Input Costs Research Articles

One policy but different interpretations: A case of agricultural policy implementation in Indonesia

AbstractThe Indonesian governments developed the Upsus Pajale policy to achieve a goal and solve the problem of food self‐sufficiency. Rice, corn, and soybean were the main commodities in the plan of Upsus Pajale Policy implementation. UPSUS Pajale improve rice, corn, and soybean production for food self‐sufficiency. This study examined UPSUS Pajale policy implementation at the province, district, subdistrict, and farmer levels. This study examined rice growing in Banyuasin's tidal lowlands, Ogan Komering Ilir's swamplands, and East Ogan Komering Ulu's irrigated rice fields. The research method used a combination model of quantitative and qualitative (mixed method). Sampling data used purposive sampling. NVivo 12 software examined provincial, district, subdistrict, farmer interviews, and group discussions. Results affected typology management constraints differently. Production input costs were the most common issue. This study found that policy was differently implemented at various levels. It would be impacted to the success of the policy.

Purchasing Behaviour and Satisfaction Level of Farmers Regarding Groundnut Seeds

India's agricultural sector is a vital pillar of the economy, contributing significantly to the nation's GDP. As the world's largest producer of various commodities like pulses, milk, tea, and spices, and ranking second in fruits, vegetables, and grains, India's agricultural prowess is undeniable. One of the pivotal reasons to this success is the role of seeds, serving as the genetic foundation for plant growth and development. The Indian seed industry, valued at nearly 9000 crores and growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.43%, reflects the nation's commitment to agricultural innovation and advancement. Hybrid seeds, occupying 65% of the market share, are preferred over open-pollinated varieties, driving growth and efficiency in crop production. The study was undertaken with aim and objectives to study the socio-economic profile, purchasing behaviours, satisfaction level and problem faced by the farmers during groundnut crop establishment. A survey of 200 respondents from 10 villages of Dhoraji Taluka, Rajkot district, Gujarat, provides insights into the diverse agricultural community. The study covers demographics, education, income, landholding, cropping patterns, gender distribution, family types, irrigation sources, seed procurement, awareness of agricultural products, promotional influences, factors affecting seed purchases, satisfaction levels, and challenges in crop establishment. Respondents had income mostly between 1-5 lakhs per year. Landholding of the respondents was 1-5 acres. Groundnut was cultivated mainly in the kharif season. Farmers were using various irrigation sources like tube well, open well and canal. Seeds were mainly purchased through various channels like retailers, Agricultural universities, owned seeds and cooperative societies and oil mills. Farmers were facing major problems like higher input costs and prevalence of various disease & pest attack on groundnut crop.

Trends in Input-Output Relation and Structural Changes in Input Cost of Major Crops in West Bengal

"The structural change of input cost refers to the change in the intensity of labour and capital (seed, fertilizers, pesticides, machineries etc.) used in agriculture. An attempt has been made to analyse the structural changes of input cost along with the trends in input-output relation of the three major crops (paddy, jute and potato) in West Bengal during 1999-00 to 2019-20 by using data of the Cost of Cultivation of Principal crops in India, Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DES), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It is found that the structural intensity of input cost shifts towards a more capital-intensive direction during 1999-00 to 2009-10, but then the situation is reversed to more labourintensive in terms of input cost during 2009-10 to 2019-20. To investigate the reasons, the study found that the higher labour cost is the main reason for this. Though the physical unit of labour per hectare decreased during the second phase (2009-10 to 2019-20), the high wage rate increased the share of labour cost and the total cost of cultivation. In the trend of the input-output relation of the state’s agricultural production, the study observed a decline in the input-output ratio (profitability from cultivation) for the crop paddy and jute, but it increased for the potato. The higher growth of input cost over output price during reference periods is the main reason for the decline in profitability of the crops in West Bengal."

