Agricultural Productivity Growth Research Articles

Labor productivity in livestock enterprises of Ukraine

Labor productivity is one of the leading indicators of the efficiency of the functioning of enterprises and an indicator of technological development. The level of labor productivity is characterized by the volume of products produced in terms of value or in kind per employee or unit of time spent. In addition, when evaluating the efficiency of labor use, the inverse of labor productivity is used as the indicator of the labor intensity of products, which shows the time spent on the production of a unit of volume or value of products. The article analyzes labor productivity in agricultural enterprises, particularly the livestock industry of Ukraine, for 2010-2020 per 1 employee, in constant prices of 2016. Labor productivity in livestock enterprises by region of Ukraine is studied. The ratio of labor productivity per 1 worker in animal husbandry to the average salary in agriculture per year was determined. The estimated specific weight of labor remuneration with deductions from the cost of produced products in livestock enterprises, as well as the average labor intensity of livestock production by regions of Ukraine in 2020, was calculated. According to the results of the study, it was established that the productivity of labor in the enterprises of the livestock industry during the studied period is growing steadily and, according to the results of 2020, reached UAH 873,000. Based on one employee per year at constant prices of 2016, which is 20,000 hryvnias. More than in crop production. The highest level of labor productivity among livestock enterprises is observed in the Vinnytsia region - at the level of UAH 3.1 million per 1 employee per year. The average indicator of labor intensity in livestock breeding in Ukraine was 2.2 hours per 1 thousand hryvnias cost of products. In enterprises of the Lviv region, this indicator is 10 % lower than the average in Ukraine. The growth of labor productivity in animal husbandry and agriculture primarily leads to a disproportionate change in wages, the specific weight of which in the value of manufactured products grows relatively slower than the level of labor productivity. To increase the level of efficiency in the use of labor in animal husbandry, it is necessary to introduce innovative intensive, resource-saving technologies, increase the volume of production and sale of products, make maximum use of production facilities, mechanize and automate the process of animal breeding, and improve the quality of management.

Social and Labor Adaptation of Rural Population in the Conditions of Institutional Transformation of the Russian Village

The purpose of this work is to search for empirical evidence of the process of crystallization of new entrepreneurial layers in the changed institutional and socio-cultural environment of the Russian countryside. Based on the analysis of the dynamics of sectoral employment in the agricultural labor market in all Federal Districts, are considered the mechanisms of adaptation of the rural population to the market economy, which led to the destruction of agricultural enterprises, the emergence of capitalist forms of production and new labor practices – employment in the informal sector, are considered. The information base consisted of data from large-scale panel studies of Rosstat 2012–2021 and the All-Russian Agricultural Censuses of 2006, 2016, 2021, as well as research practice in the regions of the Russian Federation. It was revealed that the share of employed both in general and in regional agricultural markets is decreasing with the growth of economic development, the acceleration of urbanization, the legalization of informal employment, the presence of agricultural producers with advanced technologies, as well as large networks in the service sector in large settlements. Using the example of interdependent processes of reduction of farms and the growth of land and agricultural production, they show how farmers with professional management experience, introducing innovative technologies and techniques, applying new business models in the economy managed to resist and become structures for the modernization of production in the regions. Thus, the results of the study demonstrated the technology of crystallization and formation of new entrepreneurial layers in the socio-structural processes of the Russian countryside.

Design of Grain Dryer using Pressure the Flow of Air Heat Forced Convection Method

