The Distribution of Soybean Production and Resources in China

Originating text in Chinese.Citation: Forecast Information Net For Chinese Agricultural Products. (2001). The Distribution of Soybean Production and Resources in China. Chinese Ministry of Agriculture: Beijing

DEMAND FOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC INFORMATION

Using data gathered in two surveys we analyze the movement of information in agriculture. The relative importance of varying classes of information providers are assessed by classes of users. A network based framework expands models of human capital and bounded rationality to assess the calculus of choice of information.information, bounded rationality, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Information transfer in the agricultural sector in Spain

This paper examines the structures of information transfer to the agricultural (production) and agro-alimentary (transformation and commercialization of the products) sector within Spain. A historical perspective is provided to better illustrate the reality and complexity of Spain with regard to the systems of agrarian extension, agricultural research, resources provided by Spain’s central administration, and the use of information by related enterprises. The Service of Agrarian Extension appeared in Spain in the 1950s, and new political-administrative structures (agribusiness associations, cooperatives) were founded when Spain became a democratic nation in the late 1970s, and with the arrival of electronic information, largely in the 1990s. We also describe the tools supporting innovation in the agro-alimentary sector: centers of agrarian research and technological centers. Finally, reference is made to the means of communication dedicated to the agricultural sector. The paper illustrates that the systems of agricultural information in Spain have been largely derived from initiatives of the Public Administration, with few private initiatives

ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION, CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT

This paper explicitly models the interdependent finance and investment decision in order to increase the understanding on how fluctuations in agricultural investment are attributable to changes in financial decisions. Euler equations for investment and finance are estimated by the use of the GMM technique on an unbalanced panel data set for 342 farm operations in Southwestern Minnesota for the 1989-1998 period.Agricultural Finance,

Revitalizing Zambia’s Agricultural Marketing Information Centre (Amic)

1. Public sector agricultural market information systems (MIS) can provide useful information to farmers, uninformed traders, and policy makers. While private information networks offer a valuable service to select clients, only a well-functioning public MIS can redress information asymmetries among marketing actors that can inhibit competition. 2. The second core mission of a public MIS should be to organize and manage data in such a way that government decision-makers and civil society organizations can accurately diagnose and even anticipate emerging market problems and respond to them in a timely manner. 3. Zambia’s AMIC suffers from a range of weaknesses all along the supply chain for price information. Data collection and transmission is irregular and unreliable, data management is unstructured and lacks strategic oversight, and dissemination is entirely supply-driven. 4. The primary reasons for AMIC’s weak performance are competing priorities and a misguided incentive structure for staff at the national, provincial, and most importantly at the district level, where the viability of the collection process depends on reciprocity between price collectors and traders. 5. The draft Agricultural Marketing Act, which will be sent to Parliament in the 2012 budget cycle, provides an opportunity to re-establish AMIC’s mission and importance.agricultural market information systems, Zambia, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Agricultural productivity in past societies: toward an empirically informed model for testing cultural evolutionary hypotheses

Agricultural productivity, and its variation in space and time, plays a fundamental role in many theories of human social evolution. However, we often lack systematic information about the productivity of past agricultural systems on a scale large enough to test these theories properly. The effect of climate on crop yields has received a great deal of attention resulting in a range of empirical and process-based models, yet the focus has primarily been on current or future conditions. In this paper, we argue for a “bottom-up” approach that estimates potential productivity based on information about the agricultural practices and technologies used in past societies. Of key theoretical interest is using this information to estimate the carrying high quality historical and archaeological information about past societies in order to infer the temporal and geographic patterns of change in agricultural productivity and potential. We discuss information we need to collect about past agricultural techniques and practices, and introduce a new databank initiative that we have developed for collating the best available historical and archaeological evidence. A key benefit of our approach lies in making explicit the steps in the estimation of past productivities and carrying capacities, and in being able to assess the effects of different modelling assumptions. This is undoubtedly an ambitious task, yet promises to provide important insights into fundamental aspects of past societies, enabling us to test more rigorously key hypotheses about human socio-cultural evolution

Agricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in China

Open Access funded by China Agricultural UniversityOver the last three decades, China’s agriculture sector has been transformed from the traditional to modern practice through the effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Information processing and dissemination have played a critical role in this transformation process. Many studies in relation to agriculture information services have been conducted in China, but few of them have attempted to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of different information dissemination models and their applications. This paper aims to review and identify the ICT based information dissemination models in China and to share the knowledge and experience in applying emerging ICTs in disseminating agriculture information to farmers and farm communities to improve productivity and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The paper reviews and analyzes the development stages of China’s agricultural information dissemination systems and different mechanisms for agricultural information service development and operations. Seven ICT-based information dissemination models are identified and discussed. Success cases are presented. The findings provide a useful direction for researchers and practitioners in developing future ICT based information dissemination systems. It is hoped that this paper will also help other developing countries to learn from China’s experience and best practice in their endeavor of applying emerging ICTs in agriculture information dissemination and knowledge transfer

Harsha de Silva, Director, E-development Labs (private) Limited and Senior Economist, LIRNEasia - Agricultural Market Development through Information and Communication Technology (ICT): A Developing Country Experience

One of the fundamental characteristics of a well functioning market is the ability to transmit useful information to decision makers at the micro-level, which will ultimately culminate in the development of effective macro-level policies. A key assumption in economics is that market information is readily available to role players in business and marketing. In reality however, farmers in the developing world, unlike their developed countries counterpart, are still faced with the challenge of accessing credible market information. Market information is an essential component of agricultural production, distribution and marketing. The availability of timely and accurate market information to farmers by means of fast and effective modern information technologies has enormous potential of greatly enhancing agricultural production, investment, financial and strategic decisions. The objective of this executive interview is to show how information and communication technology (ICT - enabled agricultural market information service can improve productivity, bargaining power and market profitability of rural farmers in developing countries). Dr. Harsha de Silva, the architect and implementer of Govi Gnana Service (an agricultural knowledge service: GGS) in Sri Lanka shares his views and experience. The interview was conducted at the 15th Annual World Food and Agribusiness Forum, Symposium and Case Conference in Chicago, USA.Information and communication technology (ICT), agricultural markets, market information, Agribusiness,

The association of agricultural information services and technical efficiency among maize producers in Kakamega, western Kenya

Maize is the staple food for most Kenyan households, and grown in almost all the farming systems. Due to diminishing farm sizes in Kakamega District, crop productivity and the efficiency of farming systems are of great concern. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence on the links between efficiency in maize production and access to soil-related agricultural information services. Using cluster sampling, a total of 154 farmers in Kakamega District were interviewed. A 2–step estimation technique (Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit model) were used to evaluate the technical efficiencies among the farmers and the factors explaining the estimated efficiency scores. Data was disaggregated into farmers with and those without access to soil-related agricultural information services. The results shows that farmers with access to soil-related agricultural information services were more technically efficient (average technical efficiency of 90%) in maize production compared to those without access to information (technical efficiency at 70%). Given the significant role that access to soil-related agricultural information services play on technical efficiency in maize production in the study area, the paper recommends improvements in farmers access to this important resources through: (i) the strengthening of the formal and informal agricultural extension services, (ii) a stronger linkage among agricultural research, agricultural extension, and farm level activities; and (iii) policy support for increased distribution of soil management inputs.Maize, Soil information, Technical efficiency, Tobit analysis, DEA, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Information Needs and Challenges of Agricultural Researchers and Extension Workers in Edo State, Nigeria

This study investigated information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in Edo State, Nigeria. Proportionate sampling technique was used to select 106 respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The majority (71.6 %) of respondents indicated their need for information with respect to climate change and adaptation measures (71.6 %). Extension workers communicated more with agricultural researchers monthly (77.5 %). Lack of office-wide internet connectivity (2.06±1.08), unstable power supply (2.05±1.07), and non-subscription to relevant online resources by employer (2.05±1.07) inhibited respondents from meeting their information needs. The study recommends that to enhance knowledge sharing among researchers and extension workers, there is need for research institutes and state government to develop electronic repositories for their research outputs as this will further help other agricultural stakeholders to access local contents immediately