Agricultural Productivity Growth Research Articles

RELATIVE TOXICITY OF SOME CHEMICAL PESTICIDES AGAINST JUTE HAIRY CATERPILLAR (SPILOSOMA OBLIQUA W.) IN TOSSA JUTE (CORCHORUS OLITORIUS L.)

Pesticides have been a major contributor to the growth of agricultural productivity and food supply. Pesticides were a key factor in significant agricultural productivity growth during the last century and continue to be a critical factor in reducing crop damage. Fifteen insecticides were investigated to select their effective and economic doses against Hairy caterpillar in a Tossa Jute variety during April-October’ 2020 at the Department of Entomology, Manikganj and Narayanganj, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Bangladesh following Randomized Completely Block Design with three replications. All new insecticides with a standard were found effective for controlling jute hairy caterpillar giving 95.38, 94.55, 95.19, 92.85, 93.59, 94.22, 93.49, 93.62, 89.84, 95.72, 93.56, 93.38, 94.42, 95.39, 91.34 and 95.41 % at Manikganj; 95.78, 93.32, 93.97, 93.18, 92.09, 92.49, 93.74, 92.93, 92.29, 93.69, 93.95, 93.17, 95.31, 94.99, 92.11 and 94.53 % reduction of infestation at Narayanganj at 5th day after spray over control plot respectively. In Manikganj, the highest fibre yield (3.66 t/ha) was found in the plot treated with Rock 20 EC and the lowest (2.96t/ha) was found in Reset 20WDG treated plot. In case of Narayanganj, the highest fibre yield (3.85 t/ha) was found in the plot treated with Proxy 20 EC and the lowest (2.79t/ha) was found in Daman treated plot. These insecticides can be recommended for the farmer’s use to control jute hairy caterpillar.

Modelling potential range expansion of an underutilised food security crop in Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite substantial growth in global agricultural production, food and nutritional insecurity is rising in Sub-Saharan Africa. Identification of underutilised indigenous crops with useful food security traits may provide part of the solution. Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a perennial banana relative with cultivation restricted to southwestern Ethiopia, where high productivity and harvest flexibility enables it to provide a starch staple for ∼20 million people. An extensive wild distribution suggests that a much larger region may be climatically suitable for cultivation. Here we use ensemble ecological niche modelling to predict the potential range for enset cultivation within southern and eastern Africa. We find contemporary bioclimatic suitability for a 12-fold range expansion, equating to 21.9% of crop land and 28.4% of the population in the region. Integration of crop wild relative diversity, which has broader climate tolerance, could enable a 19-fold expansion, particularly to dryer and warmer regions. Whilst climate change may cause a 37%–52% reduction in potential range by 2070, large centres of suitability remain in the Ethiopian Highlands, Lake Victoria region and the Drakensberg Range. We combine our bioclimatic assessment with socioeconomic data to identify priority areas with high population density, seasonal food deficits and predominantly small-scale subsistence agriculture, where integrating enset may be particularly feasible and deliver climate resilience. When incorporating the genetic potential of wild populations, enset cultivation might prove feasible for an additional 87.2–111.5 million people, 27.7–33 million of which are in Ethiopia outside of enset’s current cultivation range. Finally, we consider explanations why enset cultivation has not expanded historically, and ethical implications of expanding previously underutilised species.

Actual issues of improvement of the legal status of demonstration farms as subjects of agribusiness in Ukraine