TECHNOLOGICAL GAP AMONG THE FARMERS REGARDING RECOMMENDED SORGHUM PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

In India and other Asian and African countries, millets commonly include sorghum, pearl millet, and a range of small millets (Vetriventhan et al., 2020). India is the sixth largest producer of sorghum globally (www.smartfood.org). Sorghum is mainly used for food, fodder, alcoholic beverages and production of bio fuels. Sorghum is also known as "Global Grain" due to its multipurpose uses being a 4F (food, feed, fodder and fuel) crop. Despite of its multiple uses, the area under sorghum in India has declined from 18.61 m. ha in 1969-70 to 4.96 m. ha in 2017-18. There is wide gap between national productivity and yield potential of the improved sorghum technologies developed from the research institutes. Productivity of the crop can be enhanced by adopting the improved practices. The extent of technological gap in different production components of the technology contributes differently to the yield gap. Keeping in view the afore mentioned facts, the study on Technological Gap among the farmers regarding recommended sorghum production technology was undertaken the middle of Gujarat. A sample of 300 sorghum growers were selected from all 14 villages of Vadodara district by using proportionate random sampling. Ex-post-facto research design was used. The results of the study show that higher (87.64 per cent) technological gap in use of plant protection measures, 75.30 per cent technological gap in use of seed treatment, 63.18 per cent technological gap in weed management and 61.93 per cent technological gap in use of FYM were found in adoption of recommended sorghum production technology as majority of the sorghum growers faced constraints of high cost of farm inputs ( pesticide, insecticide, FYM), non availability of seed, good quality of FYM & fungicides at proper time, inadequate knowledge about sorghum production technology, non-availability of labor at proper time for weeding & harvesting during adoption of recommended sorghum production technology. Hence, more emphasis should be given to supply inputs in time, sufficient in quantity at affordable price to farmers.

Exploring the semi-supervised learning for weed detection in wheat

Computer vision-based precision spraying of herbicides presents a promising avenue for reducing herbicide input and weed control costs. Nonetheless, weed detection in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) remains challenging. Developing an effective and reliable neural network for weed detection requires substantial labeled data for training. However, labeling data is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To address this challenge, the present study introduces semi-supervised learning (SSL) into the domain of weed detection in wheat. The performance of four SSL methods was thoroughly evaluated and compared with that of a fully supervised learning (FSL) method on a dataset with a limited amount of labeled images. Experimental results showed that the Fixmatch method, an SSL approach, outperformed the FSL method, exhibiting significantly higher accuracy (ACC) with a limited number of labeled images. The ACC of Fixmatch was 85.4%, which was 7.3% higher than the FSL method. In further analysis, the performance of models trained on a dataset containing 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 1000 labeled images per class was tested. Compared with FSL, SSL achieved the greatest improvement when the number of labels was 200. At the same time, Fixmatch achieved satisfactory performance, ACC, recall, and precision reached 94.8%, 94.8%, and 95.2%, respectively, and the F1 score was 95%. In summary, these results suggest that using the SSL method could yield a high-performing model when training with a limited number of labeled images, requiring less training costs and lower demands on manpower.

Effect of Climate Change on Sustainability of Cassava Production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Over time, climate change has negatively influenced cassava production affecting yield and output of farmers. This has also affected the economic returns from cassava farming. A total of 78 cassava farmers were drawn using purposive sampling technique. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire and were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and ordinary least square multiple regression model. Results shows that majority of the cassava farmers were male (67.9%), married (56.4%), experienced (70.5%) with a productive age of 55 years. Majority of the cassava farmers, (55.1%) perceived that cassava production in the area was highly sustainable as against 17.9% of the cassava farmers that differed. The identified climate change hazards on cassava production were decreased cassava yield (61.5%), reduced income (97.4%), land degradation (84.6%), increased pest and disease problems (65.4%), drought and water scarcity (88.5%), and increased production costs (97.4%). Temperature (P<0.01), rainfall (P<0.01), and number of rainy days (P<0.05) impacted cassava production negatively, while sunshine hours (P<0.05), and relative humidity (P<0.01) positively impacted cassava production. Insufficient planting materials (98.7%), soil fertility issues (91.0%), insufficient or irregular rainfall (89.7%), limited access to credit or financial resources (87.2%), high costs of inputs (100%), and low yields (75.6%) constrained cassava production in the area. Farmers should seek early climate change information from nearest metrological centers in their locality to mitigate adverse effects of climate change on cassava production.

