Socio-economic analysis of farmers facing asymmetric information in inputs markets: evidence from the rainfed zone of Pakistan

Information asymmetry plays an important role in the non-adoption of modern agricultural inputs like improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizers etc. Therefore, this study investigated the role of farmers’ socio-economic attributes and farm level characteristics in avoiding asymmetry of information in agricultural input markets (i.e. exaggerated prices and low quality). The approach captures the farm level heterogeneity and complexity that may help the authorities in strengthening existing market regulations to control price and quality disparities. We analysed 395 randomly selected farm households using multinomial logit model. We found that farmers with large landholding size are less likely to face quality and more likely to face price information asymmetry. Farmers with higher education, more physical assets and better access to other sources of information are less likely to face both quality and price information asymmetry. Borrowers as compared to purchasers are more likely to face information asymmetry on prices of agricultural inputs. Non-adopters of improved agricultural technologies are more suspicious of information asymmetry than adopters. The paper thus provides evidence that the socio-economic dynamics of information asymmetry can have an important influence on wide spread adoption of technology. Paying more attention to farm level heterogeneity and complexity would help to develop general market management plan and improve the adoption of technology by farmers.     

襄阳市河湖水系—经济社会发展和谐量化分析

为定量研究河湖水系与经济社会之间的相关关系及其相互影响程度,以襄阳市为例,选择2001~2014年的数据资料,构建了襄阳市河湖水系—经济社会发展指标体系,采用SMI-P方法定量分析了襄阳市的河湖水系与经济社会发展的和谐程度。结果表明,襄阳市的河湖水系与经济社会发展之间的和谐状态已由最初的较不和谐状态缓慢上升至较和谐状态,仍需采取一系列工程和非工程措施提高和改善其和谐程度。研究成果可为襄阳市河湖水系和经济社会发展均衡管控战略研究提供指导和借鉴。     

电子收费系统项目社会经济影响综合评价研究

在深入研究电子收费系统(ETC)项目社会经济影响的基础上,建立了科学实用的评价指标体系,设计了ETC项目社会经济影响均一和非均一综合集成的AHP/DEA评价模型,并通过算例验证了模型的客观合理性。该集成方法模型为国家和地方政府的交通运输部门深入了解ETC项目潜在的社会经济影响,并制定相关投资政策提供定量支持。     

Water use characteristics and impact factors in the Yellow River basin,China

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the water use characteristics and impact factors in the Yellow River basin. Water use increased from 1980 to 2000 and then stabilized. Water use in the eight regions of the basin varies significantly in both time and space. Water use in different sectors is sensitive to variations in the irrigation area, industrial added value, efficiency, population and urbanization. Change trends are the results of the joint effects of supply-and-demand relationship and water policy. Water use is insensitive to precipitation, because irrigation mainly relies on river water and groundwater.     

建筑师在工业建筑设计中的作用

回顾了建筑师在中国社会经济发展的不同阶段里,在工业建筑设计上所起到的不同的作用.概述了社会经济的状况对建筑师在工业建筑设计中的制约程度.对建筑师在今后工业建筑设计中需要深入考虑的问题进行了探讨.     

Dietary Sources of Fiber Intake and Its Association with Socio-Economic Factors among Flemish Preschool Children

The objectives were to assess total dietary fiber intake, identify the major sources of dietary fiber, and examine its association with socio-economic factors among Flemish preschoolers. Three-day estimated dietary records were collected from a representative sample of preschoolers 2.5-6.5 years old (n = 661; 338 boys, 323 girls). The mean dietary fiber intake (13.4 g/d) was lower than the intake level recommended by the Belgian Superior Health Council (70% boys and 81% girls below the guidelines). The most important contributor was the group of bread and cereals (29.5%), followed by fruits (17.8%), potatoes and grains (16.0%), energy-dense, low-nutritious foods (12.4%), and vegetables (11.8%). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that total fiber intake was associated with maternal education and parents' employment. Overall, fiber intakes from high-nutritious foods (vegetables and fruits) were higher in preschoolers of higher educated mothers and those with one or both parents being employed. In conclusion, the majority of the preschoolers had dietary fiber intakes below the recommended level. Hence, dietary fiber should be promoted among parents of preschoolers and low socio-economic status families should be addressed in particular.     

