Surendran Arumugam

Yield variability in rainfed crops as influenced by climate variables

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the impact of climate change on yields and yield variances in major rainfed crops and measure possible changes in yields under projected climate changes in different agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu, India. Although many empirical studies report the influence of climate change on crop yield, only few address the effect on yield variances. Even in such cases, the reported yield variances were obtained through simulation studies rather than from actual observations. In this context, the present study analyzes the impact of climate change on crops yield and yield variance using the observed yields. Design/methodology/approach – The Just-Pope yield function (1978) is used to analyze the impact of climate change on mean yield and variance. The estimated coefficient from Just-Pope yield function and the projected climatic data for the year 2030 are incorporated to capture the projected changes in crop yield and variances. Findings – By the year 2030, the yield of pulses is ...

Consumer’s Preferences for Fresh Organic Produce in the Mid-Atlantic USA: An Econometric Analysis

The purpose of this study was to document the profile of the typical consumer who purchases specific organic produce in the Mid-Atlantic USA. An online survey was conducted to capture consumer’s interest and expectation toward organic fruits and vegetables. Data were collected through an online survey from 1100 participants, pre-screened, and identity checked from the pool of 5191 selected candidates using a private online survey company. We developed a multinomial logit model to predict consumer’s choice of organic fresh fruits and vegetables. Six most important fruits and vegetables were identified for this study, and rest of them were included in the “other” category. The “other” fruits and vegetables were left out of the regression as the base case. The results show that those who think organic food has better taste and has a graduate degree are more likely to choose banana compared to other fruits and vegetables. Respondents who preferred freshness, has a two-year college degree, and Caucasian, are more likely to choose carrot. Those who wish to support to local farmers and with education above high school are more likely to choose lettuce. Respondents with a two-year college degree are more likely to choose strawberries, whereas those who prefer organic wine are also more likely to choose apple. Also, those who prefer organic wine and the Caucasians are more likely to choose tomato over other fruits and vegetables. Producers of organic fruits and vegetables can target customers for sale, based on their demographics as well as their preference.

Willingness to pay a high-premium for fresh organic produce: an econometric analysis

This paper aims at predicting characteristics of the buyers who are willing to pay (WTP) a high-premium for organic fruits and vegetables in the mid-Atlantic region of US. The results indicate that those who are Caucasian, have a graduate degree and income above

Does Climate Variability Influence Yield of Major Crops? — A Case Study of Tamil Nadu§

100, 000/annum, use advertisements, prefer certified labels, frequently buy at direct markets, think organic food has better taste, switch supermarkets to buy organic produce, prefer processed organic foods are more likely to pay a high-premium. While, those who regularly shop at more than one food store, are influenced by the naturally grown label, prefer conventionally grown local produce and consider buying organic food is a waste of money are less likely to pay a high-premium for organic fresh fruits and vegetables. These findings provide essential feedback to producers of organic produce in targeting customers for sale of organic products.