Effects of fertilizer types and application levels on phosphorus availability of saline soils and crops: A meta‐analysis

AbstractPhosphorus deficiency limits agricultural production in saline soils. Phosphorus fertilizer (P fertilizer) affects soil and crop phosphorus availability, water eutrophication control, and rock phosphate ore resource protection. To clarify the effect of varying types and amounts of fertilizers on the phosphorus availability enhancement at different degrees of saline soil and provide theoretical basis for rational fertilization at high salt soil, a meta‐analysis of 257 datasets from 24 studies was conducted. All studies were from Asia and focused on the effects of P fertilizer on the phosphorus availability in saline soils. P fertilizer application increased soil available phosphorus (AP) and total phosphorus (TP) contents by 49.24% and 56.19% (pQ < 0.05). Further sub‐group analysis revealed that the P fertilizer types, application levels, soil salinity, soil alkalinity, and crop species affected the response variables (AP, TP, above‐ground P content, and yield), as well as derived variables such as the proportion of AP to TP content (AP/TP) and the phosphorus fertilizer utilization efficiency. Intermediate‐level pure organic fertilizer enhanced AP content by 55.66%, while high‐level pure organic fertilizer enhanced AP/TP. Intermediate‐level pure organic fertilizer showed the best effects on above‐ground P content and phosphorus fertilizer utilization efficiency. Mineral plus organic fertilizer at this level achieved the highest yield increase (122.34%). Soil phosphorus availability improved more in mild salinity and pH <8.5 soils. Therefore, integrating the overall responses, applying mineral plus organic fertilizer or pure organic fertilizer at an intermediate level (20–60 kg·ha−1·year−1) for 1–2 years could enhance soil AP content, benefit crop growth, and agricultural productivity in saline soils while managing input costs effectively.

Tax motivated vertical FDI and transfer pricing

We examine a domestic downstream producer that acquires a foreign input supplier with the aim of manipulating the transfer price and shifting profits from a high-tax to a low-tax country. The multinational enterprise faces a trade-off: insourcing the input at a high transfer price reduces the corporate tax burden but at the cost of increasing the input cost of its downstream division, which reduces domestic sales and profits. The optimal transfer price balances this trade-off. Regulation under the arm’s length principle is shown to reduce the transfer price, which reduces distortion in the domestic production and expands the region in which vertical FDI benefits consumers and social welfare in the home country. We also show that promoting downstream competition could help align private and social incentives, reinforcing the positive effects of regulation.

Input costs’ pass-through to output prices: a cross-country empirical analysis

ABSTRACT This article decodes the pass-through behaviour from input prices to output prices, which is a key component in assessing second-order effects of cost-push pressures. Using panel GMM model, this paper has tried to empirically test the degree of pass-through of Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) input prices to output prices in a cross-country framework for 28 countries for the period 2011–2023. Empirical results support modest pass through with the sensitivity of output prices to input prices being lower for advanced nations and inflation targeting countries and higher for manufacturing sector with signs of non-linearity.

