Agricultural Assets Research Articles

Understanding the pathways to women’s empowerment in Northern Ghana and the relationship with small-scale irrigation

Women’s empowerment is often an important goal of development interventions. This paper explores local perceptions of empowerment in the Upper East Region of Ghana and the pathways through which small-scale irrigation intervention targeted to men and women farmers contributes to women’s empowerment. Using qualitative data collected with 144 farmers and traders through 28 individual interviews and 16 focus group discussions, this paper innovates a framework to integrate the linkages between small-scale irrigation and three dimensions of women’s empowerment: resources, agency, and achievements. The relationship between the components of empowerment and small-scale irrigation are placed within a larger context of social change underlying these relationships. This shows that many women face serious constraints to participating in and benefitting from small-scale irrigation, including difficulties accessing land and water and gender norms that limit women’s ability to control farm assets. Despite these constraints, many women do benefit from participating in irrigated farming activities leading to an increase in their agency and well-being achievements. For some women, these benefits are indirect—these women allocate their time to more preferred activities when the household gains access to modern irrigation technology. The result is a new approach to understanding women’s empowerment in relation to irrigation technology.

TOWARDS A BETTER LAND GOVERNANCE IN IMO STATE

Imo State was created in 1976 among other States of the Federation of Nigeria. Today 2021 almost forty (40) years after, the state of development of its land and land infrastructures can at best be categorized as deplorable and polarized with unregulated, uncoordinated and un-unified development thus giving room to leap-frogging and unprogressive development of land resources. This paper examined some of the key issues bordering on land governance. It reviewed actions and inactions of government hindering access to land for housing, farming and public assets in the State. Effort was made to examine the laws and statutes of the Federation as well as the edicts of the State on land. Data were collected from varied sources including government gazettes and white papers as well as citizens of the State. The paper concluded among others that the spate of land acquisition and exploitation in Imo State is gargantuan that government must check same or run the risk of losing control of development of land resources in the State.

Toward the Next Generation of Digitalization in Agriculture Based on Digital Twin Paradigm.

Digitalization has impacted agricultural and food production systems, and makes application of technologies and advanced data processing techniques in agricultural field possible. Digital farming aims to use available information from agricultural assets to solve several existing challenges for addressing food security, climate protection, and resource management. However, the agricultural sector is complex, dynamic, and requires sophisticated management systems. The digital approaches are expected to provide more optimization and further decision-making supports. Digital twin in agriculture is a virtual representation of a farm with great potential for enhancing productivity and efficiency while declining energy usage and losses. This review describes the state-of-the-art of digital twin concepts along with different digital technologies and techniques in agricultural contexts. It presents a general framework of digital twins in soil, irrigation, robotics, farm machineries, and food post-harvest processing in agricultural field. Data recording, modeling including artificial intelligence, big data, simulation, analysis, prediction, and communication aspects (e.g., Internet of Things, wireless technologies) of digital twin in agriculture are discussed. Digital twin systems can support farmers as a next generation of digitalization paradigm by continuous and real-time monitoring of physical world (farm) and updating the state of virtual world.

Basic methodological approaches to the accounting and control of costs in the formation of biological assets of crop and livestock breeding on the agricultural market

