University of Minnesota, Duluth
AgEcon Search - Research in Agricultural & Applied EconomicsNot a member yet
211830 research outputs found
Sort by
Reconstructing the Ecuadorian Short Food Supply Chain consumer profile
Get PDFPurpose: We consolidate fragmented knowledge on Ecuadorian Alternative Commercialization Circuits (CIALCOs) by profiling their consumers and identifying challenges for expansion. While Ecuadorian CIALCOs have evolved since the 1980s to emphasize producer-consumer relationships and sustainability, research on stakeholder profiles remains scarce. We fill this gap by synthesizing consumer characteristics and market barriers to inform Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) policy and practice. Methods: A systematic review of 23 documents (2009–2020) was conducted, identifying six key themes through content analysis and statistical synthesis. Findings: A typical CIALCO consumer is a middle-aged female with secondary education, working or retired, from a household of 3-6 members. Consumers in Quito generally earn over USD$1000 monthly, while those outside Quito earn about half. They spend 2-33% of their income on CIALCOs, influenced by demographics and socioeconomics. These consumers perceive themselves as health-centric and socially engaged yet prioritize personal well-being over communal purchasing motivations. While pricing and service meet consumer expectations, infrastructure, waste management, and traceability remain key obstacles. Willingness to pay a premium suggests potential for market expansion, but gaps in digital outreach and operational efficiency must be addressed. Implications: Findings inform policy and practice by identifying key barriers to CIALCO scalability, such as infrastructure, digital outreach, and traceability. The study highlights actionable areas for improving SFSC operations and market accessibility, contributing to more sustainable and inclusive food systems in Ecuador. Limitations: Given the limited availability of indexed literature on Ecuadorian SFSCs, incorporating nonpeer-reviewed sources is essential to access local knowledge. These sources undergo transparent reporting to ensure reliability and relevance. The focus on fairs in the Andean region may overlook geographic and typological diversity within Ecuador’s CIALCOs. Future research should include diverse regions and typologies and explore the psychological and sociocultural motivations behind CIALCO consumption. Value: We provide the first systematic synthesis of Ecuador’s CIALCO consumer segment. This provide a basis for empirical research and strategic interventions in Ecuadorian SFSCs
Effects of Climate Change on Rice Yield and Rice Market in Vietnam
Get PDFWe evaluate the effects of climate change on Vietnam’s rice market. Results suggest that under a low-emission scenario and without interventions, rice production would drop by as much as 18% by 2030 relative to the 1980–1999 average. Farm and wholesale prices would increase by 1.86%, causing domestic demand to fall by 0.38%. The export sector would experience a rise of 6.94% in export free-on-board prices and a drop of 55.36% in export quantities. Farmers would experience a sales loss of 16.02%, whereas wholesalers would see a sales gain of 1.48%. For exporters, their sales loss would amount to 48.42%
Investment, Irreversibility, and Uncertainty in Energy Beet-Based Ethanol
Get PDFThis study evaluates optimal investment decision rules for an energy beet ethanol firm to exercise the option to invest, mothball, reactivate, and exit the ethanol market, considering uncertainty and volatility in the market price of ethanol, feedstock, and irreversible investment. A real options framework is used to compute gross margins of ethanol that trigger entry into and exit from the ethanol market. Results show that volatility in ethanol gross margins has much greater effects on exit and entry decisions than investment costs, and it also causes firms to wait longer before entering the ethanol market and, once active, to wait longer before exiting
Specjalizacja i lokalizacja przemysłu w Unii Europejskiej. Przegląd teorii i badań empirycznych
