The Impact of Domestic and International Commodity Price Volatility on Agricultural Income Instability: Ghana, Vietnam and Peru

The extent to which commodity price volatility affects the income of producing households and their vulnerability to poverty and food insecurity depends on household diversification patterns and the degree of their exposure to markets. This article focuses on estimating agricultural income uncertainties for a number of different household types in Ghana, Vietnam and Peru. We develop explicit formulae for household income variance, and we combine information from household datasets and commodity price time-series in order to estimate the income uncertainty that emanates from price and production volatility under different scenarios of exposure to international and domestic markets shocks. Our results indicate that market and nonmarket uncertainties significantly affect the variability of agricultural income of households in these countries, and especially households that are specialized in a few commodities. However, it turns out that, under current policies, almost all of their income variability is due to domestic factors, with international prices not contributing much, at least in the short run. Wider exposure to international markets would increase the income variability of producers who have been subjected to domestic market stabilization policies in Ghana and Vietnam, while it would decrease it in the case of Peru.commodity prices, risk, households

The Contribution of Livestock to Household Income in Vietnam: A household typology based analysis

Generally the vast majority of poor households in developing countries live in the rural areas and heavily rely on agriculture and agricultural assets for their livelihoods. Vietnam gives evidence of the same patterns whereby 90 percent of the poor live in rural areas and more than 80 percent of the households are involved in the agricultural sector. The analysis presented in this paper focuses specifically on the link between poverty and livestock in Vietnam with the aim of evaluating how livestock contributes to household income and the role livestock plays for poor households. In this context, better understanding the link between livestock and the poor will allow more specific targeting of this group of the population through policies that promote livestock, with the final aim of improving their living standards and identifying a possible route out of poverty. A household typology approach and some econometric analysis are used to gain a better understanding of income profiles and household's livelihood structures. Results of the analysis illustrate the contribution of livestock ownership to household income and how income levels vary across a spectrum based on market integration and reliance on agriculture. Livestock ownership, production efficiency, market integration and income diversification are found to be important factors in income level differences. Policy propositions are provided.Livestock Production/Industries,

Preferences Erosion and Trade Costs in the Sugar Market: The Impact of the Everything but Arms Initiative and the Reform of the EU Policy

The changes recently introduced in the EU Common Market Organization for sugar will interact with preferential imports from developing countries and least developed countries that enjoy preferential treatment for exports to the EU, as well as by trade and adjustment costs. This paper focuses on the impact of the EU Commissions sugar policy reform and the Everything But Arms initiative on the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the Least Developed Countries. Simulations are run with an empirical model structure comprising a partial equilibrium model for the world sugar market and a gravity model to replicate least developed countries bilateral trade with Europe. Particularly, the gravity approach is employed to model the abolition of import tariffs for sugar originating in least developed countries, subject to trade costs, while the partial equilibrium approach is employed to assess the effects of EU Commissions sugar policy reform and the Everything But Arms initiative on world markets. Results suggest that the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will experience significant reduction in their export revenue, whilst the initial impact on least developed countries may be limited but increasing in the medium run.EBA, sugar, gravity, trade, C53, International Relations/Trade, Q18, C23,

Nitrous oxide in coastal waters

We determined atmospheric and dissolved nitrous oxide (N2O) in the surface waters of the central North Sea, the German Bight, and the Gironde estuary. The mean saturations were 104 ± 1% (central North Sea, September 1991), 101 ± 2% (German Bight, September 1991), 99 ± 1% (German Bight September 1992), and 132% (Gironde estuary, November 1991). To evaluate the contribution of coastal areas and estuaries to the oceanic emissions we assembled a compilation of literature data. We conclude that the mean saturations in coastal regions (with the exception of estuaries and regions with upwelling phenomena) are only slightly higher than in the open ocean. However, when estuarine and coastal upwelling regions are included, a computation of the global oceanic N2O flux indicates that a considerable portion (approximately 60%) of this flux is from coastal regions, mainly due to high emissions from estuaries. We estimate, using two different parameterizations of the air-sea exchange process, an annual global sea-to-air flux of 11–17 Tg N2O. Our results suggest a serious underestimation of the flux from coastal regions in widely used previous estimates