Introduction. The basic transformational organizational and economic processes, built in the conditions of extraordinary challenges, significantly change the methodical approaches to the formation of biological assets in agriculture. At this stage of transformational transformations, the problem of providing the population of the Earth and individual countries with a sufficient amount of food has been deepening recently. The issue of saturation of the domestic market with products produced by the leading industries of the national economy is of particular importance. And among them, both crop production and animal production are singled out. Therefore, strengthening the domestic producer in the positions of proving domestic consumption, based on physiological norms, influencing the development processes of the crop and livestock industries with the aim of adapting to changes in the macroeconomic parameters of the country, eliminating the destabilizing effect of conjunctural, seasonal and price fluctuations of the agro-food market is possible only under the conditions of search directions for improving tools, principles of accounting and control in industries to provide users with prompt, reliable and complete information on the amount of grown products in a timely manner. The aim of the work is to substantiate the basic methodical approaches to accounting and cost control in the formation of biological assets of plant and animal husbandry in the agro-food market in conditions of extraordinary challenges. Methodology. The basic methodical principles for accounting and cost control in the formation of biological assets of plant and animal husbandry in the agro-food market by applying a systematic approach have been improved. On the basis of the model of improvement of biological assets and agricultural products in animal husbandry, proposals were made to improve the Methodological recommendations on the accounting of biological assets No. 1315, approved by the order of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. It is proposed to make changes to the fifth line in Appendix 1 of this document by highlighting the main production directions of goat breeding and to make changes to the first column "Objects of accounting for biological assets" by entering as separate accounting units the biological assets of "goats", "breeding goats", " test goats", "repair young: goats, goats". Among the applied proposals for improving the biological assets of crop production, the article proposes to provide analytical cost accounting for the company's divisions and centers of costs and responsibility in the conditions of global transformations and extraordinary challenges at powerful productions. Results. Approaches to the accounting and control of costs in the formation of biological assets of plant and animal husbandry in the agro-food market, including the domestic market of goat products, have been developed, taking into account the transformation processes in the economy of agricultural enterprises. The article points out that each industry certainly differs in certain features that have an impact on the organization of accounting, analysis and control, in particular, in the part of the formation of biological assets. It was concluded that the basis of the proposed methodical approaches is the control of production biosafety measures, the formation of biological assets and commodity exchange processes in the agro-food market, which will contribute to the methodical provision of product market regulation, the development of a consistent system of instructions for planning, coordination and adoption of regulatory acts, which will become key factors in order to develop forecasts and development programs for food producers.

АНАЛІТИЧНА ОЦІНКА РЕСУРСНО-ВИРОБНИЧОГО СКЛАДНИКА ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

The relevance of this study is that the existing approaches in assessing the resource and production component of economic potential do not fully take into account the specifics of the agricultural sector, and therefore need detailed study and further improvement. Particular attention needs to be paid to the theoretical and methodological component of analytical assessment of economic potential, the development of which should take into account the specifics of agricultural enterprises, and practical aspects of analysis of resource-production components of their economic potential. The aim of the study is to analyze the resource-production component of the economic potential of agricultural enterprises of Ukraine, to develop a system of indicators for assessing resource security and use of resource components of the resource-production component of economic potential of agricultural enterprises. The author investigates the existing methods of estimating the resource-production component of economic potential, systematizes them within the income, cost and comparative-analytical approaches, analyzes the components of the resource-production component of economic potential of agricultural enterprises of Ukraine using statistical information for 2014–2020 by studying dynamics the number of existing agricultural enterprises, the volume of crop and livestock production, the area from which the crop was harvested, the level of yield by crop species, livestock and productivity of agricultural enterprises, animal feed and efficiency, average number of employees and level wages in agriculture, the level of renewal and depreciation of fixed assets in agriculture, forestry and fisheries of Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the resource-production component of the economic potential of agricultural enterprises is formed by material and technical component and land resources, as well as personnel and financial components, based on which a system of indicators for analytical assessment of resource availability and use of resource components economic potential of agricultural enterprises.

Effect of COVID-19 on Socio-economic Status of Entrepreneurs Engaged in Mithila painting

Mithila painting is a business or source of income of the artist around the Mahbubani district of northern Bihar. Livelihood of these people depend on this painting but during COVID-19 pandemic these artists faced many troubles because all shops were closed due to the lockdown and tourists could not visit here, so it worstly affected their selling of products. The socioeconomic status of entrepreneur is combination of economic and sociology that measure total work experience of an individual or whole family income and social position in community. High socioeconomic status enhances the social standing of entrepreneur in community. The activity of entrepreneur depends on economic, social and psychological factors. A structured questionnaire method was used for collection information from Mithila’s painting professional artist and specialist. The study was carried out in Madhubani district of Bihar. For the analysis, a total of 60 samples of female were taken from 2 blocks i.e. Rahika and Rajnagar of Madhubani district. Results of the research investigation are showed that Majority of respondents have significant changed in their family occupation, ownership of fixed assets, farm assets and annual income between before and during crisis. Finding revealed that Majority (83.33%) of respondents diverted Mithila painting in mask making during pandemic crisis for employment generation

