The short-run effects of fungicide application on economic risk and the effects of risk on fungicide use in Swiss wheat production are empirically explored. A quadratic production function model is developed. With the help of the moment-based approach, marginal contributions of fungicides...

The proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy within the Mid Term Review of the European Commission fueled the discussion about the future of direct payments to farmers. The EU Commission recommends a decoupling of animal and area payments from the production by granting these...

Improving local rice production capacity is a key element in the agenda of most countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). There are several reasons for this drive: (1) the high levels of rice imports that constitute a burden on the countries’ financial resources; (2)...

Les graines de tomates sont les constituants majeurs des déchets de l’industrie de transformation des fruits de tomate, elles représentent 0,5%du poids du fruit et contiennent entre 18 et 30% de lipides sous forme d’huile. L’objet de ce travail est l’extraction et la caractérisation...

Several studies have shown that indigenous vegetables have high market potential and contribute substantially to household incomes. Until quite recently however, research into development of indigenous vegetables were neglected by the scientific and donor community. With a resurgence of their...

This study examines the impact of genetically modified maize on labor, cost, and input substitutability for smallholders in South Africa. Data was collected during the 2009- 2010 maize production season from 184 households with a total of 212 maize plots in two regions, Hlabisa and...

Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties rich in beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A are one of the least expensive sources of dietary vitamin A in Sub-Saharan Africa, where most sweetpotato is consumed as boiled or steamed roots. One major question is how its use can be expanded among...

The paper aims to analyze the snap bean value chain and assess the competitiveness of small farmers and how the value-added benefits are shared by various participants of the value chain in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. We find that farmers had the lowest share of value added among the chain...

The ability of genetically modified (GM) crops to increase yields and reduce use of pesticides is well established. Based on food security needs and the central role of agriculture, Africa may stand to benefit from green biotechnology given the low agricultural productivity and the looming food...

The study examined resource productivity analysis of small scale root and tuber crop farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. Data used for the study were obtained from primary source using a multi-stage sampling technique with structured questionnaires administered to 150 randomly selected root and...