Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural exports

The COVID-19 outbreak has shocked the world’s economies in the year of 2020.As this pandemic spreads around the globe,many experts feared that the global food supplies might start running short,especially if supply chains were disrupted.COVID-19 also added to the uncertainty of the business operation.Therefore,it is critical to understand how COVID-19 pandemic affected global food supply and market.In this study,we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural export companies in China using a unique firm-level survey data.We found that although on average agricultural businesses experienced declines in the exports,exports of some agricultural products especially grain and oil held strong and even increased,implying the essential demand for staple food during the pandemic.Not surprisingly,exports of medicinal herb also increased significantly during the pandemic.However,exports of goods such as edible fungus and horticultural products sharply decreased.Our results also showed that in general,impact of COVID-19 on smaller firms was more severe than that on larger firms.The results of this study can provide useful guidance and implications for agricultural businesses and policy makers on their COVID-19 mitigation efforts to navigate this global pandemic.

Technological Options to Ameliorate Waste Treatment of Intensive Pig Production in China:An Analysis Based on Bio-Economic Model

Ameliorating waste treatment by technological improvements affects the economic and the ecological-environment benefits of intensive pig production. The objective of the research was to develop and test a method to determine the technical optimization to ameliorate waste treatment methods and gain insight into the relationship between technological options and the economic and ecological effects. We developed an integrated bio-economic model which incorporates the farming production and waste disposal systems to simulate the impact of technological improvements in pig manure treatment on economic and environmental benefits for the case of a pilot farm in Beijing, China. Based on different waste treatment technology options, three scenarios are applied for the simulation analysis of the model. The simulation results reveal that the economic-environmental benefits of the livestock farm could be improved by reducing the cropland manure application and increasing the composting production with the current technologies. Nevertheless, the technical efficiency, the waste treatment capacity and the economic benefits could be further improved by the introduction of new technologies. It implies that technological and economic support policies should be implemented comprehensively on waste disposal and resource utilization to promote sustainable development in intensive livestock production in China.

Determinants of loan repayment among agricultural microcredit finance group members in Delta state, Nigeria

Background:This study examined the determinants of loan repayment among microcredit finance group members in Delta State,Nigeria.Methods:To capture the determinants of loan repayment in the study area,a total of 48 microcredit groups and 300 microcredit group members were randomly selected through a multi-stage random sampling technique.The study data was collected by questionnaire.Statistical tools such as simple descriptive statistics(table,frequency,percentage and mean)and a multiple regression analysis were used to examine the data.Results:The results indicate that females form a greater proportion of the study area microcredit group members at 70%,moreover 73%of the respondents have a household size of between 6 to 10 persons.These findings revealed that the groups had a mean 8 years of existence with a mean membership size of 13 persons.Further,an average interest rate of 40 percent per annum was charged on loans,with mean loan duration of 6 months.The regression’s result demonstrated that the determinants of the group member’s loan repayment included the group member’s age,household size,house income,and educational level,the amount of credit received,length of stay in their locality,distance to the credit source,supervision and disbursement lag.Conclusion:Therefore it was suggested that the various agricultural microcredit finance groups should carefully examine the significant determinants of loan repayment for the approach’s viability and sustainability and for optimum repayment performance.

Effects of environmentally friendly agricultural land protection programs: Evidence from the Lake Seyfe area of Turkey

fully supported by the Turkish Scientific Research Council （TUBITAK in Turkish, 110O747）

