DYNAMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING U.S. AND REGIONAL CATFISH DEMAND

Response to changes in factors influencing consumption of catfish and competing commodities differ between national, South Atlantic, and Southwest Central markets. A modified state adjustment model for catfish, beef, chicken, and other fish explicitly included age distribution, residence, occupation, education, and race/ethnic variables associated with habit formation. Nationally, per capita expenditures on catfish respond to present and past relative prices, and catfish, chicken, and other fish, but not beef, consumption demonstrates significant habit formation. South Atlantic and Southwest Central habits for catfish consumption persist, and, as the population ages, chicken and fish consumption increase.Demand and Price Analysis,

WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONS IN ARMENIA: CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE TRENDS

Experiences of Water Consumers Cooperatives accumulated in Armenia during the past six years have been mixed. Some cooperatives have provided evidence of being capable of organizing themselves and responding to the needs of their members more effectively than any central governmental organization. However, many other aspects are still unresolved. Created in 2001, the State Committee for Water Economy (SCWE) agreed recently to follow a more participatory approach in establishment of Water Users Associations and, on the basis of positive experiences worldwide, SCWE is willing also to scale up the process to the level of Water Users Federations.Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

SEASONAL LABOR CONSTRAINTS AND INTRA-HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS IN THE FEMALE FIELDS OF SOUTHERN CAMEROON

Women's agricultural production is modeled as a sequential switching regression process determined by men's clearing labor capacity and women's harvest labor capacity. Results show that output was more often constrained by husband's clearing labor. However, men's economic contribution to household consumption is inversely related to women's agricultural output.agriculture, seasonal labor, gender, production, developing countries, Consumer/Household Economics, International Development, Labor and Human Capital,

ESTABLISHING AN AGRIBUSINESS STUDY ABROAD COURSE IN MEXICO: A PROJECT IN INTERNATIONALIZING THE CURRICULUM

Study abroad provides students with a cross-cultural experience and a new perspective on the global market place. Seven students from the University of Georgia enrolled in an initial course entitled , International Agribusiness Marketing and Management: Focus on Mexico, at the University Veracruzana in Xalapa during the Maymester 2000. Their curriculum included field trips to agribusinesses, Spanish classes and lectures on Mexican business culture, and NAFTA. As a result, students became more comfortable in cross-cultural environments and confident in their abilities.Agribusiness, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

ESTABLISHING AN AGRIBUSINESS STUDY-ABROAD COURSE IN MEXICO: A PROJECT IN INTERNATIONALIZING THE CURRICULUM

Study abroad provides students with a cross-cultural experience and a new perspective on the global marketplace. Seven students from the University of Georgia enrolled in the first agribusiness study-abroad course, entitled "International Agribusiness Marketing and Management: Focus on Mexico," at the Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa during the Maymester 2000. Their curriculum included field trips to agribusinesses, Spanish classes and lectures on Mexican business culture, and NAFTA. As a result, students became more comfortable in cross-cultural environments and more confident in their academic and professional abilities.agribusiness, curriculum development, study abroad, Agribusiness, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR MAJOR FOOD MARKETS IN TAIWAN