The role of social capital in the impact of multiple shocks on households’ coping strategies in underdeveloped rural areas

Social capital has long been recognized as a facilitator of socio-economic development. However, the role of social capital in enhancing resilience to multiple shocks in rural China remains insufficiently explored. This study focus on the resilience of households that have recently get rid of poverty and reside in underdeveloped rural areas of China. Unlike previous studies, the article incorporates multiple shocks, social capital, and households’ coping strategies into a research framework at the micro level. This study systematically analyses the multiple shocks experienced by households, their coping strategies, and further explores the mediating role of social capital. Utilizing two waves of a rural household panel survey data collected in six underdeveloped counties in 2015 and 2018 in China, we present four key findings. Currently, households primarily contend with drought, illness of family members, and the high costs of agricultural inputs as the main shocks. Their predominant coping strategy is reducing consumption. Importantly, social capital exhibits a mediating effect, accounting for 9.8% of the impact of multiple shocks on households’ coping strategies. Notably, natural disasters significantly diminish the informal functions of social capital. While social capital exerts a full mediating effect in non-agricultural households, this effect is not observed among others. This study contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics and specificities of social capital in vulnerable rural areas. Additionally, the findings provide policymakers with practical insights regarding differentiated and preemptive risk governance approaches.

ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY IN HYBRID CORN SEED FARMING IN RANDUBLATUNG DISTRICT BLORA REGENCY

Efficiency is important to know to see the success of a farming business. Farming activities in producing a product cannot be separated from the use of production factors. Using production factors appropriately and efficiently will provide benefits for farmers, namely maximum productivity. This research aims to analyze the factors that influence hybrid corn seed production, as well as analyzing technical, allocative and economic efficiency. The research location is Randublatung District, Blora Regency, Central Java. The research method used was a case study of seed breeder farmers in Randublatung District using saturated sampling with a total sample of 53 farmers. The analytical method used is quantitative descriptive analysis which includes influence analysis, technical, allocative and economic efficiency analysis using Stochastic Frontier. The results of the research show that there is a simultaneous influence between land variables, seeds, urea fertilizer, phonska fertilizer, pesticides and labor on hybrid corn production results. The variables of land area, seeds and urea fertilizer partially have a significant effect on production results, while the variables of phonska fertilizer, pesticides and labor partially have no effect on production results. The technical efficiency results of hybrid corn farming in Randublatung District are quite technically efficient with an average technical efficiency value of 0.878. The results of the analysis of allocative and economic efficiency show that it is not yet efficient with average values of 0.337 and 0.293 respectively. Opportunities to increase the efficiency of hybrid corn seed farming in Randublatung District include farmers better allocating inputs according to their needs so that input costs are not large, providing more intensive counseling and assistance to farmers regarding hybrid corn seed cultivation techniques, especially in the use of inputs so that they are more proportional in accordance with recommendations from relevant agencies.

ANALISIS PENDAPATAN USAHATANI PEPAYA CALIFORNIA (Carica papaya L) DI DESA BATI-BATI KECAMATAN BATI-BATI KABUPATEN TANAH LAUT PROVINSI KALIMANTAN SELATAN

The aim of this research is technically to find out how to cultivate papaya plants and financially to find out the costs, receipts and income from papaya farming in Bati-Bati Village, Bati-Bati District. The research method used is a case study. The research results showed that the amount of explicit costs consisting of input costs, labor outside the family, rental costs and depreciation was IDR 53,460,416. Total receipts amounted to Rp. 216,000,000,- and total income of IDR 162,539,584

Encuesta a las empresas españolas sobre la evolución de su actividad: segundo trimestre de 2024

Rationale The Banco de España Business Activity Survey (EBAE) provides highly valuable, real-time information on a broad sample of Spanish firms’ turnover, employment, costs and prices, and the constraints on their activity. This is particularly helpful for diagnosing current economic developments. Takeaways •Firms have perceived a pronounced increase in turnover in 2024 Q2, after reporting declines in the previous three quarters, although there continues to be high cross-sector heterogeneity. •Inflationary pressures have eased in Q2, in terms of both the cost of inputs and selling prices and labour costs. Firms expect this easing of inflationary pressures to continue one year ahead. •Business activity has benefited from a decrease in the adverse impact of the constraints, although concerns over labour shortages and economic policy uncertainty remain high.

Compositional Consequences of Ultrafiltration Treatment of White and Red Wines.

