Entrepreneurship in Small-Scale Farms

Author(s):  
Luísa Margarida Cagica Carvalho

This chapter aims to relate a case of rural entrepreneurship developed in Portuguese small-scale farms promoted through the European Project PROVE. The Project PROVE appears in 2007 inside European Program EQUAL; several local partners and development agencies work together with small farms to solve a problem. Parts of these farms do not have enough scale to sell large quantities in markets or to arrange agreement with national and international distributors. However, they have agricultural surplus and difficulties in selling their entire surplus in the local markets. Parts of the first farms are also in urban regions and suffer urban pressures, are familiar explorations, and the number of women is relevant. This entrepreneurial solution was spread to different regions in Portugal and also in other European countries and endures beyond the end of the European project.

2017 ◽  
pp. 1081-1093
Author(s):  
Luísa Margarida Cagica Carvalho

This chapter aims to relate a case of rural entrepreneurship developed in Portuguese small-scale farms promoted through the European Project PROVE. The Project PROVE appears in 2007 inside European Program EQUAL; several local partners and development agencies work together with small farms to solve a problem. Parts of these farms do not have enough scale to sell large quantities in markets or to arrange agreement with national and international distributors. However, they have agricultural surplus and difficulties in selling their entire surplus in the local markets. Parts of the first farms are also in urban regions and suffer urban pressures, are familiar explorations, and the number of women is relevant. This entrepreneurial solution was spread to different regions in Portugal and also in other European countries and endures beyond the end of the European project.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 592-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Ali Chandio ◽  
Yuansheng Jiang ◽  
Feng Wei ◽  
Xu Guangshun

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of short-term loan (STL) vs long-term loan (LTL) on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The econometric estimation is based on cross-sectional data collected in 2016 from 18 villages in three districts, i.e. Shikarpur, Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan. The sample data set consist of 180 wheat farmers. The collected data were analyzed through different econometric techniques like Cobb–Douglas production function and Instrumental variables (two-stage least squares) approach. Findings This study reconfirmed that agricultural credit has a positive and highly significant effect on wheat productivity, while the short-term loan has a stronger effect on wheat productivity than the long-term loan. The reasons behind the phenomenon may be the significantly higher usage of agricultural inputs like seeds of improved variety and fertilizers which can be transformed into the wheat yield in the same year. However, the LTL users have significantly higher investments in land preparation, irrigation and plant protection, which may lead to higher wheat production in the coming years. Research limitations/implications In the present study, only those wheat farmers were considered who obtained agricultural loans from formal financial institutions like Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and Khushhali Bank. However, in the rural areas of Sindh, Pakistan, a considerable proportion of small-scale farmers take credit from informal financial channels. Therefore future researchers should consider the informal credits as well. Originality/value This is the first paper to examine the effects of agricultural credit on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan. This paper will be an important addition to the emerging literature regarding effects of credit studies.


1979 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben L. Perry

West is to be commended for (1) the organization of his discussion, (2) the careful delineation of the research areas, (3) the thoroughness of his research and the excellent documentation of the research efforts of social scientists in treating the problem/s of the small-farm operator, and (4) the development of a means-end schema of “what is,” “what ought to be” with implications for future research, programs, and public policy.As West indicates, there is need for a redefinition of small farm. The $20,000 gross sales limit is inadequate. Most definitions do not include the value added of products produced and consumed by the family. Some states, for example Florida, use figures much lower than $20,000 to characterize small farms. The distinction between full-time and part-time farmers and their incomes is not clearly delineated. A national concern should be the redefinition of the term, “small farm.” Heterogeneous characteristics of small farms should not inhibit the generation of profile information by geographic regions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth T. Pereira ◽  
Madalena Vilas-Boas ◽  
Cátia F.C. Rebelo

This article explores which measures are perceived by European key stakeholders (students, employers and academics) as crucial for the development of curricula that provide graduates with working-life competences and key skills that may increase their employability. It also seeks to identify measures that may strengthen cooperation between companies and universities. This was achieved through the application of 1734 questionnaires to key stakeholders in five European countries which are part of the European project #Europehome. The most popular measure identified by all stakeholders was the internship. More specifically, internships are considered of great importance to increase graduates’ employability as well as being the best means of cooperation between universities and companies. In addition, the study identified a range of best practices and measures that may help lay the foundations and sustain the development of well-planned curricula.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Halloran ◽  
N. Roos ◽  
R. Flore ◽  
Y. Hanboonsong

Since cricket farming was introduced in Thailand in 1997, domestic, regional and international interest in the edible cricket industry has increased. This study aims to identify emerging themes related the development of the edible cricket industry over the past decades. It also discusses additional themes in the development of the cricket industry in connection to the work of other scholars, as well as future considerations to maintain the positive impacts of the industry on rural economic development, entrepreneurship and employment. Eight types of actors in the cricket industry were considered in this study: cricket farmers; wholesale traders and market vendors; tourism agents; international organisa tions; chefs; private companies; researchers; and governmental representatives. The farming and sale of crickets is still a small-scale activity which is relatively profitable for the farmers and other actors in the value chain. Based on the findings of this study, the constraints to growth and further expansion of the industry appear minimal at present. Nonetheless, speculations regarding the positive and negative impacts that further growth may have demonstrate the potential opportunities and threats to the industry. Considering the edible cricket industry as a part of the rural entrepreneurship and development policy discourse may be beneficial to sustainable development.


