Technical efficiency and the impact of grassland use right leasing on livestock grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken to explore the evolution of the impact of firm-level performance on employment level and wages in the Indian organized manufacturing sector over the period 1989-90 to 2013-14. One of the major components of the economic reform package was the deregulation and de-licensing in the Indian organized manufacturing sector. The impact of firm-level performance on employment and wages were estimated for Indian organized manufacturing sector in major sub-sectors in India during the period from 1989-90 to 2013-14 of the various variables namely profitability ratio, total factor productivity change, technical change, technical efficiency, openness (export-import), investment intensity, raw material intensity and FECI in total factor productivity index, technical efficiency, and technical change. The study exhibited that all explanatory variables except profitability ratio and technical change cost had a positive impact on the employment level. Out of eight variables, four variables such as net of foreign equity capital, investment intensity, TFPCH, and technical efficiency change showed a positive impact on wages and salary ratio and rest of the four variables such as openness intensity, technology acquisition index, profitability ratio, and technical change had negative impact on wages and salary ratio. In this context, the profit ratio should be distributed as per the marginal rule of economics such as the marginal productivity of labour and capital.

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Carbon Dynamics in the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau from 1990 to 2030 Using Landsat Land Use/Cover Change Data

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12030528 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 528 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jingye Li ◽

Jian Gong ◽

Jean-Michel Guldmann ◽

Shicheng Li ◽

Jie Zhu

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Sharp Decrease ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Qinghai Lake ◽

Lake Basin ◽

Ecosystem Carbon ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Impact

Land use/cover change (LUCC) has an important impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle. The spatial distribution of regional carbon reserves can provide the scientific basis for the management of ecosystem carbon storage and the formulation of ecological and environmental policies. This paper proposes a method combining the CA-based FLUS model and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model to assess the temporal and spatial changes in ecosystem carbon storage due to land-use changes over 1990–2015 in the Qinghai Lake Basin (QLB). Furthermore, future ecosystem carbon storage is simulated and evaluated over 2020–2030 under three scenarios of natural growth (NG), cropland protection (CP), and ecological protection (EP). The long-term spatial variations in carbon storage in the QLB are discussed. The results show that: (1) Carbon storage in the QLB decreased at first (1990–2000) and increased later (2000–2010), with total carbon storage increasing by 1.60 Tg C (Teragram: a unit of mass equal to 1012 g). From 2010 to 2015, carbon storage displayed a downward trend, with a sharp decrease in wetlands and croplands as the main cause; (2) Under the NG scenario, carbon reserves decrease by 0.69 Tg C over 2020–2030. These reserves increase significantly by 6.77 Tg C and 7.54 Tg C under the CP and EP scenarios, respectively, thus promoting the benign development of the regional ecological environment. This study improves our understanding on the impact of land-use change on carbon storage for the QLB in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP).

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Organic Farming Increases the Technical Efficiency of Olive Farms in Italy

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 209

Author(s):

Maria Raimondo ◽

Francesco Caracciolo ◽

Concetta Nazzaro ◽

Giuseppe Marotta

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Stochastic Frontier ◽

Farming System ◽

Positive Role ◽

Conventional Agriculture ◽

Direct Sales ◽

Organic Farming System ◽

The Impact

While there is growing recognition of the positive role played by organic farming in the reduction of the negative externalities due to conventional agriculture, there is uncertainty about the effect of the latter on the economic performance of the farms. In this scenario, the present paper aims at investigating the effect of organic farming on technical efficiency in Italian olive farms. A cross-section dataset was analyzed through the stochastic frontier function, where the adoption of organic farming was explicitly modeled. Then, to obtain an unbiased estimate of the impact of organic farming on technical efficiency, a propensity score matching method was implemented. The findings reveal that organic farming increases technical efficiency in Italian olive farms by approximately 10%. The highest impact of organic farming is observed in small farms. As for the propensity to become organic, we found that the production and the direct sales of a higher quality of gross marketable output, as well as the intensity of labor and machines, increase the probability to adopt organic farming. Conversely, farm localization, the availability of family labor, and financial capital discourage conversion to the organic farming system.

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Spatio-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Snow Depth and Snow Cover Days over the Tibetan Plateau

Water ◽

10.3390/w13030307 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 307

Author(s):

Chi Zhang ◽

Naixia Mou ◽

Jiqiang Niu ◽

Lingxian Zhang ◽

Feng Liu

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Snow Cover ◽

Snow Depth ◽

Feedback Effect ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Reanalysis Dataset ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Impact ◽

Main Factor

Changes in snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have a significant impact on agriculture, hydrology, and ecological environment of surrounding areas. This study investigates the spatio-temporal pattern of snow depth (SD) and snow cover days (SCD), as well as the impact of temperature and precipitation on snow cover over TP from 1979 to 2018 by using the ERA5 reanalysis dataset, and uses the Mann–Kendall test for significance. The results indicate that (1) the average annual SD and SCD in the southern and western edge areas of TP are relatively high, reaching 10 cm and 120 d or more, respectively. (2) In the past 40 years, SD (s = 0.04 cm decade−1, p = 0.81) and SCD (s = −2.3 d decade−1, p = 0.10) over TP did not change significantly. (3) The positive feedback effect of precipitation is the main factor affecting SD, while the negative feedback effect of temperature is the main factor affecting SCD. This study improves the understanding of snow cover change and is conducive to the further study of climate change on TP.