Dynamic correlation between selected cereals traded in commodity exchange market in AP Vojvodina

This paper investigates the level of pairwise dynamic correlations between prices of four agricultural commodities - corn, wheat soybean and barley that are traded in Novi Sad commodity exchange market. We use DCC-GARCH model, which is specially designed for this type or research. The results of the estimated dynamic conditional correlations show that low and positive correlation exist between all the pairs of the selected agricultural commodities, where the highest correlation is recorded between wheat and barley (24%), corn-barley pair follows (20%), while all other dynamic correlations are below 20%. The results indicate that price movements of the selected agricultural cereals are independent, which means that price discovery of one agricultural commodity does not provide information about the price of another agricultural commodity. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that traders in this market do not rely on the price co-movements between particular agricultural assets when they plan their selling or buying strategies, but to analyze fundamental macroeconomic factors.

Challenges of agricultural insurance development in Albania

Agricultural production is exposed to natural risks that cannot be prevented and lead not only to production losses but also to a decrease in farmers’ income.As a result of these risks, farmers often do not have the opportunity to pay their loans. Against risky borrowers, credit institutions refuse to give loans. Under these conditions, the government must intervene in risk management, trying to reduce these negative effects. The provision of agricultural products as one of the most important instruments for the financial support of this sector will be the focus of this paper. Agricultural insurance provides compensation for economic losses resulting from unfavorable natural phenomena, contributing to the reduction of poverty. Without adequate insurance, lenders would not provide farmers with insurance policies. Agricultural insurance is a tool that helps farmers to predict the future, to protect the business from unforeseen events, supply and demand fluctuations or various operational challenges. In the case of developing countries such as Albania, these markets are not developed. A main problem in the development of these markets is the lack of demand due to unaffordable prices for farmers. One of the biggest challenges of the agricultural insurance industry is not only providing the right insurance product, but also helping agricultural sector in improving risk management practices to increase production. As Hazell (2009) puts it, many agricultural risks cannot be insured on a financially sound basis, but there is scope for increased insurance of farm assets, of the life and health of rural people, and of some specific perils that affect crop and livestock yields. Such insurance could be efficiently provided by the private sector if governments were to remove some of the important constraints impinging on commercial insurers. The greatest challenge is to find ways of insuring low-income rural households against natural hazards on a financially sound basis.

An Analysis of Labour Use Pattern in Thirappane Village Tank Cascade System in Sri Lanka: Determinants and Potential Effects of Off-farm Employment

Participation in off-farm employment is a strategy adopted by farmers in many developing countries to increase and stabilize their incomes. However, empirical evidence on its effects on management of natural resources is context specific. This study examines the pattern on labor use with special emphasis on determinants and potential effects of participation in off-farm employment by the villagers reside in Thirappane tank cascade system in Sri Lanka. Data gathered from a primary survey conducted among 134 households were used for analysis. The results of probit models revealed that the farmers who possess agricultural assets have a higher probability of joining employment in other-farms and those who are educated and own large farms participate in non-farm sector employment. Community management of the village tank cascade systems will be challenging owing to the increased interest in off-farm activities by the able.

