Agricultural Employment Research Articles

Investigating the Impact of Agricultural Credit on Wheat Farming: Evidence from Pakistan

Increasing food production is crucial for attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG#2) by 2030 through supplying agricultural credit and improved inputs. Thus, the present study examined the roles of agricultural credit, applications of fertilizer, usage of pesticides, farming area, and agricultural employment in enhancing wheat production in the developing economy (Pakistan) from 1990 to 2020. This study applied the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) regression method for the empirical analysis. The empirical findings from the ARDL regression technique revealed that agricultural credit can significantly enhance wheat production, while improved inputs, including fertilizer and pesticide usage, also positively contribute to wheat production. Notably, agriculture credit plays a vital role in assisting farmers to purchase advanced farm inputs and indirectly increases the wheat yield. Consequently, this study suggests that the banking sector should supply agricultural credit to farmers under flexible lending conditions; therefore, farmers can easily access credit and adopt modern technologies to enhance food production and ensure food security.

Loans for the “Little Fellow”: Credit, Crisis, and Recovery in the Great Depression

This paper identifies how bank branching benefited local economies during the Great Depression. Using archival data and narrative evidence, I show how Bank of America’s branch network in 1930s California created an internal capital market that diversified away local liquidity shortfalls, allowing the bank to maintain 49 percent higher credit growth from 1929 to 1933 than competing banks. The bank’s presence mitigated cites’ property value contractions and strengthened their recovery through 1940. Linked individual data show that the bank’s proximity to workers hastened the transition from agricultural employment to human-capital–intensive sectors in the 1930s, generating structural change and higher wages. (JEL E32, G01, G21, N12, N22, N92, R23)

Women in Transition: The Dynamic Effects of Inward FDI on Female Employment in the Economy and Across Sectors

This paper examines the effects of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the female employment rate in the economy and the share of female employment across sectors. The empirical analysis is implemented through the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) System estimator for dynamic panel models using different empirical specifications and FDI openness indicators. The main results show that the overall effects of inward FDI on the national female employment rate are not statistically significant. However, they reveal that inward FDI has promoted the share of female employment in the service sector and has led to decreases in the share of female employment in agriculture. The FDI effects on the share of female employment in the industrial sector are found to be statistically insignificant. These results are generally supported when running the empirical analysis through alternative FDI openness indicators. Also, supplementary analysis reveals some variations in the magnitude of these effects over different national income categories. The findings in this paper emphasize FDI’s gendered influences in the labour market. They are consistent with the prevalence of macroeconomic channels through which inward FDI impacts female employment across sectors, and they encompass the underlying implications of various counteracting microeconomic factors.

Rural households' livelihood transitions in China: processes, drivers and outcomes

PurposeThis study aims to comprehensively examine the transitions in household livelihood strategies within rural China, including the underlying processes, drivers and outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses two waves (2010 and 2018) of longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), employing latent cluster analysis, regression models and cumulative distribution function within a dynamic household livelihood strategy framework.FindingsThe results show that (1) households’ livelihood strategies can be categorized into four distinct types, i.e. agricultural dominated, agricultural dominated with non-agricultural supplementation, non-agricultural dominated with agricultural supplementation and employment oriented. (2) During 2010–2018, approximately 60% of households underwent transitions in their livelihoods, encompassing both upward and downward trajectories, with a prevalence of upward transitions. (3) Various forms of livelihood capital significantly contribute to upward transitions, while the availability of land resources and exposure to shocks impede the potential for upward mobility. (4) The transition towards non-agricultural livelihood strategies by households leads to a notable enhancement in their livelihood welfare.Research limitations/implicationsIn the context of urbanization, industrialization and globalization, rural areas in China are undergoing a gradual socioeconomic transformation, which has also led to changes in rural households’ livelihood strategies. Nevertheless, a dearth of empirical investigation exists regarding the dynamics of rural households’ livelihood strategies, the determinants behind such transitions and the resulting outcomes on their livelihoods. A comprehensive understanding of livelihood transitions can provide valuable insights for policymakers in their endeavors to promote rural revitalization in China.Originality/valueBased on the nationwide representative datasets in China, it examines the micro-level livelihood transitions of rural households within the broader context of socioeconomic transformation that presents both opportunities and challenges, as well as vulnerable contexts, shaped by various government policies. This exploration would offer valuable theoretical and empirical evidence to advance our understanding of the process, driver and outcome of rural households’ livelihood transition in developing countries.