Clarification and stabilisation processes are routinely performed post-fermentation to 'finish' wines, but traditional methods are slow and energy intensive, create waste, and can affect wine volume and quality. New methods that 'finish' wine rapidly, with higher recovery rates, and reduced waste and input costs, are therefore needed. Ultrafiltration is a separation process that fractionates liquids, nominally, according to molecular weight. By comparing the composition of permeate and retentate derived from pilot-scale fractionation of white and red wine using 75, 20, or 10 kDa membranes and different degrees of permeation (50, 80, 90, or 95%), this study sought to evaluate ultrafiltration as an innovative approach to the clarification and stabilisation of wine. Mass balance analysis confirmed that titratable acidity and alcohol were fractionated according to the degree of permeation; however, proteins, polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds (including anthocyanins for red wine) were concentrated in retentate due both to the membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) specifications and degree of permeation. The retention of wine constituents smaller than the nominal MWCO suggests that interaction with other macromolecules or the membrane surface occurred. Red wine permeates were stripped of much of their essential character and were no longer considered commercially acceptable. In contrast, the removal of protein and phenolic compounds from white wine demonstrated the potential for ultrafiltration to remediate heat unstable or excessively phenolic wines. Findings enabled the identification of other winemaking applications of ultrafiltration technology that could enhance wine quality, process efficiency, and profitability.

Continuous-time nonlinear model predictive control based on Pontryagin Minimum Principle and penalty functions

Pontryagin's Minimum Principle (PMP) is a powerful tool for solving Nonlinear Model Predictive Control problems (NMPC), enabling the handling of time-varying input constraints and cost functions. However, applying PMP encounters challenges when state constraints must be satisfied. This arises because the optimal trajectory often requires a blend of unconstrained and constrained arcs with unknown junction points. To address this issue, relaxation methods are frequently explored, where state constraints are replaced with penalty functions. The contributions of this paper are as follows. First, a method of penalty functions allowing for coping with soft state constraints is examined. We prove the recursive feasibility of this method and demonstrate its efficiency in a numerical example. Second, the finite-time practical stability for the optimal reference tracking NMPC problem is addressed. By appropriately choosing the terminal cost, one can guarantee the convergence of the state vector to a predefined neighbourhood of the target state.

System-based phosphorus management in non-flooded rice-lentil rotation in tropical alkaline soil on Gangetic plain: Crop productivity, phosphorus use efficiency and budgeting

ContextAerobic rice cultivation, gaining recognition for its water-saving and ecological benefits, often faces productivity challenges due to various deficiencies in the soil-plant system. In absence of flooding-induced P dissolution, reduced soil P availability would have yield-limiting impacts on the non-flooded aerobic rice-based system on tropical alkaline soils. ObjectiveThe study aimed to assess the impact of system-based sole fertilizer-P and integrated P treatments in non-flooded direct-seeded rice (DSR)-lentil system for recommending sustainable P management strategies. MethodsThe experimental treatments included a control with no P application ([DSR0-L0]), three variable seasonal distribution of sole fertilizer-P treatments [subscript value (kg P ha−1)] ([DSR22-L22], [DSR33-L11], [DSR11-L33]), three integrated P treatments ([DSR11-L11+phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB)], [DSR16.5-L5.5+rice residue (RR)+PSB], [DSR5.5+lentil residue (LR)-L16.5+PSB] along with a conventional puddled-transplanted flooded rice-lentil using blanket recommended fertilizer-P rate ([PTR22-L22]). These treatments were evaluated over three years to investigate their impact on soil-plant P dynamics, crop productivity, P use efficiency, and budgeting. ResultsThe findings revealed that soil P availability in non-flooded rice (DSR) was lower (8–10 %) compared to transplanted flooded-rice. The integrated P treatment, which included rice residue recycling, PSB, and suboptimal fertilizer-P (22 kg P ha−1y−1) increased soil P availability in both rice (8 %) and lentil (12 %) seasons compared to the recommended sole-fertilizer P treatment. This led to a significant increases in rice (6 %) and lentil (9 %) yields during third year of cropping. Meanwhile, the treatments involving the variable distribution of the annual fertilizer-P rate (44 kg ha−1y−1) to component crops in different ratios [1:1, 3:1, 1:3] exhibited only marginal variations in available-P and crop yields. Integrated P treatments with crop residue recycling increased macronutrient acquisition (N, P, and K), agronomic P use efficiency and fertilizer-P recovery efficiency over sole-fertilizer P treatments (p < 0.05), highest with the rice residue recycling integrated treatment. The apparent P balance was marginally negative in the residue recycling integrated P treatments (-1.9 to −2.1 kg ha−1y−1), but highly positive in the sole fertilizer-P treatments (+15.3 to +15.9 kg ha−1y−1). Conclusion and significanceThe study highlights the potential of integrated P treatments with rice residue recycling in improving soil P availability, nutrient use efficiency, and crop productivity of aerobic rice-lentil system in tropical alkaline soil while saving costly fertilizer-P input.

