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"Paudel, Krishna P"
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Five-year plan and agricultural productivity in China
PurposeChina's economy has transformed from a high-speed growth phase to a high-quality development phase. The agriculture sector has grown substantially since the economic reform in 1978. Considering the five-year plan (FYP) as a collection of policies, this study explores the relationship between the FYP and agricultural total factor productivity (TFP).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses 31 provincial-level panel data of the five FYPs from 1996 to 2020. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to compute Malmquist productivity indexes. The authors analyze the temporal and spatial changes and convergences of China's agricultural TFP, and investigate the impact of economic planning on China's agricultural TFP and its regional difference.FindingsThere is a slow but upward growth trend in China's agricultural TFP. The technical change has played a leading role in the growth of China's agricultural TFP. The agricultural TFP of all provinces has shown a “catch-up” effect and is developing toward their respective steady-state levels. The regional difference in productivity growth among the eastern, central and western regions exists. Test results show that the FYP has a positive effect on the agricultural TFP, and the effect has obvious regional heterogeneity. The FYP also plays a positive role in the gross value of agricultural output, and the impact effect is greater than that on the improvement of agricultural productivity.Originality/valueThere are many forms of industrial policy in China, among which the FYP is the guiding document of industrial policy, which makes a systematic plan for industrial development in the subsequent five years. The development objectives, guidelines and overall deployment for agriculture in the FYP not only describe the general context of China's agricultural development but also show the key ideas of agricultural development. Therefore, this study explores its impact on agricultural quality development from the perspective of FYP. The results provide evidence for examining the governance performance of the government and the objective evaluation and restraint of the FYP. As agriculture moves toward the stage of high-quality development, the Chinese government should strengthen the critical guiding role of the FYP and pay attention to quality indicators such as technical progress, efficiency improvement and regional coordination in the formulation of the FYP.
Journal Article
Determinants of Irrigation Technology Adoption and Acreage Allocation in Crop Production in Louisiana, USA
This study identifies the determinants of furrow irrigation technology adoption in soybean production. Further, it estimates and evaluates the determinants of acreage allocation under different irrigation technologies in Louisiana crop production. Through a comprehensive mail survey, we acquired the necessary data, employing them to conduct IV-probit estimations specifically focused on irrigation technology adoption. Simultaneously, we utilized the same dataset to deploy multivariate fractional regression models, facilitating a robust exploration and evaluation of the acreage allocation of crop production in the state. The estimated results indicate that education has a significant negative effect on furrow irrigation adoption, while laser leveling has a significant positive effect on it. In particular, the expected probability of furrow irrigation adoption by farmers with a college degree or higher is 45% lower than farmers with education below the college degree. Education, risk attitude, and landholding have a negative effect, and rent status and have a positive effect on acreage allocation under the furrow irrigation system. Our study implies that appropriate policy tools may motivate farmers to adopt cost-effective as well as water-conserving irrigation technology.
Journal Article
Factors Affecting the Choice, Intensity, and Allocation of Irrigation Technologies by U.S. Cotton Farmers
We use the 2013 cotton precision farming survey data to study the adoption of irrigation technologies by cotton farmers in 14 states of the United States. We find that farmers with a higher irrigated yield, and who are from the Southern Plains (Texas and Oklahoma), adopt water-efficient irrigation technologies, such as sub-surface drip and trickle irrigation technologies. There are 10 irrigation technologies that farmers can adopt for cotton production in these 14 cotton-growing states. The intensity of the irrigation technologies, as measured by the number of irrigation technologies adopted in cotton production, is affected by the irrigated cotton yield realized, land holding (total land owned), education, computer use, and the origin of the cotton farmer being from the Southern Plains. We use a multivariate fractional regression model to identify land allocation by the different irrigation technologies used. Our results indicate that significant variables affecting land allocation with different irrigation technologies are the age of the operator, the cover crop, the information sources used, the per acre irrigated yield, the education, and the cotton farmer being from the Southern Plains.
Journal Article
Financial decision-making behaviors of Ethnic Tibetan Households based on mental accounting
Ethnic Tibetans (ETs) typically reside in the remote plateaus of China and possess strong cultural and spiritual values. Their financial decision-making is influenced by economic and physical factors, unique culture, social norms, and psychological motivators. We conducted an in-person survey of 480 randomly selected ET households across four provinces in rural China. The survey data was analyzed using three different econometric models—probit, ordered probit, and ranked ordered logit—to examine the choice of borrowing from formal or informal credit sources, the number of sources borrowed from, and repayment priority. Our findings indicate that mental accounting plays a significant role in the financial decision-making process of ET households. Additionally, we find that the informal credit source is strongly associated with the financial decisions of ET households. The majority of loans from formal financial institutions are used to meet daily needs, as opposed to purchasing productive inputs. Our results also suggest that strong social relationships and religious beliefs prevent households from defaulting, and that loans from formal financial sources receive repayment priority. China would benefit from promoting inclusive finance and encouraging the adoption of improved agricultural practices to support the prosperity of ET and other minority communities.
