Comparative Agriculture

Comparative Agriculture

Author: Hubert Cochet

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-04-20

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 9401798281

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In the first section dedicated to theoretical thoughts on comparative agriculture, Hubert Cochet introduces the notion of “agricultural development”, the very subject of comparative agriculture, with a restored endogenous dimension. He then describes how this approach was slowly consolidated, around the concept of agrarian system in particular. The comparison of agricultural transformations in time and space highlights the importance of the comparatist approach to production processes, their trajectories and differentiation on a worldwide scale. The second section which focuses on the methods and expertise of comparative agriculture, tackles the issues of landscape analysis, field surveys and the historical approach underlying comparative agriculture. It sums up the economic tools mobilised as well as the evaluation perspectives opened up by comparative agriculture.


Farm Business Analysis Using Benchmarking

Farm Business Analysis Using Benchmarking

Author: David Kahan

Publisher: Farm Management Extension Guid

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789251075456

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The purpose of this guide is to provide a better understanding of the concept and practice of entrepreneurship. This guide has been prepared for people who want to start a farm business for the first time and for farmers that want to make changes to their farming systems by introducing high value enterprises directed to the market. This guide can also help extension workers be better able to help farmers develop the skills and spirit of an entrepreneur. It is part of a series of booklets on farm business management designed to help extension workers support farmers.


Farming Systems and Poverty

Farming Systems and Poverty

Author: John A. Dixon

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9789251046272

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A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.


Identifying farm typologies in Rwandan agriculture: A framework for improving targeted interventions

Identifying farm typologies in Rwandan agriculture: A framework for improving targeted interventions

Author: Benimana, Gilberthe

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2024-05-13

Total Pages: 53

ISBN-13:

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This paper explores the broad spectrum of commercial engagement by Rwandan farmers by grouping farmers according to characteristics of the head of household, the degree of commercialization of their farms, size of livestock holdings and other factors. We use statistical methodologies, including factor and cluster analysis, combined with existing knowledge of the agricultural sector to define five types of Rwandan farmers, separated into two broad groups. The first group (Group A) includes three types broadly classified as less wealthy, less commercialized, with a net negative gross margin. Within this group the three types of farmers include: Type 1—Less commercialized older male headed households with larger families, Type 2—Better educated, youth headed households, who are more market oriented but have smaller land holdings, Type 3—Older female headed households who produce relatively lower agricultural production value relative to their assets owned. The second group (Group B) comprises two types of farmers. This group are wealthier, sell more crops with positive gross margins and larger landholdings. More specifically, farm type 4 is commercialized with higher access to agricultural extension services and inputs and farm type 5, also highly commercialized, but has significant livestock holdings as well. Taken together, these two groups, and five farm types, provide a framework to aid in understanding how commercialization takes place in smallholder Rwandan agriculture. This framework may also help in understanding how potential interventions would be received by various types of Rwanda farmers, thereby facilitating more efficient targeting of agricultural interventions.


Agent-Based Modelling and Landscape Change

Agent-Based Modelling and Landscape Change

Author: James D. A. Millington

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2018-09-27

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 3038422800

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This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Agent-Based Modelling and Landscape Change" that was published in Land


Farm-Level Modelling

Farm-Level Modelling

Author: Shailesh Shrestha

Publisher: CABI

Published: 2016-09-28

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1780644280

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Agriculture is the product of a complex mixture of behavioural, biophysical and market drivers. Understanding how these factors interact to produce crops and livestock for food has been the focus of economic investigation for many years. The advent of optimisation algorithms and the exponential growth in computing technology has allowed significant growth in mathematical modelling of the dynamics of agricultural systems. The complexity of approaches has grown in parallel with the availability of data at increasingly finer resolutions. Farm-level models have been widely used in agricultural economic studies to understand how farmers and land owners respond to market and policy levers. This book provides an in-depth description of different methodologies and techniques currently used in farm-level modelling. While giving an overview of the theoretical grounding behind the models, an applied approach is also used. Case studies range from the application of modelling to policy reforms and the subsequent impacts on rural communities and food supply. This book also provides descriptions of the use of farm-level models in much wider fields such as aggregation and linking with sectoral models. Its purpose is to show the reader the methods that have been employed to inform decision-makers about how to improve the economic, social and environmental goals required to achieve the aims of multidimensional policy.


Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century

Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-07-25

Total Pages: 598

ISBN-13: 0309148960

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In the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable emergence of innovations and technological advances that are generating promising changes and opportunities for sustainable agriculture, yet at the same time the agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges. Not only is the agricultural sector expected to produce adequate food, fiber, and feed, and contribute to biofuels to meet the needs of a rising global population, it is expected to do so under increasingly scarce natural resources and climate change. Growing awareness of the unintended impacts associated with some agricultural production practices has led to heightened societal expectations for improved environmental, community, labor, and animal welfare standards in agriculture. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century assesses the scientific evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different production, marketing, and policy approaches for improving and reducing the costs and unintended consequences of agricultural production. It discusses the principles underlying farming systems and practices that could improve the sustainability. It also explores how those lessons learned could be applied to agriculture in different regional and international settings, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. By focusing on a systems approach to improving the sustainability of U.S. agriculture, this book can have a profound impact on the development and implementation of sustainable farming systems. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century serves as a valuable resource for policy makers, farmers, experts in food production and agribusiness, and federal regulatory agencies.


JIAC2009 book of abstracts

JIAC2009 book of abstracts

Author: C. Lokhorst

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-09-04

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 9086866751

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The broad range of research topics reported in this abstract book is a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture. ICT in agriculture, the field of EFITA's interest, precision agriculture and precision livestock farming are becoming ever more relevant as the agricultural industry struggles to come to terms with various developments. These include issues of cooperation, Internet, standardisation, software architecture, robotics, environment, animal and human welfare, economics, traceability, farm management, vehicle guidance, crop management, animal disease and livestock management. Whilst some benefits have proved elusive, others contribute positively to today’s agriculture. Research continues to be necessary and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. Also note that the reviewed papers from the 4th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming and the 7th ECPA conference are presented in companion publications.