Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Gender difference and farm level efficiency: Metafrontier production function approach

Samuel K. N. Dadzie¹* and Isaac Dasmani²

¹Department of Agric Economics and Extension University of Cape Coast, Ghana. ²Department of Economics, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Accepted 29 November 2014

Abstract

Gender mainstreaming has, for some time now, been identified as a paramount issue in development of resource-poor societies, and particularly, the women whose access to productive resources is limited due to tradition, culture and other socio-economic constraints. This research paper investigates the influence of Gender in management on the level of efficiency of food crop farms in Ghana. The study specifically: compares the technical efficiency scores of farms with male entrepreneurs and those with female entrepreneurs; examines the determinants of technical efficiency of food crop farmers; and compares technological gaps of farms with male entrepreneurs and those with female entrepreneur. The study involved 90 male food crop farmers and 90 female food crop farmers in the Juaboso District in the Western Region of Ghana. The respondents interviewed were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Stochastic metafrontier production function was used to estimate the efficiency scores in each group and multiple regression models was estimated to verify the determinants of technical efficiency. Survey was conducted with structured interview schedules to collect data. The estimated technical efficiencies indicate that food crop farmers in the Juaboso District of Ghana are, in general, less efficient in their production. Although farms under male farmers management had higher mean value of production figures relative to the female farmers’ farms, the farms under female farmers management were found to be more efficient and also nearer to the potential output defined by the metafrontier production function compared to the farms owned by males. We also found technical efficiency to be influenced significantly by gender, age, household size, years of farming experience, access to credit, education and consultation with extension staff.

Key words: Gender of farmers, metafrontier, food crop production.

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Market liberalization and maize production in Nigeria

M. A. Badmus

Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected].

Tel: +2348033571608.

Accepted 24 May, 2014

Abstract

This study examined the impact of market liberalization on maize production in Nigeria. Time series data for a 29-year period (1970 - 1998) were collected. Zellner’s seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model was used as the estimation technique. Output of maize was found to be more during liberalization. Fertilizer price and hectarage planted to maize were the significant variables affecting maize output. Fertilizer consumption was found to be affected by hectarage planted to maize and crop loan. Retail price of fertilizer was determined by the factory gate and world prices of fertilizer. For hectarage planed to maize, crop loan, government expenditure, and the relative price of maize to millet, were the significant explanatory variables. For output of maize and hectarage planted to maize, the dummy variable (0, for pre-liberalization and 1 for liberalized period) were significant. This means that market liberalization did affect these variables. However for fertilizer consumption and fertilizer price, the dummy variables were non-significant and this implied that market liberalization had no impact on fertilizer consumption and fertilizer price. Conclusion is that market liberalization if properly implemented had a positive impact on maize production in the country.

Key words: Market liberalization, maize production, Nigeria.

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Do non- farm incomes really matter for poverty among small households in rural Bangladesh? A case of advanced villages

Mohammad Abdul Malek¹* and Koichi Usami²

¹The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, Japan and Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Comilla, Bangladesh.

²Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan.

Accepted 21 June, 2014

Abstract

Given the critical importance of the non-farm sector in rural Bangladesh, this paper examines the comprehensive effects of non- farm incomes on poverty reduction, namely, household production and consumption. The study was based on the original field survey with data from about 175 small households in advanced villages of Bangladesh. Standard micro-econometric techniques were used for the empirical analyses. The study found that the small households in advanced villages were in a stage that their non-farm incomes did not contribute significantly to their household production for either farm or non-farm and food consumption (calorie adequacy); and accordingly, these could be spent on non-food consumption. Finally, the study found that the overall non-farm income significantly mattered for reducing income poverty but could be still low to be realized in reducing education poverty. However, among the non-farm income components, while out-country remittance and non- farm self-employment incomes were more income poverty (incidence and gap) reducing compared to non-farm wage and in-country remittance incomes, the remittance incomes (both in-country and out-country) were reducing the severity of education poverty. Thus, the qualitative diversification of the small household workers and productive use (preferably in farm/non-farm production and demand driven education) of non-farm incomes deserved special attention.

Key words: Non- farm incomes, household economy, calorie adequacy, income poverty, education poverty, advanced villages, instrumental variable.

