Farmer Members Research Articles

The Economics of Agricultural Decollectivization in East Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union

1989 include both the privatization of agricultural production assets and the restructuring of state and collective farms. Farm restructuring and, more specifically, the breakup of large-scale agricultural production units into individually operated farms—a process we define as ‘‘decollectivization’’—differ considerably for the various ECE and FSU countries. Differences in decollectivization can be observed across countries, between regions within a country, and over time. We argue that these differences are not random. This article identifies the factors that affect the decollectivization process and shows how they are consistent with empirically observed differences in agricultural decollectivization in ECE and FSU countries. The decollectivization process is a consequence of the decision of collective farm members to leave the collective production framework and start up individual farms. Factors affecting this decision are the expected productivity and profitability of individual farming relative to collective farming and the costs for individuals to leave the collective farm and start up an individual farm. These costs are affected by land reform, privatization, and decollectivization regulations. The relative productivity of individual versus collective farming depends on the distribution of collective farmers’ productivity, the prereform average collective farm productivity, and the advantages and disadvantages of individual farming compared to collective farming. The literature on decollectivization identifies both advantages and disadvantages in collective production, some of which would not extend beyond the transition period. Disadvantages include high transaction costs associated with the monitoring of labor and inefficiencies due to the right of

ASSESSMENT OF PERIPHERAL NERVE FUNCTION IN AN ECUADORIAN RURAL POPULATION EXPOSED TO PESTICIDES

To explore the peripheral nervous system effects of regular agricultural pesticide use, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in highland Ecuador. Participants were 144 occupationally exposed farm members, 30 female farm members with little direct exposure, and 72 unexposed local town residents, frequency matched to the exposed people on age, sex, and education. Organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides and dithiocarbamate fungicides accounted for the majority of pesticide applications, with leaking backpack sprayers, minimal use of personal protective equipment, and frequent dermal contact being the norm. In polytomous logistic regression analyses, applicators had significantly greater odds for more current peripheral nerve symptoms (odds ratio OR = 3.1), signs of poor coordination (OR = 4.3), abnormal deep tendon reflexes (OR = 2.9), and reduced power (OR = 2.1) compared to controls. Mean toe vibration threshold scores, on a logarithmic scale, were significantly higher among applicators (beta= 0.035) and those reporting previous pesticide poisonings (beta= 0.074). Such indicators of peripheral nervous system effects may be due to a variety of factors, including high pesticide exposure conditions.

Décollectivisation et indépendance. La trajectoire agraire lituanienne (Decollectivization and independence. The agrarian trajectory of Lituania)

Abstract. - Lituania's return to independence endowed decollectivization process with a strong symbolic significance, relying on the will to revive the family agricultural model which prevailed during the two world wars. The agrarian reform policy intend to gain conflicting aims : return land to their former owners, dividing collective assets between members of the collective farms and converting them in new partnerships, allocating plots to workers without land. New social forms of production had appeared and their extend is dependent on regional structural legacies.

Reconstructing the Avalon continent: marginal to inner platform transition in the Cambrian of southern New Brunswick

A west to east, marginal to inner Avalonian platform transition, comparable to that in southeast Newfoundland and southern Britain, is present in the Cambrian of southern New Brunswick. The Saint John–Caton's Island–Hanford Brook area lay on the marginal platform, and its thick, uppermost Precambrian–lower Lower Cambrian is unconformably overlain by trilobite-bearing, upper Lower Cambrian. An inner platform remnant is preserved in the Cradle Brook outlier 60 km northeast of Saint John. In contrast to the marginal platform sequences, the Cradle Brook outlier has a very thin lower Lower Cambrian and has middle Lower Cambrian strata (Bonavista Group) not present on the marginal platform. The Cradle Brook Lower Cambrian closely resembles inner platform successions in eastern Massachusetts and Trinity and Placentia bays, southeast Newfoundland. A limestone with Camenella baltica Zone fossils on Cradle Brook seems to be the peritidal limestone cap of the subtrilobitic Lower Cambrian known in Avalonian North America (Fosters Point Formation) and England (Home Farm Member).

Factors That Influence the Next Generation's Decision to Take Over the Family Farm

The survival of family farms is threatened by rapid change, intense international competition, and a resulting reduction of interest in perpetuating the family farm. What influences the next generation to pursue family farming, in spite of the difficulties? Do these factors differ between men and women? An in-depth, descriptive, and exploratory study of thirty next generation family farm members indicates specific factors critical to their decision to pursue the family farm succession. The findings are depicted in a framework that portrays these factors of influence and the effect they have on the succession decision of the next generation. Implications for practice and future research are also presented.