Natural resource-use in the Lower Tana River Delta based on household surveys and remote sensing of land cover and land use patterns

Household survey data and spatially explicit Sentinel-2 satellite images of land cover and land use during the dry and wet seasons were used to investigate livelihood strategies in the Lower Tana River Delta in Kenya, where food security and economic activity rely almost exclusively on ecosystem goods and services. Land cover classification of satellite imagery successfully showed seasonal changes to estuary-related vegetation and habitats from which land use cycles could be inferred. Flood-recession agriculture and part-time fishing were the most common activities at Ozi village, some 10 km upstream from the estuary mouth, whereas full-time fishing dominated activities at Kipini town, where the Tana Estuary discharges into Ungwana Bay. Seasonality of fishing at Kipini depended on favourable sea conditions, arrival of migrant fishers and peaks in shrimp abundance. Seasonality of agriculture at Ozi depended on the freshwater flooding regime, visible in satellite images as an inverse relationship of areas covered by wetlands and cultivated lands. The predominance of fishing assets at Kipini indicated specialization, which underlies a socio-economic network of fish processing, marketing, distribution and logistical support services. In contrast, mixed farming assets and traditional fishing gear at Ozi reflected more diversified farmer-fisher livelihoods, as a risk avoidance strategy. Key outcomes of this study were that land cover and land use were strongly seasonal, that coastal and upstream communities in the Tana Estuary relied on different combinations of ecosystem goods and services, and that livelihood strategies at the two locations differed fundamentally. Combining social, spatial and ecological data to describe socio-ecological systems typical of the Tana Estuary provided a broad platform for shared resource management strategies.

Socio-economic analysis of Baroda branch canal of Som Kamla Amba irrigation project, Dungarpur, Rajasthan

Irrigation system development results in improvements of farmers' economy, followed by livelihood sustainability, standard of living and social attitude. Present analysis focused on socio-economic status of farming families in the command area of Baroda Branch Canal of Som Kamla Amba Irrigation Project. The study considered survey sampling of 10 per cent beneficiaries in the Baroda branch canal command which consisted 150 farming families having 787 persons in numbers. The socio-economic indicators viz., the family structures, employment pattern, education status, livestock ownership, farm asset distribution, cost of cultivation, and cost of returns were analysed. Results indicated that education and living standards are of farmers was low which may be one of the reasons for not adoption of newly farming technologies. Cost of cultivation per hectare for wheat, barley, gram, and mustard crops were found as Rs. 28,503.00, Rs. 26,727.00, Rs. 21,184.00 and Rs. 21,697.00, respectively and net benefits per hectare obtained from these crops were Rs. 13,297, Rs. 13,023, Rs. 14,416 and Rs. 18,303, respectively. The pattern of ownership of livestock showed that the average number of cows in the command area was about 1.97 per family. The productivity in the area is average due to low inputs use.

Investments in the reproduction of fixed assets of agriculture

Fixed assets are considered to be a part of the property used as means of labor in the production of products or services or for the management of the organization for a period exceeding 12 months. The problem of investing in fixed assets is manifested in the development of investment activities, in the lack and high cost of the necessary sources of investment, in the need for the implementation of economic projects and programs, in the choice and making of effective investment decisions aimed at the reproduction of fixed assets in agriculture in Russia. The increase in the cost of fixed assets will be followed by an increase in payments in the form of the property tax to the budget. The increase in profits will also entail an increase in the amounts charged to businesses as taxes. In this case, there is a direct interest of the state. Thus, the expansion of the opportunities for an investment tax credit for the renewal of fixed assets will allow not only to increase payments to the budget but also to form its own source of investment activity at the enterprise in the form of a depreciation reserve.

Agricultural Loan Utilisation among Beneficieries of Bank of Agriculture in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria

The study examined agricultural loan utilisation among borrowers of Bank of Agriculture in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, Bauchi State. It had the objective analyzing agricultural loan utilisation among borrowers. Data were collected from 48 randomly selected respondents through the instrument of questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, ratio, percentages, and statistical means), T-test, regression and correlation analyses. The results showed that beneficiaries had a 0.6:1 ratio of loan receipt to credit applied for having received an average loan amount of N107, 250, being 60.4% of the loan application. It was found out that crop production beneficiaries utilised the loan on fertiliser, labour, farm assets, storage bags, agrochemicals and seed/seedlings, while animal production beneficiaries used the loan for stocking, feed, labour, drugs and livestock equipment. Regression result on the factors affecting loan utilisation showed that educational level, farming experience, and number of supervisions were statistically significant (P<0.05), while timely loan receipt and interest rate were significant at (P<0.01). Correlation between number of supervision visits and the loan amount put to agricultural use was statistically significant (P<0.05). It was concluded that farmers made the best use of the amount of loan acquired. However, the loan volume granted to farmers was inadequate. It was therefore recommended that while more should be given in terms of loan volume to farmers, it should be followed by intense supervision as it was found to correlate positively with loan utilisation.

