Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Agricultural sector'

Since the 1980s many developing countries have moved away from state intervention/control, to more openness and market-determinism in the conduct of their economic affairs. This has re-opened the debate on the relative merits and demerits of state control and market-determinism in the formulation of economic policy. This study takes this debate a step further; in addition to investigating the effects of direct and indirect government intervention in Sierra Leone's agricultural sector, it also analyses the relationship between intervention and the development of alternative trading channels - called parallel markets. In recent decades the manipulation of pricing policy (direct intervention) and the adverse effects of macreconomic policy (indirect intervention) have made official trading channels unattractive. This disincentive has discouraged producers, and exporters, from trading in official channels. Consequently, official output and the contribution of tax revenue have fallen. On the other hand, parallel market activity has fared considerably better; its output and share of total output have increased. This study analyses the origins, causes and consequences of such trends, and their implications for the Sierra Leone economy. Analyses in most previous studies focus on the estimation of total intervention; this study extends such analyses by using the Decomposition technique to determine the level of direct and indirect intervention in Sierra Leone's agricultural export sector, from 1970 to 1992. This allows a more comprehensive examination of the scale and type of government intervention. The results indicate persistently high levels of total intervention throughout the study period, with indirect intervention being the more significant component. Parallel market activity showed a sharp increase in the 1980s, which is the period of failed macroeconomic stabilisation programmes. The OLS regression model suggests a positive relationship between parallel market activity, and both direct and indirect intervention.

Nigeria, despite its significant agricultural potential, has struggled to reach high levels of agricultural productivity. The country has gone from a net exporter of agricultural products from the few years after its independence to a net importer of food at present. The Oxford Business Group estimates that the country now spends as much as $23.3 billion on food import every year. To put this into perspective, the country’s entire allocation for its 2017 national budget was $23.97 billion, which in effect means Nigeria spends as much money on importing food as it spends on defense, health care, education, debt servicing, and capital expenditures combined. This study argues that the rentier nature of the Nigerian state has been a major contributing factor that has led to its poor agriculture performance. Thus, the study put forward that increasing agricultural productivity via a food self-sufficiency strategy would be of the best interest to the Nigerian government. Using a Double Log regression model, the study found that gross fixed capital formation and employment in agriculture has positive and statistically significant relationships with agricultural productivity in Nigeria. However, government recurrent expenditure in agriculture and credit to agriculture has a positive but statistically insignificant relationship with agricultural productivity in the country. In all, this study suggests that productivity in Nigeria’s agricultural sector can be improved with increased capital formation and labor in the sector under a framework of a food self-sufficiency strategy.

Come molti altri settori produttivi, anche l'agricoltura deve affrontare una crescente dipendenza energetica da elettricità, petrolio e gas naturale. Tuttavia, l'agricoltura può rispondere direttamente a tali richieste ricorrendo alle fonti di energia rinnovabili (FER), come il solare fotovoltaico (PV) e gli impianti biogas/biometano (BP). Questi sistemi sono stati fortemente incentivati in passato. Gli attuali sistemi d’incentivazione prevedono invece sussidi commisurati alle caratteristiche aziendali come stalle, fienili, disponibilità di biomasse, ecc. Per questi motivi, per quanto riguarda il settore FV, è necessario utilizzare modelli analitici affidabili per valutare l’orientamento e la tecnologia migliore, in particolare per generatori integrati architettonicamente. Per la produzione di biometano, gli impianti di piccole dimensioni risultano quelli maggiormente incentivati previa alimentazione con sottoprodotti agro-industriali. Tuttavia, le loro performance dipendono fortemente dalla tecnologia d’upgrading. Pertanto, le prospettive economiche offerte da questi sistemi RES sono legate alla scelta della tecnologia da impiegare e non più esclusivamente al semplice dimensionamento. Su questa base, l'obiettivo principale di questo lavoro è stato lo sviluppo di strumenti di supporto decisionali (DSSS) per l'ottimizzazione energetica d’impianti FV e BP. Un primo studio si è focalizzato sull’analisi prestazionale per singolo componente e globale d’impianti FV installati in un’azienda agricola. Inoltre, una procedura analitica di ottimizzazione dei parametri d’impianto è stata definita per massimizzare il rendimento elettrico di un generatore integrato architettonicamente rispetto ad un’installazione a terra. Attraverso una serie d’informazioni tecnico-economiche di tecnologie di upgrading, un secondo studio è stato condotto con l'obiettivo di sviluppare un DSS per valutare la marginalità sul reddito aziendale data dall’installazione on-farm di un impianto BP collegato alla rete del gas naturale. I risultati dei due studi hanno dimostrato come questi DSS possono essere utili strumenti per valutare preventivamente le diverse potenzialità offerte da impianti FV e BP in base alle caratteristiche di un’azienda agricola.
Like many other productive sectors, even agriculture must tackle an increasing energy dependency on electricity, petroleum and natural gas. Nevertheless, agriculture can directly respond to such request thanks to renewable energy systems (RES) like solar photovoltaic (PV) and biogas/biomethane (BP) plants. These systems have been strongly incentivized in the past. On the contrary, current incentive schemes provide feed-in-tariffs proportionate to farming characteristics as stables, barns, biomass availability, etc. For this reason, as regards the PV sector, it is required to use reliable analytical models for assessing the best orientation and technology, in particular for architecturally integrated generators. For the biomethane production, small-medium plants have stronger incentives in particular using agro-food by-products as feed. However, their performances are strongly dependent on biomethane upgrading technology. Thus, the economic prospective offered by these RES systems are substantially tied to technology choice optimization and no longer solely in simple sizing. On this basis, the main goal of this work is to develop Decision Support Tools (DSSs) for energy optimization both for PV and BP plants. A first study was focused on the analysis of PV plants installed in the same farm. The aim is to examine the impact each plant component has on the PV generator global efficiency and define an analytical procedure for technical parameters optimization in order to maximize the electric yield of an architectonically integrated plant compared to a ground-mounted one. Based on the economic and efficiency features of a biomethane upgrading technology set, a second study was carried out with the aim to design a DSS to assess enterprise-wide profit margins resulting from the on-farm BP plant installation linked to the natural gas grid. The results of the two studies have shown how these DSSs can be useful tools for choosing PV and BP technologies based on farm characteristics.

