Field-level Data Research Articles

Pricing model for biodiesel feedstock: A case study of Chhattisgarh in India

Following the global trend, India declared its biofuel policy in which biodiesel, primarily from jatropha, would meet 20% of the diesel demand beginning with 2011–2012. To promote biofuel, Indian government has announced biodiesel purchase price as well as compulsory blending ratio. But, these measures have not worked to create large scale biodiesel production in India. With this backdrop, this paper highlights about the importance of a sound pricing policy focusing on the entire value chain of biodiesel production. The analysis is based on field level data from Chhattisgarh, the leading state in the production of jatropha. Such a sound pricing policy has to deal with the prices of feedstock, by-products and final product like biodiesel. It would also have to reflect on the business model of production of biodiesel. The simulation exercises in our model shows that the business returns from the production of biodiesel and the minimum support price (MSP) of the feedstock for biodiesel (i.e. jatropha seeds in this case) are sensitive to various parameters like seed yields, technological efficiency, by product and petro-diesel prices. An effective price policy framework has to consider all these factors to create a platform for sustainable biodiesel production in India.

Solar-powered drip irrigation enhances food security in the Sudano–Sahel

Meeting the food needs of Africa's growing population over the next half-century will require technologies that significantly improve rural livelihoods at minimal environmental cost. These technologies will likely be distinct from those of the Green Revolution, which had relatively little impact in sub-Saharan Africa; consequently, few such interventions have been rigorously evaluated. This paper analyzes solar-powered drip irrigation as a strategy for enhancing food security in the rural Sudano-Sahel region of West Africa. Using a matched-pair comparison of villages in northern Benin (two treatment villages, two comparison villages), and household survey and field-level data through the first year of harvest in those villages, we find that solar-powered drip irrigation significantly augments both household income and nutritional intake, particularly during the dry season, and is cost effective compared to alternative technologies.

A Study on the Factors Affecting Profitability of the Poultry Enterprise of Kishoreganj District in Bangladesh

This study attempts to identify the socio-economic characteristics, costs. returns and profitability. based on the functional analysis through the private poultry farming in Kishoreganj district in Bangladesh. In total of 150 poultry farms were randomly selected taking 50 from each category(small. medium and large). The field level data were collected by direct interviews with broiler farmers using survey questionnaires. This study found that cost of feed. cost of day-old-chicks. cost of human labor and veterinary charge were key and important inputs for profitability of poultry farms. The elasticities of broiler farms were 0.46. 0.90, 055 and 0.63 for small, medium. large and all broiler farms respectively It is also observed that the summation of elasticity of different inputs for broiler farms was less than one, implying that the production function exhibited decreasing returns to scale i.e., doubling the inputs will less than double the output.

Pattern of medical waste management: existing scenario in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

BackgroundMedical waste is infectious and hazardous. It poses serious threats to environmental health and requires specific treatment and management prior to its final disposal. The problem is growing with an ever-increasing number of hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. However, research on this critical issue has been very limited, and there is a serious dearth of information for planning. This paper seeks to document the handling practice of waste (e.g. collection, storage, transportation and disposal) along with the types and amount of wastes generated by Health Care Establishments (HCE). A total of 60 out of the existing 68 HCE in the study areas provided us with relevant information.MethodsThe methodology for this paper includes empirical field observation and field-level data collection through inventory, questionnaire survey and formal and informal interviews. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect information addressing the generation of different medical wastes according to amount and sources from different HCE. A number of in-depth interviews were arranged to enhance our understanding of previous and existing management practice of medical wastes. A number of specific questions were asked of nurses, hospital managers, doctors, and cleaners to elicit their knowledge. The collected data with the questionnaire survey were analysed, mainly with simple descriptive statistics; while the qualitative mode of analysis is mainly in narrative form.ResultsThe paper shows that the surveyed HCE generate a total of 5,562 kg/day of wastes, of which about 77.4 per cent are non-hazardous and about 22.6 per cent are hazardous. The average waste generation rate for the surveyed HCE is 1.9 kg/bed/day or 0.5 kg/patient/day. The study reveals that there is no proper, systematic management of medical waste except in a few private HCE that segregate their infectious wastes. Some cleaners were found to salvage used sharps, saline bags, blood bags and test tubes for resale or reuse.ConclusionThe paper reveals that lack of awareness, appropriate policy and laws, and willingness are responsible for the improper management of medical waste in Dhaka City. The paper also shows that a newly designed medical waste management system currently serves a limited number of HCE. New facilities should be established for the complete management of medical waste in Dhaka City.