Acacia Plantation Development and the Configuration of Tree Farmers’ Agricultural Assets and Land Management—A Survey in Central Vietnam

Since 1990 acacia-based tree plantations have fast expanded in Vietnam, now supporting a multi-billion-dollar export-oriented wood industry which is transforming from woodchip production to value-added products. Within this dynamic context, tree farmer associations have started to produce sawlogs under FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. In this paper, we retrace the development of plantation assets, investigating farmers’ current livelihoods and land management, specifically considering various aspects of sustainability. We interviewed 180 tree farmers in three districts (lowland–upland regions) of Thừa Thiên Huế Province, including sawlog producers with and without FSC and smallholder producers of woodchips. Acacia planting in ‘barren lands’ was initiated through state programs in the 1990s (low-/midlands) and 2010s (uplands). Farmers now producing FSC sawlogs were among the first to gain forestland tenure; they now own large plantations (on good terrain), are in tune with policies and maintain resources/capacities to adopt management in line with FSC standards. Yet, most farmers also retain plots for easy-to-manage and low-risk woodchip production. Soil/vegetation conservation depends on farmers’ status/capacities and environmental awareness; FSC membership added economic-political benefits. Findings are discussed within a regional historic context. Plantations contribute to economic development, but issues persist/emerged in terms of land equity and environmental governance, risks (e.g., plant pathogens), and spaces/impetus for farm-based innovation and adaptiveness.

Towards a Common Agricultural Data Space in the European Union: A Sustainable Development Perspective

In February 2020 the European Commission announced a new strategy for data in which an innovative proposal to create a single European data space composed of many sectoral common data spaces, including the agriculture sector, was presented. It is expected that the common agricultural data space will provide support for delivering a smart, innovative and sustainable agri-food system from farm to fork. Based on the analysis of framework conditions for pooling and sharing agricultural data in the EU and the Commission’s initiatives in this area, this article aims to discuss how and to what extent the common data space in agriculture could contribute to environmental, economic and social sustainability in the EU. It was concluded that the achievement of sustainability goals with the help of the planned common data space remains challenging, particularly in the context of rapid, but uneven pace of digital transformation in the agri-food sector in the EU. Overcoming legal, technical and other barriers to data sharing in the EU will not remove the fundamental problems of limited representativeness of current agricultural data assets in the EU. The design of the common data space in agriculture as well as the rules for data access and use should therefore be carefully considered. Also, specific and datarelated intervention measures, e.g. under the CAP, would be needed both to decrease the problem of a fragmented farm data landscape and to respond to the growing needs to collect and share private farm data that are highly relevant to achieving broader social goals and sustainability.

Influence of Socio Economic Variables on Output of Honey in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria

This research portrays the influence of socio economic variables on the output of honey in Ikwuano Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State, Nigeria. Specific analytical techniques employed were descriptive statistics, Likert rating scale and multiple regression analysis involving the linear, Cobb Douglass, semi log and exponential functional forms. Result from the socio economic characteristics shows that greater percentage of males (76.67%) were involved in bee keeping than their female counterpart (23.33%). Mainstream of the Apiculturist adopted the modern techniques of honey production. The significant socio economic variables influencing the output of honey in Ikwuano LGA were access to credit, Bee farmer’s experiences in Apiculture, gender of the Apiculturist, farm assets, family labour and baiting materials. Lack of access to credit facilities ranked the topmost constraints bee farmers encounter in their enterprises. It is recommended that Bee farmers be encouraged to expand their production by increasing their number of hives; this will reduce their aggregate cost of production and increase their total accruable revenue. Additionally, the government and ministry of agriculture, as well as other agencies should provide credit facilities to Bee farmers in order to increase their scale of production.

