Download or read book Can Social Capital Help Indian Smallholder Farmers Analysis of Its Impact on Rural Development Agricultural Efficiency Production and Risk written by Elena Poli and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research project intends to investigate empirically the potentials of Social Capital to act as a mechanism to improve the performance of India's small-holder agriculture. The study employs both a qualitative and quantitative research approach. The qualitative analysis aims to provide initial empirical evidence of the relationship between social capital, smallholder's production costs and long-standing production constraints. Results indicate that all three dimensions of social capital i.e. collective production, information sharing and trust and mutuality, are significant in explaining farmers' production costs and productivity levels, representing a vital determinant of poor smallholder performance. The quantitative part of the analysis is then set out to provide a two-fold contribution to the state of knowledge on social capital: assess the effect of Social Capital on productive efficiency on one side and assess its impact on farmer's vulnerability and output risk on the other. The first line of investigation uses a stochastic frontier analysis to analyze the contribution of social capital to the productive efficiency of small-holder Indian farmers. To our knowledge, it is the first time that social capital is investigated into its separate functional parts from this analytical viewpoint, using a parametric approach. Results from this part of the research suggest that higher levels of technical efficiency are obtained when small-holder farmers use higher levels of social capital. Specifically, the aspects of social capital that greatly influence efficiency and productivity levels are information sharing and collective production. Following the research findings, efficiency ratings are also positively correlated with social capital levels. Moreover, the strengthening of social capital result to be particularly effective in improving productive efficiency of less educated and less experienced/younger farmers. By the second line of investigation, this research contributes to the academic literature offering the first study to analyse empirically the impact of social capital on production risk in a developing country's setting. The effects of social capital on the productivity and the riskiness of India's smallholder agriculture are explored using the Just-Pope (1978) production function. Our results suggest social capital to be the input with the highest contribution to productivity after labour. Another interesting result is that social capital can be risk increasing, even when its effect on risk improves farmer welfare. This is a very interesting research topic, given the magnitude of social, institutional, economic and technical constraints faced by this category of farmers who have trouble increasing conventional input use such as land, capital, labour, etc. In this context, social capital may enhance agricultural production where other conventional inputs are hard to improve. Our findings could be particularly useful in providing policy makers with clear guidelines to identify and mobilize local social capital in order to effectively improve the sustainability of Indian agriculture and its impact on poverty.
Download or read book Social Capital and Rural Development in the Knowledge Society written by Hans Westlund and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ÔThis book by Westlund and Kobayashi emphasises the fact that the gap between urban and rural areas is no longer relevant today: all places and regions are under a strong influence from cities. The authors show in a straightforward way that the continuum between more and less urbanized places requires new types of regulations, based on innovation and local skills, and that rural policies cannot be based on agriculture only but primarily require the mobilization of local social capital links.Õ Ð AndrŽ Torre, INRA Ð Agroparistech, Paris, France ÔÒRuralÓ communities are not all resource dependent and very low-density places. Not all have people leaving in droves and no newcomers. This bookÕs theoretical arguments and case studies (from five countries) help one understand better the diversity of ÒruralÓ. We find population gainers, population losers; newcomers and long-term ÒstayersÓ together in sizable towns; Aboriginal communities where out-migration is limited. The diversity is a key dimension in the analyses of public and private action to build and maintain social capital.Õ Ð Roger E. Bolton, Williams College, US ÔThis amazingly surprising book takes the popular topic of social capital and provocatively examines the contemporary rural development issue. New social capital driven thinking and insights are applied globally from a conceptual frame and locally with examples. The way forward for both urban and rural development is achieved when the variables that define social capital are simultaneously balanced around focused development objectives. Examples show how a multidimensional view of social capital enables meaningful rural development.Õ Ð Roger R. Stough, George Mason University, US Social capital is often considered a key factor for local development. This book analyzes the role of social capital for rural areasÕ survival and development in the current age of metropolitan growth Ð an era in which urban is the norm and where rural areas must adapt to this new situation and build innovative urban-rural relations. The traditional division between ÔruralÕ and ÔurbanÕ is no longer valid in the knowledge society. Instead of being a homogeneous unit based on primary sector production, the countryside in the developed world increasingly consists of areas with very different development paths. With examples from Europe, Asia and America, the book discusses building and renewal of rural social capital from both bottom-up and top-down perspectives, and from the standpoint of business, and both the public and private sectors. Being the first book to treat social capital and rural development in the age of megacities and the knowledge economy, it will be of great benefit to academics interested in social capital research and rural development.