Seit der Unabhängigkeit der zentralasiatischen Republik Kirgisistan haben Politik, Verwaltung und Ökonomie verschiedene Formen von Dezentralisierung erfahren. Diese Dissertation umfasst fünf Essays, die die Dezentralisierung im landwirtschafltichen Sektor aus institutionenökonomischer Sicht untersuchen. Die ersten zwei Essays geben detaillierte Einblicke in die institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen von Dezentralisierung und beurteilen ihrer Wirkung in Hinblick auf Serviceverfügbarkeit und -qualität in dörflichen Gemeinden. Die folgenden drei Essays untersuchen, anhand einzelner und multipler Fallstudien, ein spezifisches Beispiel der Dezentralisierung landwirtschaftlicher Services: die Einführung von gemeindebasiertem Weidemanagement. Es lassen sich drei Ergebnisse ableiten: Erstens, internationale Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NROs) steuern das ländliche Dienstleistungsangebot und fördern die Bildung gemeindebasierter Nutzergruppen für ausgewählte Services. Zweitens, Institutionen zur Implementierung der Servicebereitstellung werden von NROs entwickelt; drittens, die Servicebereitsstellung ist nicht befriedigend und das Potential zur Berücksichtigung lokaler Servicebedürfnisse und lokalen Wissens wird nur teilweise ausgeschöpft, da die Implementierung keine umfassende Servicenutzerbeteiligung sicherstellt. Die Wirkungen gemeindebasierter Dezentralisierungsprozesse sind als Ergebnis rationaler Handlungsentscheidungen von lokalen Mitarbeitern der NRO und Verantwortlichen in der dörflichen Verwaltung zu verstehen. Diese Entscheidungen sind vielfach durch extern entwickelte, und teilweise unpassende, Institutionen bestimmt. Verbesserte Implementierungsstrategien sind daher notwendig. Diese sind auf Basis detaillierter qualitativer Studien des lokalen Umsetzungskontexts zu entwickeln.
Since the Central Asian Kyrgyz Republic gained independence from the Soviet Union, policy making, administration and economy have seen some form of decentralization. This dissertation contains five essays which study decentralization in the Kyrgyz agricultural sector from an institutional economics perspective. The first two essays provide in-depth information on the institutional setting of decentralization and its effects on service availability and quality at municipality level. The subsequent three essays explore, based on single and multiple case studies, one specific field of decentralized agricultural services: a community-based natural resource management reform in the pasture sector. The three key findings are: first, international NGOs govern rural service provision and support the creation of community-based service user groups for selected services; second, the NGOs design institutions for implementation and provide financial resources; third, service provision is unadequate and, because implementation does not provide for broader service user involvement in decision making, service user needs and local knowledge impact service decisions only to a very limited degree. The overall result of the dissertation is that the municipality-level processes of decentralization must be understood as outcomes of rational decision making of lowest-level NGO staff and municipality level policy administrators. These decisions are impacted by partly inappropriate, externally designed implementation institutions. Improved implementation rule design is therefore needed. The recommendation from this research is therefore to use detailed qualitative studies of implementation contexts as a basis for developing better tailored implementation strategies.

One of the main problems recognized in sustainable development goals and sustainable agricultural objectives is Climate change. Farming contributes significantly to the overall Greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, which is approximately 10-12 percent of total GHG emissions, but when taking in consideration also land-use change, including deforestation driven by agricultural expansion for food, fiber and fuel the number rises to approximately 30 percent (Smith et. al., 2007). There are two distinct methodological approaches for environmental impact assessment; Life Cycle Assessment (a bottom up approach) and Input-Output Analysis (a top down approach). The two methodologies differ significantly but there is not an immediate choice between them if the scope of the study is on a sectorial level. Instead, as an alternative, hybrid approaches which combine these two approaches have emerged. The aim of this study is to analyze in a greater detail the agricultural sectors contribution to Climate change caused by the consumption of food products. Hence, to identify the food products that have the greatest impact through their life cycle, identifying their hotspots and evaluating the mitigation possibilities for the same. At the same time evaluating methodological possibilities and models to be applied for this purpose both on a EU level and on a country level (Italy).

One of the main problems recognized in sustainable development goals and sustainable agricultural objectives is Climate change. Farming contributes significantly to the overall Greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, which is approximately 10-12 percent of total GHG emissions, but when taking in consideration also land-use change, including deforestation driven by agricultural expansion for food, fiber and fuel the number rises to approximately 30 percent (Smith et. al., 2007). There are two distinct methodological approaches for environmental impact assessment; Life Cycle Assessment (a bottom up approach) and Input-Output Analysis (a top down approach). The two methodologies differ significantly but there is not an immediate choice between them if the scope of the study is on a sectorial level. Instead, as an alternative, hybrid approaches which combine these two approaches have emerged. The aim of this study is to analyze in a greater detail the agricultural sectors contribution to Climate change caused by the consumption of food products. Hence, to identify the food products that have the greatest impact through their life cycle, identifying their hotspots and evaluating the mitigation possibilities for the same. At the same time evaluating methodological possibilities and models to be applied for this purpose both on a EU level and on a country level (Italy).

Mike Arce is the owner of a 30-hectare farm in an agricultural area on the coast north of Lima, Peru. He must find a solution to the liquidity problem that arose at the end of 2016 and determine if he has adequate accounting information to make his decision. Students are challenged to review information from an accounting and financial perspective. In the resolution of the case, international rules concerning information to be submitted via financial statements must be considered, especially taking into account the rules concerning agriculture, property/plant and equipment and inventories. This case lends itself to analysis and projection of financial statements and to seeking alternative solutions.

This research recommended ways in which Nigeria could unlock constraints to commercialization and investment in the Nigerian agricultural sector for sustained economic growth, enhanced food security, increased competitiveness of products in the domestic, regional and international markets, sustainable environmental management and poverty alleviation.

The main purpose of this report is to conduct an analysis with a view to determine the potential role and contribution of agriculture in region E. This report emphasises the agricultural impact in determining an economic development strategy for region E. It is therefore the aim of this report to provide a brief situation analysis and an interpretation of existing problems affecting development. The importance of the sector, implications of the spacial distribution, the structure, potential growth and the policy environment will be addressed. From the above, constraints, bottlenecks, the likely future demand, etc will be pointed out. The interpretation of the above and its implications for development is necessary to determine objectives for the aimed strategy. The strategy for region E is necessary in determining policies stressing economic growth and fair distribution of resources to enable the mass of the population to share in increased wealth and economic opportunities.
Region E economic development study

This thesis investigates the experiences of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the agricultural sector of the Russian Federation. The focus is on the form of FDI, and how each investor responds, and adapts, to the Russian operational environment. This is achieved through extensive qualitative, and multiple methods research on three manifestations of FDI: corporate, privately-funded investment; corporate, publically-funded investment; and smaller, individual private investment. Of interest are the Russia-specific constraints that may be largely underprepared for by foreign investors, and unexpected events that occur in the Russian space that hamper the efforts of investors. This thesis, thus, informs the reader of the variable nature of the Russian agricultural sphere, and the problems that exist within its boundaries, and presents the stories of some of the foreign investors that have tried to penetrate its market, mostly since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The thesis consists of four papers that have either been published, or submitted for publication, in academic journals, and utilises fieldwork that was conducted between 2013 and 2014. This thesis finds that all of the foreign investors studied have experienced - in certain aspects - failure on the Russian frontier, though there have also been certain successes. It seems that financial success is dictated by the business model of each investor; those who are afforded longer time horizons, more time to adapt on the frontier, and a source of funds that does not place short-term pressure on the business, are more likely to succeed. The Russian operating environment is unique, peculiar, and unpredictable, with a tendency to produce substantial obstacles that, for investors, are difficult to overcome; for agricultural FDI to avoid these struggles, these environmental conditions need to be anticipated and prepared for, with clear strategies painstakingly thought through before any venture physically begins on Russian soil.

