EU Food Safety Standards, Traceability and Other Regulations: A Growing Trade Barrier to Developing Countries' Exports?

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

Quantitative analysis of the impacts of Croatia's agricultural trade policy on the agri-food sector

Croatia recently signed several trade liberalisation agreements. The cornerstones of its trade policy are WTO membership, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU and Croatia's application of membership as well as bilateral free trade agreements within the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. The objective of this paper is to quantify the impact of Croatia's agricultural trade policy on the agri-food sector. For the analysis, a partial equilibrium model based on 1999/2000 data is used. Trade between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovenia, the EU-15 and the rest of the world is modelled for 12 product groups. Three liberalisation scenarios are analysed for the years 2002 and 2005. The scenarios differ with regard to the tariff changes. In general, the model results indicate that reciprocal trade liberalisation is welfare improving for Croatia. The increase in consumer welfare is larger than the decline in farmers' profits and the loss of governmental tariff revenues. In conclusion, the continuation of trade liberalisation is to be recommended. However, trade policy alone will not solve the existing problems of the agri-food sector, and transitional compensation measures could be considered to avoid unacceptable hardship. The benefits of trade liberalisation are primarily to be seen in an improved access to international markets, which probably enables Croatian food processors to realise economies of scale. In addition, internationally binding commitments such as trade agreements are likely to foster the internal and international political credibility and reduce political risks. -- G E R M A N V E R S I O N: In den letzten Jahren hat Kroatien mehrere Handelsabkommen unterzeichnet. Die Hauptelemente der kroatischen Handelspolitik sind die Mitgliedschaft in der WTO, das Stabilisierungsund Assoziierungsabkommen mit der EU und der Antrag auf EU-Mitgliedschaft sowie die bilateralen Freihandelsabkommen innerhalb des Stabilitätspaktes für Südosteuropa. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrages ist es, die Auswirkungen dieser Agrarhandelspolitik auf den kroatischen Agrar- und Ernährungssektor zu quantifizieren. Für die Analyse wird ein partielles Gleichgewichtsmodell verwendet, das auf Daten der Jahre 1999/2000 basiert. Für 12 Produktgruppen wird Kroatiens Handel mit Bosnien und Herzegowina, Ungarn, Slowenien, der EU-15 und dem Rest der Welt modelliert. Für die Jahre 2002 und 2005 werden drei Liberalisierungsszenarien untersucht, die sich bezüglich der Zolländerungen unterscheiden. Insgesamt zeigen die Modellergebnisse, das eine wechselseitige Handelsliberalisierung wohlfahrtssteigernde Effekte für Kroatien hat. Der Anstieg der Konsumentenwohlfahrt übersteigt den Einkommensrückgang der Landwirte und den Verlust an staatlichen Zolleinnahmen. Daher ist eine Fortsetzung der Handelsliberalisierung empfehlenswert. Allerdings kann die Handelspolitik alleine die existierenden Probleme im Agrar- und Ernährungssektor Kroatiens nicht lösen. Um unerwünschteHärten zu vermeiden, könnten für eine Übergangsphase Kompensationsmaßnahmen in Betracht gezogen werden. Der Nutzen einer Handelsliberalisierung ist vor allem in einem verbesserten Zugang zu internationalen Märkten zu sehen. Dies ermöglicht es kroatischen Verarbeitern wahrscheinlich, Skaleneffekte zu realisieren. Außerdem erhöhen international bindende Verpflichtungen wie Handelsabkommen die interne und internationale politische Glaubwürdigkeit und tragen damit dazu bei, politische Risiken zu reduzieren.Croatia,trade liberalisation,agri-food sector,partial equilibrium analysis,Kroatien,Handelsliberalisierung,Agrar- und Ernährungssektor,partielle Gleichgewichtsanalyse

Properties of Flexible Functional Forms for Modeling Bilateral Export Supply and Import Demand in Multi-Country Agri-Food Models

This paper illustrates the opportunities of incorporating more advanced functional forms into multi-country trade policy models. It suggests the use of flexible forms such as the Symmetric Generalized McFadden Function (SGMF) or the Normalized Quadratic-Quadratic Expenditure System (NQQES). Particularly if issues namely trade in differentiated products, preferential trade and effects of standards and traceability on bilateral trade are considered the NQQES offers attractive properties since it allows estimating variety specific expenditure elasticities which might compensate for example increased certification costs. A second aim of the paper refers to the critique on the handling of model parameters in calibrated policy models. In general, employed elasticities violate the theoretical conditions. We describe the calibration procedure developed to obtain model parameters consistent with economic theory.bilateral trade modelling, flexible functions, calibration, International Relations/Trade, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, B41, C61, F13, Q18, Q17,