Problem setting. It has been known that the use of advanced technological knowledge for running agriculture is to be one of the most effective factors to ensure the growth of agricultural production. To succeed, agribusiness entities must have legal access to the latest achievements in Economics, Management, Technology, Marketing, Accounting, Taxes, Law, Ecology, etc. Therefore, demonstration farms, as areas where modern achievements in agriculture have been displayed, play a significant role in the spread of innovative technologies and practices in agriculture. Nevertheless, the legal framework for demonstration farms activity has not been introduced in Ukraine. Analysis of recent researches and publications. The information base of the current research is not only extended to the current legislation of Ukraine, but also it includes the latest studies of scholars and scientists in the field of Agriculture and Agrarian Law. Target of research is to provide academic research underlying the issue of introduction legal provisions on legal statutes of the demonstration farm into the framework of agrarian legislation on legal statues of agribusiness subjects. Article’s main body. At present, the best international experience of managing demonstration farms as new subjects of agribusiness, which disseminate the innovative experience of agricultural management among other farms, is becoming more and more essential to introduce into the production of agriculture in Ukraine. However, in our country, there is no proper legal framework for the establishment and operation of demonstration farms, which complicates their activities. In this regard, the analysis of the world’s experience in the operation of demonstration farms as a form of application of innovative technologies in agricultural production by agribusiness entities was made. The most relevant issues of the domestic practice of demonstration farms were considered. Further recommendations to enhance the legal status of demonstration farms as special subjects of agribusiness in Ukraine were given. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The article substantiates the feasibility of adopting a law on demonstration farms, which would determine the legal status of such farms, and formulates proposals for the content of the main provisions of the legal status of demonstration farms, which should be enshrined in the proposed law.

Chemical Fertilizer Imports and the Environment: Evidence-based Approach for a Green Economy Accounting for the Tradeoff

The direct and indirect impact of high-input use agriculture- popularised by the Green Revolution- on the environment is the major thrust of this perspective. The paper discusses an integrated approach to minimise the negative impacts, accounting for the proposed ban of synthetic fertilizers and the tradeoff between the environment and productivity resulting from such a ban. Noteworthy stylised facts of the discussion are threefold. First, the Green Revolution reduced the growth of extensive expansion of agricultural lands via intensification, which subdued the pressure on forest cover. Additionally, productivity increase releases marginal lands for vital ecological services such as pollinator habitats. Second, synthetic fertilizer resulted in higher productivity in the agriculture sector, increasing the GDP and facilitating structural transformation. Given that a quarter of the workforce is in the agriculture sector, gradual movement of the labor force to the industrial sector is vital, while the agriculture sector workforce become self-reliant in facing environmental and climatic events. Thus, continuous investment in agricultural productivity growth should be a priority to create fiscal space for the investments in meaningful green initiatives and reduce the vulnerability of the rural poor. Third, evidence-based solutions such as site-specific fertilizer recommendations, soil testing, and discouraging overuse of nitrogenous fertilizer through tariffs should be practised to mitigate the adverse environmental impact of synthetic fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer. Complete removal of the subsidy may generate overreaching welfare and environmental ramifications, although it is widely suggested.

FOOD SECURITY ISSUES IN KAZAKHSTAN

Aim - scientific justification of the criteria for ensuring food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan - one of the multifaceted aspects of international and national character, related to many social groups of the population. Methods - analytical, comparative analysis, economic and statistical, cause and effect. Results - the article reveals the state, problems and solution of the food issue in the country. The authors note that in the last decade agricultural production of the republic has been steadily developing. This made it possible to increase the level of food supply to the population. In the previous 6 years alone, the growth in agricultural production per capita ranged from 6.3% to 2.5 times. However, this does not allow for the consumption of certain types of food according to scientifically based nutritional standards. The economic policy in agri-food sector is also determined by the supply of imported food products. The article shows which prod- ucts of the agro-industrial complex Kazakhstan is dependent on other states. The level of its ex- port is analyzed; the main reasons holding back this process are summarized. Conclusions - at present, a significant share of agricultural production falls on a private backyard, which is charac- terized by low quality raw materials, which makes it difficult to process it in accordance with international standards, and the productivity of industries. The agricultural sector of the country is poorly equipped with material and technical resources. Large areas of farmland are located in re- serve lands, their development would contribute to a 2-fold increase in meat production and the solution of employment problems. Measures are needed to increase support for agricultural pro- ducers, primarily on the basis of subsidies, and to expand funding for scientific research. A stable food situation is one of the conditions for the reliability of the system of economic, social and environmental parameters that determine the quality of life and are, in essence, indicators of the effectiveness of public administration.