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The importance of the agricultural sector in the South African economy is often stressed by farmers and agricultural industry organisations. The reality, however, is that the sector has constituted less than 3% of the economy since 2005 (DAS, 2012). It is therefore important that the current role of the agricultural sector in the South African economy is investigated. This has been the subject of a number of studies. The most comprehensive study to date was undertaken by Brand (1969) within the well-known framework of Johnston and Mellor (1961). A number of less comprehensive studies have followed. This is the second comprehensive analysis of the role of the agricultural sector in the South African economy. This study reapplies Brand’s (1969) framework to the data currently available. The results are contrasted with those obtained by Brand (1969) and other authors, in order to establish whether, and if so how, the role of the sector has changed in the last 50 years. The results obtained are then incorporated into policy suggestions. The findings of this thesis are, firstly, that the agricultural sector has been unable to meet the demand for the main food items consumed domestically since 2000. This, however, did not result in the predicted rapid increase in food and general inflation. Secondly, agricultural exports have not played a growth-leading, but rather a balancing role in economic development, because the sector maintained a positive trade balance during the full period of analysis. Thirdly, the sector has released labour to the rest of the economy since 1962, thereby fulfilling what is seen as a requirement by the economic development literature. Fourthly, the sector has probably made a net transfer of capital to the rest of the economy since the mid-2000s. Lastly, the agricultural sector plus the sectors with which it has the strongest linkages represented around 7% of the economy in 2010. This study concurs with Brand’s (1969) main conclusion that the South African agricultural sector does not play a growth-leading or initiating role in the economy, but rather a growth-permissive role. This is due to the sector’s relatively small quantitative significance in the economy, which limits the growth impact of agricultural exports, capital transfers from the sector and linkages with the rest of the economy. The sector plays a growth-enabling role, however, by supplying food to consumers at the lowest possible price - either by producing it domestically, or by affording food imports with the exchange earned through the export of agricultural produce. In addition, the sector has an important role in providing employment, especially in rural areas. It is recommended that the current agricultural marketing and international trade policy framework, which is conducive to international trade and limits market distortions, is retained. The sector has the potential, given the adoption of the required policy, to create employment by virtue of its relatively high labour intensity and the existence of some complementarities between capital and labour in the sector. Also, the competiveness of the sector should be increased by means of an investment in infrastructure.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belangrikheid van die landbousektor in die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie word dikwels deur boere en bedryfsorganisasies benadruk. Die realiteit is egter dat die sektor sedert 2005 minder as 3% van die ekonomie uitmaak (DAS, 2012). In die lig hiervan is dit belangrik dat die huidige rol van die landbousektor in die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie ondersoek word. Dít was al die tema van verskeie studies, waarvan die mees omvattende tot op hede deur Brand (1969) binne die bekende raamwerk van Johnston en Mellor (1961) aangepak is. Verskeie minder omvattende studies het sedertdien gevolg. Hierdie tesis is dan die tweede omvattende analise van die rol van die landbousektor in die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Brand (1969) se raamwerk word op die huidige data toegepas. Die resultate word dan met dié van Brand (1969) en ander navorsers vergelyk om vas te stel of, en indien wel hoe, die rol van die sektor verander het oor die afgelope 50 jaar. Hierna word die resultate in beleidsvoorstelle geïnkorporeer. Daar word eerstens bevind dat die landbousektor sedert 2000 nie in staat is om in die binnelande vraag na die hoof-voedselsoorte wat plaaslik verbruik word, te voorsien nie. Dit het egter nie tot die voorspelde sterk toename in voedsel- en algemene inflasie gelei nie. Tweedens het landbou-uitvoere nie ’n leidende rol in ekonomiese groei gespeel nie, maar eerder ’n balanserende rol vervul aangesien die sektor gedurende die volle periode van analise ’n positiewe handelsbalans gehandhaaf het. Derdens het die sektor arbeid aan die res van die ekonomie beskikbaar gestel, soos vereis in die ekonomiese ontwikkelings literatuur. Vierdens het die sektor waarskynlik sedert die middel-2000’s ’n netto-bydrae kapitaal aan die res van die ekonomie gemaak. Laastens het die sektor, tesame met die sektore waarmee dit die sterkste skakels het, in 2010 sowat 7% van die ekonomie uitgemaak. Hierdie studie stem met Brand (1969) se hoofbevinding saam, naamlik dat die Suid-Afrikaanse landbousektor nie ’n groei-inisiërende rol in ekonomiese groei speel nie, maar eerder ’n groei-vergunnende een. Dít is ’n gevolg van die sektor se klein kwantitatiewe omvang in die ekonomie, wat die impak wat landbou-uitvoere, kapitaaloordragte en die sektor se skakels met die res van die ekonomie op makro-ekonomiese groei het, beperk. Die sektor stel egter ekonomiese groei in staat deur voedsel teen die laagste moontlike prys aan verbruikers te verskaf - óf deur dit plaaslik te produseer, óf deur die invoer daarvan te bekostig met die buitelandse valuta wat deur middel van landbou-uitvoere verdien word. Verder het die sektor ook ’n belangrike rol as werkverskaffer, veral in plattelandse gebiede. Daar word voorgestel dat die huidige landboubemarkings- en internasionale handelsbeleid, wat internasionale handel bevorder en markverwringing beperk, behou word. Gegewe dat die vereiste beleid ingestel word, het die sektor die potensiaal om werk te skep weens die betreklik hoë arbiedsintensiteit, en die moontlikheid om arbeid en kapitaal in sommige gevalle op ’n komplementêre wyse aan te wend, wat in die sektor bestaan. Die mededingendheid van die sektor moet ook verskerp word deur middel van staatsinvestering in infrastruktuur.

Even though agriculture is the backbone of Malawi‟s economy, food insecurity has remained a continuous threat among the poor. Until the 1980s, Malawi had been achieving national food security through an extensive system of agricultural inputs and marketing subsidies. However, these subsidies were removed and at the same time, the agricultural credit system collapsed. Consequently, agricultural productivity in Malawi remained low, poverty remained pervasive and food insecurity remains a main constraint to national and household food security. Therefore, the success of the agricultural sector in Malawi is very critical for raising the living standards and for food self-sufficiency. In this vein, the study hypothesized that Malawi can only achieve sustainable agricultural development if its agricultural policies are focused towards intensifying agricultural productivity through active participation of smallholder farmers. The major aim of the study was to contribute towards an improved understanding of how the issues of sustainable agricultural development have been addressed in Malawi and how they have influenced the lives of smallholder farmers. The analysis of the results revealed that even though what was implemented in the 1970s to early 1980s was financially unsustainable, but it provided some solutions to the fundamental challenges of smallholder development in Malawi. However, the liberalisations eroded whatever economic benefits achieved then. Never the less, the re-introduction of the agricultural input subsidies restored back the means of production leading to significant transformation of the country from a net importer to a net food exporter. On the other hand, although the agricultural input subsidy programme is being commended for having helped in achieving food security, the study revealed that the programme requires complementary services of credit, extension, research and market to support it. This will provide an exit strategy, which can enable the producers to sell their produce at higher prices sufficient enough for them to afford agricultural inputs without subsidies.