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Spatial Dependence Evaluation of Agricultural Technical Efficiency—Based on the Stochastic Frontier and Spatial Econometric Model

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052708 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2708

Author(s):

Ziqi Yin ◽

Jianzhai Wu

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Spatial Dependence ◽

Stochastic Frontier ◽

Hebei Province ◽

Agricultural Technology ◽

Agricultural Product ◽

Spatial Econometric ◽

Frontier Analysis ◽

The Impact

In recent years, through the implementation of a series of policies, such as the delimitation of major grain producing areas and the construction of advantageous and characteristic agricultural product areas, the spatial distribution of agriculture in China has changed significantly; however, research on the impact of such changes on the efficiency of agricultural technology is still lacking. Taking 11 cities in Hebei Province as the research object, this study examines the spatial dependence of regional agricultural technical efficiency using the stochastic frontier analysis and spatial econometric analysis. The results show that the improvement in agricultural technical efficiency is evident in all cities in Hebei Province from 2008 to 2017, but there is scope for further improvement. Industrial agglomeration has statistical significance in improving the efficiency of agricultural technology. Further, there is an obvious spatial correlation and difference in agricultural technical efficiency. Optimizing the spatial distribution of agricultural production, promoting the innovation, development, and application of agricultural technology, and promoting the expansion of regional elements can contribute to improving agricultural technical efficiency.

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The impact of atmospheric stability and wind shear on vertical cloud overlap over the Tibetan Plateau

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-18-7329-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 7329-7343 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jiming Li ◽

Qiaoyi Lv ◽

Bida Jian ◽

Min Zhang ◽

Chuanfeng Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Wind Shear ◽

Cloud Cover ◽

Atmospheric Stability ◽

Length Scale ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Total Cloud Cover ◽

Atmospheric Models ◽

The Impact ◽

Overlap Parameter

Abstract. Studies have shown that changes in cloud cover are responsible for the rapid climate warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in the past 3 decades. To simulate the total cloud cover, atmospheric models have to reasonably represent the characteristics of vertical overlap between cloud layers. Until now, however, this subject has received little attention due to the limited availability of observations, especially over the TP. Based on the above information, the main aim of this study is to examine the properties of cloud overlaps over the TP region and to build an empirical relationship between cloud overlap properties and large-scale atmospheric dynamics using 4 years (2007–2010) of data from the CloudSat cloud product and collocated ERA-Interim reanalysis data. To do this, the cloud overlap parameter α, which is an inverse exponential function of the cloud layer separation D and decorrelation length scale L, is calculated using CloudSat and is discussed. The parameters α and L are both widely used to characterize the transition from the maximum to random overlap assumption with increasing layer separations. For those non-adjacent layers without clear sky between them (that is, contiguous cloud layers), it is found that the overlap parameter α is sensitive to the unique thermodynamic and dynamic environment over the TP, i.e., the unstable atmospheric stratification and corresponding weak wind shear, which leads to maximum overlap (that is, greater α values). This finding agrees well with the previous studies. Finally, we parameterize the decorrelation length scale L as a function of the wind shear and atmospheric stability based on a multiple linear regression. Compared with previous parameterizations, this new scheme can improve the simulation of total cloud cover over the TP when the separations between cloud layers are greater than 1 km. This study thus suggests that the effects of both wind shear and atmospheric stability on cloud overlap should be taken into account in the parameterization of decorrelation length scale L in order to further improve the calculation of the radiative budget and the prediction of climate change over the TP in the atmospheric models.

