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on Agricultural Economics |
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Issue of 2007‒02‒03
five papers chosen by |
| By: | Fujita, Masahisa |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the possibilities of two unique Japanese concepts – the One Village One Product Movement (OVOP) and Michino Eki (or Roadside Stations) – as potential tools for bridging the gap between cities and rural areas through community-driven development. From the viewpoint of spatial economics and endogenous growth theory, this paper considers both OVOP and Michino Eki as rural development strategies of a broader nature based on “brand agriculture.†Here, brand agriculture represents a general strategy for community-based rural development that identifies, cultivates and fully utilizes local resources for the development of products or services unique to a certain "village." Selected examples of OVOP and Michino Eki from Japan and developing countries are introduced. |
| Keywords: | Japan, Rural development, Brand agriculture, Agricultural products, One village one product movement (OVOP), Michino eki |
| JEL: | O13 Q10 Q16 |
| Date: | 2006–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jet:dpaper:dpaper76&r=agr |
| By: | Miet Maertens; Jo F.M. Swinnen |
| Abstract: | An emerging literature on standards, global supply chains, and development argues that enhanced quality and safety standards are major trade barriers for developing country exports and cause the marginalization of small businesses and poor households in developing countries. This paper is the first to quantify income and poverty effects of such high-standards trade and to integrate labor market effects, by using company and household survey data from the vegetable export chain in Senegal. First, horticultural exports from Senegal to the EU have grown sharply over the past decade, despite strongly increasing food standards in the EU. Second, these exports have strong positive effects on poor households’ income. We estimate that these exports reduced regional poverty by around 12 percentage points and reduced extreme poverty by half. Third, tightening food standards induced structural changes in the supply chain including a shift from smallholder contract-based farming to large-scale integrated estate production. However, these changes mainly altered the mechanism through which poor households benefit: through labor markets instead of product markets. Moreover, the impact on poverty reduction is stronger as the poorest benefit relatively more from working on large-scale farms than from contract farming. These findings challenge several basic arguments in this research field. |
| Date: | 2006 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lic:licosd:17706&r=agr |
| By: | Jo F.M. Swinnen; Liesbet Vranken |
| Abstract: | Transition countries provide a natural experiment to study the development of land markets. This paper provides survey-evidence of the variation in the development of land markets, identifies a series of patterns, and provides a set of hypotheses to explain these variations in land market development. |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lic:licosd:17907&r=agr |
| By: | Fementira, Graciana B. |
| Keywords: | Rural life improvement, Human resource development, Quality of life, Rural societies, Human resources, Philippines |
| JEL: | I3 R1 |
| Date: | 2006–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jet:dpaper:dpaper20&r=agr |
| By: | Kristina Toming |
| Abstract: | This paper seeks to answer the question about whether the investments made by Estonian food processing companies to meet the EU’s strict hygiene and structural requirements have enhanced their competitiveness and opened up better export opportunities to the EU-15 market. Enhanced competitiveness means not only larger export volumes, but also redirection of exports towards higher value-added products. The current study focuses on the milk, meat and fish industries, concluding that in general, foodstuffs exports to the EU-15 have increased, but only the milk processing industry has experienced a shift towards value-added consumer products. This shows that the Estonian food industry has not (yet) been able to reap the benefits of the EU market, and further investments in product development and quality, as well as in larger production volumes are necessary. |
| Keywords: | ___ |
| Date: | 2006 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mtk:febawb:47&r=agr |