Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development
Year:2014 | Volume:21 | Issue:84|Papers Count:14

Energy is one of the major inputs in agriculture sector and considering that improving productivity is the best approach to achieve economic growth; this study investigates the effective factors of energy productivity in agriculture sector of Iran by using Generalized Average Productivity (GAP) index during 1974-2007. For calculating this index, cobb-douglas production function is estimated by Engle-Granger method and then the effects of different variables are investigated by Engle-Granger method. Results indicate that variables of labor per unit of energy, agriculture machinery capital stock per unit of energy and technology have positive effect and dummy variable during war years has negative effect on energy productivity in Iran’s agricultural sector. Moreover, variable of labor per unit of energy has the most effect (almost 70%) and the relative price of energy has no effect on the energy productivity.

Tehran province is one of the most important rose and clove production centers in the country. In spite of this importance, the supply of theses cut flowers is done in the form of traditional markets and without consideration of marketing principles. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate marketing of these products in Tehran province’s market. For this purpose,  7marketing channels were identified and the share of marketing agents, marketing margins, marketing cost coefficient and marketing efficiency were determined in these channels. The necessary data was collected from 124 producers,  96wholesalers, 18 local intermediaries and 133 retailers of mentioned products from 11 townships of the province, which were selected by appropriate sampling methods in the year 2008. The results showed that Producer-Wholesaler of flower market-Retailer-Consumer channel, with the share of 81.6 and 81.3 percent, was the main channel of rose and clove cut flowers, respectively. Meanwhile, waste cost had allocated the highest share of marketing services cost in all marketing channels of these two products. The lowest marketing margin and marketing cost coefficient were belong to direct supply channel of rose and clove flowers to consumers in flower market. The results also indicated the marketing inefficiency of rose and cove cut flowers in Tehran province market and hence, the modification of market structure was suggested.

Recently, because of water crisis, lots of countries concentrate on water demand instead of water supply. Therefore, objective of this study is to determine optimum cropping pattern under water deficit irrigation in Sepidan. Data was obtained from Sepidan agricultural producers in autumn 2011. In this study, effect of deficit irrigation technique on current cropping pattern was analyzed using positive mathematical programming. The results showed that 5 percent reduction in water consumption, don’t change the cropping pattern, but 10 percent reducing in water use, change the cropping pattern and reduce farmer’s income too. So it is suggested to use ways that help to use water more efficient and to not waste this worth source easily.

Saffron is one of the important productions in Khorasan Razavi Province; therefore the purpose of this article is calculation and comparison efficiency of saffron farmers in Torbat-e- Heydariyeh, Gonabad and Ghayen using stochastic frontier production function. Data were collected from 248 questionnaires in 2010. According to results of stochastic frontier production function of saffron, some variables such as land, labor, fertilizer, and water have a positive and significant effect on saffron production in these areas. Besides of these variables, amount of onion and animal fertilizer consumption have a significant effect on saffron production in Torbat-e- Heydariyeh. Estimating the nonefficiency function in this town, indicate that age and education have negative and significant effect on technical nonefficiency. In Gonabad, some variables such as age and number of land have significant effect on technical nonefficiency but, in Ghayen, age, education, number of land and nonfarm job have significant effect on it. Average of technical efficiency in Torbat-e- Heydariyeh, Gonabad and Ghayen was calculated about 86, 83 and 84 percent respectively. Also, average of allocative efficiency in Torbat-e- Heydariyeh, Gonabad and Ghayen was calculated about 78,  75and 75 percent respectively. In addition, average of economic efficiency in Torbat-e- Heydariyeh, Gonabad and Ghayen was calculated about 67, 62 and 63 percent respectively. According to findings, it is seemed that correct management of inputs consumption will led to increase efficiency of saffron farmers.

In this paper an attempt has been made to survey the phenomenon of moral hazard using information of 300 questionnaires that completing from barley farmers in Khorasan Razavi province in 2009-2010. For this purpose, discriminate analysis was used. Standardized coefficients of discriminate analysis show that increasing the use of seed led to reduce the willingness of farmers to insurance, and increasing the capital, machinery, fertilizer and water led to increase the willingness of farmers to be insured. Results of no standardized coefficients of discriminate analysis indicate that with increase one unit in capital, machinery, fertilizer and water; discernment degree is increasing about 0.05, 0.8,  0.25and 0.2 respectively. Therefore, insured group in the use of agricultural inputs has not any moral hazard. Accordingly, it is suggested that to accomplish the policies such as applying discount rate premiums for farmers that do not received any bote.

