4 research outputs found
Site-selection on the basis of territorial analysis methods
The object of research is the site-selection process for the rental housing construction. This form of real estate is becoming more widespread in the west, while in Russia it's development is currently on initial stage. The article proposes the site-selection solution on the basis of existing methods of territorial analysis, calculation of employment shares, location quotients, Hirschmann-Herfindahl index and Kano model application, as well as application examples of the obtained databases in the conditions of a narrowly formulated problem. The research results are the mechanisms for solving three types of problems depending on the nature of the initial data according to correspondence between the properties of the object under construction and the urban territories
Integration of territorial analysis methods in site selection on the example of Saint Petersburg
Capital construction of residential buildings for the purpose of subsequent rent is
gaining more and more widespread in the western countries. In Russia, in particular in St.
Petersburg, this form of business is just emerging. Due to relevance of this industry, the
question of selection the most suitable site for construction arises. The article proposes the
solution site-selection case basing on existing methods of territorial analysis, as well as
provides examples of application of the obtained databases in the conditions of a narrowly
formulated problem. The main tools in the analysis are the calculations of the shares of
employment, location quotient and the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index. The mechanisms of
solving three types of problems are given, depending on the nature of the input information due
to the study of the correspondence between the properties of the object under construction and
the urban territories. The theory is formulated on the example of a large city Saint Petersburg
and is more suitable for large agglomerations with a population of more than a million people
Agreement or Chance: How Exact are tree markings in forest management?
Tree marking activities are usually assumed to follow textbooks and management plan
guidelines. However, initial experiments starting in the 1990s have shown that there is
much room for personal interpretation by field and operational staff. This study presents
an analysis of tree selection variability among people selecting trees in marteloscopes as
part of silvicultural training activities. The analysis has been done for two different
thinning types, i.e. low and crown thinning, as well as for the selection of frame trees in
twelve different forests in the United Kingdom.
Two different methods have been used for assessing the agreement among participants,
i.e. Fleiss’ kappa and a method based on the test statistic of the χ2 goodness-of-fit test.
The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to identify possible relationships
between the aforementioned two agreement characteristics and the structural parameters
of the forests. In general the agreement between test persons was low for all types of tree
selection. Overall, the agreement was higher for low thinning exercises followed by the
selection of frame trees and the marked frame-tree competitors in crown thinnings. Both
agreement characteristics indicated that test persons tend to agree more when selecting
trees for low thinnings and when selecting frame trees. There were no consistent patterns
that suggest that the structure of the forest influences the level of agreement between test
persons
Groundnut variety replacement, market structure, marketed surplus and demand for improved varieties in Malawi: the case of smallholders and traders.
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Groundnut is an important crop for the Malawian agricultural sector. It has the potential to increase
agricultural farm incomes and contribute to improving food security for the predominantly maizebased
food production system. The Government of Malawi also considers groundnut as one of the
legume crops to complement dwindling export earnings from tobacco, which is the main export
crop for the country. Despite its potential to contribute to the economic wellbeing of smallholders
and the economy at large, the empirical literature has not adequately investigated how factors
inherent in the production and marketing chain affect the performance of the groundnut subsector.
Given this, the objectives of this study were to: investigate factors that determine smallholder'
replacement decisions of conventional and modern varieties of groundnuts; assess effects of
marketed surplus on demand for improved varieties by smallholders, and determine market
competitiveness and entry barriers for groundnut markets among intermediary traders in central
and northern Malawi. These objectives were achieved with survey data collected from groundnut
smallholder producers and intermediary traders. Simple and systematic random sample sizes of
416 and 124 respectively were selected. The study focused on five potential groundnut producing
districts, namely, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Kasungu and Salima in central Malawi, and Mzimba in
northern Malawi. Several econometric techniques were applied to analyze the data, namely,
Bivariate Probit (BVP), Endogenous Switching Probit (ESP), and the Multivariate Probit (MVP)
regression models.
The empirical results of the Bivariate Probit (BVP) model indicated that among the smallholders
that replaced conventional with improved varieties, few reverted to the cultivation of the former.