The availability of such vast land so that the transfer to the agricultural sector which is large enough to be difficult to stem along with technological advances in agriculture will allow the farmers' businesses to be more enthusiastic in the hope that better growth in agricultural production will be achieved. On the other hand, it will reduce losses/loss of yields due to the production process so that there is an improvement in the application of harvesting and postharvest technology which seems to be a prospective source of production growth. In its development, local farmers in Merauke using the rice drying method still use the old method, namely drying in the hot sun in an open field. If the weather is favorable, the drying process will not take up to 14 days and sometimes if the field or yard is not enough, someone will use the services of someone else to dry it. This also raises complaints because the costs that must be incurred by farmers will be even greater. The research developed is to design a rice grain dryer where the characteristics or drying method is a dryer with hot air/gas pressure produced from the combustion process in the furnace. The objectives of this research are to design a dryer installation that can dry grain effectively, efficiently and economically with the Pressure Flow Heat Forced Convection method as an air heater in the drying room, determine the percentage of grain moisture content with free convection and forced convection with drying time, and calculate the efficiency of the dryer installation with forced convection as a hot air sucker from the combustion furnace to the drying chamber and compare the results. The research was appointed based on the problems that exist in the community, especially in the Kurik district, Wonorejo village, Merauke Regency, Papua. This research is also a manifestation of the vision of Musamus University, which is to become a reference for empowering independent communities based on local wisdom through downstream research. The results showed that for testing the weight loss of grain, the best results were obtained between the 540th and 620th minutes with a weight of less than 15 g. So from 12 tons of wet grain that was dried after a drying process for 12 hours, the amount of water that evaporated for a 3 kg sample was 0.875 kg so that the dry grain weight was 2.125 kg. Total drying of 12 tons of grain to 10.5 tons. The total evaporation of water vapor in the grain is 0.875 x 12000 kg = 10500 kg (10.5 tons). This shows that the heat used for the rice grain drying process can be used optimally where the efficiency of the grain dryer installation is 71%.

The Role of International Trade and Agricultural Production on Economic Growth in Somalia: Johansson Cointegration Approach

This paper investigated the role of international trade and agricultural production on economic growth in Somalia by utilising annual time series data stretching from 1989 to 2019. Gross domestic product (GDP) was the dependent variable, while exports, imports and agricultural production were the explanatory variables of this study. Augmented Dickey-Fuller test (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) test were used to examine the unit root of the data, and all the variables were stationary both at the first difference I(1). Moreover, the study used the Johansen co-integration method and the Granger-Causality test to analyse the long-run cointegration and direction causality of the interested variables respectively. According to the result of the analysis, Johansson and Julius method revealed that there is long-run cointegration between international trade, agricultural production and economic growth in Somalia. The results also showed that there is more than one co-integrating vector as provided by both trace and max statistics which is less than the critical value at the 5% significance level. All explanatory variables such as exports, imports and agricultural production are positively related to GDP with coefficients of 0.332%, 0.2601% and 1.0685% respectively. Interpretively, a one percent change in exports, imports and agricultural production will increase GDP by about 0.332%, 0.2601 and 1.0685% respectively. Furthermore, the consistency of this result has been confirmed by an autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) robustly. In contrast, we found that there is strong evidence of unidirectional causality from agricultural production to economic growth and also from agricultural production to exports. Based on the empirical findings, the study recommended to policymakers to enact policies that enhance agricultural production and trade openness, since they are essential to economic growth.

Nanotechnology - Big impact: How nanotechnology is changing the future of agriculture?

The global climate change and rapid population increase are raising challenges for food security, and it demands efficient crop improvement methods that ensure superior quality and quantity of the crops. The advancements in nanotechnology can be explored to enhance sustainable crop improvement. Recently, nanotechnology has made massive revolutions in solving various problems faced by the human population, including the agriculture, environment and food sectors. In agriculture, nanotechnology has implications on every stage of farming, including seed germination, growth, harvest, processing, storage and transport of agricultural products. Nano fertilisers, nano herbicides, nano-fungicides, nano biosensors, nanoscale genetic carriers, nano-bioremediating agents and nanocomposites for packing are the novel applications of nanotechnology in the crop improvement area. Nanotechnology ensures the site-specific delivery of the nutrients in the plant's target region, which minimises the loss and increases efficiency. The reduced size of the nanomaterials offers a broader surface area for pesticides and fertilisers, drastically escalating disease and pest controlpests in crops as they promise to overcome the shortcomings caused by traditional pesticide application. The advancement in nanotechnology is rapidly contributing to the digitalization of agriculture also. For example, nanotechnology widens the horizons of high-tech agricultural farms with the aid of biosensors. The synthesis of nano enzymes also revolutionized the stress-tolerant mechanism of the plants by acting as an efficient antioxidant enzyme, and it has been widely used against salinity tolerance recently. The contribution of nanotechnology in effective transfer of genetic material in gene editing and genetic engineering techniques has also significantly contributed towards crop improvement. Nanobioremediation and nanophotocatalysis methods can also remove toxic substances from the environment. It is clear that, nanotechnology driven agri-food sector is expected to bloom in the near future. This review article summarisessummarises the potential benefits of nanotechnology in agriculture and related fields, including the environment and food industry. Although nanotechnology has contributed a lot to the betterment of the world in various ways, they also face several limitations. Despite being a frontier of scientific advancement in the modern era, the negative impacts caused by nanotechnology cannot be sidelined. Therefore, this review also discusses the limitations of nanotechnology in the last section. • Advancements in nanotechnology have revolutionized every sector and it can be explored to enhance agricultural productivity and crop improvement. • Nanotechnology based tools and techniques provide better alternatives as compared to conventional methods. • The engineering of nanoparticles is possible due to their unique and characteristic properties at atomic scale. • The contribution of nanotechnology in effective transfer of genetic material in gene editing and genetic engineering has also significantly contributed towards crop improvement. • Nanotechnology driven agri-food sector is expected to rise in the near future.