Author(s):  
Anna Dahl ◽  
Dominique Moinereau ◽  
Patrick Le Delliou ◽  
Willy Vincent

Abstract The 4-years European project ATLAS+ (Advanced Structural Integrity Assessment Tools for Safe long Term Operation) has been launched in June 2017. One of its objectives is to study the transferability of material ductile properties from small scale specimens to large scale components and validate some advanced tools for structural integrity assessment. The study of properties transferability is based on a wide experimental programme which includes a full set of fracture experiments conducted on conventional fracture specimens and large scale components (mainly pipes). Three materials are considered in the programme : a ferritic steel WB36 typical from secondary feed water line in German PWR reactors, an aged stainless steel austenitic weld representative of EPR design and a typical VVER austenitic dissimilar weld (DMW). This paper describes the experimental work conducted on the ferritic steel WB 36 (15NiCuMoNb5) and summarizes the experimental results available after 2 years of work. Numerous mechanical tests have been conducted on a wide panel of fracture mechanics specimens for a full characterization of the ferritic steel: Tensile properties, Hardness, Charpy Energy, pre-cracked Charpy PCC, Master curve on CT and SENT specimens, ductile tearing properties on CT and SENT specimens. In parallel, it is planned to test three 4PB large scale tests on pipings (FP1, FP2 and FP3) at room temperature on the EDF test facility with 3 configurations (shape, size and location) of cracks: through wall crack (TWC), internal and external ½ elliptical cracks. Progress of these large scale experiments is described including first results.


Author(s):  
Paulo C. Dias ◽  
Ana Sofia Bastos

ABSTRACTThe data on the prevalence of plagiarism in secondary education and higher education in anglosaxonic countries have been so high, considered by some authors as epidemics, that sparked an intense discussion and research. However, in most European countries, the debate seems limited to schools and teachers contexts. From a European project involving six countries, this paper aims to understand students’ perceptions of plagiarism, exploring the role of motivation and selfregulation in adolescents’ attitudes. For this, an investigation was performed with a socio-demographic questionnaire, a scale of attitudes toward plagiarism (adapted from Mavrinac, Brumini, Bilic-zulle & Petrovečki, 2010), an inventory to evaluate adolescent self- regulation (Dias, Garcia del Castillo & Moilanen, 2011) and motivation for learning (Midgley et al., 2001). Based on the data, descriptive statistics allow us to understand students’ proximity with plagiarism, and inferential data that relate adolescents’ attitudes to plagiarism with motivation, self-regulation and internet use. From these results implications for teachers’ practices are discussed and suggestions for prevention of plagiarism presented.RESUMOOs dados de prevalência do plágio no ensino secundário e no ensino superior nos países anglo-saxónicos têm sido tão elevados, considerados por alguns autores como epidémicos, que têm suscitado uma intensa discussão e investigação. Contudo, na maioria dos países europeus, o debate parece limitado aos contextos de escola e dos professores. A partir de um projecto europeu que envolveu seis países, pretende-se com este trabalho conhecer as percepções dos alunos sobre o plágio, explorando o papel da motivação e da auto-regulação nas atitudes dos adolescentes. Para isso, foi feita uma investigação com o recurso a um questionário sócio-demográfico, uma escala de atitudes em relação ao plágio (adaptada de Mavrinac, Brumini, Bilic-Zulle & Petrovečki, 2010), um inventário para avaliar a auto-regulação na adolescência (Dias, Garcia del Castillo & Moilanen, 2011) e motivação para a aprendizagem (Midgley et al., 2001). Baseados nos dados, são apresentadas estatísticas descritivas que permitem perceber a proximidade dos alunos com o plágio, e dados inferenciais que rel acionam as atitudes dos adolescentes em relação ao plágio com a motivação, a auto-regulação e o uso da internet. A partir dos resultados são discutidas implicações deste estudo para as práticas dos professores e sugestões para a prevenção do plágio. Contacto principal: [email protected]


Author(s):  
Nazanin Nafisi ◽  
Osman Mohd Tahir ◽  
Sara Nafisi ◽  
Nazri Ishak

Residents have chosen to be living in urban regions in recent years largely due to the accessibility of job opportunities and public services. These led to a fast increase in the amount of people live in urban regions and cities. As a result, a large amount of the property used for agricultural activities was transformed into factories, housing units, and highways. This also resulted in a decrease in food production, growth in food prices and food import bills as the country now relies on food imports especially rice, fruits and vegetables, that can prevent the fostering of urban farming activities and then provide beneficial information essential to form it into a more consumer friendly program. Moreover, studies on urban farming are somewhat few in Malaysia and this study can become helpful for future research. The study focused on small-scale agriculture projects, such as community gardens, and community-level programs such as community supported agriculture and farmers markets. The study found that how urban agriculture enhances community resilience and wellbeing. This is the necessity for the Malaysian urban authorities to give more appropriate identification and support to city dwellers and promote them to develop the practice of urban farming.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Dimitar Parlichev ◽  
Atanas Vasilev

In many publications, as well as in media statements, prominent foreign and Bulgarian seismologists admit that seismology still does not have reliable methods and technical means for the identification of earthquake precursors in marine conditions (short-term forecast). Several facts, circumstances, and considerations are presented, motivating the need to immediately start experimental research in this area. A Bulgarian patent of a device for capturing underwater gas sources is offered for transmitting characteristics of the underwater gas source to a receiving device on land, indicating an impending earthquake. A strategy for experimentation and application of the device through the implementation of a new European project, uniting the forces and capabilities of the South European countries, is being proposed.


Author(s):  
Spyros Anagnostou

In the European Union, Functional Urban Regions are important to economic and spatial planning; so is the existence of statistical data at this spatial level, both for the European and the national policies. Still, most European countries, like Greece, have no official delimitations for these zones - and, consecutively, no socio-economic data produced at this level. “Larger Urban Zones”, created by Eurostat's Urban Audit represent the only proxy to FURs that could be used for comparable studies, but this would demand an effort for a better harmonization and for consequent statistical series.


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