Technological Change In Agriculture Research Articles

Agricultural Technological Change, Female Earnings and Fertility: Evidence from Brazil

Abstract I study how agricultural technological change affects labour market opportunities and fertility in a developing country context. Exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in the adoption of genetically engineered soy across municipalities in Brazil, I show that this labour-saving technology reduced female agricultural earnings and employment without inducing any female sectoral reallocation. Furthermore, this technology adoption increased fertility due to increases in overall household earnings and substitution effects driven by the reduction in female labour demand. These results suggest that technological progress in developing countries may not improve female economic opportunities or lower fertility unless substitution effects are negative and sufficiently large.

Indonesian Agricultural Industry Innovation to Create World Food Storage in 2045

The issue of food safety and food security has become an international concern, given the increasing global food demand due to the food crisis caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. Indonesia is trying to become a global food supplier through the Indonesian government's vision of "World Food Barn 2045". This article uses the approach of the theoretical debate between Ester Boserup, Mark Nathan Cohen, Michael Lipton, Parker G. Marden, and Warren C. Robinson which states that there is a relationship between variables of food availability, changes in agricultural technology, and population growth in the world. The results of the author's research in this article assume that in handling the issue of the global food crisis it is necessary for each country to sustain the event, Indonesia seeks to sustain the global food crisis through the implementation of an "Integrated Agriculture System" that integrates the agricultural sector and the livestock sector.

Changes in the Land Use Pattern and Cropping Pattern among Different Gradients of Tiruchirapalli District – A Farm Level Analysis

Agriculture plays a vital role in an Indian Economy. Changes in land use subsequently leading to decreased agricultural land in favour of the provision of residential accommodation in most urban settlements. The extent of land use is also influenced by technological changes over a period of time. The technological changes in agriculture ignited intensive cultivation resulting in conversion of marginal lands into productive agricultural lands through capital intensive cultivation. Changes in farming and land use patterns result in urbanisation, which puts ecological stability and food security at risk. Within this background, the study has been formulated with the objectives of land use pattern and cropping pattern is to analyse the temporal changes in the land use pattern and the loss of agricultural land in the selected rural, peri-urban and urban gradients, to study the changes and shift in cropping pattern and to estimate the crop diversification across the gradients. A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used. The data has been analysed using descriptive statistics, diversification indices, multiple regression analysis and garett ranking. The results of farm level analysis revealed that the conversion of the agricultural land through human settlements and other uses was more pronounced in the urban and peri-urban households than the rural households, might be due to urbanization and industrialization. The results also revealed that the gradual shift in the cropping pattern was pronounced in the rural gradient, followed by peri-urban and urban gradients. The major constraint faced by the sample respondents were water scarcity and labour scarcity for the land use and crop diversification.

Application of digital design technology in the design of intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment

Abstract Today, China has become the world’s largest agricultural machinery and equipment countries and the use of countries, agricultural machinery industry for more than a decade to maintain high growth, along with three revolutionary changes in agricultural technology, has initially ushered in the development of artificial intelligence stage. At present, relative to the weak foundation of China’s agricultural machinery standardization work and the requirements of high integration of technology and multidisciplinary integration of artificial intelligence, there are bottlenecks that constrain the problem. This paper makes a directional discussion on the direction of standardization breakthrough through the analysis of digital design technology and typical applications at home and abroad, the analysis of standard transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and the analysis of current problems. Aiming at technical standards development, implementation, and improvement to promote technological innovation, application, and improvement of intelligent manufacturing of agricultural machinery products. So that scientific and technological innovation continues to enhance the level of technical standards, technical standards continue to promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Technical standards and intelligent agricultural machinery lend each other in international competition and become a strategic means to participate in international cooperation and competition. Accelerate the transformation of the old and new dynamics of the agricultural mechanization industry, and realize the standardization and internationalization of the intelligent agricultural mechanization industry.

Welfare effect of improved wheat adoption in Tigrai, Ethiopia: A panel data evidence

Technological change in agriculture in land-scarce developing countries is required for land use intensification to feed the growing population. The purpose of this study is to analyze factors affecting adoption decision of improved wheat variety and its effect on households’ welfare in a semi-arid economy of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia. First, a correlated random effect double hurdle model with a control function approach is used to analyze determinants of improved wheat adoption decision and extent of adoption. Second, fixed effect instrumental variable method is used to assess the impact of area under improved wheat cultivation on households’ welfare. Double hurdle model results indicate that access to improved wheat, landholding, male adult and access to information have strong and positive effect on adoption decision and extent of adoption of improved wheat. The impact analysis shows that extent of improved wheat adoption has strong and positive effect on households’ income, consumption, and food security. Moreover, the gender and wealth disaggregation analysis show that extent of improved wheat adoption has a positive and significant effect on welfare of male and female-headed, land poor and land rich households. Thus, adoption of improved wheat is a pro-poor strategy and increasing access to the technology appears a promising pathway for rural development in a land scarce and semi-arid economy like Ethiopia.

