An Examination of the Productivity of Irish Agriculture in a Decoupled Policy Environment

End of project reportThe Single Farm Payment (SFP) scheme came into effect in the EU from the first of January 2005. This scheme replaced the many ‘coupled’ livestock and arable aid schemes available to farmers and was heralded as a significant move towards decoupling. This thesis explores the initial effects of this policy on total factor productivity (TFP) and its components (technical efficiency change, technical change, and scale efficiency change) in the main farming sectors in Ireland

A Comparison of Stochastic Frontier Approaches to Estimating Inefficiency and Total Factor Productivity: An Application to Irish Dairy Farming

This paper compares standard stochastic frontier models for panel data with a number of recently developed models designed to remove unobserved heterogeneity from the inefficiency component. Results are used to construct a generalised Malmquist total factor productivity (TFP) index. We conclude that the choice of approach makes little difference where the purpose of the study is to analyse aggregate trends in TFP and its components. However, where inefficiency estimates and their dispersion are of interest, attention should be paid to how the analyst’s interpretation of inefficiency relates to the underlying assumptions of the model that is used.Efficiency, panel data, total factor productivity, stochastic production frontier, ‘true’ effects models, dairy sector

Deconstructing domestic violence : (what's that piano doing on the beach?)

The aim of this thesis is to de-construct the discourse of domestic violence, with particular reference to Jane Campion's film "The Piano".Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Women's Studies, 199

Mapping assessment tasks as an index of undergraduate student workload

BACKGROUND Modern assessment practices frequently embrace continuous assessment rather than single point end-of-semester summative assessment. Indeed, studies suggest pedagogical advantages with providing ongoing low stakes summative e-assessments (Holmes, 2015) with a recent systematic review suggesting that while limited, studies on formative quizzes are mostly positive (Morris, Perry, & Wardle, 2021).  However, these studies tend to be completed in isolation without examining overall student workload and the possibility of over-assessment. Increased stress, anxiety and time management issues in undergraduate students led me to examine the workload of students engaged in full-time study in either the Bachelor of Agricultural Science or Biomedicine at La Trobe University. AIMS The objective of this study was to map the assessment requirements of students completing degrees in Agricultural Science or Biomedicine at La Trobe University as an index of full-time study workload. DESIGN AND METHODS The number, type, weighting, and due dates for assessments were obtained from subject coordinators and mapped across the 12-week semester plus end-of-semester assessment period.  Subjects were combined based on degree structure with several possible combinations of electives mapped based on enrolment data.  The number and weighting of tasks was then calculated for each of the twelve semester weeks plus end of semester based on a full-time (4 subject) load. RESULTS The number of assessment tasks for a fulltime student was greater in first year with an average of 55 tasks compared with 30 tasks for second and third year. Weighting of individual assessment tasks ranged from 0.83% to 30% during semester and 10 to 50% after semester, with students completing from 0-6 assessment tasks in any given week. Clear peak assessment times were notable at weeks 4, 6 and 12 coinciding with policy of early assessment by week 4, the mid-semester and end-of-semester periods. CONCLUSIONS Ongoing small stakes assessments coupled with larger summative assessments, when considered across multiple subjects lead to increases in student workload, potentially resulting in over-assessment that impedes rather than supports student learning. REFERENCES Holmes, N. (2015). Student perceptions of their learning and engagement in response to the use of a continuous e-assessment in an undergraduate module. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(1), 1-14. Morris, R., Perry, T., & Wardle, L. (2021). Formative assessment and feedback for learning in higher education: A systematic review. Review of Education, 9(3), e3292

Colouring the gaps in learning design: Aesthetics and the visual in learning

© 2016, IGI Global. The visual is a dominant mode of information retrieval and understanding however, the focus on the visual dimension of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is still quite weak in relation to its predominant focus on usability. To accommodate the future needs of the visual learner, designers of e-learning environments should advance the current attention on usability and functionality to include aesthetics, the visual and the affective. The challenge lies in finding a way to fully address the needs of the visual learner. This paper explores the role of visual aesthetics in improving engagement in online learning

Creating seating plans: A practical application

© 2016 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved. 0160-5682/16. This paper examines the interesting problem of designing seating plans for large events such as weddings and gala dinners where, among other things, the aim is to construct solutions where guests are sat on the same tables as friends and family, but, perhaps more importantly, are kept away from those they dislike. This problem is seen to be N P-complete from a number of different perspectives. We describe the problem model and heuristic algorithm that is used on the commercial website www.weddingseatplanner.com. We present results on the performance of this algorithm, demonstrating the factors that can influence run time and solution quality, and also present a comparison with an equivalent IP model used in conjunction with a commercial solver

An Examination of the contribution of off-farm income to the viability and sustainability of farm households and the productivity of farm businesses

End of project reportThe number of farm households in Ireland participating in the off-farm labour market has increased significantly in the last decade. According to the National Farm Survey (NFS), the number of farm households where the spouse and/or operator is working off-farm has increased from 37 per cent in 1995 to 58 per cent in 2007. The important contribution of non-farm income to viability of farm households is highlighted in the results of the Agri-Vision 2015 report, which concluded that the number of economically viable farm businesses is in decline and that a significant proportion of farm households are sustainable only because of the presence of off-farm income. Research conducted by Hennessy (2004) demonstrated that approximately 40 percent of farm households have an off-farm income and that almost 30 percent of the farming population are only sustainable because of off-farm income. Clearly, the future viability and sustainability of a large number of farm households depends on the ability of farmers and their spouses’ to secure and retain gainful off-farm employment. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) have recognised the importance of off-farm income to the sector and they have recommended that future policies focus on farm household viability in all its dimensions, including farm and off-farm income sources (2000).Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research Stimulus Fundin

Productivity and the Determinants of Efficiency in Irish Agriculture (1996-2006)

The competitiveness and productivity of Irish agriculture has been at the forefront of debate in recent times given successive and impending changes to agricultural policy. This paper examines the trend in total factor productivity in Irish agriculture over the recent past and explores the effects of specific variables on relative efficiency levels. The findings of this research have shown that productivity growth was highest in the Cattle Rearing sector followed by the Dairy, Cattle Finishing, Sheep and Cereals sectors during the period 1996 to 2006. The research has also shown that efficiency levels are, in general, positively correlated with extension use soil quality, the overall size of the farm, the level of intensification and the level of specialisation. The use of artificial insemination was also positively correlated with efficiency in the Dairy sectorProduction Economics,