Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development
Year:2018 | Volume:26 | Issue:103 |Papers Count:12

Weather-based crop insurance is one of the best insurance systems in which it is required to simulate production yield with respect to weather variables and explaining of dependence structure to compute premium. The evaluation of dependence structure with consideration of simultaneous impact of variables using vine copula can provide more appropriate results. Therefore, in this study, the dependence structure between weather variables and rainfed wheat yield with utilization of canonical vine copula functions (C-vine) was measured and then yield of rainfed wheat in Miyaneh County has simulated. The result showed that most of the investigated variables have dependency in lower tail; in the other word, they are more impressible in small amounts than big amounts. Hence, the mean amount of simulated rainfed wheat yield was 871. 6839 kg per hectare so that these results can be used in expected loss and premium calculation.

The limited financial and credit resources of banks need to be allocated optimally. In addition, in order to exit from the financial freezing situation, banks and other financial institutions, such as Agriculture Bank, have to allocate resources to the economic activities and sectors in a way that it entails the highest return on capital. In this regard, the objective of this study is to analysis capital returns in Fars province agriculture subsectors using neoclassical growth model. The models include physical and human capital for each subsector. The applied data are panel data covering period of 2005-2014 throughout Fars province counties. The results showed that physical capital returns for agriculture subsectors are around 0. 4 percent. It was also found that knowledge of labor or human capital does not substantially contribute to productions, indicating the traditional production method and mismatch of labor knowledge with production activity.

This study was conducted to identify ways to improve the allocation of inputs in onion production of East Azerbaijan province using DEA approach. After determining reference regions for East Azerbaijan province, the inputs usage was compared among the similar provinces. The results showed that the use of all inputs would be decreased except phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers in cost minimization approach under constant return to scale assumption, so the profit increase 23 percent. In revenue maximization model, it was possible to increase the production from 44 to 61 ton and the benefit could be increased to 96 million Rials. It was expected that in profit maximization model, the use of seed, pesticide and fungicide decrease and at the same time the use of manure, herbicide, nitrogen, potassium and phosphate must be increased. In addition, the results of cost minimization model under variable return to scale assumption showed that there is a possibility of profit reduction. In the maximizing approach of revenue, production could be increased to 51 tons per hectare, resulting in a profit of 61 to 75 million Rials. The findings indicated that the profit maximization approach could increase the usage of seed, manure, herbicide, nitrogen, potassium and also could decrease the usage of pesticide, fungicide, phosphate fertilizer and labour, so profit could increase up to 101 percent.

Due to the impact of government policies on the behavior of macroeconomic variables, this study examines the response of the agricultural sector growth to the government investment in the energy sector over the period 1971-2013. To this end, Time Varying Parameter approach along with stochastic volatilities was used. The results showed that the first lags of changes in value-added of agricultural sector, the level and the first lags of changes in employment of agriculture, changes in private sector’ investment in agriculture and changes in government investment in energy sector have the highest impact on the value-added changes of the agricultural sector, respectively. In addition, the coefficients of variables affecting changes in agricultural sector value-added is varying over time, therefore policy-makers in agricultural sector should identify factors causing reduction in value-added of this sector, and present case-based solutions to decrease these fluctuations, and avoid general policy-making.

Agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors of Iran’ s economy which has a great contribution in national production and employment. The current paper aims to determine the position of agricultural sector and its subsectors and their linkage to other sectors in Iran's economy. For this purpose, the last existing input-output table has been used within two economic systems; having 65 and 15 subsectors respectively. The study of economy with 15 subsectors shows that agricultural sector is ranked in the 7th position standing ahead of sectors like power, transportation and coal. In the economy with 65 subsectors, animal husbandry and hennery is ahead of fishery, agronomy and horticulture subsectors. In addition, studying backward and forward linkages shows that agricultural sector lies on the second group i. e. industrial intermediate commodities having both power of dispersion and sensitivity indices above 0. 55. Therefore, more attention towards intermediate role of agriculture in national factor contribution and it’ s communication with other sectors is suggested for achieving industrial and economic goals of the country.

