Glenn C.W. Ames

Risk analysis of new maize technology in Zaire: a portfolio approach

Risk associated with the adoption of new maize technology and the impact of mandatory cotton production on traditional farmers in the Kasai Oriental Region of Zaire are evaluated within a portfolio context using a quadratic programming model. Seasonal net returns for farm plans including four levels of maize technology in combination with staple food crops are evaluated, with and without mandatory cotton production. The results indicate that cropping systems that include new maize technology are risk-efficient relative to local maize varieties while mandatory cotton production is not risk-efficient at the prevalent price and yield levels in the farming system.

The Demand and Supply of U.S. Agricultural Exports: The Case of Wheat, Corn, and Soybeans

The demand for and supply of U.S. wheat, corn, and soybean exports is specified in a dynamic framework. Obtained results indicate differences in the export behavior of each product. U.S. corn exports are elastic, while U.S. soybean exports exhibit an inelastic response. For wheat, the derived elasticity of export demand had a positive sign. Hypothesis testing validated the dynamic structure of the estimated models in all markets. Stability properties were confirmed in export markets of corn and soybeans, but results were inconclusive for the wheat market. Adjustment coefficients indicate that exports and export prices do no adjust immediately to their equilibrium levels. Multiplier impacts indicate a stable path of convergence for all markets, with minimal impact of exogenous shocks on wheat and corn exports and export prices. Soybean export prices exhibit a significant response to changes in domestic export capacity, but minimal response to other exogenous shocks.

Sustainable agricultural development using a farming systems approach in Zambia

Abstract Zambia implemented the Farming Systems Research and Extension approach to development of agricultural technologies during the last decade. The results seem to indicate that the inter-related objectives of increasing productivity, income and short-term food security of small-scale farmers have been addressed, but the achievements may have come at the expense of long-term sustainability in agricultural development. The system relied too heavily on farmer priorities and technologies dependent on purchased inputs. If sustainable systems are to be developed, both short-term gains and long-term sustainability issues must be included in the program. Since the FSR/E program was established in the early 1980s, relevant factors that pushed the issue of sustainability to the forefront have been recognized. These include population pressure, poor soil fertility and rising prices of inorganic fertilizer. Specific recommendations include low-input technologies, restoring soil fertility, animal husbandry and agroforestry.

Non-Tariff Barriers and Political Solutions to Trade Disputes: A Case Study of U.S. Poultry Exports to Russia

This article examines the recent trade conflict over poultry meat exports between the United States and Russia, the U.S. s largest customer. A shipment of questionable poultry meat in late 1995 triggered the trade dispute. Russia embargoed U.S. poultry on 16 February 1996, alleging that the U.S. inspection system could not guarantee that imported poultry meat would meet Russian standards. An agreement signed on 25 March 1996 reconfirmed existing inspection criteria for exports to Russia and established a testing protocol for Salmonella and residues such as antibiotics, pesticides, and heavy metals, and resolved the trade dispute.

U.S. Market Share for Poultry Meat in Russia: Trade Policy and Exchange Rate Effects

Abstract This study examines changes in U.S. market shares for poultry meat in Russia after the ruble devaluation of August 1998. In the 1990s, the U.S. captured over 90% of the Russian market for poultry meat imports. Russia accounted for a large segment of U.S. poultry meat exports, about 40%-55%, of dark meat sales in particular. The ruble devaluation drastically reduced leg quarter exports from the U.S. to Russia. Moreover, the U.S. lost 9% of its market share after the economic crisis while Brazilian, Dutch and German exporters captured market shares. Nevertheless, the market for U.S. broiler meat remains strong in Russia.

An Economic Analysis Of Import Demand For Canola Oil In The United States

The study analyzes the impacts of economic and noneconomic factors on import demand for canola oil. The import demand pattern for canola oil in the United States is influenced by changes in the worlds oilseeds market and government oilseeds programs and policies, including tariffs and subsidies. The U.S. import demand for canola oil was specified as a function of its own import price, prices of substitute edible vegetable oils (soybean oil and palm oil), disposable personal income, the Canadian-U.S. (Missing one table)

International trade analysis of impact of North American Free Trade Agreement on US pecan producers

The objective of this study was to examine the economic impact of NAFTA on US producers of pecans. An econometric method was used to develop supply and demand functions for the United States and an excess supply function for Mexico. The equations were used to measure gains for US consumers and losses for US pecan producers and the government. The increase in Mexican real disposable national income necessary to offset losses to US pecan producers in the aftermath of NAFTA was also measured.

A farming systems analysis of cotton production in the Haut-Zaire region of Zaire: The impact of negative price policies

Abstract The impact of government policies on cotton farming in Haut-Zaire was analyzed in a Farming Systems Perspective. The decline of cotton production in Zaire can partially be explained by the governments artificially low fixed cotton prices and a mandated minimum area quota which completely ignores resource allocation in the local farming system. Analysis of survey data from cotton-farmer households in eight zones of the Haut-Zaire region indicates that cotton production interferes with labor requirements for food crops such as maize, cassava, rice and peanuts. Returns per man-day of labor in cotton production were only 6% of the average returns to maize and cassava, the next alternatives, creating severe disincentives among peasant farmers to continue cotton production.

US-EC agricultural policies and GATT negotiations.

The fundamental contradictions between the United States and the European Community in the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations lie in the foundations of their respective agricultural policies. Their proposals call for a reduction of agricultural price supports, tariffication of nontariff barriers, elimination of export subsidies, and rebalancing of agricultural protection. They address four key issues in agricultural trade: internal farm income support, import access, export competition, and recognized standards for plant and animal health. Policy changes already taken to reduce budgetary expenditures in both trading blocs may provide an opportunity to compromise on the final GATT agreement.

Human capital, agricultural development and the African food crisis

Explanations of lagging productivity in African agriculture generally are divided between proponents of the failure of agricultural policy to stimulate peasant farmers and proponents of the lack of appropriate technology argument. Both explanations assume that human capital is available to implement changes in agricultural policy, research and extension activities. However, trained scientists, administrators and extension specialists are scarce, especially in the Sahelian countries. Until the pool of human resources in agricultural sciences reaches a critical mass, neither technology nor oriented programs for agricultural development will have much impact on African food production, distribution and consumption.