Interplay between structural change in Central Asian agriculture and institutional scarcity of land and water: evidence from Tajikistan

Abstract:This contribution focuses on the interaction between structural change in agriculture and the availability of key natural resources – land and water. The relationship is not unidimensional; therefore, we propose three dimensions of resource-induced structural change. The first dimension describes the links between the two critical input factors into agricultural production, namely land and water. To systematize this perspective, we use the concept of linking patterns that depict direct and indirect intersectoral linkages from a property rights perspective. Second, we examinee the dimension of how structural change in agriculture can be triggered by scarcity of natural resources. The third dimension describes structural change that may lead to overuse and scarcity. In this regard, we introduce resource scarcity not only as physical but most important as institutional scarcity. To illustrate these dimensions, we have chosen a case in Central Asia, where the availability and the control of access and withdrawal rights to land and water is of utmost importance for the agricultural sector. Tajikistan faces physical and institutional scarcity in arable land. The institutional scarcity is due to the non-transparent and costly processes that need to be followed to gain land rights. Likewise there is sufficient supply in water, in Tajikistan, but the de-facto access rights to water are limited for some groups. For instance, the post-socialist irrigation infrastructure is now inappropriate to serve all small-scale users on a canal. In the future, land use change due to a predicted increase of major investors, will have additional impact on the de-facto water rights. We conclude that a solid study not only on the physical but also on the institutional relations of agriculture to natural resources is important to come to reliable predictions of structural change in agriculture. We also show that structural change in agriculture may have wider implications for rural society that go beyond the agricultural sector.

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COVID-19 containment measures of the Government of Kenya: Impact on food security and farmers’ socio-economic life

Masyarakat Kebudayaan dan Politik ◽

10.20473/mkp.v34i22021.119-132 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 119

Author(s):

Karen Mwende Kinuthia ◽

Emy Susanti

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Economic Life ◽

Small Scale ◽

Vulnerable Families ◽

Containment Measures ◽

The Government

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy. The majority of the population earn their living through agricultural activities, large-scale and small-scale farming. This study seeks to reveal how the government’s COVID-19 containment measures have affected the agricultural sector and their impact on farmers’ lifestyle changes. This study employed qualitative research methods, with primary and secondary data sources, and conducted in-depth interviews with 12 farmers and agricultural producers of Gatanga Sub-county in Murang’a County, Kenya. This study shows that the farmers experienced economic shocks owing to the fluctuated farm gate prices and projected resource scarcity. In contrast, their lifestyle changed due to income decrease and adjustment of commodity priorities and socio-demographic factors. The severity of COVID-19 impact on agriculture in the Gatanga Sub-County has been doubled by crop destruction, planting delays, and heavy rains that influence scarcity of food commodities. The study recommends other research to evaluate alternative solutions to supply the county’s food outputs other than those already in co-operatives, like tea, coffee, milk, and avocados. Moreover, perhaps the question for other future researchers should now be directed toward the vulnerable families’ daily consumptions to fulfill their food needs.

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The Socio-Economics Factors in Family Farms with Different Economic Sustainability Levels from Central and Eastern Europe

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158262 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8262

Author(s):

Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży ◽

Marta Guth ◽

Adam Majchrzak ◽

Andreea Cipriana Muntean ◽

Silvia Stefania Maican

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Small Scale ◽

Economic Sustainability ◽

Family Farms ◽

Small Family ◽

Generational Changes

Economic sustainability plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth and social development. The importance of answering the question about the level of sustainability of family farms results from the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, apart from exceptions (e.g. the Czech Republic and Slovakia), are characterized by a fragmented agrarian structure. Hence, the main goal of this article was to answer two questions: 1) whether the countries of Central and Eastern Europe differ in the level of economic sustainability of small family farms; and 2) whether the same socioeconomic factors impact similarly on the level of economic sustainability of small family farms from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study was based on surveys conducted in small family farms: in 2018 from Poland (672 farms) and in 2019 in four other countries (Lithuania; 999 farms, Romania; 834 farms, Serbia; 523 farms, Moldova; 530 farms). The publication includes a critical analysis of the literature, structure analysis and correlation analysis. The results show the occurrence of large differences between the economic sustainability of small family farms from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The research indicates that the larger the area of a small-scale family farm, the greater its economic sustainability. The productivity of these farms increases with their economic sustainability. The results also prove a negative relationship between the age of the farmer and the economic sustainability of their farm in all analysed countries. These trends were found in all analysed countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The results of the analyses support the conclusion that agricultural policy instruments aimed at increasing the economic sustainability of small family farms should lead to: land consolidation, a decrease in the age of farm owners through generational changes, and a decrease in employment in agriculture, which would lead to a reduction in labour input in the agricultural sector.