Dans cette thèse nous avons exploré trois questions de recherche sur le commerce international dans le sector agricole. Dans le premier chapitre, nous avons regardé l’implication des coûts marginaux croissants sur la durée des flux d’exportation. Les récentes études empiriques suggèrent que les firmes ont des coûts marginaux croissants. Par conséquent, les ventes d’une firme sur un marché influent sur ses coûts et sa compétitivité sur tous les marchés, et donc sur sa survie sur divers marchés d’exportation. L’objectif de mon premier essai est la mise au point d’un cadre théorique permettant d’étudier l’incidence des coûts marginaux croissants et des contraintes de capacité sur les marges extensives et intensives des échanges commerciaux et sur la durée des exportations. Contrairement au cas avec coûts marginaux constants, avec une structure convexes des coûts, une augmentation de la productivité des firmes n’induit pas obligatoirement une augmentation des destinations. Nos résultats empiriques attestent que que les exportations perdues suite aux flux terminés accroissent les exportations vers les "marchés de repli" et réduisent la probabilité d’un échec d’exportation. À l’instar des autres études sur la survie des exportations, les tarifs réduisent la probabilité de l’échec d’exportation, mais nous montrons qu’ils ont l’effet opposés lorsque l’endogénéité est résolue. Le deuxième essai s’intéresse à l’effet des maladies animales sur les flux commerciaux bilatéraux et la fermeture des frontières. Le commerce international des animaux vivants et des produits d’origine animal est très souvent entravé par les épidémies animales qui se propagent très vite entre pays. Nous nous appuyons sur un cadre empirique fondé sur le modèle de sélection multivariés pour examiner l’impact des maladies spécifiques aux animaux sur les marges extensives et intensives des flux commerciaux dans le temps. Les résultats montrent que la fièvre aphteuse et la ’encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine (ESB) ont un impact négatif sur les marges extensives et intensives du commerce des bovins et du boeuf et ce, pendant approximativement sept années. Nos résultats suggèrent que les effets des maladies animales sur la marge extensive sont plus grands que leur effets correspondants sur la marge intensive. En ce qui concerne les effets inter-espèces, la grippe aviaire et la peste porcine réduisent la probabilité et le niveau des échanges de bovins et de boeufs. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous estimons l’effet d’une élimination hypothétique des maladies animales sur les flux commerciaux. Plus spécifiquement, nous examinons comment ESB et la fièvre aphteuse impactent les flux commerciaux de viande bovine. Le modèle de gravité structurelle sectorielle est utilisé pour mésurer les effets directs, conditionnels et globaux, en permettant ainsi aux indices de résistance multilatéraux entrants et sortants et aux prix à la production de s’ajuster à l’éradication des maladies animales. Les canaux indirects par lesquels l’ESB et la fièvre aphteuse influent sur le commerce sont importants. Notre expérience contrefactuelle suggère que le Canada serait l’un des pays tirant le meilleur parti de l’éradication de l’ESB et de la fièvre aphteuse.
Dans cette thèse nous avons exploré trois questions de recherche sur le commerce international dans le sector agricole. Dans le premier chapitre, nous avons regardé l’implication des coûts marginaux croissants sur la durée des flux d’exportation. Les récentes études empiriques suggèrent que les firmes ont des coûts marginaux croissants. Par conséquent, les ventes d’une firme sur un marché influent sur ses coûts et sa compétitivité sur tous les marchés, et donc sur sa survie sur divers marchés d’exportation. L’objectif de mon premier essai est la mise au point d’un cadre théorique permettant d’étudier l’incidence des coûts marginaux croissants et des contraintes de capacité sur les marges extensives et intensives des échanges commerciaux et sur la durée des exportations. Contrairement au cas avec coûts marginaux constants, avec une structure convexes des coûts, une augmentation de la productivité des firmes n’induit pas obligatoirement une augmentation des destinations. Nos résultats empiriques attestent que que les exportations perdues suite aux flux terminés accroissent les exportations vers les "marchés de repli" et réduisent la probabilité d’un échec d’exportation. À l’instar des autres études sur la survie des exportations, les tarifs réduisent la probabilité de l’échec d’exportation, mais nous montrons qu’ils ont l’effet opposés lorsque l’endogénéité est résolue. Le deuxième essai s’intéresse à l’effet des maladies animales sur les flux commerciaux bilatéraux et la fermeture des frontières. Le commerce international des animaux vivants et des produits d’origine animal est très souvent entravé par les épidémies animales qui se propagent très vite entre pays. Nous nous appuyons sur un cadre empirique fondé sur le modèle de sélection multivariés pour examiner l’impact des maladies spécifiques aux animaux sur les marges extensives et intensives des flux commerciaux dans le temps. Les résultats montrent que la fièvre aphteuse et la ’encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine (ESB) ont un impact négatif sur les marges extensives et intensives du commerce des bovins et du boeuf et ce, pendant approximativement sept années. Nos résultats suggèrent que les effets des maladies animales sur la marge extensive sont plus grands que leur effets correspondants sur la marge intensive. En ce qui concerne les effets inter-espèces, la grippe aviaire et la peste porcine réduisent la probabilité et le niveau des échanges de bovins et de boeufs. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous estimons l’effet d’une élimination hypothétique des maladies animales sur les flux commerciaux. Plus spécifiquement, nous examinons comment ESB et la fièvre aphteuse impactent les flux commerciaux de viande bovine. Le modèle de gravité structurelle sectorielle est utilisé pour mésurer les effets directs, conditionnels et globaux, en permettant ainsi aux indices de résistance multilatéraux entrants et sortants et aux prix à la production de s’ajuster à l’éradication des maladies animales. Les canaux indirects par lesquels l’ESB et la fièvre aphteuse influent sur le commerce sont importants. Notre expérience contrefactuelle suggère que le Canada serait l’un des pays tirant le meilleur parti de l’éradication de l’ESB et de la fièvre aphteuse.
In standard trade models with constant average cost, the firm’s sales in any given market is related to other markets only through price indices which are treated as exogenous in the firm’s optimization. With cost convexity, the firm’s decision in any given market is directly tied to sales in other markets through an index aggregating the trade cost-adjusted market size of the destinations supplied by the firm. The difference made by increasing costs is that the firm is cognizant that by changing its sales in a given destination it changes its unit cost for all destinations. This in turn triggers extensive and intensive margins adjustments. In the first essay, we develop a theoretical framework to address the incidence of increasing marginal costs and capacity constraints on trade at the extensive and the intensive margins and on export duration. Under convex costs, an increase in productivity may not increase the number of destinations supplied by a firm, making "ins and outs", not just new entries. We generated empirical evidence in support of the aforementioned trade adjustments by assessing the incidence of lagged foregone exports on exports to "fallback markets" and on export survival. Exports to the fallback markets systematically increase in response to foregone sales from terminated trade flows. Similarly, the sum of foregone sales from terminated trade flows make existing trade flows more resilient, less prone to an export failure. A distinguishing feature of our survival models is that they test and correct for the endogeneity of tariffs. Previous studies reported peculiar results about the incidence of tariff on export survival. We too find wrong signs when tariff is treated as an exogenous variable, but we find that higher tariffs increase the likelihood of export failures when tariff endogeneity is addressed. The second essay investigates the dynamic impacts of animal disease outbreak on cattle and beef trade accounting for vertical linkage between cattle and beef. The empirical framework features a multi-sample selection model (MSSM) to investigate how animal-specific diseases affect aggregate trade flows at the extensive and intensive margins of trade in livestock and meat products over time, accounting for constraints imposed by the technological linkages between livestock and meat productions. The spontaneous emergence of foot and mouth disease adversely impacts the extensive and intensive margins of trade in cattle and beef for seven years. Our results show that the extensive margin effects of the disease outbreak are larger than its corresponding intensive margin effects. Regarding cross-species effects, the avian flu and swine fever reduce the probability and the level of trade in cattle and beef. The third essay studies a counterfactual experiment about the elimination of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and the foot and mouth diseases (FMD) on beef trade flows. Disease outbreak alerts typically prompt importing countries to impose trade bans. The bans vary a lot across importing countries in terms of product coverage and duration. We rely on a unique balanced panel dataset that covers 4-digit disaggregated beef product over the 1996-2013 period. Previous gravity studies reported only partial trade flow effects. However, a large shock like the complete elimination of BSE and FMD diseases must affect the inward and outward multilateral resistance indices (i.e., the importing countries’ barriers on beef imports from all sources and the trade barriers faced by exporting countries in all destinations), factory-gate prices, consumer expenditures and the value of beef production in exporting countries. Our results confirm that the indirect channels through which BSE and FMD impact trade are important when it comes to measuring welfare gains. Interestingly, our counterfactual experiment suggests that Canada would be one of the countries gaining the most from BSE and FMD eradication.
In standard trade models with constant average cost, the firm’s sales in any given market is related to other markets only through price indices which are treated as exogenous in the firm’s optimization. With cost convexity, the firm’s decision in any given market is directly tied to sales in other markets through an index aggregating the trade cost-adjusted market size of the destinations supplied by the firm. The difference made by increasing costs is that the firm is cognizant that by changing its sales in a given destination it changes its unit cost for all destinations. This in turn triggers extensive and intensive margins adjustments. In the first essay, we develop a theoretical framework to address the incidence of increasing marginal costs and capacity constraints on trade at the extensive and the intensive margins and on export duration. Under convex costs, an increase in productivity may not increase the number of destinations supplied by a firm, making "ins and outs", not just new entries. We generated empirical evidence in support of the aforementioned trade adjustments by assessing the incidence of lagged foregone exports on exports to "fallback markets" and on export survival. Exports to the fallback markets systematically increase in response to foregone sales from terminated trade flows. Similarly, the sum of foregone sales from terminated trade flows make existing trade flows more resilient, less prone to an export failure. A distinguishing feature of our survival models is that they test and correct for the endogeneity of tariffs. Previous studies reported peculiar results about the incidence of tariff on export survival. We too find wrong signs when tariff is treated as an exogenous variable, but we find that higher tariffs increase the likelihood of export failures when tariff endogeneity is addressed. The second essay investigates the dynamic impacts of animal disease outbreak on cattle and beef trade accounting for vertical linkage between cattle and beef. The empirical framework features a multi-sample selection model (MSSM) to investigate how animal-specific diseases affect aggregate trade flows at the extensive and intensive margins of trade in livestock and meat products over time, accounting for constraints imposed by the technological linkages between livestock and meat productions. The spontaneous emergence of foot and mouth disease adversely impacts the extensive and intensive margins of trade in cattle and beef for seven years. Our results show that the extensive margin effects of the disease outbreak are larger than its corresponding intensive margin effects. Regarding cross-species effects, the avian flu and swine fever reduce the probability and the level of trade in cattle and beef. The third essay studies a counterfactual experiment about the elimination of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and the foot and mouth diseases (FMD) on beef trade flows. Disease outbreak alerts typically prompt importing countries to impose trade bans. The bans vary a lot across importing countries in terms of product coverage and duration. We rely on a unique balanced panel dataset that covers 4-digit disaggregated beef product over the 1996-2013 period. Previous gravity studies reported only partial trade flow effects. However, a large shock like the complete elimination of BSE and FMD diseases must affect the inward and outward multilateral resistance indices (i.e., the importing countries’ barriers on beef imports from all sources and the trade barriers faced by exporting countries in all destinations), factory-gate prices, consumer expenditures and the value of beef production in exporting countries. Our results confirm that the indirect channels through which BSE and FMD impact trade are important when it comes to measuring welfare gains. Interestingly, our counterfactual experiment suggests that Canada would be one of the countries gaining the most from BSE and FMD eradication.