Get PDFPrzedmiotem artykułu jest prezentacja nowych nurtów badawczychteorii handlu, teorii integracji, geografii ekonomicznej oraz badań strukturalnych wykorzystywanych do oceny konkurencyjności przemysłowej Wspólnoty Euro- pejskieji. Wspólnota stanowi przykład ugrupowania integracyjnego, którego konkurencyjność nie może być traktowana jako prosta suma czy wypadkowa konkurencyjności krajów członkowskichi ich podmiotów gospodarczych, co wynika ze specyfiki europejskich procesów integracyjnych tworzących endo- geniczne źródła dynamiki i efektywności. Powstaje więc pytanie, co tworzy specyficzne determinanty konkurencyjności, jak je badać i interpretować, na ile można w analizie wykorzystać tradycyjny dorobekteorii handlu, a w jakim zakresie trzeba sięgać do nowych nurtówteoretycznych z zakresu ekonomii i geografii; czy i dlaczego konkurencyjność Wspólnoty ma znaczeniedla inte- grujących się krajów i dla gospodarki światowej. W artykule podjęta została próba odpowiedzi na te pytania, przedstawiono nurty teoretyczne, które mo- gą być pomocne w ocenie konkurencyjności wspólnoty. Analiza została po- przedzona krótką charakterystyką dynamiki i efektywności procesów integra- cyjnych
Bariery wstąpienia Polski do Unii Gospodarczej i Walutowej
Get PDFThe article attempts to assess the extent to which potential barriers to fulfilment of the Maastricht criteria may pose an obstacle to joining the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 2006. Results of calculations indicate that the threat of failing to meet the inflation criterion due to closing the demand gap or to the Balassa-Samuelson effect is insignificant. On the other hand, a major barrier to fulfilment of the Maastricht criteria is posed by high structural budget deficit. It can be seen from calculations that at present the budget deficit is to only a limited extent the consequence of cyclical factors, and reduction of the public finance disequilibrium will require a substantial tightening of the fiscal policy. Simultaneous joining of the European Union and the ERM2 system in connection with the planned accession to the EMU in 2006 would increase the risk of setting a strong zloty parity in ERM2 and of failing to comply with the exchange rate criterion. A crawling peg regime might effectively counteract the zloty’s appreciation in the period prior to joining the euro zone
Wpływ inflacji i podatku dochodowego na finansowanie inwestycji rzeczowych z amortyzacji
Get PDFThe article tackles the issue of the impact of inflation and of the income tax on actual opportunities for companies’ capital investment financing with funds derived from depreciation and referred to as depreciation assets. Given the lack of indexation of the basis for depreciation allowances considered to be tax costs, under conditions of inflation tax regulations actually bring about a hidden form of taxation levied on companies’ assets. Therefore, if a company wants to maintain the real value of fixed capital assets it must compensate for shortage of depreciation assets by making use of profit available for distribution or by incurring liabilities. Results of empirical research allow to conclude that depreciation is seen by Polish companies as the major source of financing their investment activities. Inflation poses a major barrier to investment financing with depreciation assets. Consequently, companies compensate for depreciation assets shortage with net profit and reduce the level of their investment
Ekspansja sieci zagranicznych w handlu artykułami nieżywnościowymi
Get PDFThe article provides an analysis of the scope and directions of expansion of foreign chains into the Polish market of non-foodstuffs, as seen against the background of market conditions. Major issues involved with modern directions of trade specialisation and development of its innovative forms have been highlighted, including "category killers" stores, specialised factory outlet centres (FOCs), as well as the role of foreign chains in these processes. Consequences of foreign chains’ expansion for changes in Polish retail chains have also been analysed
Species richness of thrips and whiteflies and their predators in mustard fields
No full textWith a view to assessing the effect of temperature (ºC) and locations on species richness of thrips and whiteflies and their natural enemies (NEs), predatory Geocoris bug and Asian lady bug beetle (LBB) in mustard field of BARI Sarisha 16, the experiment was carried out at the farmers fields in two specific locations of Southern Bangladesh, Rupsha, Khulna and Abhaynagar, Jessore during November, 2015 to March, 2016. The studies were laid out with randomized complete block deign (RCBD) maintaining four replicates. The results depicted that there was a significant variation in mean population abundance of thrips, whitefly and their predators across the observation dates, which principally resulted from the variation of temperature along the various observation dates in each location and between locations along with phenological characters of host plants. Initially, population of thrips and whitefly, and their