The impacts of climate change on Greek airports

Time series of meteorological parameters at ten Greek airports since 1955 indicated the level of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean area. Using this data, take-off performance was analysed for the DHC-8-400—a typical short range turboprop airliner, and the A320, a typical medium scale turbofan airliner. For airports with longer runways, a steady but unimportant increase in take-off distances was found. For airports with shorter runways, the results indicate a steady reduction in available payload. At the most extreme case, results show that for an Airbus A320, operating from the, relatively short, 1511m runway at Chios Airport, the required reduction in payload would be equivalent to 38 passengers with their luggage, or fuel for 700 nautical miles (1300 km) per flight, for the period between the A320’s entry to service in 1988 and 2017. These results indicate that for airports where aeroplane maximum take-off mass is a performance limited function of runway length, and where minimum temperatures have increased and/or mean headwind components decreased, climate change has already had a marked impact on the economic activity in the airline industry. Similar analyses could be usefully carried out for other runway-length–limited airports, which may often include island airports. It is also noted that previous research has only considered temperature effects, and not wind effects. Wind effects in this study are less significant than temperature, but nonetheless have an effect on both field performance noise and pollution nuisance around airports

Nanocrystalline TiO2 and halloysite clay mineral composite films prepared by sol-gel method:Synergistic effect and the case of silver modification to the photocatalytic degradation of basic blue- 41 azo dye in water

Tubular halloysite clay mineral and nanocrystalline TiO2 were incorporated in the preparation of nanocomposite films on glass substrates via sol-gel method at 450 °C. The synthesis involves a simple chemical method employing nonionic surfactant molecule as pore directing agent along with the acetic acid-based sol-gel route without addition of water molecules. Drying and thermal treatment of composite films ensure elimination of organic material and lead to the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles homogeneously distributed on the surface of the halloysite. Nanocomposite films without cracks of active anatase crystal phase and small crystallite size on halloysite nanotubes are characterized by microscopy techniques and porosimetry methods in order to examine their structural properties. The composite halloysite-TiO2 films with variable quantities of halloysite were examined as photocatalysts to the discoloration of Basic Blue 41 azo dye in water. These nanocomposite films proved to be very promising photocatalysts and highly effective to dye's discoloration in spite of small amount of halloysite/TiO2 catalyst immobilized onto glass substrates. It also has been shown that the efficiency of the halloysite/TiO2 films could be further improved when silver particles were deposited on their surface after successful adsorption from an aqueous solution of a silver salt and UV reduction of the adsorbed ions

The European Union preferential trade with developing countries. Total trade restrictiveness and the case of sugar

Preferential trade agreements are a central issue in the multilateral trade liberalization process. The extent to which such agreements are effective in improving market access for developing and developed countries is important because trade liberalization results in eroding their value to the beneficiary countries, expressed as export revenue. This paper focuses on the estimation of a theoretically founded bilateral aggregated measure of trade restrictiveness, the Mercantilistic Trade Restrictiveness Index, by means of a general equilibrium model, in order to measure the effectiveness of preferences granted by the European Union. We also develop an empirical model structure, comprising a partial equilibrium model for the sugar market and a gravity model, in order to replicate least developed countries bilateral trade with Europe, and to estimate the erosion in the value of preferences granted to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and to least developed countries brought about by changes in the Common Market Organization for sugar and the Everything but Arms initiative. The results highlight the importance of sugar in determining the degree of trade restrictiveness faced by developing countries. Sugar sector policy reform in Europe is expected to result in a significant reduction in the African Caribbean and Pacific countries’ export revenue, whilst the initial impact on least developed countries may be limited, but increasing in the medium run.preferential trade, sugar, policy reform

Chemical characterization of the inorganic fraction of aerosols and mechanisms of the neutralization of atmospheric acidity in Athens, Greece