Modeling a Small, Northeastern Watershed with Detailed, Field-Level Data

Time, resource, and replication constraints limit the practicality of conducting agricultural experimental studies at scales larger than plot-level. Thus, watershed-level models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) are increasingly used to forecast effects of land management changes on downstream water quality. With the generalization in scale, the question of effect of generalization in input data arises. That is, to what extent does having field-level, daily input data for a watershed model aid in the ability to predict watershed-scale, water quality impacts. The study site, FD-36, is a 39.5 ha agricultural subwatershed of a long-term USDA-ARS study watershed in south central Pennsylvania. FD-36 is characterized by loamy soils with a substantial near-stream fragipan. Fifty percent of FD-36 includes 24 row-cropped fields from three independently managed farms. Two SWAT scenarios were simulated on FD-36 and compared with each other as well as with measured data over two 4-year periods (1997-2000 and 2001-2004). The high-resolution scenario modeled seasonal crop, fertilizer, and tillage events of each row-cropped field continuously over the 8-year period. The low-resolution scenario treated all row-cropped fields as the same generic crop (AGRR in SWAT). Flow depth predictions at the outlet were similar for the two SWAT scenarios. While both scenarios showed higher levels of soil water in the fragipan soils than the surrounding soils, the high-resolution scenario was able to identify field-to-field distinctions due to the increased detail in input data. In general, model results were more defined at the field-level under the high-resolution scenario and followed patterns expected from knowledge about soil science, hydrology, P transport, and the characteristics of the study watershed. However, the time spent collecting, understanding, entering, and error-checking input data required for the high-resolution scenario was on the order of months, while full data collection for the low-resolution scenario took several days. Results suggest that while detailed input data can enable the model to provide valuable water quality information, research efficiency during exploratory and initial problem-solving efforts might be maximized by using more easily obtained, although more general, data.

Retrieving crown leaf area index from an individual tree using ground-based lidar data

Light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors, both at the terrestrial and airborne levels, have recently emerged as useful tools for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of vegetated environments. One such terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) is the Intelligent Laser Ranging and Imaging System (ILRIS-3D). The objective of this research was to develop approaches to use ILRIS-3D data to retrieve structural information of an artificial tree in a controlled laboratory experiment. The key crown-level structural parameters investigated in this study were gap fraction, leaf area index (LAI), and clumping index. Measured XYZ point cloud data from a systematically pruned tree were sliced to retrieve laser pulse return density profiles, which subsequently were used to estimate gap fraction, LAI, and clumping index. Gap fraction estimates were cross-validated with traditional methods of histogram thresholding of digital photographs (r2 = 0.95). LAI estimates from lidar data were corrected for the confounding effects of woody material and nonrandom foliage distribution and then compared with direct LAI measurements (r2 = 0.98, RMSE = 0.26). The methods developed in this research provide valuable lessons for application to field-level TLS data for structural parameter retrievals. Successful demonstration of analysis protocols to extract crown-level structural parameters like gap fraction, LAI, and clumping index from TLS data will be important for detailed assessments of 3D canopy radiative transfer modeling and likely will lead to more robust inversion algorithms.

Herbicides, glyphosate resistance and acute mammalian toxicity: simulating an environmental effect of glyphosate‐resistant weeds in the USA

With the emergence of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds, the environmental consequences of alternatives to GR technology are of increasing importance. A well-known acute mammalian toxicity measure, the LD(50) dose for rats, is used to assess one potential environmental impact of the loss of GR technology. A new dataset with this index is used to estimate and simulate the effects for corn, soybeans and cotton. With conventional tillage it is found that the use of GR seeds reduces the number of LD(50) doses applied per hectare by 17-98% depending on crop. With no-till, the use of GR seeds reduces LD(50) doses only in corn. If farmers switch to conventional seeds because of GR weeds but maintain the same tillage practice, the present simulations suggest that LD(50) doses could increase by as much as 100 LD(50) doses per hectare in soybeans, and 500 LD(50) doses per hectare in cotton, or 11.4 and 19.8% respectively. This is the first study to use field-level data to assess GR technology with a mammalian toxicity environmental indicator. It has been found that GR crops have a positive environmental effect, and that alternatives to GR technology increase toxicity.