predators were very low in both locations at first observation date of 20 November, 2015 which gradually colonized and reached the peak in 19 March, 2016 with temperature of 27.8°C and 71% RH in Khulna and 26.1ºC and 61% RH in Jessore. Notably, temperature ranging from 2227°C during mid-February to March, 2016 considerably favors the species richness of both insect pests, thrips and whiteflies, and their predators, Geocoris bug and Asian lady bug beetle in both places. By contrast relative low temperature of 1620°C from December 20, 2015 to January 29, 2016 affected the species richness of predators and pest as well. The yield of mustard, BARI Sarisha 16 was significantly higher in Jessore (1365.75 kgha1) due to lower pest population and higher predator population relative to Khulna region (1277.25 kgha1). Ecological factors especially temperature appeared as major striking factor of species richness and played crucial role in getting up and down of mustard insect pests and NEs population across various date of observations and between places
Effect of age of seedlings at staggered planting and nitrogen rate on the growth and yield of transplant Aman rice
Get PDFAn experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during July to December 2015 to find out the effect of age of seedlings at staggered planting and nitrogen rate on the growth and yield of transplant Aman rice (cv. BRRI dhan46). The experiment comprised three ages of seedlings viz. 30, 45 and 60-day old and six nitrogen rate viz. 0, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120k kg N ha1. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The effect of age of seedlings and nitrogen rates and their interaction were significant on yield and yield contributing characters of transplant Aman rice. The highest plant height, total dry matter production hill1 and leaf area index were recorded in 30-day old seedlings with 80 kg N ha1. Grain yield gradually increased with the use of relatively younger seedlings and 30-day old seedlings produced the highest number of effective tillers hill1 (5.34), grains panicle1 (110.9), 1000-grain weight (24.60 g), grain yield (4.06 t ha1) and straw yield (5.17 t ha1). In case of nitrogen rate, 80 kg N ha1 produce the highest grains panicle1 (113.1), 1000-grain weight (25.39 g), grain yield (4.37 t ha1) and straw yield (5.59 t ha1). In interaction, 30-day old seedlings with 80 kg N ha1 produced the highest effective tillers hill1 (6.22), grains panicle1 (124.1), 1000-grain weight (26.91g), grain yield (4.71 t ha1) and straw yield (6.16 t ha1). Therefore, 30-day old seedlings with 80 kg N ha1 appeared as the promising technique to obtain the highest grain yield. It was also observed that under adverse situation delaying in transplanting may be continued up to 15 September with aged seedlings (60-day old) from the same source and application of nitrogen ranging from 100120 kg ha1 to obtain grain yield ranging from 3.84.0 t ha1
Effect of aeration on growth and production of fish in intensive aquaculture system in earthen ponds
Get PDFAn experiment was conducted to assess the effect of aeration using blower on growth and production of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in intensive aquaculture system in six (6) earthen ponds at BAU campus, Mymensingh from May to September, 2016. Treatment 1 (T1) with 3 aerated ponds and Treatment 2 (T2) with 3 non-aerated ponds were designed with similar stocking density (300/decimal) of tilapia. Oxygen supply was ensured by blower for 9 hours daily when oxygen depletion occurs in pond water. Fish growth, pond water and soil quality parameters were sampled and assessed. The DO content in the aerated ponds was higher (7.23 mg/l) from the beginning to the end of experiment compared to non-aerated ponds (2.33 mg/l). There were significant differences (p0.05) between the treatments for the abundances of various groups of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Different water quality parameters were found with the better range in aerated ponds. Various intrinsic relationships between DO and other water quality and weather parameters showed that DO content had negative relationships with rainfall, air pressure and humidity but the relationships were not statistically significant. Moreover, different soil quality parameters of pond sediments were found in ideal range for fish culture in both treatments. These results suggest that aeration can be a potential mechanism of aqua-farming to enhance the growth and production of tilapia and DO content in pond water synchronizing other water quality parameters in ponds