Estimation of Mango Fruit Production Using Image Analysis and Machine Learning Algorithms

Mango production is fundamental to the agricultural economy, generating income and employment in various communities. Accurate estimation of its production optimizes the planning and logistics of harvesting; traditionally, manual methods are inefficient and prone to errors. Currently, machine learning, by handling large volumes of data, emerges as an innovative solution to enhance the precision of mango production estimation. This study presents an analysis of mango fruit detection using machine learning algorithms, specifically YOLO version 8 and Faster R-CNN. The present study employs a dataset consisting of 212 original images, annotated with a total of 9604 labels, which has been expanded to include 2449 additional images and 116,654 annotations. This significant increase in dataset size notably enhances the robustness and generalization capacity of the model. The YOLO-trained model achieves an accuracy of 96.72%, a recall of 77.4%, and an F1 Score of 86%, compared to the results of Faster R-CNN, which are 98.57%, 63.80%, and 77.46%, respectively. YOLO demonstrates greater efficiency, being faster in training, consuming less memory, and utilizing fewer CPU resources. Furthermore, this study has developed a web application with a user interface that facilitates the uploading of images from mango trees considered samples. The YOLO-trained model detects the fruits of each tree in the representative sample and uses extrapolation techniques to estimate the total number of fruits across the entire population of mango trees.

Wetland restoration, household income, and livelihood structure of farmers

BackgroundWetland restoration is an important measure for restoring wetland ecosystems and their ecological benefits, with the goal of restoring their ecological functions and resources. However, wetland restoration affects farmers' incomes and livelihoods. Although existing research has contributed to a deeper understanding of the relationship between wetland restoration and farmers' household incomes, some issues require further consideration. Therefore, here, we aimed to analyse the impact of wetland restoration on farmers' incomes and provide empirical evidence for the coordination mechanism of protection and development in the Poyang Lake Wetland in Jiangxi Province.MethodsBased on 2 years of balanced panel data of 365 households around the Poyang Lake wetland, this study analysed the influence of policies related to wetland restoration and how variables such as the cultivated land area, labour force transfer, and location of nature reserves impact farmers' income. To this end, we used a two-way fixed-effect model to test the robustness by using propensity score matching, and the influence mechanisms of wetland protection policies, such as wetland restoration, wetland ecological compensation, and the Yangtze River fishing ban, on farmers' income interactions were explored.Results and discussionThe results showed that, due to the policy of wetland restoration was implemented a long time ago, the negative impact of the policy on reducing farmers' household income is not significant now. Further, farmers' family livelihood strategies have changed, and choosing other types of agricultural production and off farm employment are currently the main choices for farmers. Wetland restoration has changed their income structures. Additionally, the two wetland restoration policies and banning of fishing have had synergistic effects. The findings of this study are helpful in understanding how wetland restoration around nature reserves influences farmers' household incomes. Further, they can provide policy insights for promoting an increase in income and the optimization of the income structure of communities around lake wetland nature reserves.

Associations between early marriage, women’s empowerment, and infant mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is characterized by high gender inequality and a high rate of early marriages of girl children, which could have a negative influence on child health outcomes and child mortality in the region. This study examined the influence of child marriage on infant mortality in selected countries in SSA. We used Cox proportional hazard models to analyze pooled data (N = 33,549 children) from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 28 SSA countries. Our study established that children of child brides faced heightened risks of infant mortality compared with children of women who married after the age of 18, although this relationship became insignificant after controlling for women’s empowerment and other control variables. Therefore, the findings support the hypothesis that a certain extent of women’s empowerment could moderate the relationship between early marriage and infant mortality in regions where early marriages occur due to the low socioeconomic status of women. We conclude that ensuring women empowerment and increasing their economic opportunities (such as involvement in the agriculture and formal employment sectors) will lead to decreases in child marriage, thereby reducing infant mortality in SSA.

Modelling technical efficiency of health systems in SADC

Efficiency is the application of resources in a way that maximizes intended results. Policymakers around the world are prioritising health system efficiency as nations strive for universal health coverage. The study used the data envelopment analysis and the Tobit regression approach, the current study evaluated the technical efficiency of the health care system and its determinants. The study established that the average efficiency of the SADC countries is 78 percent signifying high levels of inefficiencies. Further the study found that the most efficient countries were Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mauritius, Mozambique, and Malawi. The number of practitioners i.e. physicians and nurses, primary school graduation rates, and national income all have a beneficial impact on the efficiency of the health system. The use of nitrous oxide in agriculture and vulnerable employment have a negative impact on technical efficiency. The study recommends that SADC countries should improve on resource use to improve on technical efficiency, train more doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. Additionally, nations should implement pro-growth policies to boost revenue to capacitate their health systems with beds and other requisite equipment.