The policymaker is sensitive to the consequences of the policy change in the wheat market on food security and livelihood of the community. Wheat market is covered by a guaranteed purchasing policy, cheap food policy (consumer subsidy), and non-tariff barriers (imports by government). Guaranteed purchase policy issues (the inefficiency of resource allocation, market diversion and increased waste) in general and the cost of its implementation have increased the tendency to change the executive policy in the wheat market. In this study, the effects of changing the policies in the wheat market for the four selected alternatives were been analyzed. The research was carried out using a positive regional mathematical programming model and data for the 2013-2014 crop year for 8 agro-ecological zones. The findings of the study indicate the importance of complementary trade policy for wheat markets. Implementing the scenario to eliminating consumer subsidies and commercial liberalization in the presence of a guaranteed purchasing policy will have less negative effects, but will increase the likelihood of the sale of imported wheat to the government. The removal of guaranteed purchasing policy without trade liberalization creates welfare losses for both the producer and the consumer. Full liberalization of the wheat market and direct payments to both groups will reduce government costs, consumption and wheat waste, but in order to prevent a significant drop in domestic prices and rising government spending costs, it should implement with a certain level of commercial support.

The purpose of this research was studying the strategies to reduce losses of Kabkab date of Dashtestan county in the Bushehr province of Iran. Statistical population of research is date farmers in Dashtestan county. Main tool of this research is a questionnaire that its validity using a panel of experts and masters in the agricultural field and its reliability through Cronbach alpha coefficient was confirmed. According to the result of exploratory factor analysis, marketing factor, support factor, substructure factor, technical factor, educational factor and political factor are the six factors that explained about 79. 979 % of variation of reduce losses of Kabkab date. One sample t-test results indicated that these factors have a positive and significant impact on the reduction of Kabkab date losses.

In this study the effects of increase in energy carrier prices on wheat product in Fasa county of Fars province was investigated. Data were collected from 201 irrigated wheat producers in 2014-15 applying multistage random cluster sampling. In order to calculate the reduction of wheat production due to the increase in energy prices, output elasticity with respect to input prices was calculated by estimating translog cost function and using relationship between the share of input and indirect production function. The results indicated that a 100 percent increase in the price of gas oil and electricity, wheat production reduces by 4. 38 and 23. 12 percent per hectare, respectively. The increase in electricity prices compared to gas oil has more significant effects on reducing the production of wheat. Therefore, it is suggested this policy be applied to the electricity with more caution and more precise planning. On the other hand, considering the significant role of wheat in the country economy, the production of this product should be supported by proper mechanisms. With increasing returns to scale of wheat production in Fars province, the government can grant credits to provide conditions for farmers to adopt technology change for optimizing consumption of energy in order to reduce costs and keep producing of wheat provide. Finally, with regard to the strategic nature of wheat and the large number of producers, it is suggested that the government support them at micro level to reduce the risk of wheat producers.

Dependence of life and its continuity on agricultural products for providing food and necessity to minimize price volatility and reassuring the price levels in the future have been almost always one of the essential objectives of agricultural product price policy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the common stochastic trend between selected agricultural product prices in Iran and its trading partners. For this purpose, monthly price data of corn and soybean meal for Iran and Iran's main trading partner countries over the period 2006-2016 were used. Gonzalo-Granger and Johansen methods were used to determine common stochastic trends. The results showed that there are two common stochastic trends for the price of corn and in this regard, Iran, Brazil, and Argentina could be decisive leaders. Also, there are three common stochastic trends for the price of soybean meal, but none of the countries will be the price policy leader. Accordingly, in order to avoid fluctuations in domestic prices, it is necessary that the conditions of global market were monitored continuously and also the sensitivity of domestic prices to international price fluctuations by adopting appropriate support measures, particularly in the area of trade policy was reduced.

System of water resource management in the country has been seeking solutions for water issues through technical engineering, water transfer, damming, and constructional projects. However, the main problem of water resources in the country is the existence of bad and undesirable governance and the inefficient management system. Inappropriate institutional arrangements, disconnected management, lack of transparency, and lack of stakeholders’ involvement in management are among the characteristics of the current water resource management system in the country. The purpose of the present study is to develop institutional arrangements pattern for the integrated management of the groundwater resources at the macro level. To this aim, with using the analytical method of grounded theory, interviewing professors, experts, and pundits, and conducting relevant analyzes, the final pattern of institutional arrangements was developed along with its details for the better governance of water resources. The most important results and suggestions of this model include the development of appropriate institutional arrangements, integrated management at the macro level, transfer of management to the people at the basin, increased transparency and accountability, stakeholders’ participation in monitoring and implementation, new irrigation and cultivation practices, more attention to the measures of watershed management and flood spreading, land preparation, and determination of the cropping pattern appropriate to the conditions of each region.