In this paper we seek to reconcile low farm-level substitution elasticity between nitrogen, fertilizer, and land, with larger industry-level values for the corn sector. This is accomplished with a micro-simulation model which identifies twenty-three heterogeneous groups of corn farmers based on...

Technical dependencies as well as data constraints limit our ability to allocate inputs across sectors and hence our ability to measure sectoral productivity. We adapt a directional measure of efficiency to the measurement of sector-specific productivity that does not require allocating all...

Increasing livestock product consumption in many Asian countries has been accompanied by growth in some countries’ imports of feedgrains for their domestic livestock sectors. This contributes to debate over future levels of grain imports. Yet projections often pay little attention to...

Rapid industrialization in East Asia, particularly China, is raising questions about who will feed the region in the next century and how Asia will be able to pay for its food imports. The paper ®rst reviews existing food sector projections and then takes an economy-wide perspective using...

A multiproduct variable cost function was used to compare the efficiency of Midwestern cooperative and investor-oriented grain and farm supply firms. Results suggest that cooperatives are no less efficient in a variable cost sense than their investor-oriented counterparts. Concerning fixed...

The special safeguard mechanism--both quantity- and price-based--was key in the July 2008 failure to reach agreement in the World Trade Organization negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda. A stochastic simulation model of the world wheat market is used to investigate the effects of the...

Even though much has been written about climate change and poverty as distinct and complex problems, the link between them has received little attention. Understanding this link is vital for the formulation of effective policy responses to climate change. In this article the authors focus on...