Other findings suggest that the probability that farmers would replace groundnut varieties,
improved or conventional, was lower than the probability for not replacing them. Conversely, the
probability of maintaining modern varieties was higher than that of maintaining conventional ones.
Further results indicated that the production of groundnuts for food and income increased the
probability of replacing both conventional and improved varieties. The statistical significance and
the probability for this dual-purpose production were stronger and higher in the replacement of
conventional varieties than for the modern ones. Factors related to the road infrastructure network
decreased the likelihood of replacing conventional varieties, whereas institutional factors and
smallholder' productive assets increased the likelihood of replacement of the same.
Finally, farm household characteristics and related institutional factors positively influenced the
probability of replacing modern groundnut varieties. These findings suggest that promoting dualpurpose
production of groundnuts could increase the adoption of modern varieties while
concurrently maintaining the diversity of the conventional ones. Farmers that belong to farmer
organizations, those experienced in groundnut production and human capital development of the
farmers, are also critical in contributing to the conservation of conventional varieties through
strategies that mitigate their erosion.
The results of the Endogenous Switching Probit (ESP) showed that marketed surplus had a positive
effect on demand for improved varieties. The average treatment effect for smallholders with a
marketed surplus (ATET) on the probability that they demanded improved varieties increased by
40%. Conversely, the average treatment effect for smallholders that did not have marketed surplus,
the untreated (ATU), on the probability that they demanded improved varieties declined by 14%.
Further, the marginal treatment effect (MTE) and average treatment effect (ATE) of marketed
surplus on the probabilities to demand improved varieties increased by about 30% and 26%,
respectively. Other results of this analysis revealed that despite groundnut productivity remaining
constant for over a decade at smallholder level, marketed surplus, as indicated by the average
commercialization index, was observed to be about twice the household's average consumption
index. This finding suggests that farmers are orienting themselves towards the commercialized
production of groundnuts. Access to market information, being involved in piece work jobs, yield
per hectare and the proportion of total land allocated to the production of groundnuts had a positive
and significant effect on marketed surplus. The positive average effects of marketed surplus on
demand for improved varieties suggest that farmers that are inclined to intensify market
participation value high yielding traits from improved varieties more than any other groundnut
varietal attributes. The findings of the study suggest that demand for improved varieties among
smallholders could increase if policy interventions could also focus on the challenges that
smallholders encounter in the output market. In this case, increased crop productivity, engagement
of smallholders in off-farm economic activities, and enhancing access to output market
information are critical.
In other results, an interval Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) revealed the existence of a
competitive structure in the local, district, and city groundnut markets. However, the Multivariate
Probit (MVP) regression model showed more entry barriers in the local and city markets than in
the district market. Such findings suggest that the existence of competitive market structures does
not imply the absence of trader entry barriers into the markets. Other results of the MVP showed
that experience in business and sole ownership of business positively influenced entry into the
district and local markets, respectively. Market transaction costs and storage infrastructure
negatively and positively influenced entry into local and city markets, respectively, while the
quantity of produce transacted positively and negatively influenced entry into both local and city
markets, respectively. Access to credit and informal credit sources positively and negatively
influenced entry into city markets, respectively. Membership in informal trader' associations
positively influenced entry into city markets. The findings of the study suggest that policy
facilitation for the formation of formal trader associations and access to credit from formal
financial institutions could enhance trader' participation in the city groundnut markets. Further,
public-private partnership investment in storage facilities and public investment in road
infrastructure is critical in reducing market transaction costs, which could enhance the participation
of intermediary traders in the local and city groundnut markets.
The overall findings of the study attest to the need for policy support for an integrated smallholder
groundnut seed system that would contribute to the growth and development of smallholder
agriculture. Strategies that would enhance the adoption of improved varieties and minimize losses
of indigenous germplasm are critical. In this vein, the marketed surplus has shown to be relevant
to increase the demand for improved varieties among the smallholders. There is also a need for
policy support in reducing constraints that prevent intermediary traders from enhancing their
participation in the groundnut markets. In such a way, they would continue to render marketing
services to smallholders, which otherwise could be costly if undertaken by themselves. One crosscutting
issue that merits attention for policy support is infrastructural development in improved
road networks from crop production centers to the distribution of produce along the marketing
chain of groundnuts