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Determination of seasonal price variations for some food crops in Iran at Karaj zone to achieve Sustainable Agriculture

Behzad Sani¹* and Hossein Aliabadi Farahani²

¹Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Qods Branch, Tehran, Iran.

²Islamic Azad University, Takestan Branch, Iran.

Accepted 1 June, 2014

Abstract

Iran is one of the largest Asian countries with arid and semi-arid weather, but can produce most food crops due to special geographical position. In order to determine seasonal prices (SPV) variations in some food crops, this study was carried out at Karaj city of Iran in 2009. In this experiment, four groups of food products were used. The first group includes tree fruits (orange, apple and pomegranate), the second includes the kitchen garden fruits (watermelon, melon and cantaloupe), the third includes greenhouse fruits (banana, strawberry and pineapple) and the fourth group includes vegetables (tomato, potato and onion). Each of the above products price was determined in each season (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and were compared with one another by statistical graphs. The results showed that price variations were high in tree fruits, vegetables and kitchen garden fruits than the greenhouse fruits and demand of these products was very dependent on price variations. In the seasons, increase in product demand results to decrease in product price, while reduction in the product’s demand results to increase in product price; but greenhouse fruits prices were constant during the year and there were also constant demand for these products in all seasons. The results showed that the greenhouses production and processing food products can keep constant prices of food products throughout the year and remove the destructive role of brokers.

Key words: Seasonal price variations, food crops, sustainable agriculture.

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Truncation and endogenous stratification in various count data models for recreation demand analysis

Tomoaki Nakatani¹* and Kazuo Sato²

¹Department of Agricultural Economics, Hokkaido University, Kita9 Nishi9, Sapporo-shi, 060-8589, Hokkaido,

Japan. ²Department of Dairy Science, Rakuno Gakuen University, Midorimachi 582, Bunkyodai, Ebetsu-shi, 069-8501, Hokkaido, Japan.

Accepted 29 July, 2014

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to extend the truncated and endogenously stratified Poisson and negative binomial models to three alternative discrete distributions, namely the generalized Poisson, geometric and Borel distributions. Our primary intention here is to demonstrate how the improper treatments of the data generate divergent outcomes by applying those results to the recreation trip data surveyed from the visitors to an indigenous horse park in Japan. Our empirical application shows that failure to account for overdispersion, truncation and endogenous stratification leads to substantial changes in parameter estimates and their standard errors. The parameter on the travel cost tends to be underestimated in absolute value in the standard setups. This induces serious overestimation of the economic benefit that the recreation site offers to the society. Even when the endogenous stratification is incorporated, ignoring the overdispersion estimates the per capita per trip consumer surplus over 7 times larger than the one obtained under the endogenous stratification and overdispersion.

Key words: Count data models, endogenous stratification, overdispersion, recreation demand analysis, consumer surplus.

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015

Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr

© 2015 International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Adoption of agro-forestry technologies among small-holder farmers: A case of Zimbabwe

C. Parwada^1*, C. T. Gadzirayi¹, W. T. Muriritirwa¹ and D. Mwenye²

¹Department of Agriculture, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.

²International Centre for Agro-forestry, Zimbabwe.

Accepted 17 August, 2011

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to assess and compare the levels of adoption of agro-forestry technologies between trained and untrained farmers, and identify specific factors that affect adoption of technologies. Data from 300 smallholder farmers selected by snowballing from villages where change agents had been trained by the International Center for Research in Agro Forestry was collected using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science and Microsoft Office Excel. The results showed that there was low level of awareness of agro-forestry technologies among farmers. Formally trained farmers adopted agro-forestry technologies more than informally- trained farmers. Logit regression results showed that the likelihood to adopt live fence was influenced significantly by land ownership, awareness, training, drought, labour and local institutions (p<0.05). Adoption of trees for nutrition was influenced by belonging to a farming group, awareness, training, land size and local institutions (p<0.05). Adoption of improved fallows was influenced by employment status, belonging to farm group, awareness and land size (p<0.05). Factors that influenced adoption of fodder banks were employment status, awareness and training (p<0.05).

Key words: Adoption, agro-forestry technologies, change agents, logit regression.