Relationship between Agriculture Growth and the Unemployment Rate in Iraq (1991–2022)

Purpose: The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between agriculture development and unemployment rate for the period of 1991-2-2022 in Iraq. Theoretical framework: In the context of agricultural employment, agriculture is recognised as a crucial component of economic advancement and emphasises the significance of efficiently utilising all available resources, including human resources (Alsudani & Al-Hiyali, 2021). Moreover, the growth of agricultural and the unemployment rate have been used as two indicators to evaluate the significance of the agriculture sector(Jongerden et al., 2019). Design/methodology/approach: In order to examine whether there exists a real correlation between unemployment rate and agriculture growth in Iraq, we utilize yearly secondary data and apply extensive methodology that includes unit root tests, correlation analysis, co-integration tests, and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. Findings: the results of emperical examinations highlight a negative relationship between agricultural growth and the unemployment rate; that is, as agriculture growth increases, so does the unemployment rate decrease. Research, Practical & Social implications: The findings can provide insights for well-informed policy decisions and strategies to promote sustainable growth and employment generation in Iraq. In addition, for future research we suggest to include more macroeconomic variables in oreder to have intensive understanding real impacts of agriculture sector on economic growth and laboure force of countries. Originality/value: The results document that the connection between both agriculture development and unemployment rate is not positive, it means that unemployment rate will decrease if growth in agriculture increase.

HOW DOES TRADE IN DIGITALLY DELIVERED SERVICES AFFECT EMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA?

The rapid advancement of technology and the increasing accessibility of the Internet are driving changes in various economic activities, including international trade. This study explores the relationship between digital trade and employment across 30 African countries from 2009 to 2020, with a particular focus on the role of digitally delivered services as a proxy for digital trade. Utilizing panel data and employing PCSE and IV-2SLS estimation techniques, the findings reveal that while the expansion of digitally delivered services may contribute to a reduction in formal employment, it also fosters growth in the industrial and services sectors, while exerting downward pressure on employment in agriculture. These results are robust and highlight the sector-specific dynamics of digital trade’s impact on labor markets.

Empowering rural South Asia: Off-grid solar PV, electricity accessibility, and sustainable agriculture

This study investigates the impact of off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on electricity accessibility and agricultural sustainability in rural South Asia, employing panel data methodology: least square dummy variable (LSDV) and Lewbel instrumental variable (IV) approach. The findings demonstrate a robust positive association between solar PV adoption and increased electricity access, even when accounting for individual and period-specific factors. Increased electricity access significantly contributes to higher agricultural value added per worker, but not necessarily to the overall share of agriculture in the economy. This analysis also reveals a positive and significant impact of solar PV (SPV) on agricultural value added per worker, independent of rural electrification levels. Heterogeneities across time and context, along with country-specific factors, play crucial roles in shaping these relationships. While factors like government effectiveness and GDP per capita have complex and sometimes counterintuitive effects, access to land, agricultural employment, and capital investments all contribute positively to agricultural sustainability. The Lewbel IV method offers strong impact of SPV on electrification, independent of external factors, and its direct contribution to agricultural output, make it a compelling tool for empowering rural communities and building a more sustainable future in South Asia. Robustness of the result is validated through three approaches: measuring variable averages at three-year sub-periods, applying three-stage least squares (3SLS), and utilizing alternative methods (panel corrected standard errors (PCSE), feasible generalized least squares (FGLS)) to consider various data characteristics. Off-grid solar PV emerges as a game-changer for rural electrification and a catalyst for sustainable agricultural development in South Asia. Governments and development agencies can prioritize investments in solar PV systems to address energy poverty and boost agricultural productivity.

Validation and psychometric evaluation of the French version of the recovery experience questionnaire: internal consistency and validity assessment.