A Model of Farm Transition Planning for the U.S. Plains

Farm transition planning continues to be a significant challenge for U.S. agricultural owner/producers. Past and ongoing research points to an aging farm population with little or no planning to transition farms to succeeding farming family members, despite documented goals of continued family ownership and operation. This study developed and analyzed alternative farm asset transition strategies using a representative farm for Oklahoma. The simulations considered equity issues, family living requirements, and cash flow pre- and post-transition. Strategies analyzed considered off-farm investments and life insurance tools to even bequests between an on-farm and an off-farm heir, and also modeled splitting inheritance into an operating entity that owns machinery and other operating assets and a landholding entity that leases real estate to the on-farm heir. The simulations assumed a 20-year transition period. Results indicate that early planning is essential for success. In addition, the use of life insurance tools and/or the implementation of equitable, but unequal treatment of heirs improve the likelihood of successful farm transition between generations.

The Economic Well-being of Farm Households in Germany

In this study, we explore the economic well-being of farm and nonfarm households in Germany. We applied an indicator that combines households' disposable income and net wealth consisting of financial assets and real estate to data from the Income and Consumption Survey (EVS) 2018. We found that the income available to farm households can support a standard of living equal to that of nonfarm (employed) households. Wealth affects households' economic well-being in both directions: farm households and workers/employees would be better off if their household income would assess their economic status. The opposite trend occurs for unem-ployed and pensioners/retirees. However, the analysis of farmers' well-being requires income data of multiple years regarding the income volatility of self-employment in agriculture. Consid-ering wealth to assess farm households' economic well-being means paying attention to their farm assets because they are highly intertwined with the household. The EVS misses farm char-acteristics and a reliable number of farmers' observations to assess their economic well-being over time to derive agricultural policy implications. Hence, there is currently a lack of statistical data and evidence to achieve the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 's second objective to pro-vide income support in a targeted manner.

Analysis of Biological Assets in Agriculture

Despite the contribution of scientists to the development of the theory and practice of accounting in agricultural organizations on accounting and valuation of biological assets, it is not fully disclosed, which is associated with insufficient theoretical and methodological development of the problems of financial, tax and management accounting of biological assets and their assessment at fair value. The author determined the predicted values of the development of biological assets in agriculture in 2021 with the help of gross output, provided that the observed trend in the development of the factors included in the model-based correlation-regression analysis is maintained. Conclusions and recommendations for further accounting of biological assets in agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan are substantiated.

AGRICULTURAL CREDIT UTILIZATION AMONG BENEFICIARIES OF DEVELOPMENT EXCHANGE CENTRE IN TAFAWA BALEWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined agricultural loan utilization among borrowers of Development Exchange Centre (DEC) in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 47 randomly selected respondents through the instrument of questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Access to Credit Index, t-test, and regression analysis. The results showed that beneficiaries had fair access to credit index of 0.46 having received an average loan amount of N31, 500 being 46.1% of the loan applications T-test however, revealed a significant diversion of the granted amount at 0.5%, implying that borrowers diverted some of the funds to non-agricultural use. It was found out that crop production beneficiaries utilized the loan on fertilizer, labour, farm assets, storage bags, agrochemicals and seed or seedlings; and animal production beneficiaries used the loan for stocking, feed, labour, drugs and livestock equipment. Regression results of the factors affecting loan utilization showed that age, household size, non-farm income source, educational level and farming experience were significant (P<0.05). It was concluded that farmers did not make the best use of the loan amount acquired; perhaps due to inadequate loan supervision. It was therefore, recommended that while more should be given in terms of loan volume to farmers, it should be followed by intense supervision as it was found to correlate positively with loan utilization.