Advances in stimuli-responsive systems for pesticides delivery: Recent efforts and future outlook.

Effective pest management for enhanced crop output is one of the primary goals of establishing sustainable agricultural practices in the world. Pesticides are critical in preventing biological disasters, ensuring crop productivity, and fostering sustainable agricultural production growth. Studies showed that crops are unable to properly utilize pesticides because of several limiting factors, such as leaching and bioconversion, thereby damaging ecosystems and human health. In recent years, stimuli-responsive systems for pesticides delivery (SRSP) by nanotechnology demonstrated excellent promise in enhancing the effectiveness and safety of pesticides. SRSP are being developed with the goal of delivering precise amounts of active substances in response to biological needs and environmental factors. An in-depth analysis of carrier materials, design fundamentals, and classification of SRSP were provided. The adhesion of SRSP to crop tissue, absorption, translocation in and within plants, mobility in the soil, and toxicity were also discussed. The problems and shortcomings that need be resolved to accelerate the actual deployment of SRSP were highlighted in this review.

Contributions of healthier diets and agricultural productivity toward sustainability and climate goals in the United States

Meeting ambitious climate targets will require deploying the full suite of mitigation options, including those that indirectly reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Healthy diets have sustainability co-benefits by directly reducing livestock emissions as well as indirectly reducing land use emissions. Increased crop productivity could indirectly avoid emissions by reducing cropland area. However, there is disagreement on the sustainability of proposed healthy U.S. diets and a lack of clarity on how long-term sustainability benefits may change in response to shifts in the livestock sector. Here, we explore the GHG emissions impacts of seven scenarios that vary U.S. crop yields and healthier diets in the U.S. and overseas. We also examine how impacts vary across assumptions of future ruminant livestock productivity and ruminant stocking density in the U.S. We employ two complementary land use models—the US FABLE Calculator, an agricultural and forestry sector accounting model with high agricultural commodity representation, and GLOBIOM, a spatially explicit partial equilibrium optimization model for global land use systems. Results suggest that healthier U.S. diets that follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans reduce agricultural and land use greenhouse gas emissions by 25–57% (approx 120–310 MtCO2e/y) and pastureland area by 28–38%. The potential emissions and land sparing benefits of U.S. agricultural productivity growth are modest within the U.S. due to the increasing comparative advantage of U.S. crops. Our findings suggest that healthy U.S. diets can significantly contribute toward meeting U.S. long-term climate goals for the land use sectors.

