Modelling the Impact of Decoupling on Structural Change in Farming: Integrating Econometric Estimation and Optimisation

Implementation of the Mid Term Review of the Common Agricultural Policy on farming in Europe is expected, and intended, to initiate structural changes in European agriculture. This impact of the agricultural policy reform will be triggered at the farm level with both up- and down-stream effects for agriculture in Europe. Modelling such a phenomenon is challenging. An integrated modelling approach, involving farm level optimisation models and exogenously estimated econometric models of farmer behaviour, is developed for Ireland; this framework is a general one and is applicable elsewhere. Entry and exit from farming, postulated as the main consequences of the policy reform, are estimated exogenously to determine their role in the allocation of farm labour. The results for Ireland show that farm numbers will decline more rapidly under decoupling relative to a baseline situation. Further, decoupling is likely to favour beef farming but, an increasing number of beef farmers will have to rely on outside income to sustain that system of farming. Dairy farmers will face a price cost squeeze and structural change in this sector will be accelerated.Common Agricultural Policy, Decoupling, Farm Level Modelling, Linear Programming, Succession, Labour Allocation, Agricultural and Food Policy, C6, Q12, Q15, Q58,

Application of Multiple Criteria Decision Models for Oilseed Crops in Pakistan’s Punjab

Pakistan is deficient in major food products. Self-sufficiency in food has virtually always been a major priority, because imports of wheat, edible oil, sugar, pulses and milk products put a massive burden on the balance of payments for the country. The increase in the production of oilseed has been a priority goal of the agricultural development policy in Pakistan. The oilseed crops have been validated as alternative crops on several target locations of different agro-ecological zones [PARC (1990)]; but the success of this validation work in terms of their dissemination is very limited. The possibility of including these crops in well established systems needed to be well conceived. The selection of farming systems, which have the potential to adopt such crops, is a prerequisite to investigate the problems and prospects of oilseed crops. The emphasis of the study is, therefore, on the identification of typical farm situations where the oilseed crops can be evaluated for their potential inclusion in the cropping plans. A real decision-making environment in agriculture involves several objectives along with their explicit targets.

Towards a method for the economic evaluation of environmental indicators in UK Integrated Arable Farming Systems

Integrated Arable Farming Systems (IAFS), which involve a reduction in the use of off-farm inputs, are attracting considerable research interest in the UK. The objectives of these systems experiments are to compare their financial performance with that from conventional or current farming practices. To date, this comparison has taken little account of any environmental benefits (or disbenefits) of the two systems. The objective of this paper is to review the assessment methodologies available for the analysis of environmental impacts. To illustrate the results of this exercise, the methodology and environmental indicators chosen are then applied to data from one of the LINK - Integrated Farming Systems experimental sites. Data from the Pathhead site in Southern Scotland are used to evaluate the use of invertebrates and nitrate loss as environmental indicators within IAFS. The results suggest that between 1992 and 1995 the biomass of earthworms fell by 28 kg per hectare on the integrated rotation and rose by 31 kg per hectare on the conventional system. This led to environmental costs ranging between £2.24 and £13.44 per hectare for the integrated system and gains of between £2.48 and £14.88 for the conventional system. In terms of nitrate, the integrated system had an estimated loss of £72.21 per hectare in comparison to £149.40 per hectare on the conventional system. Conclusions are drawn about the advantages and disadvantages of this type of analytical framework. Keywords: Farming systems; IAFS; Environmental valuation; Economics; Earthworms; Nitrates; Soil faun

Continuing Professional Development and Farm Business Performance

Economic and social pressures are transforming farm businesses and the structure of the agricultural industry, consequently it is presumed that farm management skills are under intense pressure. This creates a need for effective interaction between knowledge management and the actions taken by farm decision makers. However a definition of “successful farm business performance” is not easy to find and this, combined with literature that deals with managerial tasks in isolation, does not provide a clear picture for the farm manager pursuing self development. Farm businesses vary considerably in their attributes and resource base and the plethora of measurable factors mean that the manager needs to be able to identify what to measure and why on his own farm. In the UK it appears that most of the measures used in farming do not take into account the customer or human factors alluded to in other industries. Development of the skills and abilities of the decision makers to utilise techniques, interpret measures and relate them to their own business needs is increasingly important. The preliminary investigations described in this paper indicate that farmers and farm managers are aware of business management techniques but do not appear to integrate them fully into their own businesses.Farm Management, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Assessing the correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on the academic performance of medical students of Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background:  To assess the correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on the academic performance of medical students of Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods:  A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Shifa College of Medicine and its affiliated hospital for about three months from 10th June, 2019 till 15th August 2019. Second-year medical students actively took part in it. We used convenient sampling; a total of 101 students eagerly participated in it. We used a detailed self-administered questionnaire in which simplified questions with four to five options were given. Participants marked their responses to the provided options. A correlation was noticed between their Locomotive System and Gastrointestinal System modular exam scores with the questionnaire response. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23.  Results:  Out of 101 participants, 51.5% were males, and 48.5% were females. About 77.2% of participants were consuming caffeine in any form, while 22.8% never consumed caffeine. Those who consumed moderate (200-400 mg) caffeine in any way performed better in the Locomotive System Module with a mean score of 71.88%. Simultaneously, those who consumed a lot more than 400 mg of caffeine scored better in the Gastrointestinal Tract Module with a mean score of 76.50%.  Conclusion:  By conducting this study, we identified that caffeine consumption is surprisingly high in medical students. The correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on medical students’ performance is not significant.   Key Words: Academic performance, Caffeine consumption, Medical students. (Source: MeSH-NLM)

Integrated Arable Farming Systems and their potential uptake in the UK

Integrated Arable Farming Systems are examined from the perspective of the farmer considering the use of such techniques, and data are presented which suggest that the uptake of the approach may expose the manager to a greater degree of risk. Observations are made about the possible uptake of such systems in the UK and the implications this may have for agricultural and environmental policy in general

catena-Poly[[trimethyl­tin(IV)]-μ-[(E)-2-methyl-3-(3-methyl­phen­yl)acrylato-κ2 O:O′]]

The title trimethyl­tin(IV) carboxyl­ate, [Sn(CH3)3(C11H11O2)]n, is a carboxyl­ate-bridged polymer in which the Sn atom exists in a trans-C3SnO2 trigonal bipyramidal coordination. One Sn—O bond is a covalent bond [2.114 (2) Å], whereas the other is a dative bond [2.607 (2) Å]. The polymeric chain propagates along the b axis of the monoclinic unit cell