This study investigates how context-specific institutional factors affect innovative capabilities of the agricultural crop biotechnology sector in Hungary. Answering this question has involved three areas of research, into: the network of actors and its accommodation of technological characteristics; the sustained use of institutional arrangements which characterised the pre-transition science and innovation system; and, the difficulty of adapting to the regulatory environment in the post accession phase. The significance of this work results from the lack of current knowledge on the extent and survival of capabilities in this sector in Hungary. The study timing is also significant: This is a phase that demonstrates how the sector is surviving the economic crisis that accompanied transition and enduring the current political uncertainty surrounding national GM crop policy. The study uses qualitative methods, comprising a series of in-depth investigations. Data collection via interview and observation began in 2006. Data collection and analysis were guided by a theoretical framework emanating from national innovation systems and triple-helix perspectives. This thesis explores the challenges that are faced by an innovation system during economic transition. The thesis also contributes to the knowledge of science systems and how core science capabilities have contributed to the endurance of a sectoral innovation system. In conclusion the work finds that innovative capabilities in the Hungarian agri-biotech sector currently reside in the core competencies and activities of the science community in this sector and the networks they have created over time within and outside the country. Their future survival depends on the ability of the sector to adapt to the changing context. The institutions between actors and organisations are key to survival of capabilities and their ability to adapt. Institutions hold both the adaptive mechanisms for change and the legacies of the past which can help or hinder that change.

It is widely recognized that increased participation in international trade and investment can serve as an engine for economic growth and development.1 Implicit in international trade is the principle of comparative advantage that generally provides that states should trade with each other because they are better off by maximizing their production potential for some products and, through trade, obtain products they do not have or produce with less efficiency.2 Such comparative advantage, inter alia, presupposes a well-regulated trading system. Though attempts have been made to regulate the multilateral trading system by the GATT 1947 which was but meant to form only part of an agreement on the stillborn International Trade Organization (ITO), the first rule based World Trade Organization (WTO) was established only in 1995 and a number of countries have acceded to it thence. While there is no consensus on whether developing countries in general and the least developed countries (LDC s)4 in particular are beneficiaries of the system5, some countries have embarked on the accession process.6 Ethiopia is one such country.

