Browsing by Author "Alwang, Jeffrey R."

Now showing 1 - 20 of 239
  • Acceso a información, relaciones de género y acceso a los mercados de papa en la cuenca Jatun Mayu localizada en Tiraque, Bolivia
    Amaya, Nadezda; Alwang, Jeffrey R. (Cochabamba, Bolivia: Revista de Agricultura, 2011)
    Este estudio explora los efectos del acceso a información mediante el uso de celulares sobre la elección de mercados de papa que hacen los agricultores, diagnostica los roles de hombres y mujeres e investiga cómo se realizan las decisiones de mercadeo. El análisis se basa en información cualitativa y cuantitativa. Herramientas de evaluación rápida de mercados y estudios de casos individuales se utilizaron para recopilar información en las diferentes etapas de la cadena de la papa. Este análisis fue complementando con datos cuantitativos extraídos de una encuesta realizada a hogares de la zona de estudio. La presente investigación confirma la importancia de las relaciones de género y la tenencia de celulares en el acceso a los mercados.
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    Access to information and farmer's market choice: The case of potato in highland Bolivia
    Amaya, Nadezda; Alwang, Jeffrey R. (2011)
    Potato incomes are critical determinants of Andean farmers' household well-being. Efforts to improve incomes of producers should recognize the role of access to market information. In highland Bolivia, market information has entered the digital age. Cell phones are ubiquitous, and networks lubricated by cellular technologies are affecting traditional means of gathering information. Andean markets are characterized by the heavy involvement of women. Lower information costs could change market choices and roles of men and women. This study explores the effects of information access on market choice near Cochabamba. It diagnoses the roles of men and women and investigates decision-making and changes in it. The research confirms the importance of gender and cell phones to market access. Market decisions are made jointly by men and women, but women take a leading role in marketing. Women dominate marketing by negotiating favorable prices with buyers who are also women. Marketing networks have not changed substantially since the introduction of new information technologies. While cellular technology has broadened access to information and quickened its flow, it has not fundamentally changed network structures. The study provides recommendations about improving competitiveness of small-scale potato producers: (1) increasing access to information by expanding the information content of existing networks; (2) expanding cell phones access; (3) consideration of the important roles intermediaries play; and (4) more technical support for market and information access.
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    Access to Information, gender relations and access to potato markets in the Jatun Mayu watershed located in Tiraque, Bolivia
    Larochelle, Catherine; Alwang, Jeffrey R. (2012)
    Poster presentation: Access to Information, gender relations and access to potato markets in the Jatun Mayu watershed located in Tiraque, Bolivia
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    Adaptive watershed management in the South American Highlands: Learning and teaching on the fly
    Alwang, Jeffrey R. (2008)
    The purpose of this poster is to describe an adaptive watershed management process in Chimbo, Ecuador. We show the conceptual framework and our empirical strategy. We present results showing that ethnic and agro-ecologic diversity in the watershed mean that technical interventions must be tailored to local conditions and the process of moving knowledge to action is highly context specific. Low incomes and high vulnerability of human populations mean that livelihood alternatives must be identified and incorporated into the adaptive plan.
  • Adaptive watershed management in the South American highlands: Learning and teaching on the fly
    Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Barrera, Victor H.; Andrade, R.; Hamilton, S.; Norton, George W. (Ankeny, IA: Soil and Water Conservation Society, 2009)
    This chapter describes the Chimbo watershed in the Bolivar Province in Ecuador and efforts that are being made to increase agricultural productivity and soil quality in this area. It begins by explaining the landscape along the Guayas River in this Andean region and its relation to the loss of biodiversity and decreasing crop productivity. Because the top of the Chimbo watershed is in the steeply-sloped Andes, agriculture-related pollution and water quality are becoming a huge concern. Low productivity and environmental degradation are causing high rates of poverty in Ecuador and putting a lot of pressure on smallholders to sustain their families and livelihoods.
