Cotton has been a success story in West Africa since independence swept the region in the early 1960's. Today, however, 'white gold' is struggling to maintain its allure. Recent declines in world cotton markets have created a crisis in the region's cotton sectors. Cotton is still being produced...

This study evaluates efficiency of forest management in Japan. Our results show that efficiency of forest management decreases over 25 years period from 1975-2000 on average. The study indicates a substantial variation in efficiency across prefectures with a potential for output saving in the...

The EU reforms will increase the Caribbean sugar price, but will not affect the U.S. sugar industry. If liberalization occurs based on the WTO-DDA, U.S. wholesale sugar price will decrease from 24.89 to 23.79 cents per pound. It is also expected the Caribbean price to increase from 8.7 to 12.1...

In the paper, we make an attempt to estimate the supply of farmer stock peanuts in the Southeastern Region of the U.S. and evaluate production effects of the recent changes in farm support policies and of trade liberalization that have affected prices. The choice of estimation methodology is...

We investigate the Philippine government's price stabilization policy for rice. Seemingly Unrelated Regressions are used to examine the effectiveness of the program at regional and national levels over a 21-year period (January 1983 to December 2003). Results of the regional analysis indicate...

This paper described the incorporation of selected segments of the Apprentice Series into an Ag and Food Sales course. A description of the use of these segments and student evaluation of the experience are also included.

This study examines the impact of depreciating exchange rate on U.S. fresh produce trade. The short run analysis does not support J-curve hypothesis but the overall results are consistent with the modified version of the hypothesis that devaluation would initially deteriorate the trade balance...

Complexity of urban systems necessitates the consideration of interdependency among various factors for land use change modeling and prediction. The objective of this study is to explore the applicability of computational neural networks in modeling urban sprawl and land use change coupled with...

Invasive insect species cause billions of dollars of direct and indirect damage to U.S. crops each year. The market for insuring insect damage is, however, far from complete. The objective of this study is to design and value insect derivatives, or "bug options," which would offer growers a...

This paper analyzes the connection between informal insurance institutions in rural Africa and the adoption of new technologies. We model two linked games -- a community risk-sharing game and an old-age insurance game -- and analyze the multiple equilibria that arise. We provide a numerical...