The concept of decoupling as a substantive basis for the processes of reducing resource consumption in the agricultural sector

The article deals with the key aspects of theoretical justification and practical achievement of the decoupling effect in the field of agricultural production, which is manifested in the elimination of direct relationship between the final results’ growth of agricultural production and the increase in the level of natural resources’ consumption occurring in its process. It is proved that the possibility of practical achievement of the decoupling effect, especially in its absolute form, is provided on the basis of innovative solutions development of an eco-oriented direction within the framework of resource-saving paradigm implementation of the agricultural sector development.

Has mobile phone technology aided the growth of agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa?

Background: A recent increase in the adoption of mobile phone technology generated a great deal of interest and optimism regarding its effect on economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly on the enhancement of agricultural development.Aim: In this study the impact of mobile phone technology on agricultural productivity in SSA is examined.Setting: The empirical assessment uses a panel data set covering 41 countries over a period of 25 years.Methods: We employed an econometric approach and panel data covering 41 countries and a 25 year-period (1990–2014) to investigate the effect of the adoption of mobile phone technology and other socio-economic variables on agricultural total factor productivity (TFP). The use of regression analyses allowed us to estimate and measure the contribution of certain variables to agricultural TFP growth in SSA.Results: The results show that the uptake of mobile phone technology had a positive effect on agricultural TFP growth in SSA.Conclusion: Mobile phone technology has been established to be one of the drivers of agricultural productivity in SSA.Implication: The implications of this study are that governments, NGOs, and businesses working on improving agricultural productivity and food security in SSA need to continue endorsing mobile technology as a means to improve agricultural productivity.

Closing productivity gaps among Dutch dairy farms can boost profit and reduce nitrogen pollution

Agricultural productivity growth can simultaneously increase profit and reduce pollution. Yet, the impact of productivity growth on both has not been quantified. The objective of our study was to develop an approach to quantify the extent to which agricultural productivity growth can increase profit and reduce pollution. Focusing on nitrogen pollution, we applied the approach to a sample of 341 intensive Dutch dairy farms for the years 2006–2017. Using a Bennet–Lowe formulation, we measured economic and nitrogen productivities over time and across farms. We applied Data Envelopment Analysis to determine the potential for productivity growth from reducing economic and nitrogen inefficiencies and assessed the impact on profit and nitrogen pollution levels. Using a two-stage by-production model, we set profit maximisation as the overarching objective to account for the economic production behaviour of farmers. We found that if laggard farmers adopted the best practices of their best peers, they could on average increase annual gross profit by 34% and simultaneously reduce the N surplus by 50% during the time period, which is a win–win situation for farmers and the environment. The magnitude of these gains corroborates the suggestion that productivity growth could be a game-changer for agricultural sustainability.

Assessing conflict of farmland institutions using credibility theory: Implications for socially acceptable land use

Farmland institutional change has resulted in remarkable growth in agricultural productivity in rural China since the start of the economic reforms in 1978. Yet, numerous studies have signaled the emergence of conflicts because farmland institutions cannot adequately respond to the challenges of social and economic transition. These studies generally examine the level and/or frequency of conflict. Conversely, this research moots that a more comprehensive assessment of conflict is needed to understand the performance of farmland institutions. In this context, this study uses the Conflict Analysis Model (CAM) as predicated upon the credibility thesis to assess an additional set of variables, i.e., the source, actors, timing, intensity, and outcome of farmland-related conflicts. Based on a set of court cases (n = 133), farmland conflicts are classified into two types, pertaining to first, the termination of the contract right; second, the transfer of contract right. This study reports the following critical findings: (1) conflicts caused by the termination of the contract right are closely related to expropriation; (2) 90% of the conflict occurs between farmers (individuals or groups) versus authorities (local government or village committees); (3) they feature high conflict intensity and a late timing; (4) the most important source of farmland conflict pertaining to the transfer of contract right concerns disputes over the status holder of contract right; (5) around 50% of these conflicts occurs between farmers, while another 34% occurs between farmers vs. authorities; (6) this type of conflict features low intensity and early timing. It is concluded that empty institutions emerge since farmers and public administrations are unwilling or unable to implement farmland institutions. Furthermore, abusive behaviors of the actors that exercise public authority reduce the credibility of farmland institutions. This study offers new insights into realizing a more socially acceptable land use strategy in the socioeconomic transition of China in particular and of developing countries in general.

