Valerien O. Pede

Rice Grain Quality and Consumer Preferences: A Case Study of Two Rural Towns in the Philippines

Hedonic pricing analysis is conducted to determine the implicit values of various attributes in the market value of a good. In this study, hedonic pricing analysis was applied to measure the contribution of grain quality search and experience attributes to the price of rice in two rural towns in the Philippines. Rice samples from respondents underwent quantitative routine assessments of grain quality. In particular, gelatinization temperature and chalkiness, two parameters that are normally assessed through visual scores, were evaluated by purely quantitative means (differential scanning calorimetry and by digital image analysis). Results indicate that rice consumed by respondents had mainly similar physical and chemical grain quality attributes. The respondents’ revealed preferences were typical of what has been previously reported for Filipino rice consumers. Hedonic regression analyses showed that grain quality characteristics that affected price varied by income class. Some of the traits or socioeconomic factors that affected price were percent broken grains, gel consistency, and household per capita rice consumption. There is an income effect on rice price and the characteristics that affect price vary between income classes.

Perception of Climate Change and Impact on Land Allocation and Income: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam's Delta Region

Using a sample survey from Vietnams M&RRD, this study examines both the factors affecting smallholder households’ perceptions of climate change, and the impact of climatic change on smallholders’ income and land allocation decisions. Results show a significant and negative impact of perception of climate change on income of smallholder households. Smallholders with perceived climate changes reduce land allocated to paddy crop. Farmers make strategic decision to counter the negative effects of climate change by increasing the amount of rented land for paddy crop production, while at the same time decreasing the amount of owned land allocated to paddy crop.

A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Cultural Dimensions, Technology Knowledge and Economic Growth

Using data from 65 countries over the period 1980–2003, this paper investigates the role that cultural dimensions play in the process of technological change, innovation and adoption and consequently on the steady state level of output per worker and its growth, using spatial econometrics techniques to account for spatial dependence between countries. Initial findings indicate that differences across cultural dimensions act as a leveling effect but not as long run growth determinants. In addition, when controlling for physical and human capital accumulation, culture plays a much smaller role in explaining differences in income per capita than initially thought, with little effect on output per worker growth along the transitional dynamics path. Spatial econometric considerations are relevant in explaining differences across rates of growth of per worker output, but not in terms of steady-state levels of income.

Guidance and Technology: An Assessment of Project Intervention and Promoted Technologies

Abstract This study used primary data, collected as part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project to compare net returns and cost efficiency between farmers who are beneficiaries of the project to farmers who are not beneficiaries. Additionally, non-beneficiary farmers who use the promoted technologies from the project are compared to other non-beneficiary farmers who do not use the promoted technologies. Propensity score matching is used to account for selection bias when comparing the outcomes of beneficiary and control groups. Results indicate higher return for project recipients as well as farmers who use the CSISA promoted resource-conserving technologies (RCTs).