Journal Article
Assessing the Effect of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes on Discharge and Sediment Yield in a Rural Coal-Mine Dominated Watershed in Kentucky, USA
The Appalachian Mountain region of eastern Kentucky is unique and contains high proportions of forestland along with coal and natural gas depositaries. Landscape changes due to extreme mining activities can eventually threaten the downstream ecosystems, including soil and water quality, resulting in excessive runoff and sedimentation. The purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes in streamflow and sediment yield in Yellow Creek Watershed, Kentucky, USA, between 1992 and 2016. LULC, digital elevation model, soil, and weather data were inputted into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate discharge and sediment yield. The model output was evaluated on several statistical parameters, such as the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE), RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), percent bias (PBIAS), and the coefficient of determination (R2). In addition, two indices, P-factor and R-factor, were used to measure the prediction uncertainty. The calibrated model showed an increase in surface runoff and sediment yield due to changes in LULC in the Yellow Creek Watershed. The results provided important insights for studying water management strategies to make more informed land management decisions and adaptive practices.
Journal Article
An Evaluation of Irrigation Water Use Efficiency in Crop Production Using a Data Envelopment Analysis Approach: A Case of Louisiana, USA
The primary objective of this study is to estimate and evaluate the technical efficiency of irrigation water use in soybean (Glycine max L.) production in Louisiana, USA. We conducted a farm-level survey to assess information regarding irrigation cost, the volume of water application, and crop yield per acre during the crop year 2016. We use smoothed heterogeneous bootstrapping procedures in conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) and supplement it with a nonradial measure of efficiency known as the Russell measure. The irrigation efficiency scores obtained from both an input- and an output-based DEA approach indicate that producers are over-applying irrigation water by approximately 37 percent. The results provide evidence that an improvement in water management practices can optimize irrigation efficiency, leading to higher profits for the farmers by lowering the other input prices in the production process. The findings should provide a benchmarking tool to formulate an appropriate irrigation policy that enhances water conservation in crop production in regions with similar environmental conditions and soil characteristics.
Journal Article
Bundled Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies by Cotton Producers
This research analyzes the adoption patterns among cotton farmers for remote sensing, yield monitors, soil testing, soil electrical conductivity, and other precision agriculture technologies using a Multiple Indicator Multiple Causation regression model. Adoption patterns are analyzed using principle component analysis to determine natural technology groupings. Identified bundles are regressed on farm structure and operator characteristics. The propensity to adopt technology bundles was greater for producers managing relatively larger operations who used a variety of information sources to learn about precision farming, irrigated cotton, practiced crop rotation, and participated in working land conservation programs.
Journal Article
Assessing the Efficiency of Alternative Best Management Practices to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution in a Rural Watershed Located in Louisiana, USA
We conducted biophysical simulations using MapShed to determine the effects of adopting best management practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrients and sediment pollution in a watershed dominated by poultry production in the Saline Bayou Watershed, Louisiana, USA. The reduction of three water pollutants, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from adopting different BMPs were assessed using a linear programming model with the cost minimization objective. We considered three weather scenarios (dry, normal, and wet) and BMP parameter efficiencies obtained from linear regression models. Optimization results showed that nutrient management and agricultural land retirement reduced most of the phosphorus runoff in the watershed at the lowest cost. Results were robust to alternative weather (dry, normal, and wet) scenarios.
Journal Article
Flood vulnerability and its influencing factors
Riverine floods are the major weather-related disaster affecting both agriculture production and physical infrastructures in Nepal. Climatic factors aggravated by anthropogenic measures contribute to increasing household-level vulnerability in the country. We use face-to-face interview data collected from 217 households located in the Saptari district of Nepal to understand the household-level vulnerability of farmers impacted by floods. Our model combines variables of household sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure to flooding in an integrated vulnerability index to assess the vulnerability status of households and factors influencing the vulnerabilities. Findings indicate a high vulnerability level of most households stems from higher exposure to flood and lower adaptive capacity. Using the ordinal response model, we find that indicators such as credit access, migration, female-proportion, and perception and familiarity with flood incidences positively influence the vulnerability. However, gender, livestock owned, per capita income, adaptation measures, and distance to water bodies have a negative influence on the vulnerability level. These findings can be used to tailor micro-level policies to minimize the impact of floods in the district. Governmental level effort, such as river control strategy, is needed to minimize the flood risk at a larger scale in the future.
Journal Article