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    Adaptive watershed management in Tiraque, Bolivia
    Botello, Rubén C.; Figueroa, I.; Amaya, Nadezda; Vargas, O.; Saavedra, Ana Karina; Alwang, Jeffrey R. (2008)
    Poster outlining the project's objectives at the Bolivia site. The overall objectives are: to enhance and support the local capacity to raise policies and interventions to increase incomes, improve social conditions and protect environment in Guaranda, Ecuador and Tiraque, Bolivia. The project's primary objectives are: 1) to understand the economic, social, political and environmental conditions and their determinants in Chimbo, Ecuador and Tiraque, Bolivia, 2) to generate and validate sustainable technological alternatives to improve production systems and increase incomes while being environmentally friendly, 3) to create a system to assess alternative actions policies and intervention impacts in the income creating and the social and environmental conditions, 4) to build a local capacity to assess alternative policies, make and fulfill decisions and strengthen the social capital.
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    Adoption Analysis and Impact Evaluation of Potato IPM in Ecuador
    Carrion Yaguana, Vanessa Del Rocio (Virginia Tech, 2013-07-02)
    There are several well-known negative side effects associated with pesticide use such as health problems and environmental pollution.  Integrated Pest Management (IPM) seeks to minimize pesticide use while reducing pest infestation to economically tolerable levels.  The introduction of IPM CRSP activities in Ecuador to institutionalize IPM methods focused on priority crops in the country. This study analyzes adoption and the economic impacts of IPM technologies on potato production in the province of Carchi. A model is estimated in which IPM adoption is discrete and ordered and pesticides expenditures are estimated as a function of education, farming experience, wealth, plot size and farmer being sick due to pesticide use for each level of IPM adoption. Results indicate that farmers who were exposed to certain IPM information sources increased adoption of IPM practices on potatoes, but farmers\' education and experience were not important factors in explaining IPM adoption. The calculated economic benefits in terms of aggregate cost savings per production cycle were $823,000.
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    Adoption and Impacts of IPM for Cambodian Rice Farmers
    Jackson, Sydni Blaine (Virginia Tech, 2017-11-15)
    This study evaluates the adoption and impacts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) adoption for rice in Cambodia. Extent of adoption and characteristics of adopters are discovered. Farmers are considered high adopters of IPM if they used two non-pesticide or minimal-pesticide practices to control rice insect, disease, weed, or rodent pests in the last twelve months; farmers are considered low adopters if they used one practice; farmers are considered non-adopters if they used zero practices. IPM practices include pest-resistant variety; stale seedbed (sequential harrowing or harrowing followed by a non-selective herbicide); apply Trichoderma on seeds or seedlings, no insecticide spray for the first 40 days; apply bio-pesticides such as neem, Bt, and metarhizium, and Beauvaria; Sarcocystis bait for rodents; hand weeding at recommended growth stage; and/or another practice specified by the farmer. Out of 394 farmers surveyed, 40 (10.15%) were found to be high adopters, 228 (57.86%) were found to be low adopters, and 126 (31.97%) were found to be non-adopters of IPM. IPM practices currently include mostly hand-weeding and no spray for 40 days; few other practices were adopted. Our study reveals a need for broader education on rice IPM throughout Cambodia. The high frequency of pesticide applications among rice farmers, the finding that adoption of IPM was not found to have a meaningful influence on the number of pesticide applications, and the finding that less than one-quarter of farmers in our study have received training on IPM reveal the need for increased knowledge of IPM in Cambodia, and the need for future education on IPM to focus on reducing pesticide use.
  • Adoption and Impacts of Potato Variety Cooperation 88 (C88) in Yunnan, China: A Multi-dimensional Assessment
    Myrick, Stephanie; Qin, Junhong; Pradel, Willy; Li, Canhui; Suarez, Victor; Cheng, Zhen; Hareau, Guy; Larochelle, Catherine; Alwang, Jeffrey R. (2018-05-29)
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    Adoption Determinants and Impacts of Tuta absoluta Integrated Pest Management for Nepali Tomato Farmers
    Knaresboro, Lauren Marie (Virginia Tech, 2019-09-12)
    Tuta absoluta, a member of the moth family, causes devastating yield loss to tomato farmers around the world. Its recent migration into the tomato fields of Nepal puts tomato farmers at a high risk of yield loss. In response, chemical pesticide use by Nepali farmers is increasing. Integrated pest management (IPM) practices have been implemented in hopes of reducing the frequency of chemical pesticide use while controlling yield risks. This study examines the extent and determinants of Tuta absoluta IPM adoption and its effect on the frequency of pesticide use for Nepali tomato farmers. Primary data was collected from four-hundred and one households in four districts throughout Nepal. Two levels of IPM practices were assessed, simple and complex, based on the need for additional knowledge and tools. An instrumental variable probit analysis was used to analyze the determinants of IPM adoption. Household distance to nearest agricultural extension office was a significant factor decreasing the likelihood of the adoption of complex practices. Amount of land dedicated to tomato production, membership status of the primary decision maker, IPM training regarding Tuta absoluta practices and severity of Tuta absoluta were found to increase the likelihood of the adoption of complex practices. In order to analyze pesticide use, a simple linear regression was used. Primary decision maker's age, gender, and education level were significant determinates to decrease the amount of expenditures spent on chemical pesticides to control for Tuta absoluta. IPM adoption level, amount of land dedicated to tomato production and severity of Tuta absoluta damage were significant determinates to increase the amount of expenditures spent on chemical pesticides to control for Tuta absoluta.