Cette thèse examine les liens entre commerce international et politique agricole à travers la négociation multilatérale des règles commerciales. Elle propose une analyse qualitative du projet de modalités pour les trois piliers des négociations agricoles, publié en décembre 2008, et de la dernière réforme de la Politique Agricole Commune, commencée avec la Revue à Mi-Parcours de 2003 et achevée avec le Bilan de Santé de 2009, et ce en s’appuyant sur des sources primaires. Les trois chapitres de cette thèse démontrent que les failles principales de l’Accord sur l’Agriculture du Cycle de l’Uruguay ont été traitées dans le projet actuel de modalités. Ils concluent également que malgré le vaste processus de réforme de la politique agricole lancé en 2003, la marge de négociation de l’Union européenne à l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce est mince, ce qui implique que l’impact du Cycle de Doha sur la protection du secteur agricole européen est conséquent. Le chapitre 1 montre que l’Union européenne ne pourra pas maintenir les produits les plus protégés isolés de la concurrence internationale. Le chapitre 2 conclut que la dernière réforme de la politique agricole commune est à peine suffisante pour mettre en oeuvre les coupes proposées pour les mesures de soutien interne. Finalement, le chapitre 3 montre que malgré les réductions conséquentes des subventions aux exportations, leur élimination totale et définitive pourrait se révéler problématique car les restitutions à l’exportation ont tendances à être réactivées en période de crise de la production
This dissertation examines the links between international trade and agricultural policy through the lens of multilateral trade rules negotiations. It provides a qualitative analysis, based on primary sources, of the December 2008 draft modalities for the three pillars of agricultural negotiations and the latest reform of the Common Agricultural Policy that started with the 2003 Mid-Term Review and concluded with the 2009 Health Check. The three chapters of this dissertation show that the main pitfalls of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture are addressed in the current draft modalities. They also conclude that despite the broad reform process the European agricultural policy went through since 2003; the negotiating maneuver of the European Union at the World Trade Organization is thin, implying a significant impact of the Doha Round on the protection of the European agricultural sector. Chapter 1 shows that the European Union will not be able to maintain the most protected products isolated from international competition. Chapter 2 concludes that the agricultural reform is just sufficient to undertake the proposed cuts in domestic support. Chapter 3 shows that despite the significant reduction in the use of export subsidies, total elimination might prove difficult as export refunds tend to be reactivated in times of production crisis

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 17, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Thesis advisor: Dr. Harvey James Jr.. Includes bibliographical references.

Over the last 40 years globalisation has had a major impact on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in traditional manufacturing sectors, located in developed countries. In response to increasingly competitive domestic markets, many of these firms are now engaged in supplier and customer relationships internationally, in order to expand sales and take advantage of lower sourcing costs. This transition from predominantly local to global connections and the different ways in which SMEs manage their global relationships is the focus of this research. It was decided to confine the study to a single manufacturing sector, so that any differences between firms’ experiences are not driven by the industry, but by other possible factors. Therefore the research question is: how do SMEs in the French agricultural machinery sector manage their global supply chains? Research was carried out into twelve SMEs in the agricultural machinery sector in north-west France. The qualitative research was broken down into three stages: exploratory, which included a range of professionals with knowledge of the sector including SMEs, larger firms and historians; explanatory, which followed a grounded theory methodology to develop new thinking about SMEs and global supply chains based on the findings, which were subsequently fed back to a number of professionals in a final stage and led to further discussion. Uniformity in approaches to managing global supply chains was not found, and differences even between companies in the same product speciality were noted. The challenge of developing business relationships with suppliers and distributors against a background of power asymmetries and cultural distance in the global supply chain was met by the SMEs through the use of a variety of approaches. Out of the research has emerged a conceptualization of the challenges that SMEs face in relation to managing global supply chains: a governance, control and power (GCP) model that highlights the main responses and priorities for SMEs in terms of managing supply chain relationships and controlling flows of materials and information.

Thesis (MComm (Psych))--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Skills development is a crucial element in improving the effectiveness with which organisations operate in the current global arena. The level of skills of employees in any organisation should be of significant managerial concern. The principal aims of this study is firstly to investigate the success achieved in skills development initiatives in the agricultural sector in South Africa and secondly to develop a theoretical framework of important individual and organisational variables for skills development in agriculture. Management on farms need to develop the skills of their employees in order to ensure effective adaptation to changes in the sector. A strong need for development also exists among South Africans working in the agricultural environment, as the sector is rapidly modernising and the people employed in this sector often possess low skill and literacy levels. The key question is whether the skills development strategies and initiatives of farms are conducive to successful human resource development, in light of the specific individual and organisational context. A multiple case study research design was used, exploring the various ways in which six different farms approach skills development and the variables which impacted on the success thereof. These approaches and effects are compared to the literature and across cases to move towards the development of a skills development framework applicable to the unique agricultural context in South Africa. Data collection included primary (semi-structured interviews with employees and management) and secondary (background and administrative) information to comprehensively describe each case. Pattern matching was used to determine common trends between the cases and illustrate them in terms of a conceptual framework. General support was found across the six cases for the complex and extensive framework of variables. The following individual variables were found to have an impact on the effectiveness of skills development: ability to learn, motivation to engage in and transfer training, attitude to skills development, locus of control, and perceived ability to learn. Organisational variables which affected the effectiveness of skills development included the following: labour relations, organisational strategy, culture, climate, and systems. Many of these variables comprised a number of sub-variables, which were also shown to be relevant in the framework. Variables in the individual and organisational frameworks were also found to demonstrate interactive effects within and across framework boundaries. The results of the study serve as thought provoking reading for managers, which could stimulate critical thought and an inquisitive attitude to skills development on their farms. In general, training and development was approached in a very informal manner in terms of strategy, goals, and practice. Managers can surely benefit from adopting greater formalisation in these aspects as it would ease the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating training. In certain instances additional variables or interrelationships were identified for future study. The establishment of the framework of variables serves to inform future research: it represents a point of departure for research in a critical field where little recent research has been published.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontwikkeling van vaardighede is 'n kernbelangrike aspek om die doeltreffendheid waarmee organisasies in die huidige internasionale speelveld optree te verbeter. Die vaardigheidsvlakke van werknemers in enige organisasie behoort van kernbelang te wees vir bestuurders van sulke organisasies. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie is dus eerstens om die mate van sukses met vaardigheidsontwikkelingsinisiatiewe in die landbousektor te ondersoek en tweedens om 'n teoretiese raamwerk van die belangrikste individuele en organisatoriese veranderlikes vir vaardigheidsontwikkeling in landbou te ontwikkel. Die vaardigheidsvlakke van werknemers in die landbousektor moet deur die werkgewer ontwikkel word om te verseker dat effektiewe veranderinge in hierdie sektor plaasvind. Daar is 'n besonder sterk behoefte aan vaardigheidsontwikkeling onder werknemers in die landbousektor van Suid-Afrika , aangesien die sektor 'n snelle moderniseringsproses ondergaan, maar die werknemers in baie gevalle oor besonder lae vaardigheids- en ontwikkelingsvlakke beskik. Die vraag bestaan of die strategieë en inisiatiewe wat deur die werkgewer geïmplementeer word wel aanleiding gee tot suksesvolle menslike hulpbronontwikkeling, gegewe die spesifieke individuele en organisatoriese konteks. Deur gebruik te maak van veelvoudige gevallestudies as navorsingsmetode, is daar gekyk na ses verskillende plase se benadering tot opleiding, asook die impak en sukses van hierdie opleiding. Hierdie benaderings en invloede word vergelyk met die literatuur en tussen gevallestudies met die oog op die ontwikkeling van 'n vaardigheidsontwikkelingsraamwerk spesifiek binne die unieke konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse landbousektor. Data-insameling behels primêre inligting (semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met werknemers en bestuur), en sekondêre inligting (agtergrond- en administratiewe) om elke geval omvattend te beskryf. Patroonpassing is gebruik om algemene tendense tussen die gevallestudies te identifiseer en vervolgens die gevallestudies met die konseptuele raamwerk te vergelyk. Die ses gevallestudies het die komplekse en omvattende raamwerk van veranderlikes in die geheel ondersteun. Resultate toon aan dat die volgende individuele veranderlikes 'n klaarblyklike impak gehad het op die doeltreffendheid van opleiding en ontwikkeling: die vermoë en motivering om te leer en vaardighede oor te dra; die houding teenoor opleiding ontwikkeling; die lokus van beheer; en die waargenome vermoë om te leer. Die doeltreffendheid van opleiding en ontwikkeling is ook deur die volgende organisatoriese veranderlikes beïnvloed: arbeidsverhoudinge, organisatoriese strategie, kultuur, omgewing en stelsels. Die sub-veranderlikes van die individuele en organisatoriese veranderlikes is ook as relevant binne die raamwerk aangedui. Verder is die voorgestelde verwantskappe tussen veranderlikes (binne sowel as oor die grense van die individuele en organisatoriese raamwerke) ook ondersteun. Die resultate van hierdie studie dien as insette vir bestuurders om kritiese denke en 'n ondersoekende ingesteldheid teenoor opleiding en ontwikkeling op hul plase te stimuleer. Opleiding en ontwikkeling is oor die algemeen op 'n baie informele wyse geïmplementeer ten opsigte van strategie, doelwitbepaling en uitvoering in die praktyk. Bestuurders kan baat vind by die formalisering van bestaande praktyke omdat dit die proses van beplanning, implementering en evaluering van opleiding en ontwikkeling kan vergemaklik. Addisionele veranderlikes en interverwantskappe is geïdentifiseer vir verdere navorsing. Die samestelling van die raamwerk van veranderlikes dien juis as uitgangspunt vir toekomstige navorsing in 'n kerngebied wat min aandag in navorsing geniet.

