This paper reviews various optimization approaches used to address a variety of issues related to risk in agricultural finance and farm management. The central focus is in the Markowitz mean-variance model, which represents the classical approach to balancing risk and returns in an optimization...

Asymmetric information in the form of moral hazard and adverse selection can result in sizable program costs for government-provided crop insurance plans. We present a methodology and illustrative simulations to show how these two types of information problems interact in a way to create program...

This paper presents preliminary results on the possible demand for weather insurance in China. Results from 1,564 farm households from Western and Central China between October 2007 and October 2008 suggest that the greater risk for farmers is drought followed by excessive rain. Heat is less...

This study uses the sustainable growth rate model to investigate, measure, and analyze sustainable growth rates and trends for Illinois farmers. Results of farm-level econometric analyses indicate the relevance of the sustainable growth paradigm in explaining most farm financial decisions made...

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship over time between specific weather events (drought, excessive rainfall, cold weather, etc…) and loss ratios for crop insurance products. The study also investigates the impact of rainfall and extreme heat on field and fruit crop insurance...

This paper investigates the economic conditions of rural households in China. Historical survey data indicate that over 80 per cent of rural households earn less than 4,500 yuan in net disposable income each year, that for the vast majority of rural households disposable income is insufficient...

To reduce vulnerability and food insecurity this paper investigates the economics of micro-credit. We provide a model that shows how a micro-credit market based on trust can co-exist with a commercial collateral-based market. This model is developed in detail and certain propositions are...

In 1984, the Jersey Fresh program was implemented by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and was the first state-funded marketing campaign for agricultural products produced in New Jersey. In an effort to spur demand for New Jersey farm products, this program was designed to increase...

This article examines farm operating risks and cash-rent determination through the use of the efficient set mathematics. The efficient set mathematics proves to be a pragmatic approach to characterizing operating risks, and the relationships between operating risks and cash-rent determination....