Real-Time Field Surveillance and Well Services Management in a Large Mature Onshore Field: Case Study

Summary This paper describes the planning for, implementation of and results generated by a real-time field surveillance and well services management system, as it was deployed in an onshore mature field in California, USA. The motivation behind the deployment of this system was simultaneously to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs in this large field with over 1,000 wells. The paper will describe how the business processes and supporting workflows were defined. This is an essential step before any technology can be deployed. The challenges of data management included not only the automatic handling of very large quantities of real-time data, but also the management of inventory and the integration of field level data with corporate level data. Historical data had to be brought into, and made compatible with the new system. The technologies required for this project included the software systems and the integration of these with remoteintelligent field sensors and data transmission systems. The impact of the system has been material to the performance of the asset. Examples will be given of tangible improvements in performance across the disciplines of surveillance, production engineering, and well services. One critical factor to the successful deployment of this system includes the organizational changes needed to support the new working practices enabled by the system. The paper will discuss the required change management programs. The success of this project has clearly established that a "smart" solution integrating intelligent remote devices, communications networks and workflow management software can be successfully deployed on large, mature fields. The deployment process to achieve this has been assimilated and is now being reproduced in many other similar fields across North America. The paper will indicate some of the areas where this combination of technology and supporting change management will be expanded in the future.

Interfacing health care and innovation: Traditional medicinal knowledge in Nigeria

Traditional medicinal knowledge and related innovations are deeply embedded within the context of knowledge use and exchange of health services in developing countries. Traditional medicine systems cater to the health needs of a majority of people in the developing world, and there is a clear link between such practice and feedback innovations based on traditional medicinal knowledge. Understanding these interlinkages calls for an interface between innovation systems and health systems, and this is perhaps why this issue has not received the kind of attention it deserves in either strands of literature. This paper uses field level data collected during a survey of the biopharmaceutical innovation system in Nigeria in 20032004 to highlight these interlinkages. By way of results obtained in the survey, it derives the scope for policy intervention in order to harness the role of traditional medicinal knowledge for both biopharmaceutical innovation and health care infrastructure in Nigeria.

Operation Barga, ‘Efficiency’ and (De)interlinkage in a Differentiated Structure of Tenancy in Rural West Bengal

Operation Barga in West Bengal caused a decline in the institution of tenancy over a period of two decades. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the field-level data shows that the tenant households are placed in a highly heterogeneous and differentiated manner in society, which is similar to that of the pattern of distribution of general (tenant plus non-tenant) households. We find that tenant households are less productive than the general category of households and, therefore, less efficient. The yield level of recorded tenant households is also distinctly higher than unrecorded tenant households. Recorded tenants are enjoying lower rental rate than unrecorded tenants. The possibility of interlinked transactions has been remote among tenant households.

Learning Through Inter-Organisational Interactions: Public Research Institutes in the Nigerian Biopharmaceutical System of Innovation

Using field-level data collected in Nigeria in 2003–04, this paper examines the possibilities for learning through inter-organisational interactions in biotechnological systems of innovation, using public research institutes as an example. The paper considers interactions to be all forms of formal and informal linkages and contacts between various agents in the system of innovation, such as firms, universities, traditional medicine practitioners, hospitals and other external agencies. Using results obtained in the survey and the experiences of other countries that have succeeded in developing biotechnological capacity, critical interactions and scope for policy interventions are discussed. En utilisant des donnees de terrain collectees au Nigeria en 2003-2004, cet article examine les possibilites d'apprentissage a travers les interactions organisationnelles dans les systemes d'innovations biotechnologiques, en s'appuyant sur l'exemple d'instituts de recherche publics. Il considere que les interactions cor...