The socio-economic situation of the landowner peasants after the peasant reform in Georgia (the last quarter of the 19th - the early 20th century)

The article analyses the main provisions of the peasant reform in Georgia, which had a further impact on the socio-economic development of the landowner peasants of Tiflis and Kutaisi provinces in the last quarter of the 19th – the early 20th centuries. On the basis of archival sources and literature, the author considers the reasons for the difficult economic situation of the Georgian landowners in the period under study. An analysis makes it possible to conclude that the socio-economic relations that had been formed in Georgia determined the contradictions inherent in the capitalist mode of management. On the one hand, the peasant reform contributed to the more rapid development of the capitalist mode of production in the countryside, laying the foundation for economic development in agriculture, the introduction of commercial agriculture, the growth of agricultural productivity, and the maturation of commodity-capitalist relations. On the other hand, the main means of production were in the hands of the landlords, which led to an even greater extensive impoverishment of the landlord peasants. Thus, in Georgia, the remnants of serfdom survived even longer than in the European provinces of the Russian Empire. It is concluded that the reason for these remnants included the backwardness and relatively weak development of capitalist relations in the South Caucasus, in particular, in Georgia.

Personalized digital extension services and agricultural performance: Evidence from smallholder farmers in India.

Productivity growth in smallholder agriculture is an important driver of rural economic development and poverty reduction. However, smallholder farmers often have limited access to information, which can be a serious constraint for increasing productivity. One potential mechanism to reduce information constraints is the public agricultural extension service, but its effectiveness has often been low in the past. Digital technologies could enhance the effectiveness of extension by reducing outreach costs and helping to better tailor the information to farmers’ individual needs and conditions. Using primary data from India, this study analyses the association between digital extension services and smallholder agricultural performance. The digital extension services that some of the farmers use provide personalized information on the types of crops to grow, the types and quantities of inputs to use, and other methods of cultivation. Problems of selection bias in the impact evaluation are reduced through propensity score matching (PSM) combined with estimates of farmers’ willingness to pay for digital extension. Results show that use of personalized digital extension services is positively and significantly associated with input intensity, production diversity, crop productivity, and crop income.

A Novel Approach in Prediction of Crop Production Using Recurrent Cuckoo Search Optimization Neural Networks

Data mining is an information exploration methodology with fascinating and understandable patterns and informative models for vast volumes of data. Agricultural productivity growth is the key to poverty alleviation. However, due to a lack of proper technical guidance in the agriculture field, crop yield differs over different years. Mining techniques were implemented in different applications, such as soil classification, rainfall prediction, and weather forecast, separately. It is proposed that an Artificial Intelligence system can combine the mined extracts of various factors such as soil, rainfall, and crop production to predict the market value to be developed. Smart analysis and a comprehensive prediction model in agriculture helps the farmer to yield the right crops at the right time. The main benefits of the proposed system are as follows: Yielding the right crop at the right time, balancing crop production, economy growth, and planning to reduce crop scarcity. Initially, the database is collected, and the input dataset is preprocessed. Feature selection is carried out followed by feature extraction techniques. The best features were then optimized using the recurrent cuckoo search optimization algorithm, then the optimized output can be given as an input for the process of classification. The classification process is conducted using the Discrete DBN-VGGNet classifier. The performance estimation is made to prove the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Farm Efficiency and Productivity Growth: The Effect of Commodity Prices

Crop prices can affect farm productivity through input- output decisions. This study assesses the relationship between crop prices and productivity changes among a sample of Kansas farms. The changes in total factor productivity are evaluated using a nonparametric approach with a Malmquist productivity index and potential drivers of technical efficiency and productivity change are analyzed. Farms with higher leverage and greater diversification are likely to be more efficient and experience productivity change. Lower productivity occurred during years with higher crop prices, suggesting that innovation is more likely to occur when margins are tight.