Because of increasing in consumer awareness about health, safety and food hygiene, and requiring manufacturers to provide the nutritional profile of the product in labeling issue, especially in developed countries, labeling should be considered. So, the present study in dedicated to the investigate factors affecting consumer in packaged meat in Tehran has been allocated to the information label and brand. Sample data through a survey is achieved with a questionnaire to a sample of 150 persons, and referring to the chain stores in the spring of 2011. Since the two dependent variables (attention to the tagged information and brand) are qualitative and classified variables, in order to analyze the information, polynomial logit model is used. The results showed that the effect of educational level and location variables on attention to the label information is positive and significant but the effect of family size is negative and significant. Income, Price, education level showed positive and significant effect on the attention to the brand. However, the family size variable has significant negative effect on it. Based on the results, informing and training of people in the southern areas of Tehran and also price adjustment by using different methods, can be effective factors to increase consumer interest in brands.

Considering the effective role of productivity in production growth, identifying the factors influencing productivity growth can help to accelerate the growth of agricultural sector. This study has investigated the effects of governmental credits on total factor productivity (TFP) of agriculture sector in Iran by using Bounds test and ARDL approach over the period of 1973-2010. The results of Bounds test confirm the existence of long-run relationships between variables at 1% significance level. The results indicate that the government’s agricultural credits have a positive and significant effect on the TFP of agriculture sector in the long-run, but, the short run effect of government's agricultural credits on the TFP of agriculture sector isn’t confirmable. The error correction coefficient has been estimated about -0.92 that is totally significant and as expected. Error correction coefficient indicates that, in each year,  92percent of short-run disequilibrium of productivity of agriculture sector adjusts to reach long-run equilibrium. According to the results, increasing of agricultural credits, planning for using susceptible land, familiarizing farmers with advanced equipment and mechanized agriculture, can improve productivity and increase the value added of the agricultural sector.

Sugar is one of the strategic products that for different reasons in the past years have been numerous crises. One of the most important issues in domestic sugar market is affected domestic sugar price by the fluctuation of import and world sugar price. Therefore, the purpose of this study is survey of relationship between domestic, import and world price using VAR model during 2002-2011. The results indicated that price fluctuation is started from world price and it affects on import prices after two months. Then import price affects on domestic prices after one month.

Self-sufficiency in agricultural product is one of the most important precedence in this sector and macroeconomic policy and emphases in development Plans. R&D is as suitable strategy for increasing Production and supply of agricultural product and is as remedy for Supply and Demand Gap. In this study, by using Mathematical programming optimization model for years of 1967-2007 optimal R&D expenditure in order to resolving agricultural Supply and demand gap are estimated. Result show that, in this period, in average, 32.9 percent increasing in agricultural R&D expenditure could increase 8.3 percent in agricultural Supply and agricultural Supply and demand gap ratio decreased from 1.14 to 1.08. That is, in average, 6 percent of 14 percent of agricultural Supply and demand gap can resolve by optimal R&D expenditure. So, it is purposed that according to effectiveness of current R&D on Agricultural TFP and Agricultural Demand and Supply, optimal R&D budget should be determined for achievement to optimal demand and supply gap with maximum return in Iran's annual budget law.

Monetary and credit policies have a special place in the development programs. So that, granting banking facilities are one of the effective and determining factors in the development and growth in economic sectors. Due to the presence of small private investors in the agricultural sector and poor financial power of most of farmers, financing of agriculture sector, often is done by relying on facilities that received from the banks, particularly in the form of assignments facilities of agricultural bank in Iran. This study investigated the effect of assignment and non-assignment credits of agricultural bank on the value added of agricultural sector during the period 1979-2008 using of Johansen and Juselius’s cointegration in the form of Vector Autoregressive. The results indicate that assignment and non-assignment credits have a positive and significant effect on the value added of agricultural sector, of course, the effect of assignment credits was higher than no-assignment credits. Therefore correct and optimal credit policies in the form of assignments facilities can have an important role in the capacity building of production and growth of agricultural sector.