PENGUJIAN TOLERANSI BEBERAPA GENOTIPE PADI PADA LAHAN SAWAH YANG MENGALAMI CEKAMAN KEKERINGAN

Lahan yang mengalami cekaman kekeringan merupakan lahan sawah yang tidak memiliki irigasi, untuk kebutuhan airnya tergantung pada air hujan. Seringkali dengan intensitas curah hujan yang tidak pasti menyebabkan tanaman mengalami cekaman kekeringan. Genotipe padi yang adaptif pada kondisi cekaman kekeringan menjadi salah satu komponen teknologi yang penting untuk mengantisipasi dampak perubahan iklim khususnya lahan-lahan sawah yang rawan cekaman kekeringan. Beberapa pengujian yang dilakukan untuk memperoleh genotipe tanamanpadi sawah atau gogo yangadaptif kekeringan telah banyak dilakukan di rumah kaca ataupun pada skala laboratorium dengan menggunakan polyethylene glycol (PEG)

Assessing natural resource management through integrated environmental and social-economic accounting: The case of a Namibian conservancy

Local natural resource management in its diverse manifestations holds core to its principles that the marginal and vulnerable households are empowered to manage valuable natural resources to improve social and economic equality and conserve biodiversity. Yet studies aiming to identify the impacts often show inconsistent results. Through constructing an integrated Environmental and Social Accounting Matrix (ESAM), we aim to assess how natural resources are used in different sectors and by different livelihoods, thus delivering different direct and indirect benefits to the community. The study was conducted in Namibia’s Sikunga Conservancy, which manages wildlife and fish resources in the Zambezi region. Our village-level ESAM shows an economic structure that strongly disadvantages remote households and identifies a small sector of the economy that benefits significantly from the use of natural resources. The ESAM approach is able to isolate undesirable socioeconomic developments such as unequal benefit sharing, which hinders community development. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016

Value chain analysis methodologies in the context of environment and trade research

This paper gives an overview of different methodologies related to value chain analysis in the context of environment and trade research. Four major fields of methodologies are identified: Accounting of input-output flows, general computable equilibrium models, econometrics, and global commodity chain analysis. Accounting of flows includes different physical (e.g. life cycle assessment) and monetary (e.g. social accounting matrix) accounting frameworks providing the foundation for computable general equilibrium models. Econometric value chain analysis is widespread in the field of impact assessment of value chains. It can be applied to analyze the effects of standards (e.g. food, social, and environmental) as well as transaction costs on the income of households (micro level) or on trade volumes of countries (macro level). Global commodity chain analysis aims to identify and measure the balance of power between the participating actors

Pengaruh Jamur Gliocladium SP. dan Bakteri Pseudomonas Fluorencens dalam Menekan Perkembangan Penyakit Layu Fusarium pada Tanaman Pisang Mas (Musa Paradisiaca L.) Hasil Kultur Invitro

The objective of the study is to determine the potence of natural agent, a mmushroom of Gliocladium sp. and bacterium Peudomonas fluorencens in resisting against the withering disease (Fusarium Oxysporum f.sp. Cubense) and their effect to the growth of the in-vitrocultured banana plant (Musa paradisiaca L). Thiswas conducted in the experimental farm of Agriculture Faculty, University of Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, in the period of June to December 2013.This research is a single experiment using Randomized Completely Block Design. The treatment was the administration of Gliocladium sp. In three different doses of 10 g/polybag (G1),20 g/ polybag (G2), 30 g/ polybag (G3), and the giving of Pseudomonas fluorencens inthree different dosage of10 ml/l water/ polybag (PF1),20 ml/l water/polybag (PF2) and 30 ml/l water/polybag(PF3) and one control group of no treatment (K0).Based on the result of data analysis, it is proved that the treatment of natural agents of Gliocladiumsp and Pseudomonas fluorencenshas induced the plants resistance against the withering disease of FusariumOxysporumf.sp. Cubense in the banana, as it is indicated bythe increase of phenol compounds, i.e. glychoseda, saponin, and thanin. However, the treatment has no significant effect on the plant growth either on their leaves or their stalk diameter

Notch Signaling Regulates Motor Neuron Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

In the pMN domain of the spinal cord, Notch signaling regulates the balance between motor neuron differentiation and maintenance of the progenitor state for later oligodendrocyte differentiation. Here, we sought to study the role of Notch signaling in regulation of the switch from the pMN progenitor state to differentiated motor neurons in a human model system. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were directed to differentiate to pMN‐like progenitor cells by the inductive action of retinoic acid and a Shh agonist, purmorphamine. We found that the expression of the Notch signaling effector Hes5 was induced in hESC‐derived pMN‐like progenitors and remained highly expressed when they were cultured under conditions favoring motor neuron differentiation. Inhibition of Notch signaling by a γ‐secretase inhibitor in the differentiating pMN‐like progenitor cells decreased Hes5 expression and enhanced the differentiation toward motor neurons. Conversely, over‐expression of Hes5 in pMN‐like progenitor cells during the differentiation interfered with retinoic acid‐ and purmorphamine‐induced motor neuron differentiation and inhibited the emergence of motor neurons. Inhibition of Notch signaling had a permissive rather than an inductive effect on motor neuron differentiation. Our results indicate that Notch signaling has a regulatory role in the switch from the pMN progenitor to the differentiated motor neuron state. Inhibition of Notch signaling can be harnessed to enhance the differentiation of hESCs toward motor neurons. Stem Cells 2015;33:403–415Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110586/1/stem1873.pd