Download or read book Social Capital and Local Development written by Elena Pisani and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-10-27 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the role of social capital in promoting rural and local development. The recent financial and economic crises have exposed the European Union (EU) to an increased risk of social exclusion and poverty, which are now at the heart of its economic, employment and social agenda with explicit reference to rural and marginal areas (Europe 2020). The authors' work from the notion that rural development is not imposed from the ‘outside’, but depends also on endogenous factors, namely local cultural and ecological amenities, eco-system services, and economic links with urban areas which expand rural opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, employment and sustainable development. Social capital is of paramount importance because it helps build networks and trusting relations among local stakeholders in the public and private spheres, and supporting the enhancement of governance of natural resources in rural areas
Download or read book The Role of Social Capital in Technology Adoption by Small Farmers written by Enid Katungi and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is increasing interest in social capital as an additional resource for economic development. This is because social capital can facilitate the flow of information and reduce transaction costs that is critical for agricultural development in developing economies. However, there is scanty information on the role of social capital in agricultural development and its determinants among agricultural households.The study summarized in this monograph elaborates that social capital has a role in crop production decisions of Ugandan farmers but the nature of its productivity is conditioned by other factors. The study finds that household membership in associations influences use of improved banana production management practices but the structure of participation and characteristics of those associations such as managerial capacity of leaders matter. Household membership in associations and social networks is influenced by household wealth, education, institutional environment and social heterogeneity of the community.
Download or read book Farming Systems and Poverty written by John A. Dixon and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.
Download or read book Eurasian Economies written by E. Ayşen Hiç Gencer and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2020-08-20 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the economies of countries in Asia, as well as the former Soviet socialist bloc countries of Central Asia and the Balkans. It analyses the region from the perspective of globalization and regional economic integration, economic growth and sustainable development, international trade and finance, money market and banking systems, labor market and external migration, energy and agricultural sectors. This book will appeal to anyone who is interested in economies of this region, their transition process towards a market economy regime, and their integration in the global world, including academicians from any field of social sciences, as well as decision makers, politicians, businessmen and journalists.
Download or read book Agricultural Growth and Rural Poverty Reduction in India written by Seema Bathla and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-19 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a blueprint for the allocation of public expenditures “in” and “for” agriculture at the dis-aggregated state level and suggests a reorientation in favour of disadvantaged regions where the marginal returns on additional investments would be higher. It provides insights into the inter-linkages between public expenditures, private investment, rural poverty, and agriculture productivity from a regional perspective to reflect upon spatial differences in the welfare effects of various investments, subsidies, and policies. The book focuses on agricultural growth and rural poverty reduction through public and private investments, non-farm employment, and other pathways to the formulation of appropriate policies at the dis-aggregated state level. It presents new evidence based on advanced econometric tools for analysing and understanding the relationship between public and private investments in agriculture and input subsidies (fertilizer, power, irrigation, and credit) together with their impacts at the dis-aggregated state level. The book also deliberates on an income based direct support system for farmers as an alternative to the existing input price subsidy regime. Accordingly, the book offers valuable insights not only for researchers working on poverty alleviation, rural economy, and agricultural growth, but also for policymakers.
Download or read book Sustainable Business Practices for Rural Development written by Hardeep Chahal and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book includes empirical research papers and case studies embracing human capital, relational capital and structural capital in context to services and manufacturing sectors. It will highlight on the sustainable business practices manifested in the work culture, values and beliefs in context to rural regions. From a learning and managerial perspective, the book will identify effective business practices in varied service and manufacturing sectors significant for sustaining business performance and competitive advantage.
Download or read book Social Capital and Technology Adoption on Small Farms written by Enid Mbabazi Katungi and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, development practitioners and policy makers have increasingly become interested in social capital as an additional instrument for economic development. However, within the applied economics literature on the adoption of agricultural technologies, research on the role of social capital in adoption decision-making is scant. Furthermore, there is a paucity of information regarding the determinants of social capital accumulation among rural households in developing economies. This study examines the nature of the relationship between social capital and crop management decisions of Ugandan banana farmers. This dissertation develops a model of technology adoption that incorporates social capital and offers two explicit mechanisms through which social capital may influence technology adoption. A model of the agricultural household, which considers the effects of incomplete markets in farm production decisions, provided the theoretical framework for an econometric analysis to predict the choice and demand of improved banana management technology. The core theoretical framework was extended by explicitly incorporating social capital as a component of exogenous income and information accumulation processes. Empirical analysis was based on the primary data collected in a survey of 400 banana-producing households in Uganda through face-to-face interviews with the primary production decision makers. The households were selected from the three major banana-producing regions of Uganda using multi-stage random sampling methods. A combination of econometric methods was employed. A Probit model was used to estimate the probability of using an improved banana management practice and participation in an association. The extent of use of improved banana management practices was estimated by two methods, namely, ordinary least squares (OLS) and the Heckman procedure to account for sample selection in some equations. Intensity of participation in associations was estimated with a Poisson model. A negative binomial model that allows for over dispersion in the data was employed to identify the determinants of the intensity of participation in private social networks. The results of the study indicate that different aspects of social capital shape the decision to use and the extent of use of an improved management practice, but the nature of effect is specific to the practice as well as the form of social capital. Participation in associations and the characteristics of those associations are important determinants of banana production management decisions. Participation in associations and private social networks is, in turn, influenced by household wealth, education, institutional environment, and social heterogeneity of the community. Aside from social capital, other factors that are significant in explaining variation in use of improved crop management practices among farmers have been identified. Market incentives and household factor endowments were the most important of these factors in decisions regarding use of improved banana management practices. The existence of separability between consumption and production decisions, a major analytical feature of the model of the agricultural household, also appears to be practice-specific, which suggests that production orientation is associated with the use of practices.