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    Adoption of Bamboo in Ghana's Forest Products Industry: An Investigation of the Principal Exporters and Institutions
    Bonsi, Richard (Virginia Tech, 2009-04-22)
    This study sought to determine the feasibility of introducing bamboo as a raw material to supplement the dwindling stock of traditional timber species for Ghana's forest products industry. First, the CEOs of the leading exporters of tertiary and panel products in the industry were canvassed to assess the current situation. Using descriptive statistics, it was discovered that the companies studied consume logs 12% in excess of the annual allowable timber harvest for the whole industry. There has been a drop in raw material availability and a 30% increase in raw material costs in the past five years. Harvest of lesser-used species in place of traditional species has also increased. Smaller companies have lost customers and are more restrained in raw material procurement. Next, barriers to the adoption of bamboo as a raw material perceived by the CEOs and institutional heads were identified. The major barriers perceived by CEOs include lack of information (e.g., on bamboo plantation management, products, processing, machines and markets) and lack of capital for investment. Institutions lack adequate information about bamboo technology and policy; they have research needs, (e.g., training, funding, laboratory equipment) and collaboration from all stakeholders. Institutions have done little to promote bamboo. Smaller companies were found to be more innovative in product development than larger companies. Companies located in the Ashanti region show higher propensity to engage in process innovation and product development. Companies appear to be receptive to initiatives that encourage bamboo adoption. In the current situation, few companies are willing to adopt bamboo but most companies are ready to adopt in the future if the existing barriers are mitigated. In the current situation, it is difficult for the industry to adopt bamboo until the government officially specifies roles for institutions and other stakeholders to make a compelling case for bamboo. Suggestions made for policymaking and change management include strategies for the creation of awareness, desire and knowledge for bamboo. Others include providing resources to enhance the ability of companies and institutions to adopt or promote bamboo, and reinforcing the change from timber to bamboo.
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    The Adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms in Uruguay's Agriculture: An Ex-Ante Assessment of Potential Benefits
    Hareau, Guy G. (Virginia Tech, 2002-07-15)
    The present study analyzes the economic impact of the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Uruguay's agriculture. Using a partial equilibrium framework the impacts of transgenic varieties are simulated for two crops, rice and potatoes, in small open and closed economies respectively. The model accounts for the presence of market imperfections created by the monopolistic behavior of the genes' patent owner. The change in economic surplus generated after the adoption of the new technology is projected to be positive, although the seed markup charged by the monopolist reduces the surplus compared to a perfectly competitive market. Total deadweight losses and domestic losses are found to increase with the seed premium, as additional monopolist profits are extracted out of the country. Adoption decreases with the seed premium, further reducing the domestic consumer and producer surplus. The results of the study suggest an active role for national technology policies and for the agricultural R&D system in Uruguay to generate conditions that attract the technology's owner to a small market while at the same time reducing the potential losses that monopoly power creates .
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    Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Technologies: A Case Study of Potato Farmers in Carchi, Ecuador
    Mauceri, Maria (Virginia Tech, 2004-12-16)
    Potato farmers in Ecuador rely on chemical inputs to manage pests and optimize yields. IPM techniques are recommended to lower production costs, reduce exposure to pesticides, and improve the long-term sustainability of the agriculture system. We conducted a survey of 109 potato farmers in Carchi, Ecuador that included 30 Farmer Field School (FFS) participants, 28 farmers who had been exposed to FFS-participants, and 51 randomly selected farmers. Using an ordered probit model, the data were analyzed to identify determinants and constraints of adoption. Access to information through FFS was the main determinant of adoption of IPM, followed by field days, pamphlets, and exposure to FFS-participants. The study looked at the relative cost-effectiveness of information dissemination methods and found that field days and pamphlets have strong impacts on adoption considering their low cost of implementation. The only significant household variable was household size, where larger households adopted less IPM. Per capita land holdings were not significant in the model. There is evidence of farmer-to-farmer diffusion from FFS to non-FFS farmers. Further research is necessary to evaluate the nature and quality of information transfer between farmers. The study was limited by the small sample size and non-random selection of farmer respondents.