Multidimensional impacts from international agricultural research: Implications for research priorities

Investors in international agricultural research seek sustainable agri-food technologies that can potentially serve multiple objectives, including economic growth, food security, and sustainable use of natural resources. We employ quantitative economic models to examine the potential multi-dimensional impacts of agricultural productivity gains in the Global South. These models take into account behavior responses to agricultural technological change, i.e., how productivity changes may affect decisions on what to produce, trade, and consume. We compare potential impacts of productivity growth in different commodities and regions and assess implications along several impact dimensions, including economic and income growth, the population at risk of hunger, adequacy of protein and micronutrients in human diets, land and water use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Potential impacts vary widely by commodity group and by region. These results reveal strengths and potential tradeoffs of different R&D spending allocations, and can help inform decision-making about an optimal R&D portfolio that takes into account the multiple objectives of agricultural investments.

Assessment and Comparison of Agricultural Technology Development under Different Farmland Management Modes: A Case Study of Grain Production, China

Agricultural technological change plays a crucial role in food security and agricultural development. In the case of considering economic risks and technical risk tolerance, farmers will use different technologies to match production factors to achieve the optimal production state. Therefore, under different farmland management modes, farms show different characteristics of technological progress. This paper attempts to compare and analyze agricultural technology development under different farmland management modes: the unified management mode of collective organizations (UMCO) and the decentralized management mode of contracted families (DMCF). The Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) of the translog average production function was applied to the 24 farms of the Hulunbuir Agricultural Reclamation Group, of which 11 farms in the western part of the Greater Khingan Mountains (Western Farms) were managed by the DMCF, and the other 13 farms in the eastern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains (Eastern Farms) were managed by the UMCO. The results are as follows: (1) without considering the resource allocation efficiency, from 2000 to 2019, the generalized technological progress rate (TFPG) of the 13 Eastern Farms (7.65%) was higher than that of the Western Farms (2.25%). (2) The returns to scale (SRC) of the Western Farms was higher than that of the Eastern Farms. (3) The technological efficiency change rate (TEC) and the technical progress (TP) of the Eastern Farms is higher than that of the Western Farms. It is recommended that farms strengthen the construction of their infrastructure and service systems, resist natural disasters, reduce the disaster’s impact on technological progress, give full play to the overall planning advantages of the collective organizations, improve the product allocation efficiency factors, and create connotative profit points.

Affordances and agricultural technology

This paper discusses how the theory of affordances can be used to investigate how a spectrum of opportunities, benefits, costs and risks is generated and unevenly distributed by different kinds of technology (where ‘technology’ is understood as techniques, processes and practices of doing and making, rather than technical artefacts and systems). Affordances are possibilities for action, which arise from relations between humans and entities that surround them. This paper discusses three kinds of affordances: material, cultural and socio-economic. The theory of affordances offers a coherent way to explain why different technologies have different implications, and why those implications vary for different stakeholders. Applied to the domain of development-oriented agricultural research and innovation, the theory of affordances could be used by researchers and practitioners to examine the differentiated implications of different kinds of farming technology and alternative programmes of technological change in agriculture, both ex ante (e.g. in their design, development and implementation) and ex post (e.g. in their evaluation). To illustrate the argument, the paper uses the example of weeding in the System of Rice Intensification. Since affordances in theory are generated relationally and situationally for each person, the full array of implications arising from the introduction of new technology could be wide and diverse. A practical challenge, therefore, is whether and how the theory of affordances can be used practically and operationally to design, implement and evaluate the appropriateness, accessibility, utility and value of agricultural technology and technological change for specific people and groups of interest.

Recent grain production boom in Russia in historical context

In recent years, Russia has established itself as the leading worldwide supplier of grain and continues to make ambitious plans for raising its grain production in the long term. Within the context of Russian agricultural history, the recent high growth in grain production is exceptional. This growth however is not fully replicated by the “weather-yield” crop models, which project only moderate yield increase in the twenty-first century and fail to predict the most recent record growth in grain yields. The difference between the projected climate-dependent yields and observations is especially high in two of the most important agricultural regions, the Central Black Earth and Northern Caucasus regions while the remaining agricultural zones show good agreement with the regression models. Similar differences were observed in the late 1960s, which we interpret in terms of the rapid changes in agricultural technology during the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) agricultural reforms followed by periods of reversal. We also interpret the current period of high differentiation between weather-yield model results and collected yields as evidence of a higher than usual contribution of agricultural reforms in yield improvements, which, however, primarily benefit the large-scale producers located in the most productive areas of Russia.