A revisit of farm size and productivity: Empirical evidence from a wide range of farm sizes in Nigeria.

The relationship between farm size and productivity has been studied extensively in the agricultural and development economics literature. However, most of the documented evidence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is based on samples of small-scale farms operating 5ha or less, with very little evidence assessing this relationship over a wider range of farm sizes. This omission is especially important considering the rapid expansion of medium-scale farms in much of Africa. This study examines the farm size-productivity relationship over a range of farms between zero and 40ha in Nigeria. It also tests whether there is heterogeneity in productivity within medium-scale farms depending on how they came into being. Using four measures of productivity, empirical estimates reveal a U-shaped relationship where the IR holds between zero and about 22ha, turning positive afterwards. Moreover, when medium-scale farms are distinguished between those who were actively engaged as small-scale farmers and stepped up/expanded their scale of operation and those who were primarily in non-farm employment and later stepped into medium-scale farming, the turning point for farmers who stepped up into medium-scale farming is at 11ha, in contrast to 22ha for those who stepped in. Further evidence suggests heterogeneity in productivity within medium-scale farms depending on whether the owner-operators stepped up or stepped into medium-scale farming. These findings imply that policies facilitating smallholders' ability to expand the scale of their activities could contribute substantially to growth in farm productivity, agricultural commercialization and increase in food security in Nigeria, although in most areas only a small proportion of smallholder households are in a position to do this.

Livestock production in the Urdzhar district of the East Kazakhstan region: current state and problems

The aim -is to study the current state of the development of livestock production in the Urdzhar region of the East Kazakhstan region, to identify the reasons that restrain the increase in the potential of meat and dairy industry. Methods - monographic, analysis and synthesis, statistical and economic, computational and constructive, balance. Results - the results of the activity of livestock production sector for 2016-2020 were analyzed; the dynamics of such indicators as the amount of livestock products; the population number of livestock and poultry, their productivity; structure of production by category of agri businesses, as well as their share and personal subsidiary plots in the total volume of agricultural products and the population number of livestock are presented. The paper presents the potential for growth in the output of livestock subcomplex, provision of its own resources, a steady growth in agricultural production, a leading position in milk production in the region, the creation of modernized dairy farms, organization of purchasing milk from the population and selling own dairy products to other areas of the region. On the basis of the study, the main problems in the development of animal husbandry in the region were identified, including small-scale commodity; concentration of most of the livestock products received in the household sector of the population, an insignificant share of breeding animals, a low level of livestock productivity, technical and technological equipment of the machine and tractor facilities and operating processing enterprises; lack of a developed infrastructure for the procurement and processing of leather and fur raw materials. The authors note that despite the sufficient supply of raw materials and the availability of infrastructure, the network of processing facilities (meat, milk) is poorly developed, there is a shortage of collateral, and there are no typical cattle burial grounds. Conclusions - it is necessary to master innovative technologies for production of low-cost, ecological, competitive products of the industry, which will reduce the negative impact on the environment, material costs, and effectively use land and water resources. Proposals on theoretical and practical results have been developed.

​Spermatozoa Sorting Techniques for the Sex Pre-selection: A Review

Furtherance of sex pre-selection techniques is extremely beneficial for the farm productivity and economic growth of the country. Several techniques such as flow cytometry, swim-up, percoll gradient centrifugation, lumisort and immunogenic spermatozoa sexing developed so far are reviewed with their principles, advantages, disadvantages and possible ways for developing a highly reliable and efficient technique to achieve success in obtaining offspring of the desired sex. Out of all these techniques available till now, sorting X- and Y- spermatozoa using fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) is the most successful and commercially available technique, which employs sorting of spermatozoa based on DNA content. Despite its effectiveness, there are disadvantages concerning cost, sperm damage, trained technical person, low conception rate, etc. An alternative approach that might have potential significance could be the identification of sex-specific membrane marker proteins for the immunological method of spermatozoa sorting.