Socio-economic pitfalls of enhancing indigenous capabilities in household fermentation

Traditional fermentation processes are increasingly attracting the attention of scientists and policy makers as a vital part of food security strategies. New opportunities provided by biotechnology are opening up possibilities to improve or upgrade traditional small-scale processes and make better use of agricultural products. A straightforward transfer-of-technology approach, characteristic for mainstream development assistance to developing countries, is inappropriate to upgrade and improve the traditional food processing sector in developing countries. In this paper, the case of soy sauce fermentation in Indonesia is presented to illustrate the dangers of narrowing traditional food processing to a sequence of operations. These processes and their operations reflect the social, political, cultural and ethnical relations in which they emerged and evolved. Successful upgrading requires that these relations are understood and that, based on such an understanding, modern technologies build upon their traditional predecessors. Any technology or project that neglects the coherence between these relations or is unable to meet social, political and cultural requirements in addition to technical ones, is doomed to fail.     

陕西关中地区水资源的可持续发展支持能力

在阐述水资源支持能力涵义的基础上,计算了关中地区生态需水量、75%保证率时可利用水量、75%保证率时总需水量以及水资源支持能力的供需平衡指数。结果表明:关中地区生态需水量2005年为43.699×10⁸m³,2010年为44.119×10⁸m,2015年为44.394×10⁸m³;2005年75%保证率时可利用水量为49.885×10⁸m³,2010年为49.466×10⁸m³,2015年为49.190×10⁸m³;2005年75%保证率时总需水量为94.26×10⁸m³,2010年为86.63×10⁸m³,2015年为84.22×10⁸m³。最后计算水资源支持能力的供需平衡指数,2005、2010、2015年,供需平衡指数小于0,说明流域可供的水资源量不具备对这样规模的社会经济系统的支撑能力,流域水资源对应的人口及经济规模是不可承载的,供需平衡的差值主要靠侵占河道内的生态需水量来实现的,河道内的生态破坏就是很好的证据。     

Vulnerability of coastal Connecticut to sea level rise: land inundation and impacts to residential property

Vulnerability indices at the global or national scales require considerable data aggregation where local economic and social impacts remain unnoticed. The goal of this study was to analyze the extent of inundated land from sea level rise and its economic impacts to residential property in coastal communities. Geographic data were integrated with economic and social data at parcel level resolution through GIS. Cumulative land inundation in seven coastal municipalities was calculated as 15 and 25?km², while direct economic costs to residential property was estimated to be $1.3 billion and $2.2 billion for 1 and 2?m sea level rise, respectively. Normalised results were $14?million/km coastline and $4?million/km combined coastline and rivers for 1?m sea level rise. Results indicate that while impacts will mainly occur along the coastline, inland parcels as far as 3?km from the coastline situated along rivers are equally at risk of flooding. While results of the study can be used to estimate economic impacts for other locations that share similar geographic characteristics and development patterns, land use types, proximity to water bodies, and property values are some factors that may lead to differences when these numbers are extrapolated elsewhere.     

The Avalon Lakes: An Environmental Opportunity

The Avalon Lakes project was a concept to utilize, as water storage reservoirs, shallow basins left by commercial peat exploitation. There are, however, important nature-conservation interests in the project area. The proposed scheme ultimately incorporated measures to enhance these and, perhaps unusually for a source development, was broadly supported by conservation groups. The related cost was estimated at £4.2M, or 17% of the overall source works'price.
Plans and scientific investigations of the scheme occupied a span of 21 years to 1988. It was eventually abandoned as an option for future water supplies following the restructuring of Wessex Water Authority in preparation for privatization of the water industry. The grounds for terminating the project were substantially concerned with costs, though coloured by lingering apprehension about the consistency of water quality.
There is now a greater public awareness of the adverse environmental effects of water resource developments. It is suggested that this will lead to future schemes, less obviously suited to their surroundings than Avalon, incurring a higher conservation-related cost in order to gain acceptance.