Evaluating the Economic and Environmental Impacts of a Global GMO Ban

The objective of this research is to assess the global economic and greenhouse gas emission impacts of banning GMO crops. This is done by modeling two counterfac-tual scenarios and evaluating them apart and in combination using a well-know Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model, GTAP-BIO. The first scenario models the impact of a global GMO ban. The second scenario models the impact of increased GMO penetration. The focus is on the price and welfare impacts, and land use change greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with GMO technologies. Much of the prior work on the economic impacts of GMO technology has relied on a combination of partial equilibrium analysis and econometric techniques. However, CGE model-ling is a way of analyzing economy-wide impacts that take into account the linkages in the global economy. Here the goal is to contribute to the literature on the benefits of GMO technology by estimating the impacts on price, supply and welfare. Food price impacts range from an increase of 0.27% to 2.2%, depending on the region. Total welfare losses associated with loss of GMO technology total up to $9.75 bil-lion. The loss of GMO traits as an intensification technology has not only economic impacts, but also environmental ones. The full environmental analysis of GMO is not undertaken here. Rather we model the land use change owing to the loss of GMO traits and calculate the associated increase in GHG emissions. We predict a substan-tial increase in GHG emissions if GMO technology is banned.

A techno-economic analysis of aquaculture business in Ogun State,Nigeria

Fish supplies 25% of the total protein source in developing countries. A techno-economic analysis was performed for developing a good business proposal for aquaculture loans to enhance aquaculture development in Nigeria. A case study of catfish Clarias gariepinus framing was conducted in Abeokuta North Local Government of Ogun State, Nigeria. The results show that the fixed cost is N18 338 per year, and the variable cost is N459 700 per year, accounting for the largest amount of the total; therefore, a profit of N43 289 per month can be made. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess any risk(s) that associated with unfavorable changes in government policy with particular reference to monetary policy. Positive net present value shows that the investment in fish farm is economically feasible and the net investment ratio is 3.52. Also, the benefit-cost ratio is 2.17. The internal rate of return (IRR) is 21% showing that the enterprise is able to offset the interest being charged on the loan. It is therefore worthwhile to invest into fish farm business in the study area. The study suggests that to better sustain the local aquaculture business, the government should create a good conducive environment to foster development of the fish farming. Government intervention is urgently needed to solve problems such as in traditional land tenure, grant credit facilities and subsidies, to enhance the aquacultural development in the country.

Assessment of Economic Viability of Mini-livestock Production in Delta State,Nigeria:Implication for Extension Delivery Services

The study examined the popularity, role and economic viability of mini-livestock keeping in Delta State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of mini-livestock farmers, identify the types of animals reared as mini-livestock in the area, ascertain the reasons for keeping mini-livestock by farmers, determine the benefit level of mini- livestock farmers, and identify the problems facing mini-livestock farmers in the study area. Using snowball sampling technique, 674 respondents were sampled with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Various descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analyses. The results of the study indicated various types of mini-livestock reared in the study area, mainly snail farming or heliciculture （about 90%） and rearing of cane rat （84.27%）; the most important reasons for keeping mini-livestock were income （99.6%）, employment （99.26%） and food （94.96%）. The result further indicated that protein consumption and improved income were the most important benefits to respondents. In spite of these benefits, the respondents faced some constraints, amongst which were lack of technical information （X=4.70）, lacking of enough space for expansion （X=4.58）, inadequate training （X=4.20）, poor extension delivery services （X=4.20） and problems of feed availability （X=3.86）. In spite of these constraints, the production of mini-livestock was found to be profitable in the study area. Based on the t＇mdings, it was recommended, among others, that mini-livestock farmers in the study area should be trained on various aspects of the management of mini-livestock especially by organising workshops for them.

Economic Potential of Compost Amendment as an Alternative to Irrigation in Maine Potato Production Systems