Building Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture requires the balancing of a variety of goals. This means that often no single goal can be maximized, since such optimization might totally preclude the achievement of one of the other goals of sustainability. For this reason, transdisciplinary teams containing advocates of the various goals, with ability to negotiate priorities, provide an important input into research and extension toward a sustainable agriculture. Further, farmer membership on these teams is particularly crucial, because a sustainable agriculture means that the farmer shifts from a user of technology to a producer of technology and a monitor of its impacts. A major impediment to the development of transdisciplinary approaches is the lack of good indicators of sustainability. In part this is due to the ease of use of traditional measures of production and profit. Not only do these yield single, summary measures; they have relatively short term manifestations. Indicators of the impact of agricultural practices on sustainabiliiy are more diffuse and more long term. Systematic efforts are needed to develop such measures. Farming systems research and extension (FSR/E) has traditionally involved multidisciplinary teams, which have included farmer participation. However, both the composition and process of FSR/E must be altered to include the multidimensions of sustainable agriculture. Such adaptations are possible in all phascs of FSR/E: from diagnosis, to design, to on-farm trials, to monitoring and evaluation, and finally extension.

Guiding School Students into the Blue-Collar Occupations

One of the priority directions of the work of the general education schools is to guide students into blue-collar occupations (by which is meant occupations of physical labor, in particular workers in different sectors of the national economy, as well as peasants and persons employed in physical labor in cooperatives and on the basis of individual labor activity). This derives from an analysis of the cadre composition of workers in the USSR's national economy and prospective changes in it. The average annual number of persons employed in the national economy in 1986 was 130.9 million. Of these, workers numbered 82.1 million and collective farm members numbered 12.4 million—that is, about 70 percent were employed in physical labor. Scientific and technological progress and the expanding sphere of services will lead to structural changes in the composition of workers employed in physical labor, but for some time to come they will be in the majority.

The stratigraphy and palaeontology of the Lower Greensand of the Hoes Farm Borehole, near Petworth, Sussex

The Hoes Farm Borehole provides a cored sequence through the Atherfield Clay, Hythe Beds and the lowest part (Fittleworth Beds) of the Sandgate Beds. Macrofaunas and ostracods have been collected from many levels and, for the first time, the Ostracoda from the English Aptian have been examined over an extended sequence with good macropalaeontological control. A 0.7 m seam of fuller's earth, recorded near the base of the Hythe Beds, yielded an ostracod fauna of bowerbanki Zone age. A new stratal unit, the Hoes Farm Member, mainly of deshayesi Zone age, has been defined at the base of the Hythe Beds.

The succession of small shelly fossils (especially conoidal microfossils) from English Precambrian–Cambrian boundary beds

AbstractSmall shelly fossils, especially conoidal microfossils, have potential for biostratigraphic correlation of Precambrian–Cambrian boundary rocks where evolutionary successions of taxa can be recognized. A succession of hyoliths, brachiopods and species of Sunnaginia, Torellella, Eccentrotheca and Rhombocorniculum can be recognized in the Home Farm Member of Nuneaton and/or the Comley Limestone of Shropshire, England. Revised ranges of taxa are given and Sunnaginia neoimbricata n.sp., S. parva n.sp., S. angulata n.sp., Eccentrotheca grandis n.sp. and several new records are described from Nuneaton and Comley. The similarity in the sequence of small shelly fossils in England and Siberia indicates that a correlation can be achieved between the two areas. It is suggested that the lower Tommotian to lower Atdabanian correlates with the Hartshill Formation of Nuneaton, of which the condensed Home Farm Member spans the mid Tommotian to lowest Atdabanian, while the upper Atdabanian to lower Botomian correlates with the condensed Comley Limestone of Shropshire.

Microfossils and small shelly fossils from the Lower CambrianHyolithesLimestone at Nuneaton, English Midlands

AbstractThe Lower Cambrian sequence at Nuneaton is outlined, paying particular attention to the 2 m thick Home Farm Member (including theHyolithesLimestone) and its faunal succession at the type locality, Woodlands Quarry, Hartshill. There follows the first modern description and illustration of microfossils and small shelly fossils from this member. Of thirty-two species covered here, twenty are described and illustrated from Nuneaton for the first time and eight of these are new records. The varied fauna includes phosphatic and calcareous microproblematica (especiallyColeoloides typicalis), protoconodonts, agglutinated foraminifera, cap-shaped molluscs, primitive bivalves, hyoliths, inarticulate brachiopods and sponges. The fauna has affinity with fossils in the top Tommotian to lower Atdabanian rocks from Siberia and China, from the Baltic area and the belt from southeast Newfoundland to Massachusetts.