Dynamic of agricultural productivity growth in Togo: effects of trade, inflation and socio-economic conditions of farm households

Dynamic of agricultural productivity growth in Togo: effects of trade, inflation and socio-economic conditions of farm households

Addressing Rural–Urban Income Gap in China through Farmers’ Education and Agricultural Productivity Growth via Mediation and Interaction Effects

Narrowing the rural–urban income gap is an important challenge in achieving sustained and stable economic and social development in China. The present study investigates the role of farmers’ education and agricultural productivity growth in influencing the rural–urban income gap by applying mediation, interaction, and quantile regression models to provincial panel data of China from 2003 to 2017. Results show that, first of all, China’s agricultural productivity (TFP) continues to improve, and it is mainly driven by technical change (TC), with no significant role of technical efficiency change (TEC) or stable scale change (SC). Improving farmers’ education not only directly narrows the rural–urban income gap but also indirectly improves agricultural productivity to further narrow the rural–urban income gap. Due to differences in income sources of farmers, the corresponding impacts of farmers’ education and agricultural productivity growth on the rural–urban income gap also differ. Policy recommendations include continued investments in farmers’ education and training as well as modernization of agricultural for higher productivity growth.

Mega Meta-QTLs: A Strategy for the Production of Golden Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Tolerant to Abiotic Stresses.

Abiotic stresses cause a significant decrease in productivity and growth in agricultural products, especially barley. Breeding has been considered to create resistance against abiotic stresses. Pyramiding genes for tolerance to abiotic stresses through selection based on molecular markers connected to Mega MQTLs of abiotic tolerance can be one of the ways to reach Golden Barley. In this study, 1162 original QTLs controlling 116 traits tolerant to abiotic stresses were gathered from previous research and mapped from various populations. A consensus genetic map was made, including AFLP, SSR, RFLP, RAPD, SAP, DArT, EST, CAPS, STS, RGA, IFLP, and SNP markers based on two genetic linkage maps and 26 individual linkage maps. Individual genetic maps were created by integrating individual QTL studies into the pre-consensus map. The consensus map covered a total length of 2124.43 cM with an average distance of 0.25 cM between markers. In this study, 585 QTLs and 191 effective genes related to tolerance to abiotic stresses were identified in MQTLs. The most overlapping QTLs related to tolerance to abiotic stresses were observed in MQTL6.3. Furthermore, three MegaMQTL were identified, which explained more than 30% of the phenotypic variation. MQTLs, candidate genes, and linked molecular markers identified are essential in barley breeding and breeding programs to develop produce cultivars resistant to abiotic stresses.

Appendix. The Fundamental Causes of Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of the Total Factor Productivity Growth of European Agriculture, 1950-2005

Appendix to the article The Fundamental Causes of Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of the Total Factor Productivity Growth of European Agriculture, 1950-2005 Cost shares employed to obtain agricultural TFP The construction of the agricultural openness variable The construction of the openness variable The construction of the subsidies variable Econometric test results (P-values)

The Fundamental Causes of Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of the Total Factor Productivity Growth of European Agriculture, 1950-2005

In recent decades, the debate on economic growth has largely focused on the role of its fundamental causes: institutions, geography, trade, and culture. This study analyses the underlying causes of agricultural productivity growth in Europe during the second half of the twentieth century. To determine the importance of fundamental causes, Total Factor Productivity growth in European agriculture was calculated for the period 1950-2005 and several econometric models are discussed. This study highlights inclusive institutions, agricultural support policies that encourage innovation, qualified human capital and openness to international trade as key factors that favour productivity growth in agriculture.

External finance and agricultural productivity growth

AbstractWe propose a new method to estimate the impact of external finance on productivity. Using a nested constant elasticity of substitution production function, finance has an indirect influence on productivity through its effect on capital augmenting‐technological change and depends on the elasticity of substitution between equity and debt, as well as on the quantity and price of external finance and net value added. We develop and test a theoretical model using Farm Accountancy Data Network regional data covering all EU Member States and different subsamples by EU regions, size of farms, and farm types. In the 2004–2018 period, land, labor, and capital complemented each other but had a decreasing or stagnating productivity, reaffirming the importance of external finance to improve productivity. Results suggest that external finance and productivity follow an inverted U‐shaped curve, with a positive impact on less capitalized farms with lower debt‐to‐equity ratios, while capital‐intensive farms are not benefiting from excess finance. Rethinking the general assumption that agricultural growth has a positive and linear effect with access to credit lead to different strategies in the use of external finance. [EconLit Citations: G30, O16, O33, Q14].