Potato productivity in the northeastern US has been relatively constant for over 50 years, raising questions about what factors are limiting productivity. Research was initiated in 2004 to identify key constraints to potato productivity by evaluating Status Quo (SQ), Soil Conserving (SC), and Soil Improving (SI) cropping systems under both rainfed and irrigated management, and it was found that addition of compost or irrigation substantially increased yield. In this study, we employed partial budgeting to determine cost differences and their impact on net revenue for these cropping systems. Differences in systems were primarily associated with rotation length, tillage operations, compost and application expenses, and water management practices. When compost (as composted dairy manure) was annually applied at 19 Mg haf-1 and evaluated over the entire 3-year crop rotation cycle, the compost-amended rainfed SI system was more expensive to maintain than the irrigated SC system if compost cost exceeded $3.63 Mg-1. Average marketable yields were used to calculate gross and net revenue for each system. Because average potato yield for the irrigated SQ system (28.4 Mg·ha-1) equaled that in the rainfed SI system (28.3 Mg·ha-1), we were able to compare cost of irrigation versus compost for achieving comparable yield. The compost-amended SI system under rainfed management generated more net revenue from the potato crop than the irrigated SQ system when compost costs were less than $7.42 Mg-1. When compared to the commonly used rainfed SQ system, rainfed SI achieved higher net revenue as long as compost cost was less than $22.95 Mg-1. The rainfed SI system achieved higher net revenue than the irrigated SC system when compost cost was $9.43 Mg-1or less, but generated greater net revenue than the rainfed SC system regardless of compost costs, due to substantially higher yields associated with compost amendment. This investigation demonstrates that compost is a potentially viable substitute to irrigation for potato in the northeastern US;however, such potential is highly dependent on suitable compost sources and application costs.

Empirical Analysis of Interactions of Agricultural Sector and HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa

This study examines long run economic cost of HIV/AIDS on agriculture. Twenty-two African Countries were identified through purposive sampling. The sampling procedure helped to identify 1420 affected households. However, 1300 observations were found suitable for the subsequent analysis. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics and Overlapping Generation (OLG) model. The causes of high prevalence rates are the issue of poverty, fertility, myth and migration among others. Factors responsible for the classification of high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates were the patterns of spread of infectious disease that are closely associated with patterns of human mobility. For lower HIV/AIDS prevalence rate factors were low values of procreation and high values placed on morals. A positive correlation between HIV prevalence and GDP per capita was found. The study found out that there is a curvilinear relationship between the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and agricultural/economic growth in terms of human capita development.

Overview of priorities,threats,and challenges to biodiversity conservation in the southern Philippines

Human activities have severely impacted on many species and ecosystems.Thus,understanding the local biodiversity situation is crucial for implementing effective biodiversity conservation interventions.Mindanao in the southern Philippines is home to various unique species,particularly in its pristine ecosystems.However,the available biodiversity data for many terrestrial vertebrates and key areas remain incomplete.To address this issue,we synthesized published literature related to biodiversity from 2000 to 2022 in Mindanao.Moreover,this analysis used four key terrestrial vertebrates(amphibians,reptiles,birds,and mammals)in Mindanao as research objects.According to our findings,there was a significant and positive correlation between the number of biodiversity studies and species recorded.In terms of species richness,birds were the most recorded group(n=334 spp.),followed by reptiles(n=108 spp.),mammals(n=70 spp.),and amphibians(n=52 spp.).We also found that the number of endemic and threatened species varies geographically and across taxonomic groups.Yet,we discovered a significant disparity in the information available on biodiversity in different provinces of Mindanao.For example,the western provinces of Mindanao have had no record of biodiversity for more than two decades.Furthermore,we found that the changes in tree cover loss were consistent with biodiversity records,but this correlation is only significant for birds.Finally,we highlighted some critical threats and challenges to biodiversity,including deforestation,agricultural expansion,mining,and their impact on biodiversity conservation in Mindanao.Our findings suggested that biodiversity conservation should focus not only on areas with high levels of biodiversity but also on areas lacking biodiversity information.To do this,we call for strengthening collaboration among various institutions and digitizing and centralizing of information related to biodiversity.By gaining a deeper understanding of biodiversity in Mindanao,we can better and sustainably protect critical ecosystems in this region from the increasing threats posed by human activities.