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    Agricultural Technologies and Economic Development: Three Essays on Technology Adoption and Inequality
    Carrion Yaguana, Vanessa Del Rocio (Virginia Tech, 2016-04-25)
    This dissertation is composed of three essays examining adoption of agricultural technologies in Ecuador and intergenerational mobility in the United States. The first essay entitled 'Does IPM Have Staying Power? Revisiting a Potato-producing Area Years After Formal Training Ended' examines (Integrated Pest Management) IPM spread and adoption several years after formal intensive IPM outreach efforts ceased in a potato-producing region in Ecuador. It describes adoption patterns and sources of IPM knowledge in 2012 and compares them with patterns that existed when outreach ceased in 2003. Results show that IPM adoption continues in the area but with a lower proportion of farmers adopting all practices and a higher proportion adopting low to moderate levels compared to 2003. Farmer-to-farmer spread has supplanted formal training and outreach mechanisms. IPM adoption significantly lowers pesticide use and saves production costs for adopters. The second essay entitled 'Can Text Messages Improve Agricultural Outreach in Ecuador?' seeks to understand how receipt of text messages complements training from a farmer field day. It measures the effect of text message receipt on adoption of (Integrated Crop Management) ICM technologies and knowledge about these technologies. In the first part of the paper, we present a theory of behavioral change and its application to adoption of agricultural technologies. In the second part, we use intention to treat (ITT) and an improved-ITT analyses to measure the impact of the intervention. The results of this essay suggest that as providers of information, text messages have some knowledge building effect leading to the adoption of IPM practices. As reminders, text messages effectively increase adoption of IPM practices, in particular recommended pesticides. The third essay entitled 'Determinants of Absolute Upward Income Mobility: The Hidden Cost of Commuting' focuses on commuting times as a determinant of upward income mobility in the United States. We provide an explanation of the channel through which the effect of commuting times on upward income mobility operates. Additionally, it evaluates empirically the effect of commuting on upward income mobility. The empirical results confirm the theoretical model predictions that commuting times affect negatively upward income mobility.
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    Alternative Control Methods for Verticillium wilt: A Literature Review
    Washburn, Morgan (Virginia Tech, 2018-11-30)
    Verticillium wilt (V.albo-atrum and V.dahiae) is a soil-borne fungus that is causing economic losses and lower yields for farmers across the country. The disease has a wide host range and can live in the soil without a host for a decade or more. Finding effective and reasonable control methods has been difficult for some industries. Some methods such as sanitation, chemical application and crop rotation have not been completely effective at suppressing or eliminating the disease. Alternative control methods have been researched and tested, with some completely eliminating the disease, but these methods have to be continuously implemented and monitored in order for them to be effective. This literature review investigated the availability of scientific research on effective alternative control methods for Verticillium wilt. Potential effective alternative control methods were identified, including anaerobic soil disinfection, soil solarization, broccoli incorporation, mustard incorporation, compost and green manure. Further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps related to successful implementation of these controls in suppressing or eliminating Verticillium wilt.
  • Análisis de la Eficiencia en la Producción de Papa
    Larochelle, Catherine; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Botello, Rubén C. (Cochabamba, Bolivia: Revista de Agricultura, 2012)
    Este estudio emplea una frontera de producción estocástica para analizar la ineficiencia y las pérdidas en rendimientos asociadas con la ubicación y la diversificación de actividades en la producción de papa en Tiraque, Bolivia. Encontramos que la diversificación de actividades tiene un efecto más perjudicial sobre la eficiencia en la producción. De igual manera, la presencia de clusters espaciales de eficiencia sugiere que los aspectos climáticos, ya sean negativos o positivos, influyen en la producción de papa.