Ensuring Global Food Security: Transforming Approaches in the Context of Agriculture 5.0

The article highlights the relationship between ensuring world food security and the pace of technological transformation of agriculture, taking into account the impact of global challenges, based on the study of theoretical approaches of leading scientists. The authors use analysis and synthesis, expert, statistical and comparative methods. The history of technological changes in agriculture are considered through its evolution from traditional food systems to Agriculture 5.0 – the post-industrial system with the use of robotics, big data and artificial intelligence systems. The authors prove that the level of agricultural development and the rate of its technological transformation are sharply differentiated by country. The cross-country analysis of indicators of food security, innovation potential, production and food net trade of the leading food-producing countries allowed us to draw two conclusions. First, developed countries that are at the top of the innovation rating and ensure national food security at a high level have negative food net trade. In the near future, these countries will not be able to have a significant impact on world food security. Secondly, countries with export-oriented agriculture are characterized by low innovation and have limited opportunities for labor productivity growth in agriculture.

Agricultural Technological Change, Female Earnings, and Fertility: Evidence from Brazil

Agricultural Technological Change, Female Earnings, and Fertility: Evidence from Brazil

Resources and dynamics of halophytes in agricultural and industrial landscapes of the western part of Kujawy, Central Poland

This article is dedicated to the memoryof tireless researcher of saline vegetation in KujawyProfessor Jadwiga Wilkoń-Michalska (1921–2005) This paper presents the status and comparison of the halophytic flora on two research plots in the Upper Noteć catchment, distinguished by the intensity of human activity and the type of landscape: 1 – Lake Gopło (G) and 2 – the area located by the Noteć Canal (N) in the western part of the Kujawy region. Fishery on the twelfth largest lake in Poland and agriculture are the main forms of economy in the former plot. A significant part of this plot is a Natura 2000 site, legally protected in compliance with the EU directives. The development of halophytes, mainly facultative ones, in the G plot is conditioned by natural factors, i.e. the inflow of saline groundwater. In the N plot, the agricultural landscape was transformed into the industrial and urbanised landscape following the years of development of two soda factories and the municipal and housing infrastructure of the nearby town of Inowrocław. Strong human impact led to the fact that already several decades ago this plot was classified as one of the most ecologically endangered areas in Poland. The abundance of halophytes in the N plot, including many obligatory ones, is related to the geomorphology of the area and the associated pattern of salt deposit leaching, as well as brine exploitation and soda industry. The species composition and population resources of individual halophyte species at 65 sites on the G plot and 90 sites on the N plot were compared using numerical classification methods. The distribution of the sites and their species richness are presented on the maps of the study area. The results of our analysis were compared with the results of observations made by other authors in the same area at different times. Based on the comparative analysis, we have arrived at conclusions regarding the protection of halophytes and the anticipated effects of technological changes in agriculture, salt and soda industry, as well as spatial management. We believe that the data provided in the tables and the resulting maps will constitute reference points for assessing the effectiveness of undertaken conservation recommendations and the correctness of scenarios formulated by different authors for the development of natural systems in the study area.

The Dilemma of Agricultural Mechanization and the Marginalization of Women Farmworkers in Rural Areas

Agricultural mechanization is one of the efforts to accelerate agricultural development through technological changes in agriculture. However, mechanization replaced human labor. The development of agricultural equipment and machinery technology (= Alsintan), which produces agricultural processing machines, has created a new role that replaces agricultural laborers' position. Women farmworkers are the most disadvantaged by mechanization. This study used a qualitative research method with a case study in Gadingsari Village, Bantul. This study shows that agricultural mechanization in Gadingsari Village has shifted the working mechanism of agriculture, to cultivate rice fields from human power to Alsintan, such as tractors, grinding machines, and threshing machines. Apart from leaving the traditional agricultural processing system, this change directly affects female agricultural laborers' employment opportunities because machinery has replaced the job and because men operate the majority of Alsintan. Hence, the dilemma: Changes in agricultural technology accelerate agricultural development, but at the same time increasingly marginalize female agricultural laborers. In the concept of a risk society, gender-biased technology places women at risk of modernity. Consequently, reflection on these risks is needed to find ways to accelerate inclusive agricultural development and promote gender equality

Influencing factors of farmers' adoption of pro-environmental agricultural technologies in China: Meta-analysis

