Coffee Value Chains in India: Exploring Sustainability Oriented Markets

Indian coffee sector is at an important point of transition, wedged between quality and value segments of the market. The trend towards Robusta has reduced the share of Arabica coffee resulting in moving away from the quality segment of the market. The value chain analysis of conventional, certified, and organic coffee indicated that chains for coffee are largely diffuse in nature, with limited coordination in terms of quality and specifications in the conventional chain. Coordination is stronger in certified and organic chains, but incentives and motivation for upgrading largely stem from individual efforts to add value rather than those taking place at the chain-level. Clearly, organic and certified coffee proved to beneficial as compared to conventional coffee in terms of gains to the actors and sustainability point of view. There is a potential niche for India to develop eco-friendly coffees by leveraging the natural environment and biodiversity present in its coffee growing region Western Ghats, a hotspot of biodiversity. These suggest that integrating sustainability principles in a broad-based branding strategy could be difficult at the level of the chain without institutional support or the entry of chain champions. Acknowledgement : The authors thank the Research Funding Agency - Norwegian Research Council s NORGLOBAL and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) for their contribution

Impact of groundwater markets in peninsular India on water use efficiency: A Data Envelopment Analysis approach

In the hard rock areas of India, overdraft of groundwater has led to negative externalities, increases costs of groundwater irrigation and causes welfare losses. Groundwater markets are slowly emerging as niche markets to improve water distribution and to mitigate water scarcity by stimulating more efficient use. A sample containing water sellers, water buyers and control farmers was collected to test the hypothesis of more efficient water use. The effect of groundwater market introduction on the efficiency of water use is studied using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The calculated subvector efficiencies for water use show that water buyers use water most efficient. But also water sellers are more efficient in their water use than the control group. Differences in average efficiency between these groups are shown to be significant using a Kruskal-Wallis test. This finding confirms that groundwater markets can add to improving efficiency of water use. Moreover results indicate that the existence of groundwater markets offers access to groundwater to resource poor farmers, the opportunity to benefit from the improved agricultural productivity generated by irrigation. In the light of proposed changes in groundwater legislation and policies for improving water use efficiency these empirical results provide crucial information to policy makers

A metafrontier approach and fractional regression model to analyze the environmental efficiency of alternative tillage practices for wheat in Bangladesh

Among alternative tillage practices, conservation tillage (CT) is a prominent greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy advocated in wheat cultivation, largely because of its low energy consumption and minimum soil disturbance during cultural operations. This paper examines the agricultural production and GHG emission trade-off of CT vis-à-vis traditional tillage (TT) on wheat farms of Bangladesh. Using a directional distance function approach, the maximum reduction in GHG emissions was searched for within all available tillage technology options, while increasing wheat production as much as possible. The underlying institutional, technical, and other socio-economic factors determining the efficient use of CT were analyzed using a fractional regression model. The average meta-efficiency score for permanent bed planting (PBP) and strip tillage (ST) was 0.89, while that achieved using power tiller operated seeders (PTOS) is 0.87. This indicates that with the given input sets, there is potential to reduce GHG emissions by about 11% for ST and PTOS; that potential is 13% for farmers using PTOS. The largest share of TT farmers cultivate wheat at lower meta-efficiency levels (0.65–0.70) compared to that observed with farmers practicing CT (0.75–0.80). Fractional regression model estimates indicate that an optimal, timely dose of fertilizers with a balanced dose of nutrients is required to reduce GHG emissions. To develop climate smart sustainable intensification strategies in wheat cultivation, it is important to educate farmers on efficient input management and CT together. Agricultural development programs should focus on addressing heterogeneities in nutrient management in addition to tillage options within CT

A metafrontier approach and fractional regression model to analyze the environmental efficiency of alternative tillage practices for wheat in Bangladesh

Among alternative tillage practices, conservation tillage (CT) is a prominent greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy advocated in wheat cultivation, largely because of its low energy consumption and minimum soil disturbance during cultural operations. This paper examines the agricultural production and GHG emission trade-off of CT vis-à-vis traditional tillage (TT) on wheat farms of Bangladesh. Using a directional distance function approach, the maximum reduction in GHG emissions was searched for within all available tillage technology options, while increasing wheat production as much as possible. The underlying institutional, technical, and other socio-economic factors determining the efficient use of CT were analyzed using a fractional regression model. The average meta-efficiency score for permanent bed planting (PBP) and strip tillage (ST) was 0.89, while that achieved using power tiller operated seeders (PTOS) is 0.87. This indicates that with the given input sets, there is potential to reduce GHG emissions by about 11% for ST and PTOS; that potential is 13% for farmers using PTOS. The largest share of TT farmers cultivate wheat at lower meta-efficiency levels (0.65–0.70) compared to that observed with farmers practicing CT (0.75–0.80). Fractional regression model estimates indicate that an optimal, timely dose of fertilizers with a balanced dose of nutrients is required to reduce GHG emissions. To develop climate smart sustainable intensification strategies in wheat cultivation, it is important to educate farmers on efficient input management and CT together. Agricultural development programs should focus on addressing heterogeneities in nutrient management in addition to tillage options within CT

57Fe internal field nuclear magnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectroscopy study of Li-Zn ferrites