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Evaluation of China’s Circular Agriculture Performance and Analysis of the Driving Factors

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041643 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1643

Author(s):

Biao Li ◽

Yunting Feng ◽

Xiqiang Xia ◽

Mengjie Feng

Keyword(s):

Rapid Development ◽

Arable Land ◽

Indicator System ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Entropy Method ◽

Agricultural Industry ◽

Evaluation Indicator ◽

Evaluation Indicator System ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Government

Along with industry upgrading and urbanization, the agricultural industry in China has been experiencing a stage of rapid development, on the bright side. On the other side, ecological environment deterioration and resource scarcity have become prevalent. Called by the current situation, circular agriculture arises as a direction for the industry to achieve sustainable development. This study develops an evaluation indicator system for circular agriculture using an entropy method, and evaluates factors that could drive the Chinese agricultural industry to achieve better performance. We employ the method using provincial data collected from the province of Henan, in which around 10% of the total grain in China is produced. It was found that agricultural technology and water resources per capita are positively related to circular performance in agriculture. In contrast, urbanization and arable land per capita are negatively related to circular performance. This article provides support to the government in policy-making related to the improvement of circular agricultural performance.

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How Do Women Overcome Gender Inequality by Forming Small-Scale Cooperatives? The Case of the Agricultural Sector in Uganda

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041797 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1797

Author(s):

Amber Theeuwen ◽

Valérie Duplat ◽

Christopher Wickert ◽

Brian Tjemkes

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Gender Inequality ◽

Family Business ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Small Scale ◽

Business Relationships ◽

Female Farmers

In Uganda, the agricultural sector contributes substantially to gross domestic product. Although the involvement of Ugandan women in this sector is extensive, female farmers face significant obstacles, caused by gendering that impedes their ability to expand their family business and to generate incomes. Gender refers to social or cultural categories by which women–men relationships are conceived. In this study, we aim to investigate how gendering influences the development of business relationships in the Ugandan agricultural sector. To do so, we employed a qualitative–inductive methodology to collect unique data on the rice and cassava sectors. Our findings reveal at first that, in the agricultural sector in Uganda, inter-organization business relationships (i.e., between non-family actors) are mostly developed by and between men, whereas intra-organization business relationships with family members are mostly developed by women. We learn that gendering impedes women from developing inter-organization business relationships. Impediments for female farmers include their restricted mobility, the lack of trust by men, their limited freedom in communication, household duties, and responsibilities for farming activities up until sales. Our findings also reveal that these impediments to developing inter-organization business relationships prevent female farmers from being empowered and from attainting economic benefits for the family business. In this context, the results of our study show that grouping in small-scale cooperatives offers female farmers an opportunity to overcome gender inequality and to become economically emancipated. Thanks to these cooperatives, women can develop inter-organization relationships with men and other women and gain easier access to financial resources. Small-scale cooperatives can alter gendering in the long run, in favor of more gender equality and less marginalization of women. Our study responds to calls for more research on the informal economy in developing countries and brings further understanding to the effect of gendering in the Ugandan agricultural sector. We propose a theoretical framework with eight propositions bridging gendering, business relationship development, and empowerment and economic benefits. Our framework serves as a springboard for policy implications aimed at fostering gender equality in informal sectors in developing countries.

