарською діяльністю. Зокрема, визнається негативний вплив на екологію природних ресурсів аграрного сектору глибоко спеціалізованого (монокультурного) виробництва, яке посилює деградацію угідь. Втрати від ґрунтовтоми – супутника монокультури становлять майже 25 % світового врожаю. У документах ООН ідеться не лише про екологічні, а й про соціальні втрати монокультурного виробництва: зменшення зайнятості сільського населення, посилення бідності, погіршення харчування тощо. Проаналізовано процеси формування в Україні глибоко спеціалізованого, з ознаками монокультурного, землеробства, зональний аспект якого дозволяє виявити його негативні екологічні й соціальні наслідки. Перехід у Степовій зоні на вирощування ґрунтовиснажливих і гумусопоглинаючих зернових і соняшнику, які зайняли більш як 93 % посівних площ, витіснивши пари і багаторічні трави, обумовив посилення ерозії, якою нині вражено 60–80 % сільгоспугідь, дегуманізацію ґрунтів (дефіцит гумусу сягає 600 кг/га), значне скорочення тваринництва, зменшення споживання населенням молока і молокопродуктів, зниження калорійності середньодобового раціону, ліквідацію робочих місць у сільськогосподарському виробництві тощо. Зазначені процеси притаманні східним регіонам Лісостепу і, хоча й меншою мірою, іншим регіонам країни. У цілому по Україні знижується якість харчування, зростає імпортозалежність за певними видами продовольчих товарів, витіснених з виробництва в результаті глибокої спеціалізації. Для упередження подальшого розвитку цих та інших негативних процесів обґрунтовано безальтернативність переходу від глибоко спеціалізованого монокультурного сільського господарства до агроекологічного плодозмінного в симбіозі з тваринництвом. Запропоновано механізми переходу до даного типу землеробства з урахуванням теоретичних засад проблеми і досвіду її розв’язання в західноєвропейських та інших країнах, що дозволить призупинити деградацію і забезпечити зростання продуктивності сільськогосподарських угідь, зберегти продовольчий суверенітет країни та її сільський трудовий потенціал.

Digital inclusive finance and green total factor productivity growth in rural areas

Transitioning to environmentally friendly economic growth is crucial for achieving sustainable development. Digital inclusive finance (DIF) can promote environmentally friendly economic activities and play a crucial role in fostering green and low-carbon development. In this context, a fundamental research question revolves around the theoretical foundations of how DIF impacts the growth of green total factor productivity (GTFP) and whether this relationship can be empirically verified. This question is particularly relevant for rural areas where financial innovations are necessary for the advancement of businesses and society as a whole. Additionally, expanding DIF can bring benefits to the environment, which is affected by agricultural activities. Therefore, it is important to assess the mechanisms behind the development of DIF and its impact on agricultural productivity growth. This paper presents an analysis of the interaction between DIF and GTFP growth in China's agricultural sector. Panel data from 2012 to 2019 at the province level are used for this analysis. The results reveal that GTFP and DIF demonstrate similar growth patterns, with DIF significantly contributing to GTFP growth. DIF can enhance GTFP by promoting information channels and fostering innovation in green technologies.

Impacts of agricultural capital subsidies for women in Burkina Faso: Lessons from a Computable General Equilibrium model

AbstractSub‐Saharan African countries have a strong involvement of women in the agricultural sector. However, women have limited access to productive resources. A better endowment of productive resources for women is seen as a crucial option for achieving noteworthy results in terms of agricultural production, income, and economic growth and for reducing income inequalities between men and women. This study aims to analyse the potential impacts of a subsidy policy on women's agricultural capital in Burkina Faso. It makes use of a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model and a gendered social accounting matrix. The results indicate that the subsidy policy contributes to increasing women's income more than men's income, helping to reduce income inequality between men and women. Moreover, unemployment for women decreases significantly. Finally, the policy is conducive to economic growth regardless of the funding source.

Revisiting the size–productivity relationship with imperfect measures of production and plot size

AbstractMonitoring smallholder agricultural productivity growth, one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, rests on accurate measures of crop production and land area. Existing methods and protocols for measuring smallholder production and plot size are prone to various sources and forms of mismeasurement. Inaccuracies in production and land area measurement are likely to distort descriptive and predictive inferences. We examine the sensitivity of empirical assessments of the relationship between agricultural productivity and land area to alternative measurement protocols. We implement six production and six land area measurement protocols, and show that most of these protocols differ systematically in their accuracy. We find that an apparent inverse size–productivity relationship in our data is fully explained by measurement error in both production and plot size. Moreover, we show that some of the previously used “gold standard” measures are themselves prone to nonclassical measurement error, and hence can generate spurious inverse size–productivity findings. Our results also show that slight improvements in the precision of objective measures significantly reduce the inferential bias associated with the size–productivity relationship.

Economic Returns to Agricultural Research: Thailand and Indonesia

In both Thailand and Indonesia, the public sector’s agricultural research investments have substantially contributed to agricultural productivity growth, as have international investments in agricultural research, through the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) system. But both countries’ own expenditures on agricultural extension failed to produce significant productivity benefits. These findings imply that the magnitude of domestic investment in agricultural research is suboptimal in both countries. This is reflected in estimated marginal rates of return to this form of expenditure of between 25 percent and 30 percent per annum in real terms, well above the rates of return normally expected from public investments.

Heterogeneous Paths of Industrialization

Abstract Industrialization experiences differ substantially across countries. We use a benchmark model of structural change to shed light on the sources of this heterogeneity and, in particular, the phenomenon of premature deindustrialization. Our analysis leads to three key findings. First, benchmark models of structural change robustly generate hump-shaped patterns for the evolution of the industrial sector. Second, heterogeneous patterns of catch-up in sectoral productivities across countries can generate variation in industrialization experiences similar to those found in the data, including premature deindustrialization. Third, differences in the rate of agricultural productivity growth across economies can account for the majority of the variation in peak industrial employment shares.