As one of the main focuses of agricultural development research, changes in agricultural technology are a dynamic reflection of the economic environment. This paper uses the Meta-analysis method to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 77 empirical studies to reveal the influence factors, sources of heterogeneity, and influence effects of farmers on the adoption behavior of pro-environmental agricultural technology over time. The results show the following: (1) Influencing factors of farmer's pro-environmental agricultural technology adoption behavior are not completely homogeneous. Among the factors, age, farming population, family income, farm income ratio, number of plots, and land transfer have a regulating effect. Most of the observed heterogeneity relates to the research areas, funding levels and models used. (2) Age, off-farm income ratio, and land fragmentation have a significantly negative impact on farmers' adoption of pro-environmental agricultural technologies. We find no impact on household size, farming population, and village cadres. Farm income ratio, farmland protection policy awareness, land transfer, and government subsidies have significantly positive effects. (3) Over time, only land transfer has a significantly positive impact on the adoption of pro-environmental agricultural technologies by farmers, and the impact has gradually increased. The farming population, technical understanding, and number of plots have no significant impact, but their effects have weakened to varying degrees. Therefore, policymakers and other stakeholders need to consider geographical differences and farming systems, the technology needs of different farmers and affordable costs, in addition to focusing on common variables, when designing policies to encourage the adoption of agricultural technologies in China. Meanwhile, improve the development level of the land rental market, strengthen publicity, training, and subsidies, and increase farmers' information awareness.

The impact of participation in rural credit program on adoption of inorganic fertilizer: A panel data evidence from Northern Ethiopia

Technological change in agriculture in climate risk exposed developing countries requires for land-use intensification to feed the growing populations. The purpose of this article is to analyze the...

Structural Transformation, Agriculture, Climate and the Environment

This paper reviews the feedbacks between structural transformation and agriculture, on the one hand, and climate and the natural environment, on the other. The longstanding, dominant economic development narrative largely ignores nature’s influence on factor productivity and stocks, even as it increasingly illustrates how agricultural technological change and economic growth affect nature. We articulate some of the missing linkages and pose a range of policy research questions worth exploration concerning structural transformation and the complex feedback among agriculture, nature, and economic growth processes, especially in the low-income agrarian nations of the Global South.

Structural Transformation, Agriculture, Climate and the Environment

This paper reviews the feedbacks between structural transformation and agriculture, on the one hand, and climate and the natural environment, on the other. The longstanding, dominant economic development narrative largely ignores nature’s influence on factor productivity and stocks, even as it increasingly illustrates how agricultural technological change and economic growth affect nature. We articulate some of the missing linkages and pose a range of policy research questions worth exploration concerning structural transformation and the complex feedback among agriculture, nature, and economic growth processes, especially in the lowincome agrarian nations of the Global South.

Everything that rises must converge

This essay uses the case of the so-called rice revolution in the United Sates (c. 1885-1915) both to explain how a radically different approach to growing rice came about and to gain insight into the broader process of technological change in agriculture. There are several possible ways to interpret this revolution, one whereby rice was grown for the first time in history as a land-extensive, capital-intensive crop employing little labor. In the essay the author discusses several such interpretations, develops one of his own, and discusses some of the long-term implications of the “rice revolution”.

Agricultural Treatises in Eurasia before ca. 1500: The Iceberg Method, a Survey, and a Grand Hypothesis

This article analyzes all extant agricultural treatises produced before the sixteenth century throughout Eurasia, in order to highlight their importance for the study of agricultural praxis, their significance for constructing a transnational intellectual history of the medieval globe, and their relevance for the development of pragmatic literacies. Such texts emerged both in China and around the Mediterranean before 200 BCE, and somewhat later in India, but few have been preserved and many are difficult to date. Thereafter, the medieval transmission of agricultural knowledge moved via several different regional trajectories and traditions, with Anglo-Norman England becoming a fourth and largely independent birthplace of the agricultural treatise genre during the thirteenth century. The proliferation of these texts becomes evident throughout Eurasia around 1000 CE and increases further from the fourteenth onward. Throughout this longue durée, the contents of these treatises reflect real changes in agricultural technologies, dominant crops, and climate.

How do political elements affect agricultural technological change?—A case study from China

As the main achievement of Tibetan modernization in the 1970s, the promotion of winter wheat enabled wheat, which had rarely been planted in Tibet, to become the second-largest crop in the region. Surprisingly, Tibetan peasants, who at first had strongly resisted winter wheat, became active participants in just two or three years. During this process, how did the state change peasants’ attitudes? How did the national government negate their resistance? Based on documents and oral history materials, this research study shows that political movement played a crucial role. First, the class struggle consisted of a crackdown on the resistance to new technologies and also promoting rural community differentiation so that mutual supervision among peasants neutralized ‘weapons of the weak’. Second, the function of political movement in remolding belief and arousing affection inspired people’s enthusiasm for growing wheat and their sense of political identity by portraying wheat as a symbol of emancipation. However, this movement also had certain side effects on production, and the whole project in the late 1970s was driven astray by blind political worship and neglect of realities.