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The drivers of innovation diffusion in agriculture: evidence from Italian census data

Journal on Chain and Network Science ◽

10.3920/jcns2014.x009 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 231-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

G. Avolio ◽

E. Blasi ◽

C. Cicatiello ◽

S. Franco

Keyword(s):

Innovation Diffusion ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Census Data ◽

Structural Features ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Local Expenditure ◽

Diffusion Dynamics ◽

Italian Provinces ◽

Market Opportunities

Innovation is a key issue in the discussion about the links between agriculture, food production and sustainability. Indeed, the creation, adoption and exploitation of innovations can interact with all three dimensions of sustainability – environment, society and economy. Despite the increasing support for innovation practices in the agrifood sector from institutions and public policies, innovation in this sector has spread quite slowly. Indeed, the diffusion of innovations strongly depends on the social, institutional and productive system behind the technological/structural features of the farms. The analysis of the drivers underpinning the innovation diffusion dynamics in agriculture is therefore a very interesting topic for studies in this domain. This paper aims to provide a map of the diffusion of innovations in the Italian agricultural sector, highlighting differences and territorial specificities. We try to explain the drivers and factors influencing such specificities, drawing from data on the agricultural sector as well as information on the institutional and regulatory framework. Data on the diffusion of product, process, organizational and marketing innovations in agriculture have been gathered for the 110 Italian provinces, drawing from the 2010 Agricultural Census survey. Maps of the diffusion of the different types of innovations have then been constructed and analysed. Results show that the diffusion of the different innovation types is not uniform within the country. Some are typical to specific areas where productive or market opportunities occur. Others are not territorial-specific but are linked to the features of the single farms. The influence of the regulatory context also seems to play a significant role. By analysing the local expenditure in rural development intervention, we analyses how the synergies among the productive and institutional systems may act as a driver for innovation diffusion in agriculture.

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McCulloch, Scrope, and Hodgskin: Nineteenth-Century Versions of Julian Simon

Journal of the History of Economic Thought ◽

10.1080/1042771032000114737 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 289-301 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William S. Kern

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Nineteenth Century ◽

Population Growth ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Limits To Growth ◽

Economic Progress ◽

Natural Resource Scarcity ◽

Growing Population

In The Ultimate Resource (1981, 1996), and in many other publications over the last several decades, Julian Simon put forth controversial views regarding the connection between natural resource scarcity, population growth, and economic progress. Simon argued, in contrast to those espousing the limits to growth, that natural resources were not getting scarcer, but more abundant, and that a large and growing population was an asset rather than a liability in the pursuit of economic growth.

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Environmental Performance of Small-Scale Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant for Rural Area Water Supply

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11010040 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 40

Author(s):

Latifah Abdul Ghani ◽

Nora’aini Ali ◽

Ilyanni Syazira Nazaran ◽

Marlia M. Hanafiah

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Global Warming ◽

Water Supply ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Small Scale ◽

Seawater Desalination ◽

Seawater Reverse Osmosis ◽

Desalination Technology ◽

The Impact

Seawater desalination is an alternative technology to provide safe drinking water and to solve water issues in an area having low water quality and limited drinking water supply. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is commonly used in the desalination technology and experiencing significant growth. The aim of this study was to analyze the environmental impacts of the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant installed in Kampung Pantai Senok, Kelantan, as this plant was the first installed in Malaysia. The software SimaPro 8.5 together with the ReCiPe 2016 database were used as tools to evaluate the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the SWRO plant. The results showed that the impact of global warming (3.90 kg CO2 eq/year) was the highest, followed by terrestrial ecotoxicity (1.62 kg 1,4-DCB/year) and fossil resource scarcity (1.29 kg oil eq/year). The impact of global warming was caused by the natural gas used to generate the electricity, mainly during the RO process. Reducing the environmental impact can be effectively achieved by decreasing the electricity usage for the seawater desalination process. As a suggestion, electricity generation can be overcome by using a high-flux membrane with other suitable renewable energy for the plant such as solar and wind energy.

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Dimensions of Public Sector Pay Policies in the United States and Sweden

Review of Public Personnel Administration ◽

10.1177/0734371x8800800305 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 61-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lois Recascino Wise

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Sector ◽

United States Of America ◽

Central Government ◽

The United States ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Social Orientation ◽

Social Equality ◽

The Third ◽

Third Dimension

Three dimensions for analyzing public sector pay administration are used to examine central government pay administration in Sweden and the United States of America. On the first dimension, market posture, both countries are found to fall short of their espoused policy, comparability. Greater consistency is found on the second dimension, social orientation, where both countries have pursued the goal of social equality. The equilization of salary levels across society is far greater in Sweden in keeping with the socialist objectives of wage solidarity. The third dimension, reward structure, shows the greatest distance between the two countries with the struggle to implement performance-contingent pay underway in the U.S. while Swedes continue to rely on longevity for pay increases.

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