New trend of agricultural productivity growth in sub-Saharan Africa

The literature argues that increasing the total factor productivity in agriculture is prior to off-farm growth and poverty alleviation. The debate persists on a robust estimate of agricultural productivity growth that includes multifactor. So, this study applies the stochastic frontier analysis with heteroscedasticity correction, to examine the total factor productivity growth in a sample of 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa over the 1991-2015 period. The results show that the estimated elasticity of production with respect to land, machinery capital and fertilizer are positive and statistically significant. Whereas, the estimated elasticity of production to labour is positive but not significant. This result calls into question the productivity of labour in the African agricultural system. After the 2000s, the average annual growth rate of agricultural productivity is estimated at 3.13% for the sample countries. A net increase in total factor productivity is accompanied by a significant increase in technological change. Scale efficiency change is the major barrier to TFP growth in African agriculture. So, it is recommended that public or private decision-makers must stress more on: (i) human capital investment along with more efficient management of cultivated land and, (ii) the acceleration of agricultural technology adoption.

The lack of dynamic competition and the market insufficiency for agricultural productivity growth: Implications for the role of the state

AbstractThis paper shows that there is lack of dynamic competition in agriculture, making the market mechanism of agriculture insufficient for bringing about technological innovations. The market insufficiency differs from market failures in that the former causes dynamic inefficiency and lack of growth while the latter causing static inefficiency in resource allocation at a point in time. As a result, farm firms represent a special type of business organizations lacking dynamic competition. This paper proposes and evaluates hypotheses about the shifting roles of the state and agro‐input supply sector in bringing about agricultural productivity growth across countries at different development stages.

Alcohol abuse and its impact on food security in Igembe South Sub-county

Food security in Kenya has worsened substantially over the last 30 years, with high population and increasing food demand consistently exceeding modest agricultural production growth. There is a very strong link between agricultural productivity and alcohol consumption especially in the rural areas. The purpose of this study is to understand the demand patterns of alcohol and its impact on food security in Igembe South Sub-County. Cross sectional descriptive survey design was used to undertake the study. The target population was all the households in Igembe South Sub-County. The sample size of the study was 384 respondents. The study employed three sets of data collection instruments. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, observation checklist and key informant interview guide. Qualitative and econometric data analyses was carried out in this study to provide a deeper understanding of alcohol households’ demand and how it affects the food security situation in Igembe South-Sub County. The results indicate that Alcohol consumption by the household head was associated with an increase in food insecurity, a statistically significant effect with an odds ratio of 1.593(95% CI 1.152 to 2.035, Wald χ2(1) = 50.015, p ˂0.05. An ordinal regression model was highly statistically significant with P˂0.005 and all the socio-economic variables being significant and Nagelkeke pseudo R-Square being 0.75. Patterns of alcohol consumption affected food security in the household. This was statistically significant in its predictive ability X2 (11) = 140.834, p < .01. Nagelkerke R-Square for the model is 0.737. The study concludes that alcohol consumption can cause serious food security problems in the household and it recommends that the government needs to develop and implement firm policies for the control of sale and consumption of alcohol so as to help reduce alcohol intake among the general populace. The study also recommends that media also needs to play its part by promoting campaigns and messages that emphasize the risks involved in the use of alcohol.

Agriculture Productivity and Economic Growth in India: An Ardl Model

Purpose: The research aims to investigate agricultural production and its influence on India's economic growth.
 Methods: The ADF test has been used to determine variable stationarity. Using secondary data from 1991 to 2020, the ARDL Model was used to estimate the long-run and short-run links between agricultural production and economic growth.
 Findings: Our empirical findings reveal that the GCF and inflation rate are negatively correlated with economic growth in the short and long term. In contrast, all other factors have a positive link with economic growth.
 Research Implication: We believe that The government has employed various tactics to maintain farm prices and profits. They imposed production limitations and subsidy programs that made direct payments to farmers. It is more efficient for the government to supply farmers with the required inputs, and farmers can use those cost-effective inputs in various agricultural operations.
 Future Research Suggestion: The research has certain flaws because it only looks at five different crops and evaluates their influence on economic expansion over the previous three decades. The new study, with its many variables and long year, presents an opportunity to boost India's agricultural output, despite the fact that it has several flaws.

