Impact of Value Perception on Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Farmland Fallow: A Case-Study in Major Grain-Producing Areas of Hubei and Hunan, China

The major grain-producing areas will be the key areas of future China fallow. It is important to explore the influence of farmers’ value perceptions on their fallow willingness in these areas. We analyzed this impact of value perception by using an ordered PROBIT model and survey data from the major grain-producing areas of Hubei and Hunan, China. The conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) A considerable proportion of farmers are willing to participate in farmland fallow, while a considerable proportion of farmers are neutral; (2) farmers’ value perceptions of farmland fallow have a significant positive impact on their fallow willingness; (3) farmers’ ages and education levels have a positive impact on farmers’ willingness to directly participate in farmland fallow, while per capita farmland area has a negative impact; (4) the key factors for successful fallow are solving the problem of non-agricultural employment of farmers and appropriately formulating fallow mode, scale, and subsidy standards. This study proposes that the government can develop farmers’ good value perceptions of fallow through appropriate subsidies and adequate publicity to strengthen their fallow consciousness.

Effect of Agricultural Employment and Export Diversification Index on Environmental Pollution: Building the Agenda towards Sustainability

Agricultural activities have a significant impact on environmental quality, because they generate waste that pollutes water and soil. In parallel, the supply of products has diversified in recent years to meet growing demand, exerting strong pressure on nature’s capacity for regeneration and absorption of waste. This research aims to examine the impact of agricultural employment and the export diversification index on ecological footprints, using advanced techniques of panel data econometrics. This relationship is moderated by population density and real per capita product. Cross-section dependence and slope homogeneity were included in the econometric models. The cointegration and causality analysis was reinforced by estimating the short- and long-term elasticities, using the AMG, CCE-MG, FMOLS, and DOLS models. Using annual data for 96 countries, we found a heterogeneous impact of agricultural employment and the export diversification index on ecological footprint, between the short and long term. The findings reveal that the increase of the product increases the pressure on the ecological footprint. The achievement of SDGs must include joint efforts between countries, and not in isolation. Those responsible for environmental policy should promote the idea that production must be friendly to the environment and promote the green growth of countries. The adoption of new technology, higher productivity agricultural employment, and the regulation of exports of sustainable products can contribute to achieving environmental sustainability.

Impact of Globalization on Aggregate and Agricultural Employment in Pakistan

This study has empirically investigated impact of globalization on aggregate and agricultural employment in Pakistan for the data period 1986-2017. Globalization is proxied by variables trade openness, foreign direct investment, workers’ remittances and exchange rate. Other explanatory variables are real GDP, gender based wage gap and labor force. The study has applied Johansen’ cointegration technique and Error Correction Model to estimate the long run and short run relationships. The findings of the study indicate that in the long run trade openness has negative whereas FDI has positive effect on aggregate as well as agricultural employment in Pakistan during the data period. Interestingly, exchange rate and workers’ remittances affect aggregate and agricultural employment differently. Other important finding is that real GDP and gender based wage gap also deteriorate aggregate and agricultural employment in Pakistan. The study concluded that globalization in the form of trade openness has not supported employment whereas FDI enhanced employment in Pakistan. Policy makers need to consider sector specific effects of globalization while designing policies to achieve inclusive growth in Pakistan.

Agrivoltaics in Ontario Canada: Promise and Policy

Well-intentioned regulations to protect Canada’s most productive farmland restrict large-scale so-lar photovoltaic (PV) development. The recent innovation of agrivoltaics, which is the co-development of land for both PV and agriculture, makes these regulations obsolete. Burgeoning agrivoltaics research has shown agricultural benefits including increased yield for a wide range of crops, plant protection from excess solar energy and hail, improved water conservation while maintaining agricultural employment and local food supplies. In addition, the renewable electricity generation decreases greenhouse gas emissions while increasing farm revenue. As Canada in general, and Ontario in particular, is at a strategic disadvantage in agricultural without agrivoltaics, this study investigates the policy changes necessary to capitalize on the benefits of using agrivoltaics in Ontario. Land use policies in Ontario are reviewed. Then, three case studies (peppers, sweet corn and winter wheat) are analyzed for agrivoltaic potential in Ontario. These results are analyzed in conjunction with potential policies that would continue to protect the green-belt of the Golden Horseshoe, while enabling agrivoltaics in Ontario. Four agrivoltaic policy areas are discussed: increased research and development, enhanced education/public awareness, mechanisms to support Canada’s farmers converting to agrivoltaics and using agrivoltaics as a potential source of trade surplus with the U.S.

