Consumer
Preferences in the United States for Integrated Pest Management
Produce: An Econometric Analysis --
Ramu Govindasamy and Venkata S Puduri
Food
safety is one of the top issues for consumers, especially
with regard to pesticide usage. The Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) has been receiving immense response from the consumers
and producers due to its cost effectiveness and reduced
risk from pesticide usage. It is expected to take a significant
place and influence the agricultural reforms and environmental
policy issues in the future. The paper documents the determinants
of consumer demand for IPM produce. Determinants such
as demographic variables and behavioral variables are
used in a logit framework to examine the preference for
IPM produce. A survey was conducted during 2004 at Rutgers
University to collect data on the preference of New Jersey
Residents for IPM produce. The results indicate, about
32% of the respondents would like to buy IPM produce.
In general, small households of four or less are more
willing to buy IPM produce than the larger households.
This study identifies segments of population who are aware
of the IPM produce and who are willing to buy IPM products.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
A
Complete Demand System of Food in Malaysia --
Tey Yeong Sheng, Mad Nasir Shamsudin, Zainalabidin Mohamed,
Amin Mahir Abdullah and Alias Radam
There
has been a notable success in the Malaysian economy, with
its countrymen getting wealthier and food consumption
undergoing transitional changes. This study intends to
analyze the complete demand system of food in Malaysia
by using the Household Expenditure Survey 2004/2005 via
the Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS)
model. As expected, the estimated own-price elasticities
for all foods follow the law of demand. The empirical
results show that the demand for all foods in response
to the income is relatively positive, with expenditure
elasticities of meat (1.110), fruits (1.341), vegetables
(1.341), sugar and beverage (1.039) and other foods (1.115)
being elastic. This study shows that the Malaysian food
consumption pattern is not only moving towards higher
value food products (especially meats) but also functional
foods (fruits and vegetables) as the per capita income
of Malaysians increases.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
Food
Processing in India: Opportunities and Constraints --
Khushdeep Dharni and Sonika Sharma
For
providing remunerative prices for the agricultural produce
it is important that the production advantage available
to India is transformed into the processing advantage.
The Indian food industry has no dearth for market opportunities
on account of thriving domestic consumption and new avenues
of foreign demand. Food processing is an important link
between agriculture and industry. Scale of operations
along with a fragmented supply chain is the major impediment
in the path of speedy growth of food processing in India.
Concentration at the level of production, processing and
retailing can provide the much needed impetus for the
sector. The Government of India has identified food processing
sector as the sunrise sector. A number of initiatives
are being put in place for promoting primary as well as
secondary processing. For an unhindered growth it becomes
important to address the demand and supply side constraints
of food processing in India. Agriculture will keep on
playing a vital role in the Indian economy and food processing
will go a long way for providing opportunities for sustainable
and profitable agriculture in time to come.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
Rural
Credit, Market Reform and Interventionist Institutions:
A Micro study of West Bengal --
Sudipta Bhattacharyya
This
paper analyzes some policy issues on rural credit against
the backdrop of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World
Bank directed market economic reform that the Indian agriculture
witnessed during the 1990s. Two Committees appointed by
the Government of India recommended for liberalization
of the rural credit market. Following the recommendations,
the share of priority sector and agriculture were slashed
down. The main empirical part of this paper is based on
a primary field survey conducted in two agro-ecological
regions of West Bengal. The central hypothesis of the
market reformers that there must be a negative association
between default of credit and the ascending status of
households, has not been approved by the survey findings.
A big section of households are denied credit while the
other sections of households voluntarily avoid banking
habits. A greater proportion of the households are involved
in the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) loan
that they think as a kind of dole, while comparatively
a lower proportion of households are involved in crop
loan. This is due to the dismal state of cooperative movement
in West Bengal as well as at the all India level. Panchayat
or local self-government is also partially responsible
as they failed to inculcate banking habits among the poor
people. This study reveals that poor people have themselves
formed credit cooperatives, but this initiative is not
integrated with any formal network.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
Income
Diversification in Rural Households: Measurement and Determinants
-- P S Sujithkumar
This
study attempts to measure the income diversification among
different sections of rural households based on the data
collected from three villages of K V Kuppam Block in Vellore
district of Tamil Nadu. Income diversification was measured
by Simpson index and the prominent factors that determine
income diversification were identified by using the OLS
regression. It is argued that there is a significant difference
in the income diversification among different groups of
rural households with respect to their major income source,
total income, per capita income and landholdings. But,
the difference in income diversification is not significant
with respect to the community they belong. Assets such
as cultivating land and cattle determine the income diversification.
Household demographic characters like gender composition
of the household, sex and age of the head of the household
and the number of workers in the household influence income
diversification.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
Efficiency
of the Small Farm Swidden System: Cases from Orissa --
Amalendu Jyotishi
This
study is based on field survey of households involved
in Swidden in Orissa, India. Conventionally, swidden agricultural
system has been interpreted as inefficient (economically),
destructive (ecologically) and an inflexible static form
(institutionally) of agriculture. The economic efficiency
in swidden, in particular poses an analytical problem,
largely due to the institutional structures and multiple
crop situations involved in this system. Conventionally,
efficiency of farm performance is understood through the
ratio of output and inputs wherein productivity per unit
of input is the undercurrent of efficiency. In this context,
the paper attempts to clarify some of the concepts relating
to economic efficiency in swidden agricultural system,
measure technical efficiency and identify the key factors
affecting efficiency of swidden agricultural system practiced
in the region. Results suggest that swidden in particular
is not an inefficient form of agriculture, particularly
from energy use point of view.
©
2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.
