TRADE GAINS AND WELFARE COSTS OF INCOME STABILIZATION PROGRAMS FOR HOG PRODUCERS IN QUEBEC

The welfare costs of deficiency payments for an exported commodity may, under certain conditions, outweigh the gains from trade. The potential welfare impacts of stabilization programs in the hog sector in Quebec are estimated, based on a partial equilibrium framework, and elasticity estimates drawn from other sources. The results indicate that the loss in surplus in Quebec as a result of deficiency payments is very modest at approximately $8.5 million or 1.7$14 million.Livestock Production/Industries,

Strategic Decision-Making: Adoption of Agricultural Technologies and Risk in a Peasant Economy

Descriptive and logit analysis were employed to investigate the impact of social, economic and technical factors on decisions to adopt new agricultural technologies in the Ada and Selale districts of Ethiopia. Peasants follow sequential adoption of technologies. In both study areas, priority is given to adoption of crop production augmenting technologies followed by technologies that complement crop production (Ada) and contribute to increases in milk production (Selale). Producers of both regions require existence of certain pre-conditions prior to the adoption of technologies. Ada farmers require more pre-conditions related to livestock production while Selale farmers require more preconditions related crop production. The impact of indigenous production knowledge and experience on adoption decisions was found not only positive but greater than most economic and social variables. The influence of most socioeconomic variables is greater on technologies that are proven to have a more certain outcome (e.g., fertilizer and pesticides) than on technologies which are either expensive or risky (e.g., cross-bred cows and improved seed). Risk-averse behaviour of households reduces the probability of adopting new technologies in both study regions. Households may be willing to take more risks if they receive insurance from social networks, governmental and non-governmental organizations or are rich. The results from the Selale and Ada regions suggest that physical inputs and knowledge exert large and significant positive impacts on production when farmers adopt combinations of fertilizer and pesticides (Ada), or fertilizer and cross-bred cows (Selale).Logit; Ethiopia; adoption of technologies; indigenous knowledge; crop; livestock; risk-averse; social networks; governmental; non-governmental organizations

The Contribution of Non-Physical Resources and Strategic Household Decision-making to Environmental and Policy Risks

Physical resources such as land, labour and livestock, and nonphysical resources such as indigenous knowledge and institutions of producers in the grain surplus and deficit regions of the Central Highlands of Ethiopia are examined under situation of environmental and policy risks. Frequency distribution and comparative statistical analysis of the grain-surplus regions suggest that in situations where all producers are subjected to a common source of risk (e.g. rainfall): I) institutional resources become less effective, and ii) combination of land, labour, knowledge and other complementary resources form the basis for adjustment mechanisms and sequential or strategic decisions. On the other hand, when essential resources such as land are government owned and household decisions are shared by the state, local institutions or social networks become an effective means to maintain reproduction of the farm and producers through providing access to or sharing of resources. In the extreme case of environmental degradation (e.g., drought), farmers follow sequential decision-making. This sequence of decision-making begins with minimization of expenditure, selling of resources that are intended to stabilize farm income, selling of resources essential to farming and depletion of household items, and finally evacuation. The ability of such farming system to regenerate, however, greatly depends not only on the availability of physical resources but most importantly by the potential of knowledge and institutions of producers to adjust to environmental changes, and support from governmental or non-governmental sources.Resources; indigenous knowledge; institutions; Ethiopia; frequency distribution; statistical analysis; risk; sequential decision-making; environment; government

Goals and Strategies of Peasants in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Multidisciplinary research methods such as observatory, participatory and multivariate regression analysis were employed to examine goals and strategies of two peasant communities in the Central highlands of Ethiopia. Continuing the family tradition of participating in social networks is found to be a universal normative goal of most study farmers. Securing subsistence food requirements and goals that may be used to characterise higher level of standard of living were ranked next to the normative goal. Five major goals were examined in relation to the normative goal. Furthermore, strategies identified by households were grouped into opportunistic, risk-minimization and long-range planning. Statistical analysis of relationship between the five goals and strategies indicate that i) most strategies are relatively important in attaining goals selected for statistical analysis, ii) strategies which are proven to be useful from prior experience of other producers prior to this study tend to have a stronger relationship with the current goals of decision-makers (e.g. pesticides and fertilizer ), iii) the ranking of goals and strategies recognize region, enterprise and experience-specific comparative advantages of peasants, and iv) producers rank strategies hierarchically and goals ranked high in the hierarchy are valued high on subsequent goals (e.g. securing subsistence on livestock husbandry). Development projects could successfully increase the attainment of securing food self-sufficiency if they properly identify comparative advantages of farmers and regions, and examine the compatibility of intervention strategies with the goals and strategies of peasants.Multidisciplinary; multivariate regression; Ethiopia; social networks; opportunistic; risk-minimization; long-range planning; peasants; hierarchical ranking; intervention strategies; goals and strategies