The Food Industry Research and Development Institute conducted a nationwide survey of food consumption in Taiwan in 1999. A sample of 1200 consumers responded to a questionnaire, which asked whether there was a use/visit experience in the past year for each of six types of food markets: traditional vegetable market, supermarket, hypermarket, consumer cooperative, chain convenience store, and grocery store. Questions also asked which types of food markets consumers used most frequently for the purchase of fresh foods, planned purchases or occasional purchases of processed foods, and what factors influenced consumers to choose their most frequently used market. Nearly 84 percent of surveyed consumers have used/visited traditional vegetable markets in the past year, while 47 percent choose traditional markets as their most frequented marketplace for buying fresh food in Taiwan. Some 81 percent of surveyed consumers have used or visited a supermarket in past year, while 17.7 percent and 29.0 percent choose supermarkets as the most frequented marketplace for planned and occasional purchases of processed foods, respectively. We apply stepwise logistic regression to identify significant sociodemographic factors (such as gender, age, and others) which influence the choice of each of the six major types of food markets and to identify the promotional factors which positively or negatively influence consumers' preferences for the most often used market. Female consumers have almost four times higher odds of frequently using traditional vegetable markets in the past year. The unmarried, divorced/widowed, and/or those who had higher family monthly incomes demonstrate lower odds of frequently using traditional markets. For purchases of fresh foods, female respondents, older consumers, and/or those living in northern Taiwan have higher odds of choosing traditional vegetable markets as the most frequently used market, while occupation "chief," and those with higher levels of education have lower odds of choosing traditional markets. Price level influences consumers positively in choosing traditional vegetable markets, while products with mark registrations, such as GMP or CAS, negatively influence this choice. For planned purchases of processed foods, older consumers are more likely than others to choose traditional vegetable markets, and price level is also a positive influence for choosing these markets. For occasional purchases of processed foods, manual laborers and/or those living in northern Taiwan have higher odds of choosing traditional vegetable markets, while unmarried respondents have lower odds. Price level and products with nutrition labeling are positive promotional factors influencing consumers to choose traditional vegetable markets. For the other five market types, sociodemographic factors influence consumers' choices of markets differently in each case, but marketing factors also influence choices of which type of marketplace to use most frequently.Consumer/Household Economics,

Effects of Price Volatility and Surging South American Soybean Production on Short-run Soybean Basis Dynamics

This study investigates the effects of South American production (SAP) and futures volatility on the soybean price dynamics in terms of their effects on the basis. The results of the econometric model showed that both South American production and futures volatility of the nearby contract have negative effects on the basis though in the forecast model, lagged values of these two factors failed to predict basis change in the future. If information about the change of the expected SAP or futures volatility is available, then the model can predict the changes in basis. This information would be helpful for hedgers to decide the time to lift their hedge.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

U.S. Cotton Subsidies: Are Brazil's Accusations True?

International Relations/Trade,

A source-differentiated analysis of tropical fresh fruit imports

A source-differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System model is used to analyze U.S. demand for the major tropical fresh fruit imports from different countries of origin. The tropical fresh fruits chosen for analysis include fresh bananas, fresh pineapples, papayas, and mangoes/guavas. To address endogeneity problem, we utilized an iterative 3SLS estimation method. Results show that consumer incomes are a major determinant of tropical fresh fruit import demand and most of the tropical fresh fruit imports are luxury commodities. U.S. consumers have a preference for Guatemalan and Costa Rican bananas, Costa Rican and Honduras pineapples, and Ecuador and Mexican mangoes. A competitive relationship exists between bananas from Ecuador and Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica, Costa Rica, and Ecuador and bananas in general face competition from the other tropical fresh fruits, particularly from most pineapple and mango sources, and all the other fresh fruit imports. Based on the study findings, the countries of origin could determine how they could increase their products market share in the U.S. and likely impact of price changes of their commodity. For example, Mexico could utilize price competition strategies to retain and regain its declining U.S. mango market share.Tropical Fresh Fruits, Source-Differentiated AIDS model, Import Demand, Crop Production/Industries,

VARIETAL SALES AND QUALITY DIFFERENTIATION: THE CASE OF CERTIFIED SOYBEAN SEED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.

Variation in annual soybean plantings contributes to uncertainty in supplies of and demand for soybean seed in the southeastern U.S. This study used an expenditure valuation approach in an hedonic analysis framework to estimate returns to soybean seed quality differentiation. Analysis of pooled cross-sectional and time series observations narrowed important quality characteristics to yield and disease resistance attributes. In general, unexpected environmental factors affect seed crops over time, and the demand for other performance attributes is less predictable than for expected yield attributes. The results also suggest that geographical location is not significantly related to sales of varietal soybean seed in the study area.Crop Production/Industries,