Economic evaluation of forage materials in Colombia

This document aims to assess the financial viability of two new forage options to be released in Colombia, as a result of different evaluation and selection processes conducted by AGROSAVIA and its partners. The following varieties were evaluated from an economic perspective: (i) Brachiaria brizantha 26124 hp. Orinoquia for meat production in the Colombian East Plains region; and ii) Megathyrsus Maximus cv. Savannah agrosavia for meat production in the Colombian humid Caribbean region. The methodology is based on a discounted free cash flow model, the estimation of financial feasibility indicators, and an analysis that is based on Monte Carlo simulation, to consider the risk level of critical variables of the model

Diseño de una estrategia de servicio al cliente para las oficinas de atención al usuario en Instituciones Prestadoras de Servicios

El sistema de Salud Colombiano es uno de los principales problemas sociales que envuelve a la nación desde la reforma de la ley 100 en el año 1993, si comprendemos, que a partir de allí se derivaron unos derechos y deberes totalmente equitativos y universales para todas las EPS, significando así, que la calidad en el servicio general y particular, es el factor diferenciador para que una persona decida al momento de afiliarse a dicho sistemaColombian Health System is one of the major social problems engulfing the nation since the reform of Law 100 in 1993 , if we understand , that from there rights and duties fully equitable and universal were derived for all EPS , thus signifying that the quality in general and particular service is the differentiating factor for a person to decide when to join the systemPregrad

Economic analysis of tropical forages in livestock systems in the eastern plains of Colombia

70% of the Colombian livestock production are characterized by extensive production systems, which usually show low productivity levels, low land use efficiency and often lack environmental sustainability. This is related to native or naturalized grasses and degraded pastures that generate limited forage supply, both in biomass and quality, especially in the dry season. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and its partners are working on the selection and development of improved forages able to adapt to diverse soil and climatic conditions of the lowland tropics, while increasing productivity levels and reducing the environmental impact of livestock production. However, the establishment of these new forage technologies implies higher investment and management costs for the producer, which could limit their adoption. This paper evaluates the financial viability of the implementation of new forage technologies, in this case of improved pastures and scattered trees in livestock systems, and compares them to the traditional production system with native/naturalized pastures. The developed model is based on a cash flow analysis and a Monte Carlo simulation, and includes uncertainty factors in the variables identified as critical (e.g., meat price, productivity). Research took place in 2015 in the Casanare Department in the Eastern Plains of Colombia. The results indicate that investment in improved pastures is profitable with an incremental net present value (NPV) of US$ 45 and an internal rate of return of 18%. The system in association with scattered trees was not profitable due to the high initial investment costs and time expectations for achieving improvements in production parameters. Both evaluated alternatives were only evaluated for livestock income, not taking into account additional income that might arise from the trees (e.g., fruits, wood). The feasibility of investment is highly sensitive to changes in the selling prices of the meat and expected returns. The technologies evaluated in this study showed to be an alternative to improve production efficiency and profitability of livestock farms. However, strategies and / or incentives need to be developed that aim at reducing the high initial costs of systems in association with scattered trees

Studi Komparasi Pemahaman Konsep Sistem Pernapasan Manusia Melalui Penerapan Pembelajaran Konstruktivisme Tipe Novick Dipadu Concept Map Dan Ceramah Bervariasi

This research is aim to find out the different comprehension of human respiration system concept in the Novick type of constructivism learning with concept map and the varied lecturing learning. This study was a quasi-experimental research using Post-test Only With Nonequivalent Groups research design. The sampling technique used was Cluster Sampling one. The populations of this research were all of 11th degree students of science at SMA Negeri 2 Karanganyar in academic year 2012/2013. The samples of this research were the students of 11th Imersi I as experiment group and 11th Imersi II as control group. Technique of collecting data used was a multiple choice test with reasoning, essay test, and observation sheet. The hypothesis testing was carried out using t-test. The conclusion of research that there isn\u27t different comprehension of human respiratory system concept between the Novick type of constructivism learning with concept map and the varied lecturing learning

EVALUACIÓN DEL CAMBIO EN LA MICROBIOTA DEL CONTENIDO INTESTINAL DE CAMARÓN SILVESTRE (Penaeus vannamei) SOMETIDO A DIFERENTES CONDICIONES DE CULTIVO.