Endogenous Murine Leukemia Viruses: Relationship to XMRV and Related Sequences Detected in Human DNA Samples

Xenotropic-murine-leukemia-virus-related virus (XMRV) was the first gammaretrovirus to be reported in humans. The sequence similarity between XMRV and murine leukemia viruses (MLVs) was consistent with an origin of XMRV from one or more MLVs present as endogenous proviruses in mouse genomes. Here, we review the relationship of the human and mouse virus isolates and discuss the potential complications associated with the detection of MLV-like sequences from clinical samples

Genetic survey of caribou populations using microsatellite DNA

Microsatellite loci are highly variable regions of eukaryotic DNA that consist of tandemly repeated sequences of one to six nucleotides in length. The use of microsatellites and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are powerful tools for quantifying genetic variation within and among individual populations. Recently, we have developed primers for caribou that amplify 4 microsatellite loci. These microsatellite loci were used to survey the genetic variation in populations of Barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), Peary caribou (R.t. pearyi) and Woodland caribou (R.t. caribou) of Canada. The four loci examined were all polymorphic, revealing high levels of heterozygosity (> 0.74) in all of the study populations

A Taxonomic Review of Corybas rivularis (Orchidaceae) - Inferred from Molecular and Morphological Analyses

This research has expanded the level of precision utilised in critically examining the morphology of Corybas rivularis Rchb.f (Orchidaceae), related species and undescribed populations. Corybas rivularis and related species have undergone taxonomic revisions, incorporating errors that took decades to discover. Utilising morphological and molecular analyses has provided insights into this problematic group. A new protocol for examining the morphological characteristics of C. rivularis has been developed, based on concepts of floral morphometrics, to determine the level of morphological variation within the species, closely related species and a range of undescribed populations, some of which have tag-names. The use of morphological techniques with multivariate statistics has not been previously used in this group. A suite of precisely defined continuous characters relevant to the four species and five undescribed tag-named populations studied is established, and a distance matrix collating all of the respective characters for each sample is generated. A Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) found the characters most capable of discriminating natural groups to be three aspects of the flower labellum; the length and width of the labellum bib, and the length of a furrow in the labellum formed from a developmental pinching of the labellum tube, which leads to the column. The LDA, along with a cluster analysis (UPGMA) allowed all species and tag-named populations studied to be determined as distinctive, except for two; C. aff. rivularis (AK251833; Kaitarakihi) and C. ‘veil’, which together form a distinct group. There are two morphological syndromes present in the studied species and tag-named populations; One group, allied to Corybas iridescens Irwin & Molloy, tends to have a long and wide bib, with a small furrow and petiolate leaf, the other group, allied to C. rivularis sensu stricto tending to have a narrow and short bib, with a long furrow and sessile leaf. Sequence variation of the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region was used reconstruct relationships. Consistent with other studies (Clements et al. 2007), many samples shared identical sequences. C. iridescens, and tag-named populations C. aff. rivularis (AK251833; Kaitarakihi) and C. “veil” formed a highly supported clade. Corybas rivularis from the far North has variation from all other species and tag-named populations. The tag-named populations regarded as C. aff. rivularis (CHR 518313 “whiskers”), C. aff. rivularis (CHR 518025; Kaimai) and C. “pollok” shared identical sequences. Consistent with the morphological findings, there are two highly supported monophyletic groups present in the plants studied; one composed of C. rivularis and allied species, and another group composed of C. iridescens and allied species. The evidence suggests a taxonomic revision is warranted however further research into this group is still required to further delimit species boundaries. Any taxonomic revision undertaken will have ramifications for conservation, both the threat classification status of some species, and the conservation management strategie

Rigidity and the program change proposal system.

http://www.archive.org/details/rigidityprogramc00coffU.S. Marine Corps (U.S.M.C.) author