Download or read book Agriculture Poverty and Natural Resource Conservation in 21st Century India written by Anil Kumar Bhargava and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of today's development challenges by shedding light on the constraints, linkages, and opportunities currently facing rural populations in the developing world. It examines two policies aimed at increasing incomes of India's rural poor and the many linkages at play in their unfolding. Although recent years in the country have been marked by high growth in the country, particularly in urban areas and the services sector, the country remains vastly rural and agricultural. Consequently, a primary focus of economic development policy---and this dissertation---is on agricultural productivity and efficiency, unskilled rural labor, and the role of natural resources in agriculture. Part I examines short-run outcomes of India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) on agricultural technology adoption. Since 2006, NREGA has offered up to 100 days per year of guaranteed public works employment to tens of millions of rural Indian households. Though it is intended to augment the purchasing power of the rural poor during droughts and slack agricultural production periods, given its scale, it has the potential to generate additional ripples throughout the rural economy, including on agricultural technology use. Using a regression discontinuity design and Indian agricultural census data, this paper finds that NREGA causes a shift of roughly 20 percentage points away from labor-intensive technologies toward labor-saving ones, particularly for small farmers and low-powered technologies. Farmers also use less water-related technologies, such as water-intensive diesel pumps and water-conserving irrigation systems. Part II explores the long-run potential of NREGA. Higher wages and increased technology adoption are short-run results that only partly give the full story. Most of India's rural sector is intricately tied to agricultural production. This essay explores the impact of the program on production by developing a household-farm model intended to address the highly-interdependent nature of India's rural sector. The model deviates from neoclassical assumptions that agents make production and consumption decisions independently, as is often assumed in more developed parts of the world. For small Indian farms, the household is both a producer and consumer of farm goods, and linkages may be strong between farm production and consumption decisions, including on the labor/leisure choice. A simple numerical exercise with new Indian household-farm data shows that potential impacts of NREGA's wage increase and infrastructure development can lead to 6--12% boosts in agricultural output and hired labor demand. Finally, Part III focuses on one a particular region of the country and its use of water-conserving agricultural technology (WCT). WCTs reduce the amount of irrigated water needed to grow the staple crops on which the poor depend, such as rice and wheat. While previous research has documented the benefits that accrue privately to farmers adopting this technology, who spend less on diesel needed to fuel their pumps, this study examines the spillover effects of adoption to the public via increased water availability to all farmers whether they adopt the technology or not. The study calibrates a hydro-economic model of groundwater supply using household-plot level data gathered in Maharajganj, Deoria, and Gorakhpur districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary results show that careful socio-economic and spatial distribution of water-conserving technology can lead to both decreases in poverty and increases in public water availability. This is a particularly important finding in light of consistently low uptake of productive agricultural technologies found in many developing countries.Overall, these three studies can contribute to the current policy debates in India on balancing agricultural development, growth of the unskilled agricultural worker population, poverty alleviation, and natural resource management, especially in the face of increasing climate volatility. Rural development policies focused on any one of these areas may take into account secondary impacts and linkages highlighted in this dissertation. For example, NREGA may increase rural incomes, incentivize technology adoption, and develop public infrastructure in the short run, but depending on its overall impact on agricultural production, impacts on long-run employment and rural productivity are uncertain. Meanwhile, direct intervention into select agricultural technology markets could lead to more nuanced policies that take advantage of the socio-economic and hydro-geological distribution of farmers in the country. There are many policies that can be introduced in a country as vast and complex as India. This research hopes to shed light on some of the key linkages that may be affected in today's rural sector.