Entrepreneurs often experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout due to the demanding nature of their professional activities. Therefore, recovery from work-related stress is a relevant activity for entrepreneurs. The Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ) is a widely used 16-item self-reported measure covering four recovery factors: psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control. The present study addresses the validation of a French version of the REQ. A total of 1,043 French entrepreneurs from various sectors participated in this study. Internal consistency and correlations were examined to assess the psychometric properties of the French version of the REQ. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the four-factor structure of the REQ, with seven error covariances added to improve model fit. The French version of the REQ demonstrated good internal consistency (psychological detachment: α = 0.88, relaxation: α = 0.91, mastery: α = 0.90, control: α = 0.91). CFA supported that the four-factor structure was confirmed based on the following data: RMSEA = 0.071 (95% CI [0.066, 0.077]), CFI/TLI = 0.955/0.950, SRMR = 0.050, and χ2 (108) = 593.861, p < 0.001. Significant correlations were found between REQ scores and health indicators such as stress, loneliness, physical health, mental health, and sleep quality. The results confirm that the REQ is a valid and reliable measure for assessing recovery experiences among French entrepreneurs. We conclude that the REQ is a valid measure and a useful tool for research on entrepreneurs' general health. Additionally, the validated French version of the REQ can be applied to other working populations, making it a versatile instrument for evaluating health and recovery in diverse occupational settings. To support this claim, we conducted the same validation analysis on a sample of 1,231 French agricultural employees, again showing that REQ is a valid and reliable measure for assessing recovery experiences.

Comparing the Effects of Information Globalization on Agricultural Producer Prices in Developing and Developed Countries

Existing studies claim that the Internet of Things (IoTs) raises agricultural producer prices while others claim the contrary. Meanwhile, no studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of IoTs at the macro level, as represented by information globalization. The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of information globalization on agricultural producer prices in developing and developed countries. This study used time series data from 1991 to 2020 and cross-section data from 66 developing and 26 developed countries. The data was analyzed using two-stage least squares. The first stage of analysis shows that pesticides and farm machinery increase agricultural production in developing and developed countries, while employment in agriculture, forestry, and fishing has the opposite effect. Meanwhile, nutrient nitrogen, manure, and irrigation have differing effects on agricultural production in the two areas. The second stage of analysis shows that agricultural producer prices in developing and developed countries will rise when agricultural production, agricultural import, and human capital increase. Agricultural value-added, food consumer price inflation and population growth have varying impacts on agricultural producer prices. Meanwhile, the main variable investigated in this study, information globalization, has been proven to increase agricultural producer prices in both developing and developed countries.

Maternal employment in high-value agriculture and child nutrition: Evidence from the Ethiopian cut-flower industry

In many low- and middle-income countries, agri-food supply chains are transforming rapidly. One important feature of this transformation is growth in certain high-value agricultural subsectors, such as horticulture and cut-flowers for export. Growth in high-value agriculture often creates new employment opportunities, especially for women. More employment can lead to higher rural incomes, but the broader implications for social welfare are not yet sufficiently understood. Here, we use survey data from Ethiopia to investigate the effects of women’s employment in floriculture on child nutrition, focusing on children aged 0–5 years. We develop and estimate endogenous switching regressions to account for possible endogeneity. Our results suggest that maternal employment in floriculture negatively affects child height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores (HAZ and WAZ). Exploration of the underlying mechanisms reveals that floriculture employment may influence time allocation, dietary quality, income, and female financial autonomy. Maternal employment is negatively associated with time spent on childcare and consumption of animal-sourced foods.

Cultivating prosperity: assessing the effects of fertiliser consumption, employment in agriculture, foreign direct investment, and exchange rates on value-added agriculture in SAARC nations

Cultivating prosperity: assessing the effects of fertiliser consumption, employment in agriculture, foreign direct investment, and exchange rates on value-added agriculture in SAARC nations

Evolution of Food Trade Networks from a Comparative Perspective: An Examination of China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African Countries.

In the intricate landscape of the global food system, a nuanced understanding of dynamic evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of food trade network is essential for advancing insights into the African food trade and maintaining the food security of Africa. This paper constructs a framework for analyzing the food trade network from a comparative perspective by comparing and analyzing the evolution of food trade networks in China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries. The development trend of food trade between China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, and African countries is relatively good. China, the United States, Russia, and the European Union export far more food to African countries than they import, and bilateral food trade plays an important role in alleviating food supply shortages in Africa. The food trade networks between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries exhibit a butterfly-shaped structure centered in Africa, and the overall intensity of bilateral trade linkages is gradually increasing. France has the greatest control over the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries, and the influence of the United States on the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries is increasing. China's independence in the food trade network between China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and African countries is enhanced, but its control ability is limited. The impact of differences in total population, differences in food production, and geographical borders on the trade network between China, the United States, the European Union, and African countries tends to decrease, while the influence of differences in the proportion of agricultural employment, differences in the arable land available for food production, and institutional distance tends to increase.

