Factors Affecting the Decision to Adopt and Continue Best Management Practices by Broiler Producers

We analyzed survey data collected from broiler producers in Louisiana to understand the factors affecting the longevity of best management practices adoption. Results indicated variables such as future expansion potential and the length of time the farm have been with the family decreases the chance of adopting best management practices. Our results support the idea that education and income would have positive results on the entry decision to adopt best management practices.adoption, best management practices, broiler production, entry, exit, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

PRODUCTION TERMINATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MITIGATE NUTRIENT POLLUTION

Nutrient runoff from agricultural land can be reduced through production termination to mitigate water pollution. The willingness to accept value to terminate the broiler production is evaluated using sample selection model. The result showed a positive relationship between the decision to participation and stated WTA value indicating the producers are willing to terminate the production but at high cost. The farmer’s perception about government role on water pollution, farm income, information and awareness about other pollution reduction alternatives play a major role on stated WTA amount as well as on participation decision.Environmental Economics and Policy,

BROILER PRODUCERS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY TO MANAGE NUTRIENT POLLUTION

Economic incentives or disincentives play a major role on encouraging producers to implement environmentally benign production practices. We evaluated producers’ willingness to pay (WTP) value to represent the level of disincentives that motivate farmers to mitigate nutrient pollution. The result obtained by using ordered response model showed that farm size, farm income, and land available to spread litter are major variables that determine the producers’ WTP.Environmental Economics and Policy,

How well do India's social service programs serve the poor?

Reaching India's poor calls for greatly improved social service delivery systems, better targeting of the poor, more coordination between agencies, policies aimed at income generation, and more involvement of the poor and of nongovernmental organizations. The authors of this paper found that India's social services were used relatively little by the poor. The health and education of the poor has improved but not as much for the population as a whole. The reasons that all social service programs did so little to alleviate poverty are similar. Physical access to education and health services has improved but inequalities exist because of biases in locating facilities. The access of the poor to housing, social security, and social welfare services has been limited because these services were inadequate relative to needs and because services leak to the nonpoor. Social service policies are not comprehensive enough and the quality of services is low. Issues common to the social sector delivery systems are weak management, ineffective targeting, and inflexible service delivery systems that result in a mismatch between perceived needs and services delivered. The bureaucracy is inadequate to reach the poor. Existing capacity and resources are inadequate, particularly for education and health.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Economics&Finance,Poverty Assessment,Safety Nets and Transfers,Rural Poverty Reduction

Pedogenic characteristics of soil in Melur block, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu in India: A case study

Soil is an important source of human life and agricultural production. Studying on the pedon and its site characteristics pave the way for understanding the nature of soils and its utility. A study on pedological characterization of soils in Melur block, Madurai District (Tamil Nadu), was carried out during 2019-2020 using grid sampling with village map/cadastral maps. Soil mapping unit-based soil samples were collected in Chunampoor, Thuvarangulam, Poonjuthi and Veppapadupu and pedons were characterized as per the standard procedure. The results showed that soils were moderately deep to very deep in nature, ranging from 2.5 YR  3/6 to 10YR 4/6. The soil texture varied from sandy clay loam to sandy clay with weak to moderate sub-angular blocky structure. The consistency of soil varied from slightly hard to very hard when dry, very friable to firm when moist, slightly sticky to very sticky and slightly plastic to very plastic in wet condition. The crops viz., paddy, sugarcane, banana, groundnut and vegetables were very suitable for such type of soil of the Madurai district

Seir Model of Seasonal Epidemic Diseases using HAM

SEIR mathematical model of childhood diseases measles, chickenpox, mumps, rubella incorporate seasonal variation in contact rates due to the increased mixing during school terms compared to school holidays. Driven by seasonality these diseases are characterized by annual oscillations with variable contact rate which is a periodic function of time in years. Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) is considered in this paper to obtain a semi analytic approximate solution of non-linear simultaneous differential equations. Mathematica is used to carry out the computations. Results established through graphs show the validity and potential of HAM for amplitude of variation greater than zero. Also, when it is equal to zero both HAM and Runge-Kutta method graphs are compared