To many people, futures trading is a little understood and rather suspicious activity. The word most often associated with this trading is "speculation", the idea being that most of those involved in futures markets are gamblers in a high stakes game seeking profit at the expense of those...

In most developing countries, historically, the main strategy for improving the food sector has focused on increasing farm-level production. But in recent years, with the emphasis on value chain analysis, there has been much more focus on subsector studies, demand-driven approaches, and...

The potential of using carbon offset credits from agroforestry projects for farmers in developing areas has become more prevalent in both Clean Development Mechanism and voluntary carbon markets. Since the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, many international development organizations have...

Food legumes in Sub-Saharan Africa play a vital role by being a source of livelihood for millions of people; and offer tremendous potential to contribute to the alleviation of malnutrition among resource-poor farmers. They contribute to the sustainability of cropping systems and soil fertility....

The ability of a firm to differentiate their product hinges critically on an accurate understanding of the perceptions consumers hold regarding the implications of a credence labeling claim. Building upon existing work evaluating other food attribute labels (e.g., genetically-modified products,...

The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farming model made its first appearance in the US in the 1980s, arriving from Europe and with clear social, economic and environmental goals. From less than a dozen CSA farms in the early 1990s, the movement has now expanded to over 3,000 farms. The...

Household adoption of new agricultural technologies, including improved maize and bean varieties in Mozambique, is still relatively low. As a result, the average maize and common bean production remains low. This study identifies factors that are associated with households’ adoption of...

Forests and timber are important natural resources in the state of Michigan. Forestlands make of 53% of the total land area and the forest related industry and manufacturing sector in Michigan generate approximately $12 billion to the state’s economy. Though forestry related industry and...

Biomass is being researched as a possible alternative to fossil sources of energy, in order to avoid externalities from fossil fuel use that affect the environment and the economy. Some biomass-based energy production systems may produce unwanted externalities in their own right, such as...

Many governments, firms, institutions and individuals have become increasingly cognizant of their impact on the environment, most notably with respect to global climate change. This coupled with a threat of future regulation and a desire for a ‘green’ image, among other reasons, has led...