Field Surveillance and Well-Services Management in a Large Mature Onshore Field

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 99949, "Real-Time Field Surveillance and Well-Services Management in a Large Mature Onshore Field: Case Study," by L. Ormerod, SPE, Weatherford; H. Sardoff, SPE, J. Wilkinson, SPE, and B. Erlendson, Chevron; and B. Cox and G. Stephenson, SPE, Weatherford, prepared for the 2006 SPE Intelligent Energy Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, 11–13 April. A real-time field-surveillance and well-services management system was deployed in an onshore mature field in California. The challenges of data management included automatic handling of very large quantities of real-time data, management of inventory, and integration of field-level data with corporate-level data. Technologies required for this project included software systems and integration of these with remote intelligent-field sensors and data-transmission systems. This project established that integrated intelligent remote devices, communications networks, and workflow-management software could be deployed successfully on large mature fields. Prior State of the Business Chevron's San Joaquin Valley Business Unit (SJVBU) is in the southern San Joaquin Valley in central California. The SJVBU operations encompass assets in seven oil fields, which before the merger of Chevron and Texaco were operated by those two companies. The earliest of these oil fields was developed in the early 1900s. Most of the development occurred in the 1960s and 1970s with the implementation of steamflood technology. Aggregate production from the SJVBU assets is approximately 200,000 BOPD. Approximately 15,000 active wells produce in the SJVBU, yielding an average production of approximately 13 BOPD/well. The SJVBU fields produce from relatively shallow reservoirs, including the Miocene/Pliocene Kern River, Tulare, Temblor, and Potter formations, which typically have porosities ranging from 20 to 30% and permeability in the range of 1 to 5 md. Oil gravity ranges from 13 to 20°API, and viscosity is approximately 50 cp. Reservoir depth of approximately 1,000 ft enables extremely rapid drilling. Oil-production revenue is more than 95% of total sales, and virtually all wells use sucker-rod pumps (SRPs). The key operational focus of these fields concerns the challenge of maintaining this very large number of wells at optimum production. An online system for well surveillance and well-services management was installed in the SJVBU, and the experience of implementing this system was used in the Cymric field. Cymric is typical of the SJVBU fields and contains approximately 800 SRP wells producing 16,000 BOPD. Cymric has another 500 huff ‘n’ puff cyclic-steam wells that flow after the steam cycle, adding another 24,000 BOPD, for a total field production of 40,000 BOPD. Automation History In the 1980s, a program to increase production in the Lost Hills field was based on finding the best method to fracture the wells. Field production rose from less than 3,000 BOPD to more than 20,000 BOPD. Managing this new production became a priority, and pump-off controllers (POCs) were installed throughout the field similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

The agricultural impacts of irrigation induced waterlogging and soil salinity in the Arkansas Basin

Agricultural production along the Lower Arkansas River of Colorado is being negatively affected as a result of irrigation induced waterlogging and soil salinization. This publication presents an estimate of these damages along a study area of approximately 65,000 irrigated acres for 3 different years. Estimates of the damage are generated by linking a detailed hydrologic model, calibrated from extensive field data, to an economic model that evaluates productivity losses within the study region. The hydrologic model provides a detailed estimate of the soil salinity levels and water table depths that occur throughout the region. Using geographic information system (GIS) software, the output from the hydrologic model is converted into field level data which are used to estimate the damages that are occurring upon each irrigated field across the study area. Previously published research that identifies the relationship between crop yield and soil salinization was used to estimate the impact of soil salinity on agricultural production. The relationship between crop yield and waterlogging was estimated econometrically using a synthesis of secondary data sources. The results indicate that the impact of waterlogging and soil salinization within this region is significant. Average annual losses to agricultural production along the study area were estimated to be approximately US$ 68/acre or US$ 4.3 million.

The Failure of Workfare: Another Reason for a Basic Income Guarantee

There has been a major shift in welfare policies in the developed world towards activation, decentralization, and privatization. The 1996 US welfare reform welfare for single mother families was no longer an entitlement and there were stiff work requirements enforced by sanctions and time limits. In Western Europe, although there is variation, welfare has become conditional for social assistance recipients the excluded. Social assistance is administered at the municipal level, which contracts with private companies. Caseworkers are supposed to make individualized contracts emphasizing work activities. This paper examines the field-level data in several US programs and finds that there is a symbiotic relationship between governments and contractors; caseworkers, whether public or private, focus on process rather than substantive plans; government does not question the data; contracts are imposed; the most employable are placed; and the most vulnerable are sanctioned or otherwise not allowed on welfare. Research in some European countries is showing similar results activation programs are difficult to administer and increase the risks for the most vulnerable. Individualized contracts are a myth, given administrative constraints and client dependency. The paper argues that the difficulties of activation are an additional reason for a basic income guarantee. The socially excluded will have an exit option and well-being will be improved.

Stochastic frontier analysis of total factor productivity in the offshore oil and gas industry

We examine the impact of technological change on oil and gas exploration, development and production in the Gulf of Mexico over the past five decades. We analyze the effect of technological change on the production frontier using a unique field-level data set covering 1947 through 1998. We then develop estimates of the growth in total factor productivity (TFP) in the industry at the regional level from 1976 to 1995. To address the unique features of this marine resource industry, we include in our models some key geological variables such as water depth and field size. In addition, the results reveal that environmental regulation had a significantly negative impact on offshore production, although such impact has been diminishing over time.

