The first part of this doctorate dissertation examines the factors influencing the occurrence and costs of pinhole leak corrosion as well as the household decisions for corrosion prevention and plumbing material selection. Three mail surveys of households were used to elicit the experiences with...

This thesis analyzes the effects on the price impacts of the Commodity Procurement Program when canned peaches are purchased. The main objective is to assess the effects of canned peaches purchases on the farm-level price of canning peaches. Interviews of the industries that participate in the...

The passage of the 2002 Farm Bill and the removal of the peanut quota system revealed underlying fundamental problems in the Virginia peanut industry. Lower yields and high costs plague producers at the farm level, acreage levels continue to decline and it is doubtful that peanut production in...

This dissertation contains three related papers. The first paper revisits the concept of integrated rural development and provides examples on how to design balanced development work programs for the Trifinio region, a small rural region shared by 3 Central American countries. Work programs...

This thesis explores constraints to the development of markets for high quality cacao in Ecuador. It focuses on the role of market level constraints, particularly the transmission of quality incentives along the marketing chain and their effects on farmersâ incentives to invest in quality...

This dissertation examines a number of issues related to Static and Dynamic Student t Regression Models. The Static Student t Regression Model is derived and transformed to an operational form. The operational form is then examined in a series of Monte Carlo experiments. The model is judged...

This thesis is a long-term evaluation of the profit margin hedging strategy suggested by Kenyon and Clay. To implement this strategy an expected profit margin is estimated based on the amount of pork, corn price, and soybean meal price. The profit margin that can be âlocked inâ by the futures...

The purpose of this study is to assist planners and scientists in assessing the economic implications of the USAID-funded Integrated Pest Management-Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP) research activities. The study presents a framework and a set of procedures for documenting,...

Farmers around the world rely on IPM practices in order to increase their yields and reduce their losses due to pests. Assessing the impacts of previous IPM CRSP studies is crucial for successful continuance of the program and to provide meaningful recommendations to farmers. This thesis...