The interval between the first and second editions of this book have witnessed significant changes for the food producers of the EEC. They have moved from a period of increasing production to an era of food surpluses and statutory reductions in production. This overall change in the fortunes of agriculture have greatly increased the need for sound business management. This book has been substantially updated to include all the current factors that have to be taken into consideration by farmers, as well as still providing a basic introduction to the study of farm management for students. It should prove invaluable reading to those running farms, whether experienced or inexperienced.
Chapter 1: Characteristics of agriculture. Chapter 2: managerial science in agricultural enterprises. Chapter 3: basic principles of economic analysis in the agricultural enterprise. Chapter 4: methods of obtaining information for analysis and planning of the agricultural enterprise. Chapter 5: standards of measurement for analyzing the agriculturalenterprise. Chapter 6: procedures for analyzing and planning the agricultural enterprise. Chapter 7: Farm management analysis in an integraleconomic development program. Chapter 8: using data on the agricultural enterprise as a guide for future planning. Chapter 9: indices or coefficients for analyzing alternative production lines. Chapter 10: evaluation alternate plans by means of comparative budgets.
The third and final instalment of Peter Nuthall's "Farm Business Management" series, this volume teaches the practical skills needed to manage a farm, such as risk analysis, budgeting, cost benefit analyses and much more. The key characteristic of this book is its ability to simplify the complex subject of business management into a clear, accessible volume tailored to the topic of farming, by using engaging techniques such as worked examples to fully explain the complex decision making tools necessary for this discipline.
"Farm managers will appreciate this book as they learn the principles of farm management; from the basics of management and economics; to the details of strategy and operations. It presents economic concepts, such as the discussion of markets, competitive forces, and macroeconomics, which is new to farm management texts. Material is included on strategy, marketing, budgeting, production and operations, quality, finance, investment, risk, contracts, staffing, business organisation, farm succession, and the future. Strategic management and quality management as well as new techniques and tools in production and operations management are also examined. This approach will help farm managers improve the efficiency, effectiveness, objectivity, and, ultimately, success of their decisions"--Provided by publisher.
The study presented in this report was commissioned by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) as a member of the Global Open Data for Agriculture & Nutrition (GODAN) initiative, and was conducted by SB Consulting (SBC4D). The objective of the research is to understand the role of farmer organisations (FO) and cooperatives in the agriculture data ecosystem. These organisations have long been recognised to play an important role in society that translates into the improvement of living conditions of their members, particularly the low-income earning population. More than 40% of households in Africa are member of a cooperative society ([ILO-2000]) and the cooperative movement is Africa’s biggest nongovernmental organisation. The key question this report explores is the role of these organisations in the emergent “data revolution.” How can they ensure that this data revolution benefits their members and the smallholder farmers in general, and at the same time contribute to the revolution by providing valuable information to policy makers or other stakeholders of the ecosystem?
Operations Management in Agriculture bridges the knowledge gap on operations management for agricultural machinery. It complements traditional topics (cost of using and choosing machinery) with advanced engineering approaches recently applied in agricultural machinery management (area coverage planning and sequential scheduling). The book covers new technologies in bio-production systems (robotics, IoT) and environmental compliance by employing a systems engineering perspective with focuses on sub-systems, including advanced optimization, supply chain systems, sustainability, autonomous vehicles and IT-driven decision-making. It will be a valuable resource for students studying decision-making and those working to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of production through machinery choice. Covers agricultural machinery management related courses and a number of other courses within the agricultural engineering discipline Provides core tools for machine operations management, including machinery selection and cost of usage Presents current knowledge for agricultural machinery management in a science-based format
Designed to teach the farm managers of tomorrow, Farm Management emphasizes the strategic and operations aspects of managing a farm. Today’s farm managers will want to consult it as well to improve the effectiveness, objectivity, and success of their decisions. This innovative textbook is framed by the increasing need for farmers to develop and follow a business plan. Topics not found in traditional farm management texts include: Strategic management; How to evaluate, choose, and implement the business strategies that best fit the farm and the farmer; Production and operations planning; How to benefit from techniques and management tools used in general business; Quality management and control that will decrease costs and meet consumer demands; Production contract evaluation; Decision making beyond the traditional microeconomic analysis: decision making under risk and the development of scenarios to understand the impact of an uncertain future. Fundamental farm management topics and basics are not ignored in this all-inclusive text. Traditional material includes budgeting, marketing, enterprise selection, production planning, financial analysis, financial management, investment analysis, risk management, work force management, business organization, and control management. Student learning will be enhanced by review questions and a glossary in the book. Other ancillary material: study notes, virtual field trips, a test bank, class assignments, instructions on how to produce local examples to complement the examples in the text, and worksheets for students are available on the author’s website or on a CD-ROM.
This is the first book to focus on farm and rural community management in less favored areas of Japan. It provides an economic framework for, and empirical findings on, rural community management in terms of the distribution of rural resources, efficiency of farmland conservation, community development through agribusinesses, and utilization of human resources for the sustainability of rural society. The topics addressed include organic farming, the added value of locally processed foods, broad-based community agreement under a direct payment policy, forms of community vitalization, new farmers, farm diversification, redistribution of local resources among farmers by establishing farm organizations, community business, community hubs formed by multiple communities, and stakeholders who have migrated from urban to rural areas.The book is divided into four parts. Part I examines the relationship between regional agriculture and the conservation of farmland, including in hilly and mountainous areas. Part II deals with the improvement of farm resource management, particularly the redistribution of agricultural resources within multiple communities. In turn, Part III focuses on agribusinesses, especially the production of locally processed foods and community business. Lastly, Part IV addresses the sustainability of rural society, and discusses rural community development through community hubs, community-based rural tourism, and immigrated stakeholders. In each part, the peculiarities and commonalities of rural communities are explored by comparing the results of these studies with domestic and international studies.This book is highly recommended to readers who are concerned with the development of agriculture and community, resource conservation in less favored areas, and the theoretical and empirical aspects of agricultural and resource economics, as well as to those who wish to better understand rural communities in Japan.