Part-time Farmig in Hungary

Part-time Farming in Hungary plays an important role in agricultural output. It provides 1/3 of gross production, half of the pork production and the majority of such intensive products as wine, fruits and berries, honey, etc. Part-time Farming has two basic forms: the household plots of collective farm members and employees and the small private farms of non-agricultural population. Half of the Hungarian families have such a farm activity, which is largely encouraged by the government. The flexible intregration of large scale (collective) farming and the private part-time farming was one of the keys in the recent agricultural successes of Hungary.

An institutional appraisal of Nigeria's agricultural credit guarantee scheme

In this paper we analyse the legal instrument establishing the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund and the Fund's operation in 1978. The Fund is directed at increasing the productive capacity of the agricultural sector and the public share of the social costs of agricultural development in Nigeria. However, the legal instrument discriminates against small-scale traditional farmers since such farmers cannot meet the collateral requirements of the Fund unless they are members of group or co-operative farms. By implication, therefore, the Fund aims at re-organising the agricultural sector in favour of large-scale farms. Despite the financial incentives given to the banks, they have not found agricultural loans attractive enough to meet that sector's loan ratio as prescribed by the Central Bank. It is suggested that a village guarantee system be introduced for traditional farms and that loans granted under such a system should carry higher guarantees from the Fund.

Legal Regulation of Agricultural Private Enterprise in the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union

Approximately 100 million Soviet collective farm members and 700 million Chinese people's commune members legally are involved in agricultural private enterprise by growing crops, raising animals, and engaging in handicrafts. This private enterprise is hard to reconcile with the Marxist ideologies of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. 1 The legal regimes of both countries limit and encourage agricultural private enterprise in many similar, but some different ways. This paper focuses on the legal systems that regulate millions of people's commune and collective farm (kolkhoz) members and examines the ways in which the legal regimes of both countries limit and encourage private enterprise. I shall attempt to explain why similarities and differences in legal regulation exist, and speculate on whether, in the future, such regulation is likely to become more similar.

On the Late Precambrian–Early Cambrian Hartshill Formation of Warwickshire

SummaryThe Hartshill Formation (c. 270 m) consists largely of shallow-water feldspathic sandstones and greywackes lying unconformably on Precambrian (Vendian?) volcanic rocks and below shales with the first olenellid trilobites. Five members are recognized. The Park Hill Member is conglomeratic and arkosic near the base, passing up into green-grey megarippled quartzites with some thick shale bands. The Tuttle Hill Member is more shaly and glauconitic with conspicuous bioturbation. The Jee's Member is of distinctly cross-laminated glauconitic, feldspathic greywackes and shales with numerous trace fossils. Conglomerates, shales, sandstones, phosphorites and limestones comprise the Home Farm Member, withadiverse Tommotiantype shelly fauna and stromatolites near the top. Massive arkoses and greywackes of the Woodlands Member yield similar shelly fossils in calcareous beds at the base and top while the overlying Purley Shale yields the first Lower Cambrian trilobites.

Changes in Intestinal Flora of Farm Personnel after Introduction of a Tetracycline-Supplemented Feed on a Farm

A prospective study was undertaken to determine whether feeding farm animals antibiotics in feed caused changes in the intestinal bacterial flora of farm dwellers and their neighbors. Chickens were fed tetracycline-supplemented feed (tet-feed), and, as expected, within one week their intestinal flora contained almost entirely tetracycline-resistant organisms. Increased numbers of resistant intestinal bacteria also appeared, but more slowly, in farm members, but not their neighbors. Within five and six months, 31.3 per cent of weekly fecal samples from farm dwellers contained greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant bacteria as compared to 6.8 per cent of the samples from the neighbors (P less than 0.001). Seven of the 11 farm members, but only three of the 24 neighbors, had two or more fecal samples containing greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant coliforms (P less than 0.01). These resistant bacteria contained transferable plasmids conferring multiple antibiotic resistances. Selective pressure by tet-feed for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in chickens extends to human beings in contact with chickens and the feed.

Utilization of Information from Farmers’ Forum on Diamond FM Radio, University of Ibadan by Arable Crop farmers in Ibadan Peri-Urban, Oyo State, Nigeria.