Modern development of agricultural industry is impossible without the use of innovations and technological solutions, the comprehensive implementation of which helps to save resources, reduce the cost of agri-food products, and increase the volumes and efficiency of agricultural production, which affects investment.

This thesis focuses on the effects of development assistance (ODA), private foreign commercial capital (PFX), domestic savings (SAV), the openness of the economy and producer prices on agricultural output, and on export and domestic shares of agricultural output in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study uses panel data spanning 27 countries and the period 1970 to 1993.
The production function is a Cobb-Douglas type. Static export and domestic share equations are derived from a specification of the agricultural gross domestic product function. Transformed auto-regressive distributed-lag versions of the static share models are used to investigate long-run dynamics, persistence and implementation lags in the share response model.
Agricultural output is affected as follows. ODA, PFX and SAV have small positive or negative impact depending on agricultural region or economic policy environment. The impact of openness of the economy is negative in all agricultural regions, however, there is evidence of positive effect of openness within improved policy environment. None of these effects are statistically significant.
Export share is affected as follows. ODA, PFX and SAV have small positive impact in some agricultural regions and policy environments, both in the short-run and in the long-run. PFX is not significant anywhere. ODA is significant only when countries are grouped by policy environment in the short-run. SAV is significant in the short-run only in some regions, and significant in the long-run only in others. Openness has positive impact in the short-run. This is significant in many regions. Its long-run impact is mostly positive but not significant anywhere. The impact of producer price is mostly positive but not significant.
Efforts to encourage economic activities in rural communities such as improvements in domestic terms of trade in favor of agriculture, together with the provision of infrastructure are likely to stimulate output. Strategies to diversify and process agricultural exports in the face of falling agricultural commodity prices should be pursued.

Экономический рост в сельском хозяйстве России продолжается последние 8 лет. Однако с 2002 года наметилась тенденция снижения темпов развития сельского хозяйства, их отставания от темпов развития экономики в целом. Развитие сельского хозяйства уступает развитию пищевой и перерабатывающей промышленности, использующей импортное сырье, объем поставок которого растет быстрее, чем внутреннее производство.
The economic growth in Russia's agriculture continues the last 8 years. However, since 2002, there has been a trend of slowing down the pace development of agriculture, their lagging behind the pace of economic development in whole. The development of agriculture is inferior to the development of food and processing industry using imported raw materials, whose supply volume is growing faster than domestic production.

The paper studies 7 new entrant smallholders on the Italian agricultural sector to begin to understand how such a grassroots movement may challenge the status-quo vis-à-vis the Italian Food-system. Additionally, the study conducts a public questionnaire survey in an attempt to gauge attitudes toward a changing food-system in Italy. Using Critical Theory to highlight the trend of critical-consumer to critical-producer, and transition movement theory to assess the real regime-change ability of such movements, this paper finds that new entrant smallholders in Italy are playing a potentially significant role in moving the sector into more sustainable territory. Current certified organic agriculture is increasingly dominated by larger farms, and excludes new entrant smallholders, this is to the detriment of sustainable agriculture goals, by identifying the barriers to such stakeholders, in addition to recognising their strengthens - namely the commitment to triple bottom line sustainability - new entrant smallholders have a significant role to play in making organic agriculture truly a mechanism by which true sustainable agriculture can be achieved.

This thesis investigates the contribution of interest groups to European governance. The central topic here is the question of if and how interest groups may contribute to the democratisation of the European polity, both through participation and expertise. Literature focusing on the European Union’s (EU) so-called “democratic deficit” has largely centred on issues of territorial representation and citizen’s rights while literature on EU interest group participation tends towards the descriptive. Consequently, there is a particular demand for research that addresses issues of legitimacy and procedural aspects of democracy linked to functional participation in policymaking. Rather than focusing on European interest intermediation in general, this study homes in on a particular institutionalised form of functional participation. The contribution that institutions of functional participation can make to rolling-back the democratic deficit by providing a potential additional source of legitimacy in a specific sector of the European polity, notably European agricultural policymaking is examined. The core argument is that for such institutionalised forms of functional participation to provide such an additional source of legitimacy and contribute to participatory democracy, they must themselves be considered legitimate. The thesis builds on previous studies related to the legitimacy of associative actors and their particular legitimacy and knowledge. It also seeks to understand the potential of this type of representation and its capacity to diminish, at least partially, the democratic deficit. The theoretical framework developed is institutional legitimacy. Five political principles are used to determine the AACs’ institutional legitimacy: representativeness, deliberative capacity, credibility and influence on decision-making and transparency. As an organizational framework, the thesis’s empirical investigation searched for indicators of limited legitimacy according to these principles. The indicators identified are classified as legal, cultural or resource-linked. The indicators revealed confirm the sub-hypotheses whereby: the AACs’ legitimacy is undermined by their lack of 1) representativeness, 2) deliberative capacity, 3) credibility and influence on CAP decision-making and 4) transparency. The substantiation of these subhypotheses answers the analysis’s research question and corroborates its core hypothesis, namely: legal, cultural and resource-linked indicators signal that the AACs are not entirely legitimate institutions.