Challenges Militating against the Effectiveness of Knowledge Management in Sustainable Land Use and Agricultural Production among Extension Workers in Sokoto State, Nigeria

The study assessed the Challenges Militating against the Effectiveness of Knowledge Management (KM) in Sustainable Land Use and Agricultural Production among Agricultural Extension Workers in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A sample size of 188 was drawn using well-structured questionnaires and was used for the study. Descriptive statistics and logit model were as tools of data analysis. The result of the study indicated that 53.7% of the extension Workers highlighted that lack of top Management support as major challenges for effectiveness of knowledge management among agricultural extension workers. The result of the logit model indicated that marital status, education level, experience, cosmopolitness and means of transportation had positive and significant relationship with effectiveness of Knowledge management. It was recommended therefore that Knowledge Management should be given top management support in all government establishments.

Agricultural Sector and HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa: The Economic Retrogression Model

Objective: Agricultural activities in most African countries demand human labour, the supply of labour to agriculture may be threatened if humans could no longer farm because of HIV/AIDS pandemic. Past studies have identified the alarming situation and challenges the spread of HIV/AIDS endemic poses to human existence and agricultural growth. Examining these interactions, and their direction, is useful for informing policy directives. Therefore, the general objective of this study is to examine interactions between HIV/AIDS pandemic and agricultural growth in Africa using a model of retrogression. Methods: Twenty countries in Africa identified as HIV/AIDS ravaged countries were taken as the areas of study. These countries are spread over four zones of the Northern Africa, the Eastern, the Southern and the Sub-Saharan Africa. A combination of analytical tools was employed to meet the study objectives. Results: The results revealed that long run economic cost of HIV/AIDS had a statistical positive significant relationship with agricultural/economic growth. The results suggest that there is a curvilinear relationship between the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and agricultural/economic growth in terms of human capita development. Conclusions: HIV/AIDS pandemic interactions and agricultural growth have demonstrated that a more balanced approach is necessary for effective policy.

Economic and Land Use Impacts of Improving Water Use Efficiency in Irrigation in South Asia

This paper modifies and uses an advanced computable general equilibrium model coupled with biophysical data on land and water resources by Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) at the river basin level to examine the economy-wide consequences of im-provements in water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigation in South Asia. This is the first time the benefits of such improvements have been evaluated in an economy-wide context. It shows that such improvements increase production of food items, enhance food exports, and significantly improve food security in South Asia. Improvement in water use efficiency also leads to lower food prices, provides the opportunity to extend irrigated areas, decreases demand for cropland, and enhances reforestation. Im-provement in water use efficiency in irrigation also generates important net GDP gains across the South Asia region. Investments in improved WUE of up to 40% can be economically justified in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. However, in Nepal, for an improvement of more than 20% in WUE, the economic gains are smaller than costs from the associated investments. In Pakistan and rest of South Asia, an improvement in WUE of up to 30% appears to be economically profitable.

An Economic Analysis of Development and Structure of the Foreign Total Intra-Arab Trade

The foreign intra-Arab trade is an essential tool and important input in order to achieve an important Arab economic integration. However, in spite of the efforts for the Liberation of the Arab Trade and Development, the fact indicates the modest rate of the foreign intra-Arab trade to the foreign total Arab trade with the world, as it does not exceed that percentage to 10.9% in year 2013. The present research is aimed at measuring the efficiency of the total foreign intra-Arab trade during the period (1990-2010). Where, it has been increased sharply, as value of the total foreign intra-Arab trade increases annually by about 12.6%. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are considered the most important contributors of the total foreign intra-Arab trade, and a category of manufacturing has dominated the largest relative importance in average value of total Arab trade, which has accounted to 50.8%. Followed by category, metal fuel and other metals are accounted by about 25.3% and there is lower overall contribution to the foreign intra-Arab trade in the total foreign trade of Arab and its amount has increased by 10.58%. Therefore, it is recommended to further coordination among the Arab States in the areas of production and specialization in economic production. This is also recommended to establish the specialized department for greater Arab free trade area in every Arab country in addition to accelerate the establishment of a customs union.