The PM<sub>10</sub> mass concentration levels and inorganic chemical composition were determined on 12-h resolution sampling during August 2003 and March 2004, in the centre of Athens, Greece. The August 2003 campaign mean PM<sub>10</sub> mass concentration, obtained by Beta Attenuation at 5 m above ground in Athinas Street, was 56 μg m<sup>−3</sup> while the corresponding value for March 2004 was 92 μg m<sup>−3</sup>. In both campaigns the E.U. imposed daily limit of 50 μg m<sup>−3</sup> was exceeded on several days. During the March campaign, in Athinas Street, additionally obtained DSFU-PM<sub>10</sub> (PM<sub>10-2.5</sub>+PM<sub>2.5</sub>) gravimetric mass concentrations (mean: 121 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) in the "breathing zone", at 1.5 m above ground were significantly higher compared to the respective mean PM<sub>10</sub> mass concentrations obtained by the same method at 25 m above ground, in a second site (AEDA; mean: 86 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) also in the centre of the city. The above findings suggest that, for a realistic estimation of the exposure of citizens to particulate matter, PM<sub>10</sub> sampling in the "breathing zone" (1.5–3 m above ground) is necessary. Such data are presented for the first time for the centre of Athens. In both campaigns, calcium was found to be the predominant component of the coarse fraction while crust-related aluminosilicates and iron were the other major components. The above elements constitute the most important components of the fine fraction, together with the predominant sulphur. All toxic metals were found in concentrations below the established air quality limits, and most of them in lower concentrations compared to older studies. Lead in particular, appeared mostly in the fine fraction and in very low concentrations compared to studies dating more than a decade back. The predominant ions of the coarse fraction have been found to be Ca<sup>2+</sup>, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, Na<sup>+</sup> and Cl<sup>−</sup>, while SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup> and NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> were the major ionic components of the fine fraction. In the fine particles, a low molar ratio of NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>/SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> indicated an ammonium-poor ambient air, and together with inter-ionic correlations suggested that atmospheric ammonia is the major neutralizing agent of sulfate, while being insufficient to neutralize it to full extend. The formation of NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub> is therefore not favored and additional contribution to the neutralization of acidity has been shown to be provided by Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup>. In the coarse particle fraction, the predominantly abundant Ca<sup>2+</sup> has been found to correlate well with NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> and SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, indicating its role as important neutralizing agent in this particle size range. The proximity of the location under study to the sea explains the important concentrations of salts with marine origin like NaCl and MgCl<sub>2</sub> that were found in the coarse fraction, while chloride depletion in the gaseous phase was found to be limited to the fine particulate fraction. Total analyzed inorganic mass (elemental+ionic) was found to be ranging between approximately 25–33% of the total coarse particle mass and 35–42% of the total fine particle mass

Chemical characterization of the inorganic fraction of aerosols and mechanisms of the neutralization of atmospheric acidity in Athens, Greece

International audienceMass concentration levels and the inorganic chemical composition of PM10 (two fractions; PM10?2.5 and PM2.5) were determined during August 2003 and March 2004, in the centre of Athens, Greece. August 2003 monthly mean PM10 mass concentration, at 5 m above ground, was 56 ?g/m3 and the EU imposed daily limit of 50 ?g/m3 was exceeded on 16 occasions. The corresponding monthly mean for March 2004 was 92 ?g/m3 and the aforementioned daily limit was exceeded on 23 occasions. The PM10 (PM10?2.5+PM2.5) mass concentrations at 1.5 m above ground were found to be approximately 20% higher compared to the respective PM10 measured at 5 m. Consequently, for a realistic estimation of the exposure of citizens to particulate matter, PM10 sampling at a height of 1.5?3 m above ground, in the "breathing zone" is necessary. Such data are presented for the first time for the centre of Athens. In both campaigns, calcium was found to be the predominant component of the coarse fraction while crust-related aluminosilicates and iron were found to be the other major components of the same fraction. The above elements constitute the most important components of the fine fraction, together with the predominant sulphur. Toxic metals were found to be below the air quality limits and in lower concentrations compared to older studies, with the exception of Cu and V for which some increase was observed. Pb, in particular, appeared mostly in the fine fraction and in very low concentrations compared to studies dating more than a decade back. The major ions of the coarse fraction have been found to be Ca2+, NO3? and Cl?, while SO4?2, Ca2+ and NH4+ were the major ionic components of the fine fraction. The low molar ratio of NH4+/SO4?2 indicated an ammonium-poor ambient air, where atmospheric ammonia is not sufficient to neutralize all acidity and the formation of NH4NO3 does not occur to a significant extend. Calcium predominated the coarse fraction and its good correlations with NO3? and SO4?2 indicated its role as an important neutralizing agent of atmospheric acidity in this particle size range. In the fine fraction, both Ca2+ and NH4+ participate in the neutralizing processes with NH4+ being the major neutralizing agent of SO4?2. Chloride depletion from NaCl or MgCl2 was not found to occur to a significant extend. Total analyzed inorganic mass (elemental+ionic) was found to be ranging between approximately 25?33% of the total coarse particle mass and 35?42% of the total fine particle mass