Seed size, planting date, and seeding rate on cotton vigor and yield

AbstractCotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is one of the top economic crops in South Carolina, and growers make many important decisions prior to planting each year including variety selection, planting date, seed size, and seeding rate. As input costs continue to rise, greater detailed information is needed so that growers can make better informed decisions for their individual operations. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of seed size, seeding rate, and planting date on the growth, development, lint yield, and fiber quality for cotton grown in South Carolina. Two seed sizes large (≤9460 seed kg−1) and small (≥12,100 seed kg−1) were planted at four seeding rates (61,775; 86,485; 111,195; and 135,905 seeds ha−1) on two different planting dates (early [late April/early May] and late [late May/early June]) in 2020, 2021, and 2022 in Florence and in 2020 and 2021 in Blackville, SC. Data collection included stand counts, biomass at multiple growth stages, plant height, lint yield, fiber quality, and overall net returns. Results showed no difference in lint yield for any of the factors in either location in 2020; however, the small‐seeded variety lint yield was 20% more than the large‐seeded variety in Florence in 2021 and 2022 and 5% higher in Blackville in 2021. In Florence, seeding rates over 100,000 seed ha−1 resulted in higher lint yield than the lower two seeding rates. In both locations, delaying planting until after May 22 increased lint yield by approximately 15% in 2021 and 2022. The large‐seeded variety consistently had greater dry biomass (12%–52% greater) than the small‐seeded variety, indicating that it produced larger, more vigorous seedlings. While seed size may not be a reliable predictor of lint yield, it has proven to be an accurate predictor of seedling vigor. Therefore, it may be beneficial to plant a high‐yielding, larger seed size variety when unfavorable planting conditions are expected.

Determining factors and barriers to the uptake of climate change adaptation strategies of agriculture and aquaculture farm households in Myanmar

PurposeClimate change is an undeniable reality that threatens people’s livelihoods. Flooding and saltwater intrusion, along with the rising sea levels, are affecting agricultural and aquaculture livelihoods in Myanmar’s coastal areas. Although climate change adaptation is gaining popularity as a resilience strategy to cope with the negative effects of climate change, both agriculture- and aquaculture-farmers are more often deterred from implementing climate change adaptation strategies due to practical availability and socioeconomic barriers to adaptation. This study aims to evaluate the barriers and factors that influence farm household’ choice of climate change adaptation measures.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with 599 farm households (484 rice-farmers and 115 fish farmers) based in the coastal areas of Myanmar during 2021–2022 to explore the farmer’s choice of climate change adaptation measures and the determining factors. The multinomial logit regression (MLR) model was used to examine the factors influencing the farmers’ choice of climate change adaptation strategies.FindingsThe study found out that farm households use a variety of adaptation methods at the farm level, with building embankment strategy (23.4%) in agriculture and net-fencing measure (33.9%) in fish farming being the most popular adaptation strategies. Farmers’ decisions to adopt climate change adaptation strategies are influenced by factors such as distance to market, education level of the household head, remittance income and the availability of early warning information, among others. The study also discovered that COVID-19 has had an impact on the employment opportunities of household members and the income from farming as well had a consequential effect on the adoption of climate change adaptation measures. Furthermore, lack of credit (42.4%), labor shortage (52.8%), pest and disease infestation (58.9%), high input costs (81%) and lower agricultural product prices (73%) were identified as major barriers to the adoption of climate change adaptation measures by both agriculture and aquaculture farm households.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic and farm-level barriers are the major factors influencing farm households’ choice of climate change adaptation measures, and that removing practical farm-level barriers and encouraging the adoption of adaptation techniques as potential COVID-19 recovery actions are required. This study also highlighted that the adaptive capacity of agriculture and aquaculture farm households should be strengthened through formal and informal training programs, awareness raising, the exchange of early warning information and the development of proper credit scheme programs.