Combating of Associated Issues for Sustainable Agri-Food Sectors

Because of growing populations, more people living in cities, and higher incomes, the demand for food has changed in both quantity and quality. This has sped up the growth of different agricultural production and distribution chains. The necessary transition processes in the agri-food sectors, however, can often take a very long time to complete and have negative social and environmental effects, which puts the traditional development paradigm into question. This study looked at the trends affecting food systems in addition to the viability of sustainable development in Indian agriculture. In order to identify and then prioritize the related issues facing the agri-food sectors, this study comprised a thorough examination of the literature. Experts were consulted to rank the identified issues according to their degree of impact on the system with the use of an integrated “Best-Worst-Method (BWM)” and “Step-Wise Assessment and Ratio-Analysis (SWARA)” approach. The associated major issues were ranked using the BWM method, which revealed that “Issues with the lack of innovative systems” rated at the first level and was followed by “Issues with stability and availability of food; Issues of climate change and natural disasters; Food-governance-related issues; and Issues of accessing and utilizing food”, accordingly. The results of this study will help in developing appropriate intervention techniques at various service levels and in formulating policies, in addition to taking competent governments into consideration.

Cereal Production in the Eastern Free State, 1981 – 2007: Can Agricultural Extension Deliver Food Security?

Since 1989, South Africa's agricultural productivity growth has reached a standstill while the South African population has kept growing at 1.93% per annum. Although the country is a surplus maize producer, per capita maize production has fallen at -0.38% p.a. since 1989. A provincial breakdown of food grain production will allow the government to monitor future food security, making prompt interventions possible. In this region, we need interventions that can relieve the stresses on the already over-burned natural resources, and this can be implemented through agricultural extension by raising agricultural productivity. This paper examines the field crop production trends in the Eastern Free State province of South Africa for positive or negative trends at the district level. The data reveals a decline in cereal, legume, and oil seed production between 1981 and 2007. The negative trajectory we see in all crops in all districts is concerning. In most districts, the decline is due to fewer hectares planted, but unfavourable weather and the withdrawal of support by the government may also be contributing factors. This disastrous trend could be turned around by greater investment in farmer education and skills development in the public extension service.

High-Strength, High-Water-Retention Hemicellulose-Based Hydrogel and Its Application in Urea Slow Release.

The use of fertilizer is closely related to crop growth and environmental protection in agricultural production. It is of great significance to develop environmentally friendly and biodegradable bio-based slow-release fertilizers. In this work, porous hemicellulose-based hydrogels were created, which had excellent mechanical properties, water retention properties (the water retention ratio in soil was 93.8% after 5 d), antioxidant properties (76.76%), and UV resistance (92.2%). This improves the efficiency and potential of its application in soil. In addition, electrostatic interaction and coating with sodium alginate produced a stable core-shell structure. The slow release of urea was realized. The cumulative release ratio of urea after 12 h was 27.42% and 11.38%, and the release kinetic constants were 0.0973 and 0.0288, in aqueous solution and soil, respectively. The sustained release results demonstrated that urea diffusion in aqueous solution followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, indicating the Fick diffusion mechanism, whereas diffusion in soil adhered to the Higuchi model. The outcomes show that urea release ratio may be successfully slowed down by hemicellulose hydrogels with high water retention ability. This provides a new method for the application of lignocellulosic biomass in agricultural slow-release fertilizer.

Measuring farm productivity under production uncertainty

AbstractThis research introduces a novel empirical application to the assessment of farm productivity growth. While the existing research on productivity change has primarily focussed on ex post output observations, it has been shown that ignoring production uncertainty can lead to unreliable results. Using a state‐contingent framework to represent the stochastic production environment, we extend the recent line of research that merged the state‐contingent approach and efficiency measurement to productivity change using the Malmquist and Luenberger productivity indices. Using a balanced panel of 117 arable crop farms surveyed in 2011 and 2015, we show through the study results that productivity decreased, with technological regress being the major source of productivity change. Differences in productivity change between nonstochastic and stochastic modelling show the relevance to consider the state‐contingent framework when assessing farms' productivity.

Environmental regulation and agricultural green productivity growth in China: A retest based on ‘Porter Hypothesis’

ABSTRACT Based on the panel data of provincial units in China from 2000 to 2020, this paper uses the entropy method to calculate agricultural environmental regulation level in China from the perspectives of afforestation projects, water conservancy projects and environmental protection projects. Then, this paper calculates agricultural non-point source pollutant emissions in China by using the unit survey and evaluation method, and calculates agricultural green productivity growth in China by using the SBM directional distance function and Luenberger productivity index. On this basis, the influence of environmental regulation on agricultural green productivity growth in China and its mechanism are empirically analysed. The results show that:(1) During the sample period, agricultural environmental regulation level and agricultural green productivity growth increased significantly, while the emission density of agricultural non-point source pollution decreased significantly; (2) On the whole, environmental regulation significantly promoted agricultural green productivity growth in China, which was mainly reflected in the promotion of agricultural green technology progress change; (3) Environmental regulation can significantly promote agricultural green productivity growth in China through the channel of agricultural innovation investment. The innovation of this paper lies in the measurement of agricultural environmental regulation, and the analysis of the moderating effect of agricultural innovation investment on the impact of environmental regulation on agricultural green productivity growth in China. The research conclusions of this paper verify the ‘Porter Hypothesis’ theory in the field of agriculture, and have guiding significance for China to promote agricultural green productivity growth by relying on environmental regulation.