Forecasting Energy Supply and Pollution from the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry

Sound energy and environmental policies require reliable forecasts of production and pollution, as well as supply response to policy actions. In this study, we describe a model for forecasting long-term production and pollution in the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico under different scenarios. A model based on disaggregated field-level data is used to forecast production and pollution through to the year 2050. The time path for resource depletion is determined as the net effect of technological progress and depletion under alternative scenarios for new discoveries. We also quantify potential efficiencies that could result from changing the design of regulations from the current command-and-control regime, to an approach that allows more flexible means of achieving the same environmental goals.

Investing in soils: field bunds and microcatchments in Burkina Faso

This research uses field-level data from Burkina Faso to ask what determines farmers' investment in two well-known soil and water conservation techniques: field bunds (barriers to soil and water runoff), and microcatchments (small holes in which seeds and fertilizers are placed). Survey data for 1993 and 1994 are used to estimate Tobit functions, compute elasticities of adoption and intensity of use, perform robustness tests and estimate alternative models. Controlling for land and labor abundance and other factors we find that those who have more ownership rights over farmland, and who do more controlled feeding of livestock, tend to invest more in both technologies. The result suggests that responding to land scarcity with clearer property rights over cropland and pasture could help promote investment in soil conservation, and raise the productivity of factors applied to land.

Estimation of Wildlife-Inflicted Property Damage and Abatement Based on Compensation Program Claims Data

Wildlife imposes costs on agricultural landowners in the form of damage to crops, livestock, and other property, and some wildlife agencies maintain abatement and compensation programs. This paper incorporates endogenous claim submission by producers into a model of deer-inflicted crop damage that can be used to facilitate agency decisions regarding deer densities and distribution, abatement use, and to forecast compensation budgets. The model is applied to field-level compensation claims data from Wisconsin for 1994–1996. The results are consistent with theory, and aggregate damage estimates fall within the range of published estimates from more costly survey data.

Farmers' attitudes towards sustainable agriculture issues and environmental quality in a selected area of Bangladesh

AbstractThe sustainability issues associated with agricultural development are a growing concern worldwide. This study focussed on farmers' attitudes about environmental degradation and long term productivity loss that may result from implementation of modern agricultural technologies. The study was conducted in a selected area of Bangladesh and field level data were collected from the sampled farmers through personal interviewing. Findings revealed that more than two-thirds of the farmers confronted either a medium or high level of environmental problems due to intensive cultivation. Their main concerns were stress on soil fertility, loss of essential aquatic life, and reduction of earthworms and other beneficial organisms in soil. The farmers' recommended solutions were production of high yielding crop varieties with conservation management practices, and the balanced use of chemical fertilizers and organic manures. To apply these techniques, the top expectation of the farmers was to receive subsidies for agricultural inputs, and get easy-term credit from the government or non-government organizations. Interestingly, just half the farmers in the study area possessed a less than favorable attitude towards sustainability issues of agricultural development. In other words, to them these issues were of low or marginal priority. Only 6% of them expressed a highly favorable attitude (high priority) and 44% expressed a moderate attitude. Based on correlations, the individual farmer's age, education, family size, organizational participation, television exposure, communication behavior and environmental problem confrontation were identified as the main determinants of their attitudes about sustainability issues. Hence, these factors should be considered when formulating programs and policies for agriculture development that aim for long-term sustainability.

The Farming Systems of the Texizapan Watershed, Sierra de Santa Marta, Veracruz, Mexico

The main farming systems of the Texizapan watershed in southern Veracruz, Mexico (200-1,640 meters above sea level) were characterized through a formal survey in 1995. Farm-level data included an inventory resources (human, land,and capital), their use, and resource flows (both intra-and inter-household). Field-level data particularly on input use and production, were gathered for the two major crops, maize and coffee. Maize was the main food crop, grown by all households. Coffee was the main cash crop, but production was limited to higher elevations. The maize cropping system was relatively land extensive and labor intensive;all practices were entirely manual. External input was relatively limited, emphasizing herbicides. Half the farmers reported using fertilizers, but levels were generally low and the use of improved maize varieties rare. All farmers used burning as a land preparation practice prior to maize planting. Maize yields in the main season averaged less than 1 t/ha. Maize production in the minor season was more widespread than previously thought, although yields were extremely low. Given the low yields, high labor input, and limited external input use, returns to maize cultivation were low. Even so, maize cultivation was expected to continue in the study area, in view of the households' consumption needs and limited alternative income opportunities. Half the sample reported being net consumers f maize, and the need to purchase beans- the major protein source- was even more widespread. In view of the limited number of other food sources available locally and constraints on disposable income, the nutritional status of the households warrants closer attention. The major challenge facing producers was that of sustainably raising productivity to provide for consumption and other needs.