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Simulations of the Impact of Lakes on Local and Regional Climate Over the Tibetan Plateau

ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN ◽

10.1080/07055900.2017.1401524 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 230-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lingjing Zhu ◽

Jiming Jin ◽

Xin Liu ◽

Lei Tian ◽

Qunhui Zhang

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Regional Climate ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

The Impact

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Does cooperative membership impact the yield and efficiency of smallholder farmers? Evidence from potato farmers in Mongolia

China Agricultural Economic Review ◽

10.1108/caer-01-2021-0013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Samuel Ahado ◽

Jiří Hejkrlík ◽

Anudari Enkhtur ◽

Tserendavaa Tseren ◽

Tomáš Ratinger

Keyword(s):

Technical Efficiency ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Potato Production ◽

Transfer Of Knowledge ◽

Content Type ◽

Farm Work ◽

Agricultural Cooperative ◽

Education Participation ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on potato production and technical efficiency.Design/methodology/approachA combination of propensity score matching technique and sample selection stochastic frontier framework that addresses potential selection bias due to observable and unobservable attributes is used to estimate the effect of participation between cooperative members and non-members. Using a stochastic meta-frontier approach, the technical efficiency of farmers was estimated and compared.FindingsThe empirical results show that the effect of participation in agricultural cooperatives is associated with increased yield and technical efficiency. A comparison of group-specific frontiers indicates that cooperative members perform better than non-members. Cooperative membership decisions is significantly associated with household and farm characteristics (e.g. education, participation in off-farm work, total farmland, distance to market and geographic location).Practical implicationsThe findings of this study demonstrate that cooperative organisations can be an important tool to enhance the productivity and efficiency of smallholder farmers. Successful cooperative models together with training programs designed to enlighten farmers on the importance and tangible benefits of collective action should be used to enlarge participation in cooperative organisations. In addition, governments and development agencies should implement targeted investment and capacity building programs related to irrigation management, gender-sensitive awareness and development of the internal institutional mechanisms in cooperatives for the transfer of knowledge and mutual learning so that all members benefit from cooperatives.Originality/valueDespite the pervasive evidence of the impact of cooperatives on productivity and technical efficiency in the Asian region, this study is probably the first attempt in the crop sector in Mongolia. It provides a rigorous empirical analysis of the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on potato production and technical efficiency through a counterfactual design.

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The impact of atmospheric dynamics on vertical cloud overlap over the Tibetan Plateau

10.5194/acp-2017-642 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jiming Li ◽

Qiaoyi Lv ◽

Bida Jian ◽

Min Zhang ◽

Chuanfeng Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Wind Shear ◽

Cloud Cover ◽

Atmospheric Stability ◽

Separation Distance ◽

Atmospheric Dynamics ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Total Cloud Cover ◽

The Impact ◽

Overlap Parameter

Abstract. The accurate representation of cloud vertical overlap in atmospheric models is particularly significant for predicting the total cloud cover and for the calculations related to the radiative budget in these models. However, it has received too little attention due to the limited observation, especially over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). In this study, 4 years (2007–2010) of data from the CloudSat cloud product and collocated ERA-Interim reanalysis product were analyzed to examine the seasonal and zonal variations of cloud overlap properties over the TP region, and evaluate the effect of atmospheric dynamics on cloud overlap. Unique characteristics of cloud overlap over the TP have been found. The statistical results show that the random overlap assumption slightly underestimates the total cloud coverage for discontinuous cloud layers over the TP, whereas the overlap parameter α for continuous cloud sharply decrease from maximum to random overlap with an increase of layer distance, eventually trending towards a minimal overlap (e.g., negative α values) as the cloud layer separation distance exceeds 1.5 km. Compared with the global averaged cloud overlap characteristics, the proportion of minimal overlap over the TP is significant high (about 41 %). It may be associated with the unique topographical forcing and thermos-dynamical environment of the TP. As a result, we propose a valid scheme for quantifying the degree of cloud overlap over the TP through a linear combination of the maximum and minimum overlap, and further parameterize decorrelation length scale L as a function of wind shear and atmospheric stability. Compared with other parameterizations, the new scheme reduces the bias between predicted and observed cloud covers. These results thus indicate that effects of wind shear and atmospheric stability on cloud overlap should both be taken into account in the parameterization of overlap parameter to improve the simulation of total cloud cover in models.

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Plants and Microbes Mediate the Shift in Ecosystem Multifunctionality From Low to High Patterns Across Alpine Grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.760599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yi Wang ◽

Miao Liu ◽

Youchao Chen ◽

Tao Zeng ◽

Xuyang Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Alpine Grassland ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Grassland Ecosystem ◽

The Impact ◽

Ecosystem Multifunctionality ◽

Alpine Grassland Ecosystem

Both plant communities and soil microbes have been reported to be correlated with ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the process and mechanism of aboveground and belowground communities on different EMF patterns are not clear. In order to explore different response patterns and mechanisms of EMF, we divided EMF into low (<0) and high patterns (>0). We found that there were contrasting patterns of low and high EMF in the alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau. Specifically, compared with low EMF, environmental factors showed higher sensitivity to high EMF. Soil properties are critical factors that mediate the impact of community functions on low EMF based on the change of partial correlation coefficients from 0 to 0.24. In addition, plant community functions and microbial biomass may mediate the shift of EMF from low to high patterns through the driving role of climate across the alpine grassland ecosystem. Our findings will be vital to clarify the mechanism for the stability properties of grassland communities and ecosystems under ongoing and future climate change.

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