Food security is a global topic of discussion and agricultural sectors play a vital role in the provision thereof. In South Africa the agribusinesses are some of the key players in providing financing, risk management and market advisory services to producers. Since the deregulation of the grain industry during 1996, many of these agribusinesses have converted their business form from cooperative to company and therefore adhere to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). These agribusinesses trade commodity derivatives on the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX) to hedge themselves and their producers against commodity price risk. Globally there has been a tremendous increase in the use of derivatives and other financial instruments and with the emergence of these new and more complex financial instruments, accounting regulations had to follow these developments. The applicable accounting practices at the time were considered as being insufficient and being applied inconsistently. The major global standard setters namely IASB and FASB separately tried to develop adequate standards to address the accounting treatment of these products. The IASB developed International Accounting Standard (IAS) 39 dealing with the recognition and measurement of financial instruments, while the FASB issued Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) 133. These two standard setters have signed the Norwalk Agreement committing to plans to converge the IFRS and US accounting standards. This study focused on the application of IAS 39, with reference to commodity derivatives, with the main research objective being to investigate the accountancy implications of commodity derivatives in the South African agricultural sector. Furthermore it also serves to establish a standard methodology for the interpretation of IAS 39 and to serve as a benchmark and best practise for South African agribusinesses and commodity processors. For this purpose seven case studies were investigated by utilising a developed questionnaire, an illustrative flow diagram of IAS 39 and recorded structured interviews with the respondents. The accounting treatment of commodity derivatives was investigated by utilising nine transaction types which are typically found when producers sell grain to an agribusiness or a processor purchases grain from an agribusiness. The seven case studies were identified by utilising convenience sampling (unrestricted non–probability sampling). A literature review and empirical study were conducted. The findings on the accounting treatment of commodity derivatives were communicated thematically. The main findings were discussed during interviews with representatives of the technical departments of three of the Big Four audit firms in South Africa. A discussion of similar studies performed globally was performed. The recommendations following from this research study include that entities carrying “own use” inventory and applying hedge accounting can elect to apply the base adjustment consistently as part of their accounting policy on the valuation of inventory. Entities holding grain inventory for trading purposes should, based on industry practice, fair value such inventory. Various recommendations regarding the classification of a supply contract with a producer (as defined in a pre–season fixed price contract) depending on whether an entity applies hedge accounting or not, were made. Recommendations regarding the determination of fair value include that, based on industry practice and guidance by IAS 39, the SAFEX–based price should be utilised to fair value derivatives and to fair value inventory held by commodity–broker traders. The fair value movement on the option contracts taken out on behalf of the producer by an agribusiness should be transferred to the relevant producer's loan account. The recommendations concluded with a recommendation that entities should proactively consider and plan the impact of the replacement of IAS 39 on current business practices. Areas for further research could include investigating the accounting treatment of commodity derivatives of the newly issued accounting standards on financial instruments by IASB and the impact of these new standards on the business practices of entities.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Management Accountancy))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This thesis examines the impact of trade openness (TOP) on technical efficiency (TE) in the agricultural sector of the European Union (EU). The hypothesis is that TOP, the share of agricultural imports and exports relative to agricultural GDP, can increase TE. The objective is to add to the limited number of studies focused on the impact of TOP on TE by inspecting an unexamined group of countries, the EU. Results show that TOP leads to an increase in TE over time. However, an instantaneous decrease in efficiency is observed. This outcome contributes to the mixed results found when examining the relationship between TOP and TE in the agricultural sector, industrial sector, and aggregate GDP. Past studies examining the agricultural sector have not found a significant impact of TOP on TE, a result indicative of the benefits the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provides for member states of the EU.

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O serviço da extensão rural tem grande importância no processo de transferência de tecnologias, informações e novos conhecimentos para os produtores rurais. No entanto, parte significativa das fazendas brasileiras, principalmente de pequeno porte, não tem obtido acesso a este serviço, o que levanta a dúvida sobre a efetividade da política sobre o desempenho dos produtores e sua capacidade de atender seu público alvo. Nesse sentido, a presente tese buscou analisar o efeito da extensão rural no setor agropecuário brasileiro. Para atingir tal objetivo, foram elaborados três capítulos: Effects of rural extension on commodity supplies in Brazil; The effect of rural extension on farm technical efficiency in Brazil; e Can rural extension reduce the income differential in rural Brazil?. No primeiro capítulo, analisou-se o efeito da extensão rural sobre a oferta de produtos e demanda de insumos, por meio da estimação de um sistema de equações derivado de uma função de lucro quadrática restrita. Os resultados apontaram para um efeito positivo da extensão rural sobre a oferta de produtos, principalmente relacionado à extensão privada. Além disso, o serviço extensionista contribuiu para um aumento de 4.1% na receita média gerada pelos produtos considerados. No segundo capítulo, foi identificado o efeito da extensão rural sobre a eficiência técnica dos estabelecimentos agropecuários brasileiros. Para tal, foi utilizada uma abordagem que combina a estrutura de fronteira de produção estocástica, levando em conta o viés de seleção na adoção da extensão rural (abordagem de Heckman), com a técnica de balanceamento por entropia. Os resultados mostraram que a extensão rural contribui, de fato, para o aumento da eficiência na utilização dos fatores produtivos, sendo este efeito maior para o grupo de grandes produtores. Já o terceiro capítulo analisou o efeito da extensão rural nos níveis de rendimentos e na desigualdade de renda no meio rural brasileiro, com base na abordagem da regressão quantílica incondicional. Entre os resultados, verificou-se que embora a extensão rural contribua para elevar a renda dos domicílios rurais, o serviço contribui para o agravamento da desigualdade de renda. Foi observado ainda que os níveis de escolaridade e o crédito rural explicam parte significativa das diferenças de rendas entre produtores adotantes e não adotantes da extensão rural.
The rural extension service is of great importance in the process of transferring technologies, information and new knowledge to rural producers. However, a significant part of Brazilian farms, especially small ones, has not obtained access to this service, which raises doubts about the effectiveness of the policy on the performance of producers and their ability to serve their target audience. In this sense, the present thesis sought to analyze the effect of rural extension in the Brazilian agricultural sector. To achieve this objective, three chapters were elaborated: Effects of rural extension on commodity supplies in Brazil; The effect of rural extension on farm technical efficiency in Brazil; Can rural extension reduce the income differential in rural Brazil?. In the first chapter, the effect of rural extension on product supply and input demand was analyzed by estimating a system of equations derived from a restricted quadratic profit function. The results pointed to a positive effect of rural extension on the supply of products, mainly related to private extension. In addition, the extension service contributed to a 4.1% increase in the average revenue generated by the products under consideration. In the second chapter, the effect of rural extension on the technical efficiency of Brazilian agricultural establishments was identified. For this, an approach that combines the stochastic production frontier structure, taking into account the selection bias in the adoption of extension services, was used. The results showed that the rural extension contributes, in fact, to the increase of the efficiency in the use of the productive factors, being this effect greater for the group of large producers. The third chapter analyzed the effect of rural extension on income levels and income inequality in rural Brazil, based on the unconditional quantile regression approach. Among the results, it was verified that, although rural extension contributes to raising the income of rural households, the service contributes to the aggravation of income inequality. It was also observed that educational levels and rural credit explain a significant part of the differences in incomes between adopters and non-adopters of rural extension.