The Role of Stakeholders in Enhancing the Public Service Agency's and Area Management's Performance Information Adequacy

In addition to understanding the process for PNBP BLU income targets in the context of various BLU characteristics, the study intends to assess the role of stakeholders in the formulation of the performance of Public Service Agencies (BLU) involved in area management. This study focuses on the role of agents and principals in BLU performance decision making, as well as addressing problems connected to the application of input cost standards (SBM) and operational cost details in budgeting, in an effort to improve the efficiency and quality of BLU services. The findings of this study have the potential to significantly enhance BLU management in the field of area management and raise the standard of community services. This kind of research is exploratory and qualitative, concentrating on how performance is defined in relation to the budget. The research data were gathered from two sources: 1) interviews with six stakeholders who represented principals and 23 resource persons who served as agents for four BLUs; and 2) planning-budgeting materials that served as guidelines for BLU policy (including its rules). The study was carried out in 2022, from March to September. Based on the involvement of stakeholders, the study's findings identified two traits of BLU organizations within regional management clusters: 1) BLU exclusively as Satker; 2) BLU as a ministry in addition to Satker. Performance information is more explicitly formulated by BLU stakeholders, ministries, and Satker than by BLU alone. The more important BLU must take into account when planning and budgeting, the less focused and obviously linked the BLU service performance of regional management clusters is in the planning and budgeting documents.

Levodopa-based device-aided therapies for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease: a social return on investment analysis.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. As PD advances and symptoms progress, patients become increasingly dependent on family and carers. Traditional cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) only consider patient and payer-related outcomes, failing to acknowledge impacts on families, carers, and broader society. This novel Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis aimed to evaluate the broader impact created by improving access to levodopa (LD) device-aided therapies (DATs) for people living with advanced PD (aPD) in Australia. A forecast SROI analysis over a three-year time horizon was conducted. People living with aPD and their families were recruited for qualitative interviews or a quantitative survey. Secondary research and clinical trial data was used to supplement the primary research. Outcomes were valued and assessed in a SROI value map in Microsoft Excel™. Financial proxies were assigned to each final outcome based on willingness-to-pay, economic valuation, and replacement value. Treatment cost inputs were sourced from Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) published prices. Twenty-four interviews were conducted, and 55 survey responses were received. For every $1 invested in access to LD-based DATs in Australia, an estimated $1.79 of social value is created. Over 3 years, it was estimated $277.16 million will be invested and $406.77 million of social return will be created. This value is shared between people living with aPD (27%), their partners (22%), children (36%), and the Australian Government (15%). Most of the value created is social and emotional in nature, including reduced worry, increased connection to family and friends, and increased hope for the future. Investment in LD-based DATs is expected to generate a positive social return. Over 50% of the value is created for the partners and children of people living with aPD. This value would not be captured in traditional CEA. The SROI methodology highlights the importance of investing in aPD treatment, capturing the social value created by improved access to LD-based DATs.