Download or read book Social Capital and Connectedness Issues and Implications for Agriculture Rural Development and Natural Resource Management in ACP Countries written by J. Pretty and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social capital is a new term that refers to the value of connectedness and trust between people. It is a pre-requisite for sustainable management and development of natural resources. For as long as people have managed natural resources, they have engaged in forms of collective action. As a result, constructive resource management rules and norms have been embedded in many cultures and societies. But in recent agricultural and rural development, it has been rare for the importance of local groups and institutions to be recognised. Social capital is one of five key assets for sustainable livelihoods. Although some believe that the term ‘capital’ does not add anything to existing social theories and practice, it does nonetheless draw clear attention to the problem of depletion of assets. Sustainability implies maintaining or improving renewable assets for future generations. As it lowers the costs of working together, social capital facilitates cooperation. People have the confidence to invest in collective activities, knowing that others will also do so. They are also less likely to engage in unfettered private actions that result in negative impacts, such as resource degradation.
Download or read book Complementary Impact of Social Capital on the Adoption of Productivity Enhancing Technologies written by Peron A. Collins-Sowah and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a new technology is introduced to farmers, not only do individual and household factors such as risk attitudes, wealth and resource endowments affect a farm household’s likelihood of technology adoption but probably more importantly, social capital structures also appear to matter. In this paper, we use the multinomial endogenous switching regression model and empirical data from a nationally representative farm household survey in Senegal to identify the causal effects of social capital on the profitability of adopting two productivity-enhancing technologies - fertilizer and improved seeds. We find a positive and significant treatment effect of social capital on total crop and household income when coupled to the adoption of productivity enhancing technologies. This suggests the need to support farmer-based organizations and improve information channels related to input and output market information, credit and insurance.
Download or read book Rural Wealth Creation written by John L. Pender and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-06-05 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the role of wealth in achieving sustainable rural economic development. The authors define wealth as all assets net of liabilities that can contribute to well-being, and they provide examples of many forms of capital – physical, financial, human, natural, social, and others. They propose a conceptual framework for rural wealth creation that considers how multiple forms of wealth provide opportunities for rural development, and how development strategies affect the dynamics of wealth. They also provide a new accounting framework for measuring wealth stocks and flows. These conceptual frameworks are employed in case study chapters on measuring rural wealth and on rural wealth creation strategies. Rural Wealth Creation makes numerous contributions to research on sustainable rural development. Important distinctions are drawn to help guide wealth measurement, such as the difference between the wealth located within a region and the wealth owned by residents of a region, and privately owned versus publicly owned wealth. Case study chapters illustrate these distinctions and demonstrate how different forms of wealth can be measured. Several key hypotheses are proposed about the process of rural wealth creation, and these are investigated by case study chapters assessing common rural development strategies, such as promoting rural energy industries and amenity-based development. Based on these case studies, a typology of rural wealth creation strategies is proposed and an approach to mapping the potential of such strategies in different contexts is demonstrated. This book will be relevant to students, researchers, and policy makers looking at rural community development, sustainable economic development, and wealth measurement.
Download or read book New Economic Policy and Perspective to Rural Development written by R. P. Singh (Economist) and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With reference to India.
Download or read book The Asian Green Revolution written by Peter B.R. Hazell and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Socio Economic Evaluation of Cropping Systems for Smallholder Farmers Challenges and Options written by Subhasis Mandal and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-11-23 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The FAO estimated that five out of six farms in the world are operating less than two hectares of land, suggesting that small-holder farmers are producing over one-third of the global food. The cropping systems practiced by smallholder farmers play a vital role in agri-food production systems and help to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and provide livelihoods to millions across the developing countries. The performance of these cropping systems has a direct impact on achieving the multiple Sustainable Development Goals (2030) of No Poverty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3). System intensification is now widely recognized as an essential pathway to achieve food and nutrition security in developing countries. The numbers of smallholder farmers are rapidly increasing in both developing and underdeveloped countries, however, they are increasingly facing challenges to run profitably. Cropping system intensification (CSI) could be one of the ways to make such production systems more remunerative for these farmers.
Download or read book The Role of Smallholder Farms in Food and Nutrition Security written by Sergio Gomez y Paloma and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book discusses the current role of smallholders in connection with food security and poverty reduction in developing countries. It addresses the opportunities they enjoy, and the constraints they face, by analysing the availability, access to and utilization of production factors. Due to the relevance of smallholder farms, enhancing their production capacities and economic and social resilience could produce positive impacts on food security and nutrition at a number of levels. In addition to the role of small farmers as food suppliers, the book considers their role as consumers and their level of nutrition security. It investigates the link between agriculture and nutrition in order to better understand how agriculture affects human health and dietary patterns. Given the importance of smallholdings, strategies to increase their productivity are essential to improving food and nutrition security, as well as food diversity.