Authorizing GM Crop Varieties: Policy Implications for Seed Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Considering an expanding research and development pipeline of and growing practical experiences with genetically modified (GM) crops, governments in Sub-Sahara Africa have in recent years authorized various GM crop events for general, unconfined environmental release, and in a few cases, subsequent commercial variety registration and cultivation. These decisions are consistent with more business-oriented agricultural development policies aimed at turning agriculture into a leading driver of economic growth and wealth creation. Such policy reforms are also motivated by continent-wide initiatives described in this review paper, which emphasize seed sector reform, agricultural productivity growth, intra-regional trade, and agri-business development. While such policy developments spur a more proactive approach to introducing agricultural biotechnology, it becomes apparent that authorizing GM crops for general environmental release and commercial seed registration requires the harmonization of government policies in various sectors relevant to seed systems, most notably those affecting plant breeding research, testing, and variety release. Critical areas for such policy reforms and harmonization were analyzed in this paper, with associated recommendations.

Impact of public research and development and extension on agricultural productivity in China from 1990 to 2013

Agricultural research and extension are two main policy tools that governments can use to generate agricultural growth and transformation. China has made major investments in agricultural research and extension such that it achieved the largest research and extension systems worldwide. This study examined the contribution of public agricultural research and extension to provincial agricultural productivity in China from 1990 to 2013 and estimated the social rate of return on these investments. Employing different lag distribution structures (e.g., trapezoid, gamma, and polynomial) for public agricultural research and extension in the regression analyses, this study found that public agricultural research and development, public extension, and farmers' education have made major contributions to agricultural productivity growth in China. On average, the real rate of return to public investment in agricultural research and development was around 50%, and agricultural extension was 29%. Returns to public research ranged from 24% to 76% and the extension, from 11% to 52% across different provinces.

Efficiency of the wild plant market in modern economic conditions

At the present stage of economic development in a market economy, the most urgent problem is the rational using the economic potential of the regions to meet the needs of the population in food, as well as other goods and services. The implementation of the food program should be carried out not only through the growth of agricultural production, the efficient operation of food and processing enterprises, the expansion of personal subsidiary farms, but also through the using other sources of food resources, in particular, for example forest products. The severity of this problem is determined by the huge scale of the Russian economy, on the one hand, and the constant increase in prices for food raw materials, on the other.

Trend, instability and decomposition analysis of coffee production in Ethiopia (1993–2019)

Measuring the trends of growth and variability in agricultural production is important to understand how outputs change over time. Ethiopia is the largest producer of coffee in Africa and the fifth in the world. Despite the abundant opportunities and continuous efforts made to enhance its production, it is often said that the productivity of Ethiopian coffee remains far below its potential. Yet, empirical data on the status of coffee production over time in Ethiopia is scant. We, thus, analyzed the trend, instability, and decomposition of coffee production in Ethiopia for three periods, i.e., the entire period (1993–2019), the pre-Agricultural Growth Program period (1993–2010), and the Agricultural Growth Program period (2011–2019). In all three periods, harvested area and production showed an increasing trend while productivity showed a cyclical decreasing trend. The compound growth rates of harvested area (8.14%) and production (6.68%) in the 1993–2019 period were positive and significant at 1% level, whereas that of productivity (-0.45%) was not significant. Similarly, the compound growth rates of harvested area and production during pre-AGP (6.02 and 6.06%) and AGP (6.43 and 3.57%) were positive, but only significant during AGP, and that of productivity in both pre-AGP and AGP (0.19 and -1.6%) were not significant. Productivity was, however, more stable than harvested area and production during the entire and pre-AGP periods, while harvested area and production were more stable in AGP than in the other two periods. Besides, the harvested area effect on production differentials was substantial in all three periods, while productivity and productivity-harvested area interaction effects declined production during the entire and AGP periods. Overall, the results demonstrate that to enhance and sustain coffee production in Ethiopia, using improved varieties and agronomic practices can be a better option than expanding the cultivation area since land is scarce and fixed in supply.