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    Análisis de la viabilidad socio-económica y ambiental del sistema de producción papa-leche en la microcuenca del río Illangama-Ecuador
    Barrera, Victor H.; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Cruz Collaguazo, E. P. (Asociación Latinoamericana de Producción Animal, 2010)
    De acuerdo al Índice de Necesidades Básicas Insatisfechas (NBI), en la microcuenca del río Illangama, alrededor del 76% de la población es pobre y sus ingresos están entre US$120 y 160 por mes, aún después de adoptar sistemas complejos con un alto potencial de producción. El más importante de ellos es el sistema papa-leche que aporta la mayor proporción de ingresos familiares y garantiza su seguridad alimentaria. Desde este punto de vista, se realizó un análisis de la viabilidad socio-económica y ambiental del sistema con el propósito de establecer su eficiencia y flexibilidad bajo nuevas condiciones. Este análisis se basa en la información compilada de diferentes fuentes, niveles y escalas, mediante estudios de campo, investigación experimental y observación de parcelas de productores. Los resultados evidencian que el sistema tiene el más alto potencial de productividad en el área y es viable adoptar porque incrementa la producción y los ingresos. Representa la mejor opción debido a que los productores disponen de los medios de producción y mano de obra familiar, lo cual permitirá que el sistema sea sostenible. Desde el punto de vista ambiental, si el sistema es manejado adecuadamente con la implementación de alternativas tecnológicas, amigables con el ambiente, detendría el avance de la frontera agrícola hacia áreas de páramo. El sistema es una opción que los gobiernos locales deberían impulsar para preservar el ecosistema páramo. (Resumen de autores)
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    Analysis of firm desirability among Virginia's economic development directors
    Bailey, Thomas M. (Virginia Tech, 1996-08-10)
    The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the preferences local-level economic development directors possess for different firm characteristics when deciding whether to offer incentives. The thesis examines the different incentives that exist in Virginia and finds that incentive activity has been steadily increasing since 1990. The historical rates of business activity reveal that more non-manufacturing firms locate and expand in metropolitan areas, but manufacturing firms in non-metropolitan areas hire more people per firm. The results indicate that this is not due to an explicit strategy of Virginia's economic development directors. A comparison is made between community economic development goals and important firm characteristics as perceived by local-level economic development directors. A rank-ordered logit model is then used to measure the willingness to pay for various firm characteristics. The results indicate that economic developers are willing to pay for increases in firm investment, increases in wages per employee, and decreases in the probability of a firm closing or moving. Economic developers in Virginia are not willing to pay directly for increases in firm employment, but firm employment is important in its indirect effect on the willingness to pay for wages. The linkages of a firm with a community (community (measured by sales impact, the employment multiplier, and overall employment impact) were insignificant variables for all economic developers.
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    Analysis of gender roles within farmer's economy in the "Jatun Mayu" watershed communities: Tiraque, Bolivia
    Amaya, Nadezda (2008)
    This poster examines gender roles in the Andes. Its objectives are to:
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    An Analysis of Influencing factors and logjams in the Existing Vegetable Value Chain in Waling, Nepal
    Baral, Govinda R.; Friedel, Curtis R.; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M. (Virginia Tech, 2016-05-02)
    Nepal is known for its three unique topographical regions: Mountain, Hill, and Terai. Since the Himalayan range is cold and damp and therefore unable to produce vegetables, most of the agricultural products such as vegetables, fruits, cereal crops, coffee, and tea are grown in Hilly and Terai regions. Waling, a city located in the hilly district of Syangja, has engaged in high production of vegetables. Its residents have embraced the production and marketing of vegetables as their main source of income generation. Despite the economic potentiality of vegetables, famers have been unsuccessful in garnering maximum benefits. The vegetable value chain, which ranges from conception to consumption, is affected by numerous factors that have generated obstacles in maximizing benefits and minimizing risks. Hence, the objective of this study was to analyze the influencing factors and log jams in the existing vegetable value chain through famers’ interviews, focus group discussion, and consultation with farmers’ groups, institutions, and individuals through phenomenological study. The study identified lack of effective technologies for packaging of grown vegetables, frequent price fluctuation, poor group management, and unavailability of quality seeds as the log jams of this value chain. In order to reduce and possibly eliminate these log jams, agricultural professionals should develop packaging methods using cardboard boxes and plastic carets that are readily available in the markets of major cities of Nepal, coordinate farmers and wholesalers during the product flowing process, and establish a cold store to preserve products and maintain quality.