We report the internal field nuclear magnetic resonance (IFNMR) and Mössbauer spectroscopy study of Li-Zn ferrites at RT. The results were supported by the IFNMR data measured at 77 K. As Zn concentration increases the IFNMR echo amplitude decreases and below certain Zn concentration no signal was detected. At RT the echo amplitude vanishes at a lower Zn concentration, whereas at 77 K, the echo amplitude does not vanish completely (except for pure Zn-ferrite). However, in Mössbauer spectroscopy at RT, we have observed magnetically ordered state of all the Li-Zn ferrite samples. This discrepancy could be related to the difference between the time scale of detection of the spins by Mössbauer spectroscopy (10−7–10−10 s) and NMR spectroscopy (10−6 s). Hence, sensitivity of zero-field NMR depends on the magnetic hyperfine field, temperature and abundance of the magnetic cations at the lattice of the spinel ferrites. We have demonstrated that the ‘two-equal-pulses’ sequence leads to higher echo signal than the spin echo pulse sequence due to the presence of distribution of internal magnetic fields throughout the material. We obtained a limiting value for the fraction of spins needed to produce an echo signal at a particular temperature and at a particular site of the Li-Zn ferrite spinels that can be sensitively detected by pulsed IFNMR technique. © 2017 Elsevier Inc

Incorporating Cost of Irrigation Water in the Currently Underestimated Cost of Cultivation: An Empirical Treatise

This study highlights that even though water for irrigation substantially contributes to production of principal crops, the cost of cultivation discounts its role, since it does not incorporate the cost of irrigation water in the cost of cultivation methodology followed by Directorate of Economics and Statistics/Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (DES-CACP). The study suggests modifications in data and methodology in estimating cost of cultivation of crops considering the field data from Karnataka. Estimating the net returns from the DES Cost of Cultivation Scheme data for TE 2008-10 according to market prices, economic prices and natural resource valuation (including cost of water), the study highlights that the extent of under estimation of cost of cultivation varies from 16 per cent to 49 per cent of the cost of cultivation in the case of groundwater irrigated crops and 4 per cent to 14 per cent in the case of canal irrigated crops. The minimum support price (MSP) offered did not include the cost of irrigation water of the principal crops cultivated in Karnataka. The study also suggests focusing on removal of market imperfections in addition to an MSP which properly accounts for cost of irrigation water, to enable farmers to reap a favourable proportion of consumer’s rupee

Valuation of Externalities in Water, Forests and Environment for Sustainable Development

Conceptual development in the theory of externalities have opened up several policy options for their internalization including payment towards environmental services. Hence as externalities are social costs, accountability is crucial in increasing environmental awareness and for collective action through education and extension more so in developing countries. Here a modest attempt has been made to estimate externalities in water, forests and environment with field data from peninsular India to reflect on the economic perception of externalities by farmers and users of environment for the consideration of policy makers to devise institutions for payment towards environmental services. The methodology largely used here in estimation / valuation of externalities is by considering ‘with – without’ situations (including ‘before – after’ in some cases) akin to ‘project valuation’. Studies cover empirical estimation of externalities inter alia due to over extraction of groundwater , sand mining, watershed development, conservation of forests, sacred groves, cultivation of organic coffee, use of medicinal plants as alternate medicines and the annual values presented are in 2008 prices. The negative externality due to sand mining 24 € per acre, that due to distillery effluent pollution is 34 € per acre. The positive externality due to watershed program is around 51 € per acre, and that due to rehabilitation of irrigation tanks is 26 € per acre. The positive externality due to cultivation of shade coffee is 9 € per acre and that due to forest conservation 27 € per acre. The positive externality due to sacred grove conservation was 12 € per family. The impact of forest conservation on Non timber forest products was 88 € / per tribal household. The positive externality due to use of medicinal plants as alternate medicine is equal to 35 € per patient suffering from osteo-arthritis and 19 € per patient suffering from peptic-ulcer. While these estimates are not sacro sanct as the methodologies for valuation of externalities are subject to further review and improvement, they however serve as initial indicators of spillovers. And they signal possibilities for consideration of policy makers for devising alternate institutions for potential payment towards environmental services

VALUATION OF EXTERNALITIES IN WATER, FORESTS AND ENVIRONMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Conceptual development in the theory of externalities have opened up several policy options for their internalization including payment towards environmental services. Hence as externalities are social costs, accountability is crucial in increasing environmental awareness and for collective action through education and extension more so in developing countries. Here a modest attempt has been made to estimate externalities in water, forests and environment with field data from peninsular India to reflect on the economic perception of externalities by farmers and users of environment for the consideration of policy makers to devise institutions for payment towards environmental services. The methodology largely used here in estimation / valuation of externalities is by considering ‘with – without’ situations (including ‘before – after’ in some cases) akin to ‘project valuation’. Studies cover empirical estimation of externalities inter alia due to over extraction of groundwater , sand mining, watershed development, conservation of forests, sacred groves, cultivation of organic coffee, use of medicinal plants as alternate medicines and the annual values presented are in 2008 prices. The negative externality due to sand mining 24 € per acre, that due to distillery effluent pollution is 34 € per acre. The positive externality due to watershed program is around 51 € per acre, and that due to rehabilitation of irrigation tanks is 26 € per acre. The positive externality due to cultivation of shade coffee is 9 € per acre and that due to forest conservation 27 € per acre. The positive externality due to sacred grove conservation was 12 € per family. The impact of forest conservation on Non timber forest products was 88 € / per tribal household. The positive externality due to use of medicinal plants as alternate medicine is equal to 35 € per patient suffering from osteo-arthritis and 19 € per patient suffering from peptic-ulcer. While these estimates are not sacro sanct as the methodologies for valuation of externalities are subject to further review and improvement, they however serve as initial indicators of spillovers. And they signal possibilities for consideration of policy makers for devising alternate institutions for potential payment towards environmental services