Agricultural Change in Bumthang, Bhutan: Market Opportunities, Government Policies, and Climate Change

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1375-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangay Wangchuk ◽  
Stephen F. Siebert
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Agricultural Change ◽  
Market Opportunities

scholarly journals Perceived resilience capacity of rice farmers to climate change in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-16
Author(s):  
Cynthia Ebere Nwobodo ◽  
Love Ginikachukwu Eze ◽  
Violet Amarachukwu Ohagwu ◽  
Benedict Onyebuchi Unagwu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Interview Schedule ◽  
Rice Farmers ◽  
Multistage Sampling ◽  
Resilience Capacity

The study determined rice farmers’ perceived resilience capacity to climate change in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was employed in selecting 104 respondents for the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interview schedule. Percentage, mean and standard deviation were used in presentation of results. Results showed that areas of rice farmers’ resilience capacity to climate change were: planting improved varieties of seed ( x̄ =4.76), utilisation of soil that retains water longer ( x̄ =3.33), access to very fertile soil for rice production ( x̄ =3.28) and good amount of solar radiation ( x̄ =3.21). However, areas in which respondents’ did not perceive as sources of resilience capacity were: favourable government policies ( x̄ =2.37), good marketing policies ( x̄ =2.57), and access to insurance ( x̄ =2.84). Policies such as crop insurance, appropriate marketing and infrastructural policies that help rice farmers cope with negative effects of climate change be enacted and implemented. Such policies should address issues of marketing and insurance of rice farms against disasters such as flood, drought, diseases and pests’ infestation. Keywords: Resilience capacity, climate change, adaptation strategies, rice

Drivers of Growth and Decline in Sahelian Livestock Sectors

2021 ◽  
pp. 284-302
Author(s):  
Marjatta Eilittä
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Income Growth ◽  
Agricultural Expansion ◽  
Market Signals ◽  
Regional Markets ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Production Practices ◽  
Livestock Products ◽  
Livestock Systems

Sahelian livestock systems, an indelible feature of its landscapes and significant contributor to its economies, are under significant pressures to change. Whereas high predicted demand increases for livestock products offer great prospects for income growth, expansion of croplands and settlements as well as climate change will likely negatively impact Sahelian producers. It is clear that for Sahel to respond to livestock market opportunities, changes in traditional trade and production practices are needed, in particular to improve reach of market signals to producers, reduce the high transaction costs, and improve productivity. The Sahelian markets have to date shown continued capacity to supply growing Sahelian and regional markets, and in fact the changes, are already evident. These include expansion and diversification of trader networks, changing procurement patterns, agricultural expansion, and increased use of supplemental feeds, among others. These changes are certain to further evolve.

What makes Hungarian SMEs perform poorly?

2003 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Major
Keyword(s):  
Allocative Efficiency ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
External Financing ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Factor Productivity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Corporate Values ◽  
Market Opportunities

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been the target of supportive government policies since economic transformation began in Hungary although the birth of a strong and healthy layer of SMEs has not been observed in the country up to now. In this article the issue of why this has not happened is addressed. Empirical evidence suggested that Hungarian SMEs are not usually driven by the corporate values of Max Weber’s “protestant ethics”; instead, they aim at short-term financial enrichment. Hungarian SMEs cannot usually “climb the ladder” and turn into large enterprises – indeed, their survival period is relatively short. Nickell (1996) argued that (total factor) productivity rather than profitability would reflect a company’s efficiency level. Using frontier production and frontier profit functions there is an attempt here to prove that “technical (or allocative) efficiency” and “profit efficiency” both have a distinct role to play in explaining a firm’s economic performance; and by applying limited information maximum likelihood models of SME profit gaps it will be shown that cost inefficiencies and unfavourable market conditions — alongside the inefficient allocation of factors of production — inevitably lead to the fairly low level of SME profitability. The most important finding of the analysis is that employment has been a crucial factor in explaining the profit deviation of companies. Building on the results of Köllő (2001) the article argues that SMEs regard labour as flexible stock. Companies will seek out new labour if they find new market opportunities — but until these appear, they tend to remain in the arena of diminishing returns, this being the easiest way for them to maximise profits. Downgraded production activities do not attract substantial external financing. Yet a lack of financial resources when new market opportunities do emerge will prevent an SME from exploiting the chance.

scholarly journals Building Agroforestry Policy Bottom-Up: Knowledge of Czech Farmers on Trees in Farmland

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Jana Krčmářová ◽  
Lukáš Kala ◽  
Alica Brendzová ◽  
Tomáš Chabada
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Ecological Landscape ◽  
Lock In ◽  
On Farm

Czech agriculture is dealing with the consequences of climate change. Agroforestry cultures are being discursively reintroduced for better adaptability and resilience, with the first practical explorations seen in the field. Scholars have been working with farmers and regional stakeholders to establish a baseline for making agroforestry policy viable and sustainable. In a research effort that lasted three years, a large group of Czech farmers was interviewed via questionnaire surveys, standardized focus groups and in-depth personal interviews regarding their knowledge of agroforestry systems, their willingness to participate in these systems, and their concerns and expectations therewith. The information obtained helped the researchers gain better understanding of issues related to implementation of these systems. It was found that although trees are present on Czech farms and farmers appreciate their aesthetic and ecological landscape functions, knowledge about possible local synergies with crops and animals is lacking. This local knowledge gap, together with lack of market opportunities for the output of agroforestry systems and undeveloped administrative processes, have been identified as the greatest obstacles to the establishment of agroforestry systems. The researchers argue that the discovered cognitive and technological “lock-in” of the farmers may represent a risk to climate change adaptability and resilience. For the development of complex and localised land use (e.g., agroforestry) in such a context, the researchers suggest participative on-farm research, which would broaden the local knowledge base related to ecology and entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals Agency plans are inadequate to conserve US endangered species under climate change

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Delach ◽  
Astrid Caldas ◽  
Kiel Edson ◽  
Robb Krehbiel ◽  
Sarah Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Species Sensitivity ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Sensitivity Factors ◽  
Plan Management

AbstractDespite widespread evidence of climate change as a threat to biodiversity, it is unclear whether government policies and agencies are adequately addressing this threat to species1–4. We evaluate species sensitivity, a component of climate change vulnerability, and whether climate change is discussed as a threat in planning for climate-related management action in official documents from 1973-2018 for all 459 US animals listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. We find that 99.8% of species are sensitive to one or more of eight sensitivity factors, but agencies consider climate change as a threat to only 64% of species and plan management actions for only 18% of species. Agencies are more likely to plan actions for species sensitive to more factors, but such planning has declined since 2016. Results highlight the gap between climate change sensitivity and the attention from agencies charged with conserving endangered species.

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