How agricultural droughts are contributing to child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have some of the highest levels of child malnutrition, with more than one third of children under five in the region characterized as chronically undernourished. High reliance on subsistence farming, poor adoption of irrigation technologies and variable climate conditions make populations in SSA highly vulnerable to malnutrition during droughts. We use anthropometric data for 570,540 children under the age of five from 34 countries in SSA in combination with high resolution agricultural and climate data to estimate the association between agricultural droughts and child undernutrition in the region. We use global gridded data on the geographical distribution of crop areas for 19 major crops. Data on crop planting and harvesting dates are also collected for each crop. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), a multi-scalar drought index, is used to measure the intensity and spatial distribution of droughts during key periods of agricultural production (planting, growth and harvesting) and of different duration (seasonal and long-lasting droughts). Our preliminary analysis shows that droughts during the main crop growing season are associated with increased risk of child undernutrition in SSA. As a next step, we will quantify the impact of droughts during the planting and harvesting seasons and for specific crops. We will additionally investigate whether droughts impact pastoral communities, for example through livestock loss. The findings presented in this study call for urgent action to improve drought monitoring and response in SSA where the risks to child health posed by global warming are considerable. Under climate change, the severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events, including droughts, are projected to increase in the future, which will place millions of children at risk of hunger unless timely actions plans are taken to improve food security in the region. Key words: drought, undernutrition, agriculture, sub-Saharan Africa

АГРОПРОМЫШЛЕННОЕ ПРОИЗВОДСТВО КАЗАХСТАНА: ВОПРОСЫ ДИВЕРСИФИКАЦИИ КАК ПРИОРИТЕТНОГО НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ РАЗВИТИЯ

As a result of agricultural reforms carried out in Kazakhstan, the legal and organizational forms of farms have changed, and a diversified economy has been formed. The purpose of the study is to assess the state of the country's agro-industrial complex, to identify the main problems and prospects for the growth of agricultural production, to show the importance of diversification processes for the sustainable development of agricultural sector in the context of destabilization of the world economy. Methods – quantitative-qualitative and factor analysis, economic-statistical, abstract-logical conclusions. Results – the situation in AIC for 1990-2021 is analyzed in crop production and animal husbandry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Dynamics of sown areas of main agricultural crops of enterprises, peasant (private) farms in recent years and 1990 shows that there have been changes in the structure of crops in the republic: expansion of the size of arable land for cultivation of wheat, vegetables, melons, root crops and reduction in forage grasses. A study of the livestock sector in Kazakhstan led to the conclusion that population nu mber of livestock and poultry did not reach the level of 1990. The data on redistribution of livestock by categories of farms are presented. The necessity of its increase for creation of large livestock complexes is substantiated. Conclusions – the authors note that at present, th e country's agricultural producers are facing a constant increase in costs. This leads to higher food prices. Diversification in market economy makes it possible to reduce the risks of unreasonably high costs and respond flexibly to imbalances between supp ly and demand, maintain production capacities, and ensure the growth of profits and profitability of agricultural producers. It is necessary to use i nnovative, resource-saving technologies, the integrated use of land resources, and solution of the problems of degraded pastures.

Radio and technology adoption during India’s Green Revolution: Evidence from a natural experiment

Can mass communication play a role in spurring technology adoption and productivity growth in agriculture, particularly when there are significant barriers to social learning? To answer this question, I estimate the impact of regional radio broadcasts, that included significant farm programming, on the adoption of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat during the Green Revolution in India. I exploit the staggered expansion of the regional radio network to identify the impact. Using an annual district-level administrative dataset from 1966 to 1978, I find that introduction of regional farm radio broadcasts led to a large persistent increase in the adoption of HYVs of rice, a spatially heterogeneous technology less amenable to social learning. By contrast, there was at most a transient impact on the adoption of HYVs of wheat, a spatially homogeneous technology with a lot of scope for social learning. Importantly, I find that the regional farm radio broadcasts increased rice yields by 15%, a magnitude potentially large enough to justify the investments in the expansion of the regional radio network. Overall, this paper demonstrates that mass communication can indeed play a key role in diffusing profitable agricultural innovations when there are significant barriers to social learning.