AJAD Volume 13 Issue No. 1 June 2016

This paper assesses intersectoral linkages in Uttar Pradesh to identify the lead sector in its economy. It is based on time series data spanning 1980/81 to 2009/10 and used the vector autoregression framework to examine intersectoral linkages. The results suggest that agriculture is the main sector driving the other sectors (industry and services) in the state. Agriculture supports both the industry and service sectors through demand and production linkages. Despite being the leading sector in the economy, the performance of agriculture is far from satisfactory. The findings underscore the need to revive the agriculture sector to achieve high economic growth in the overall economy of the state. Further, the paper recommends developing the emerging food processing industry because of the state's strong potential for competitive advantage.

This study investigates returns of scale, estimates technical efficiency, and identifies the determinant factors of the efficiency of small-scale cassava farming in Vientiane and Savannakhet provinces, Lao PDR. Cross-sectional data on inputs, output, and farming characteristics from 193 cassava farmers were collected for this study. The maximum likelihood method is employed to estimate parameters, elasticity, and inefficiency scores using the stochastic frontier production function model. This study found that the elasticity of the mean value of cassava output is estimated to be an increasing function of farm size, labor cost, and seed cost in Vientiane and Savannakhet. Increasing returns to scale was found for smallholder cassava farming in Savannakhet. The estimated mean score of technical efficiency are 72 percent and 75 percent for Vientiane and Savannakhet, respectively. The determinants of technical efficiency in Vientiane showed that planting cassava with good land preparation, suitable time period for plantation, and young farmers play a key role in the improvement of technical efficiency for cassava farming.

Natural resource governance in modern Indonesia is marked by the tension between the centralized policy strategy of the Suharto period and the reactive strategy of post-Suharto decentralization. To some extent, decentralization led to devolution of power and opportunities for local resource users to make consequential decisions over the natural resources upon which they depend. Nonetheless, this approach rested upon the capacity of communities to reach a consensus untainted by local politics, commercial imperatives, and traditional power structures. Moreover, decentralization had not given the majority strategic and structural decision-making power. Power disparity could lead to contentions, unfettered competition, open access, and resource overutilization.

In the case of Blongko Bay's marine and fishery resources in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, social institutions and local rules came into play and some people were recognized to protect the resource on behalf of the community. These social institutions took the form of neighborly ties, collective identity, reciprocity, and social and ecological responsibilities. Blongko's marine and fishery resources were not free access but governed by local and informal rules to maintain its benefits for the good of the community. Individuals evolved behavior, which commensurated with their responsibilities, leading to innovative power structures which were more locally sensitive and environmentally appropriate.

This paper is about the information-seeking and information-sharing behavior on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) of high school students who participated in the Infomediary Campaign in 2014. This seeks to answer five research questions: (1) What are the indicators that searching and sharing of information by the infomediaries transpired? (2) What are the characteristics of infomediaries who are most likely to share information on CSA? (3) What sort of information can be competently shared by high school students? (4) How is information transferred from the information source (PhilRice) to the farmers? (5) What evidence suggests that information transferred was put to good use by the intended recipients? A survey (N=388) was conducted among eight randomly selected schools, from the pool of 108 schools, nationwide. Focus group discussions, individual interviews, and participant observation were likewise conducted. The Stakeholder Theory and Livelihoods Approach were combined to unpack the findings in this research. Results show that females are more likely to share information than males (p=.071). Land tenurial status (p=.430) and familial background (p=.052) do not seem to influence the information-seeking behavior of young people. Information that is easy to understand and reinforced elsewhere was shared often by students as compared with more complex ones. Several pathways were generated in documenting the infomediation process on CSA with the schools as the nucleus of agricultural information. These are: (1) PhilRice to farmers, (2) PhilRice to teachers to farmers, and (3) PhilRice to teachers to students to farmers.

In India, agriculture contributes 14 percent to GDP and provides subsistence to two-thirds of the population. One of the top priorities of the Indian government is to provide food security to more than 1.25 billion people. Hence, increasing farm productivity is viewed as a primary goal for the government. Agricultural growth, with its forward and backward links to the industry and service sectors, is directly linked to India’s economic growth. Using national time-series data, this study estimates a demand function for fertilizer using a simple linear regression model and explores the relationship between demand and various non-price factors. The results from the regression analysis found that non-price factors are more important than the price of fertilizer in determining fertilizer demand. This study recommends that to increase agricultural output, government subsidy policies need to be geared toward the use of balanced nutrients for improving soil conditions, at the same time, provide an incentive to fertilizer manufacturing firms to develop new environmentally-sustainable products for agriculture.

While postharvest operations account for more than 55 percent of the economic value of the agricultural sector, losses are high, the science or technology is relatively new, and the postharvest horticulture extension delivery system in the Philippines has not met the challenge. Thus, the delivery of extension services to the people involved needed to be assessed. Primary data from key informant interviews and secondary data from available publications and reports were analyzed. The two major extension providers for postharvest handling of fresh fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers are the Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center (PHTRC) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA). From 2000–2010, the PHTRC implemented 93 percent of national extension projects and services in terms of training (51 training programs with 1,132 participants), technical assistance, production and dissemination of information (24 extension materials with 21,105 copies), and a few action research projects. On the other hand, out of the remaining 7 percent of the extension projects, which were implemented by PhilMech, 99 percent were related to development and establishment of tramlines, cold chain facilities, and facilities support for hot water tanks and packinghouses including 16 training programs with 437 participants. The number of extension workers, who have been trained over the last three decades and who could be potential trainers of growers and traders, was only 4.8 percent of the total number of participants of training programs of both institutions. The number of personnel in extension delivery was also reduced due to budget constraints for PHTRC and rationalization moves for PhilMech. Twenty-five personnel, 10 from PHTRC and 15 from PhilMech rendered extension services. All PHTRC staff and three from PhilMech were trained on perishables handling. Government support for the extension delivery of postharvest handling of horticultural perishables remains negligible. The major recommendations to improve the extension delivery system on postharvest horticulture sector are training of more extension workers in this field and establishment of zonal centers on postharvest research and extension.

Farmers have been growing GM crops for 20 years and planted 180 million hectares to GM crops in 2015. Qaim provides a thorough and unbiased review of the accumulated research on the risks, benefits, and policy issues surrounding the use of GM crops in developing countries. The book will be valuable for anyone looking for a readable and credible source that summarizes a vast and complex literature on the impact and policy implications of GM crops.