A Study on The Relationship Between Organic Agriculture and Agricultural Employment in Türkiye

Organic agriculture is a sustainable agricultural system with different principles that is carried out within the scope of certain rules. Due to the substitution of organic inputs with chemical inputs, getting the products ready for sale, weed control, and similar operations by hand, enterprises engaged in organic farming require a larger labor force. All these jobs increase employment opportunities in rural areas and allow small family businesses to continue production. In this study, it has been tried to reveal the relationship between organic agriculture and agricultural employment with the help of an econometric model and to determine the effect of organic agriculture on employment. The study analyzed a 17-year time series of data spanning from 2004 to 2021 to identify the factors influencing agricultural employment, taking into account various aspects of organic agriculture, including the number of organic agricultural products, the count of farmers engaged in organic agriculture, the area dedicated to organic agricultural production, the organic wild collection area, the total area allocated for organic agricultural production, the quantity of organic agricultural production, the number of entrepreneurs involved in organic agriculture, the unit price of subsidy for organic agriculture, and the total amount of subsidy provided to organic agriculture. Based on the results of the regression analysis, it was determined that the number of organic products does not have a significant effect on agricultural employment. In addition, it was found that the wild harvesting area is positively significant for agricultural employment and that the total production area of organic agriculture and the amount of subsidy are negatively significant. The results of the research reveal that a 1% increase in the wild harvesting area related to organic agriculture would lead to an increase of more than 0.28% in the agricultural employment rate, while a 1% increase in the total production area and the amount of subsidy would lead to a decrease of 0.40% and 0.44% in the agricultural employment rate, respectively.

Large-scale agricultural investments, employment opportunities and communal conflict

Large-scale agricultural investments, employment opportunities and communal conflict

Rural infrastructure development in the context of seasonal employment in agriculture of the Russian Federation

The article examines the little-studied issue of seasonal employment in the agricultural economy as a vector of the employment category, the importance of which increases every year. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to develop proposals for improving state regulation of social protection issues for seasonal workers in agriculture. The long-overdue issues of regulating the labor relations of Russian agricultural producers with workers employed for seasonal work in terms of social guarantees require timely solutions. Also on the agenda are the acute problems of providing basic living conditions for the employees involved, especially with regard to housing conditions, transport and telecommunications infrastructure. As of the end of 2022, only 72 % of rural settlements have paved roads connected to the public road network, and the proportion of households in rural settlements with Internet access amounted to 81.2 %. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of specific measures of state participation in the development of basic rural infrastructure and the creation of favorable living conditions for seasonal workers in agricultural production. In particular, measures are proposed to stimulate the involvement of seasonal workers with the prospect of improving housing conditions. The use of the mechanism of concession agreements in terms of the development of transport infrastructure and the application of proven foreign practices in the development of telecommunications infrastructure, taking into account the consolidation at the legislative level, will allow the most effective use of the workforce of seasonal workers in the agricultural sector.

Evaluating the Impact of Mini Dams on Agricultural Production and Socio-economic Conditions: A Case Study of Latamber’s Dam District Karak (Pakistan)

Water scarcity is an escalating global concern, and Pakistan is no exception, facing increasing water crises and growing demand. Effective water supply is crucial for the development of any area. Mini dams not only provide water for irrigation but also support domestic uses. This study evaluates the impact of mini dams on agricultural productivity in Latamber village, focusing on crop yield, land use and land cover (LULC) changes, and socio-economic conditions. A multifaceted methodology, including field surveys, departmental data collection, questionnaires, and remote sensing, was employed. Data collected through questionnaires and farmer interviews highlighted the economic and environmental benefits of mini dams. Statistical analysis and image processing revealed significant expansions in cultivation areas for crops like maize and rice, alongside increases in wheat yield and the adoption of new vegetable crops during the Rabi season. Additionally, socioeconomic benefits, such as enhanced agricultural incomes and employment opportunities, were observed due to improved water availability and irrigation technologies. The study emphasizes the importance of evaluating the impact of mini dams on agricultural production and socio-economic conditions to inform sustainable water resource management strategies, which are vital for the long-term development of similar regions.