The study assessed the utilization of entrepreneurial information provided through agricultural radio programme on Diamond FM Radio, University of Ibadan for arable crop farmers in Ibadan Peri-Urban. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 120 respondents from a list of programme feedback/contact farmers. Most of the respondents (56.7%) were between the age range of 49-56 years, 82.5% were male, 86.7% were married, 52.5% had secondary school education, with an average household size of x̄=7.58, years of experience x̄=24.7, with average land area cultivated ( x̄= 4.75 hectares). Entrepreneurial information mostly accessed were on sustainable land preparation practices ( x̄= 0.99) and exploring early season of farming ( x̄=0.98). Market information was perceived as most relevant entrepreneurial information to their enterprise, with radio talk ( x̄=1.99) being the most preferred format for programme delivery. Respondents were mostly constrained by inadequate finance to purchase farm inputs ( x̄=1.99) in a bid to utilize entrepreneurial information. Entrepreneurial information utilized most were those on market information, soil conservation practices and mitigating the effects of climate change ( x̄=1.99). Significant relationship existed between membership of farmers’ association (χ2 = 5.091), household size (r=-0.186), relevance of entrepreneurial information to enterprise (r=0.801), format of programme delivery preferred (r=0.816), constraints to utilizing entrepreneurial information (r=0.374) and utilization of entrepreneurial information by arable crop farmers. Radio programme is thus an effective means of disseminating entrepreneurial information and its effective utilization is thus advocated.Key words: Arable crop farmers, entrepreneurial information, farmers’ forum, programme format, radio programme.

Economics Of Community Dairy Farming In Satkhira District

The survey was carried out in villages of two upazilas under Satkhira district covering 100 members and 50 non-members of field fertility clinics (FFC) during January to March 2009. Evidence showed that socioeconomic characteristics were more or less same in both farms. The study revealed that annual average milk production per farm for two categories of farmers were 7215.87 litres and 5206.52 litres respectively. Annual milk production per farm of member farmers was higher by 1973.21 litres over that of non-member farmers. Net returns per farm were Tk. 175670.30 and Tk. 67611.51 for member and non-member farmers respectively. Benefit cost ratio for community member farmers were 1.80, for non-members were 1.62 and for all categories of farmers were 1.74 indicating that dairy farming was profitable. However, member farmers made more profit than non-member farmers through dairy farming. The study concluded that proper steps could be taken to make the dairy farming as a viable commercial enterprise. Therefore, the FFC should extend more services, which will encourage expansion of dairy farming and thereby, will contribute to increase of milk production in the area and in the country as a whole. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v38i1-2.9925 BJAS 2009; 38(1-2): 164-169

Impact of field fertility clinic on dairy production in peri urban areas of Chittagong District

The study was undertaken to compare the relative profitability of dairy farming under Field Fertility Clinic (FFC) member and non-members. A total of 130 samples were selected randomly of which 100 were members and 30 were non-members. Total cost of raising dairy cow was estimated at Tk. 142.04 and Tk. 158.21/day for member and non-member farmers. Feed cost constituted about 71.64 per cent and 69.94 per cent of total cost for member and non-member farmers respectively. Concentrate occupied the largest share out of total feed cost. In case of member, net return per day per cow was Tk. 96.02 while in the case of non-member it was Tk. 65.94. Return from per dairy cow of the members was higher by Tk. 30.08 than the non-members. The average milk yield was 6.06 liters and 5.81 liters respectively for member and non-member farmers. Cobb-Douglas production function analysis was done to determine the effects of variables inputs such as concentrate feed, paddy straw, green grass, human labour, veterinary cost and FFC intervention on milk yield. The finding showed that all of the selected variables except paddy straw had significant impact on milk yield. Key words: Field fertility clinic; Milk yield; Cobb-Douglas production function; Net return DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v39i1-2.9694 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2010, 39(1&2): 183-190

The People's Universities and the Teachers

The people's universities first sprang up ten years ago as a result of mass popular initiative and soon gained broad public recognition. They grew with each passing year, steadily becoming more differentiated by specializing in the various branches of science, technology, and culture. From the outset, their doors were wide open to all who wished to attend. The lecture halls gradually filled up with workers, collective farm members, the intelligentsia, people of various ages, and with the most diverse needs, interests, and levels of general education and specialized training. The students were all moved by a single purpose: to study, to acquire knowledge. Today, the number of students in people's universities has reached three million, a figure that gives convincing evidence of the universities' great attraction for the widest masses of working people and testifies to these institutions' vitality and future.

The Collective Farm Market In the USSR

The major and prevailing significance of an organized market in trade turnover does not exclude a substantial role for collective farm trade in the sales of food products. The role of sales on the collective farm market is especially significant from the point of view of the cash made available to collective farms and to their members throughout the year. The collective farm market is a part of the sphere of circulation of collective farm output. The sales of their output on the collective farm market are to some extent related to realization of their reproduction process, because receipts from this trade provide collective farms with additional money resources necessary for a new production cycle. Sales of products by collective farm members on the collective farm market are also closely related to the continual process of reproducing their labor force.