BACKGROUND Growers have enthusiastically embraced crops genetically modified to express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins for insect control because they provide excellent protection from key damaging insect pests around the world. Bt crops also offer superior environmental and health benefits while increasing grower income. However, insect resistance development is an important concern for ...

In theory, lump-sum transfers are a way to redistribute wealth without distorting production decisions. Recent agricultural policy reforms are an unusual large-scale application of this concept. The 1996 Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act removed most price-contingent agricultural subsidies and replaced them with Production Flexibility Contracts—lump-sum payments with few ti...

Securing a livelihood in rural Africa is a distinctly complex process involving interactions between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and between urban and rural activities. In addition to subsistence agriculture, farmers are often engaged in non-agricultural activities that provide important income sources in both rural and urban contexts. Although migratory labor is recognized as...

OBJECTIVE Household food access remains a concern among primarily agricultural households in lower- and middle-income countries. We examined the associations among domains representing livelihood assets (human capital, social capital, natural capital, physical capital and financial capital) and household food access. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey (two questionnaires) on livelihood assets. S...

This paper emphasizes the benefits of an agricultural strategy of development in developing countries. It begins by analyzing the close links between food and employment in the development process. In an underdeveloped country, food production is minimal, but demand is as well because of the small population growth. After development begins, income rises and food demand outstrips production....

This paper provides an economic assessment of the value of using genetically modified (GM) crop technology in agriculture at the farm level. It follows and updates earlier annual studies which examined economic impacts on yields, key costs of production, direct farm income and effects, and impacts on the production base of the 4 main crops of soybeans, corn, cotton and canola. The commercialisa...

In the process of traditional economy transforming into modern economy in china, farmer’s diversification phenomena has arisen and developed and will continue a long time in the future. Accordingly, the general economic type of farmer diversification will effect on the rural source allocation. The land use behavior characteristics of diversification farmer are the aims of the study. Theoretic a...

This paper examines the apparent conflict between the classical assumption of a bargaining agricultural sector wage and the neo-classical assumption of a competitive wage in the context of a labor surplus developing economy. It concludes that the relatively inelastic supply of labor hours offered by low income small or landless farmers in the static microeconomic leisure/work context is perfect...

This paper employs a historical approach to address whether a country can avoid the middle-income trap. The development of the manufacturing sector and technological capacities are important for a country to avoid the middle-income trap. South Korea avoided the middleincome trap through developing the manufacturing sector. Argentina became a middle-income country by exporting agricultural goods...