En México, la producción de camarón Penaeus vannamei, proviene principalmente de prácticas semi-intensivas, donde se usan estanques rústicos, estanques de concreto o de fibra de vidrio y el suministro de alimentación puede ser alimento natural o alimento balanceado. Debido a esto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar la microbiota del contenido intestinal del camarón (P. vannamei) de origen silvestre al someterlos a condiciones experimentales de cultivo. Se colectaron camarones silvestres de un sistema lagunar y se sometieron a bioensayo, el cual consto de tres variantes, en la primer variante los camarones se dividieron de forma aleatoria en cuatro tratamientos: 1) alimentados con calamar fresco, 2) alimentados con calamar fresco y la pecera contaba con sedimento, 3) alimentados con alimento balanceado y 4) alimentados con alimento balanceado y la pecera contenía sedimento. En la segunda variante del bioensayo, se realizó un cambio de alimentación, es decir, los organismos alimentados con calamar fresco fueron alimentados con alimento balanceado y viceversa. Mientras que en la tercer variante se realizó un cambio de sustrato. Se secuenció la región V3 del gen 16S ribosomal mediante la plataforma Ion Torrent PGM, se obtuvieron un total de 1,541,248 secuencias. El análisis comparativo de las comunidades microbianas, se realizó con QIIME 1.9., el phylum Proteobacteria fue el más abundante, así como los taxa incluidos en este, además, la diversidad bacteriana del contenido intestinal disminuyó al someter camarones silvestres a condiciones experimentales, los camarones con sedimento y dieta balanceada mostraron mayor diversidad que los que mantuvieron sin sedimento y alimentados con calamar fresco

Report on the cost-benefit analysis for integrating new forage technologies in cattle production systems in Kenya and Ethiopia

This report presents the results of an economic evaluation of establishing new forage alternatives in cattle systems in Kenya and Ethiopia. In Kenya, we evaluated the inclusion (intervention scenario IN) of the grasses Panicum maximum cv. Maasai and Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato II, and in Ethiopia, Bachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato II and Brachiaria mutica. The evaluated forages are presented as alternatives to the traditionally used technologies based on their improved biomass availability during dry season, better biomass quality and general quantity, and their resistance to pests and diseases. The results of the economic evaluation were contrasted with the traditional technologies used by the producers in each country (base scenario or farmer practice scenario FP). The analysis makes use of data at a technical level collected in the field over five weeks in 2020, where milk production was measured on 18 farms in three counties in western Kenya (Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega) and on 17 farms in three districts (woredas) in northern Ethiopia (Damot Gale, Damot Woyde and Soddo Zuria). The analysis made use of a discounted free cash flow model, the estimation of financial indicators and a sensitivity analysis of the results and considered a typical farm as unit of analysis for each country. On the one hand, for Ethiopia, the results indicate that the integration of the new technologies would improve daily cow milk production by 11% and reduce the calving interval by 30%, and thus, improve the amount of milk produced per year as well as the gross income from milk sales by 60% each. The results indicate that the investment in the establishment of the suggested grasses under the IN scenario is profitable, with an average Net Present Value (NPV) of US$ 1,586 and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 29%. The performed risk analysis suggests that the possibility of obtaining economic losses reduces from 97.4% in the basic scenario (FP) to 16.2% in the intervention scenario (IN). On the other hand, in Kenya, the introduction of new forage alternatives (IN) would increase milk production by up to 9.5% and reduce the calving interval by around 15% compared to the basic scenario (FP). This leads to an increase in the amount of milk produced of more than four times. However, the economic and financial indicators are negative for both scenarios in Kenya. This is associated with the high labor and feeding and supplementation costs, resulting in elevated total production costs

Methodology for an experimental design on adoption decision analysis with primary livestock producers in Latin America

Recent literature on the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies empirically detected the relevance of a variety of factors relating to the behavior of producers. Dessart et al. (2019) made a precise compilation of these factors and grouped them according to their characteristics and the way in which they impact on the decision-making of individuals, with the aim of complementing economic variables (that are usually the focus of research on decision-making) with factors originating in areas such as psychology and sociology. This in order to help policy making processes to become more comprehensive and supportive to the adoption of sustainable practices. Although, Dessart et al. (2019) focus on studies carried out in Europe and the effectiveness of measures of European Union countries in terms of promoting the adoption of sustainable practices, there is an opportunity to adapt the behavioral factors proposed by them to the Latin American case. This fits into the context of a relatively recent impulse in the field of adoption studies for innovations in the agricultural sector that focuses on the inclusion of sociodemographic and psychological behaviors of individuals in the analyses in order to express their intention to adopt. Based on this, and although in-depth research in the region is necessary to confirm the impact of these behavioral factors, it is possible to adapt the framework proposed by Dessart et al. (2019). In addition, sustainable practices make up a fairly heterogeneous set of agricultural practices that have an effect on both the environment and productivity and therefore, narrowing down the analysis to a specific practice or technology is possible by making some additional adjustments. The present work proposes a qualitative pilot tool for a forage adoption decision analysis with cattle producers. The tool includes and adapts the behavioral factors detected by Dessart et al. (2019) in order to identify which ones are relevant and how they affect the primary producer’s decision to adopt new forage technologies in Colombia. This tool is part of a set of valuable inputs for the construction of alternative policies and interventions in favor of the adoption of forage innovations. First, we present the conceptual structure, second a method and a series of questions are proposed in the form of a survey, and, finally, some recommendations are made for its application and further adjustment. The tool will be piloted and then applied in Colombia in 2021 (if the COVID-19 pandemic allows for it)