Classification of determinant factors of irrigated vegetable problems using exploratory factor analysis in Swaida governorate, Syria

<p class="042abstractstekst">The objective of this research was to classify the determinant factors of irrigated vegetable problems and the amount of variance that is explained by each factor in Swaida Governorate/ Syria by using the Exploratory Factor Analysis. The research is based on the data which were collected through questionnaires that were obtained according to the opinions of farmers. It included questions about some of the social and economic characteristics of farmers, and the concerning problems related to irrigated agriculture by using multiple-choice questions (on a 3-point scale) during the 2019-2020 Based on a sample size of 92 farmers, representing 54.9 % of the studied statistical community, and distributed randomly within the areas of spread of irrigated vegetable cultivation.. The results showed the success of using the exploratory factor analysis technique, using the Principal components methodology and Varimax in classifying six factors with an initial eigenvalues greater than one for each, and these factors are: agricultural technological progress, agricultural employment, sale outlets, natural conditions, prices, production requirements. These factors explained (13.21 %, 12.65 %, 12.55 %, 11.12 %, 10.94 %, and 9.85 %) of the total variance respectively, and together explained 70.33 %.</p>

The agricultural land distribution and used on various agroecosystems in Indonesia

The land resource is one of the mains production factors for farmer’s households and the agricultural economy. From the land use and transformation perspective, analyse the aspects related to the dynamics of land ownership and distribution, technical, socio-economy, institutional, and policy factors, and land accessibility are needed. The objectives of this study are (1) analyze diversity of agricultural land holding at the micro, region, and macro levels; (b) describe the main factors that influence the transformation of land use; and (c) formulate strategies and policies on land resources management. The approach used in this paper is to review the results of previous PATANAS research and deepening it with information from secondary data and literatures. The study shows that the transformation constraints are the high population growth and limitation of non-agricultural employment opportunities, the fragmentation and the loss of land transactions, and land conversion. This condition implies that the government needs strategies and policies to save and utilize the potential agricultural land reserves. This effort intends to create new agricultural lands and support infrastructure to increase production and income. It will enable to accelerate transformation in the agricultural sector.

Does Participation in Local Non-agricultural Employment Improve the Mental Health of Elderly Adults in Rural Areas? Evidence From China

A rising rate of suicide among the elderly in rural China has been recognized to be triggered by mental health-associated factors. This study uses 3,397 sampled rural elderly adults from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey in 2016 to explore the response mechanism through which non-agricultural employment participation by the elderly adults in rural China can influence their mental health. Utilizing the Multivariate Regression, Instrumental Variable and Propensity Score Matching methods, we find that, the rural elderly adults who participate in local non-agricultural employment significantly improve their mental health. Self-employment tends to have a greater positive contribution to the mental health of the elderly population than waged employment. Further, work income, need for belongingness and respect, and human capital development significantly mediates the influence of participation in local non-agricultural employment on the mental health of the elderly adults. Finally, we put forward relevant policy suggestions to improving the mental health of the elderly in the countryside.

The Influence of New Agricultural Business Entities on the Economic Welfare of Farmer’s Families

Promoting the coordinated development of new agricultural business entities and small farmers is an important way to realize rural revitalization. It is undoubtedly of great significance to clarify the impact and its mechanism of new agricultural business entities on the economic welfare of farmers’ families. Based on the 2015 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) data, this paper builds a theoretical analytical framework of “new agricultural business entities—non-agricultural employment and agricultural output—economic welfare of farmers’ family”. From the intermediary perspective of the non-agricultural employment and agricultural output, it empirically tests the impact of new agricultural business entities on the economic welfare of farmers’ families by combining the analysis methods of the benchmark regression and intermediary effect. The research shows that: (1) New agricultural business entities promote the improvement of the economic welfare of farmers’ families. The specific manifestation is that the existence of new agricultural business entities can not only increase the per capita annual income of farmers’ families, but also promote the per capita consumption expenditure of farmers’ families in the village. (2) Non-agricultural employment and agricultural output have a significant mediating effect in the impact of new agricultural business entities on the economic welfare of farmers’ families. (3) In addition to key variables, variables such as education, political status, and family status are also key factors affecting the economic welfare of farmers’ families. Finally, this paper puts forward some policy recommendations such as cultivating high-quality new agricultural business entities, strengthening farmers’ technical training, and optimizing rural residents’ policies.

Why Is Female Labour Force Participation So Low in India?

In this article, we analyse the reasons for low female labour force participation (FLFP) across approximately 14,000 households in the Indian urban clusters of Dhanbad, Indore, Patna and Varanasi. We argue that expectations placed upon women to carry out household duties generate incentives for them to largely seek part-time work near their homes, due to what we term as flexibility and proximity of work. While this characterises most agricultural employment, this is not true of urban employment. Using this framework, we argue that requirements to travel large distances for most jobs put prohibitive costs on women entering the labour market. To empirically test our claims, we conduct a survey experiment on the female respondents who are currently unemployed in our sample to elicit labour market preferences. Our results are striking—women are 12 to 23 percentage points less likely to express a preference for a suitable job if they have to travel one hour to work. The magnitude of these effects is far greater than the impact of the primary wage earner of the household losing their job or other family members assisting the woman in household duties. We conclude the article by discussing the implications for policy.