This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study us...This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods research design that relied on farmers records for the quantitative analysis and focus group discussion and in-depth interviews for key experts for the qualitative aspects. A mix of regression analysis, t-tests, Pearsons’s correlation and analysis of variance statistical methods were used for the quantitative analysis while thematic response analysis was used for the qualitative engagements. The findings showed that by the end of the activity, the project had successfully narrowed the banana yield gaps to 18.66 tons per hectare working with a potential yield base of 40 tons. However, 5 years after the project closure the yield gap had fallen to 24.7 tons indicating a lack of sustainability of yield gap reduction. However, the yield gap slump does not override the fact that farmers on average were still able to sell approximately 5 tons per every 6 months after 5 years from the project closure which is beyond any poverty threshold. This suggests genuine upward economic mobility. Additionally, in analyzing what factors had the greatest influence on yield gap reduction, the access to fertilizer ranked highest where genetics, irrigation and improved agronomy followed in that respective order. The study further showed that farmers who receive value chain development support whilst at an already commercialized state tend to maintain productivity thresholds higher in comparison to those who are at a pre commercial state. This is evidenced by the fact that the pre commercial farmers had a yield reduction of 30.83 percent after 5 years of the project closure whereas the former realized a productivity growth of 7.84%. In conclusion, whilst the intervention was successful in transitioning farmers out of poverty, more investment should be made towards transitioning smallholder farmers to integrated soil fertility management practices and improvement of agronomic efficiency through stronger on field collaboration between research institutions, the government and development institutions.展开更多
The financing strategies for a coal-electricity supply chain in which the coal company has capital constraint and faces yield uncertainty were studied. We propose an advance payment mechanism: in the coal company'...The financing strategies for a coal-electricity supply chain in which the coal company has capital constraint and faces yield uncertainty were studied. We propose an advance payment mechanism: in the coal company's initial production period, the electricity company provides advance payment to the coal company, and the coal company pays interest to the electricity company as the risk compensation. The optimal operation strategies for the coal company and the electricity company under the advance payment mechanism are derived and compared with those under the bank loan financing case. We find that,the expected profit functions of the coal company and the electricity company under the advance payment mechanism are the same with those under the case that the coal company has enough capital;under the advance payment mechanism, the profits of the coal company and the electricity company are higher than those under the bank financing case. We also discuss the compensation interest rate of the advance payment and the ordering and production quantities under the advance payment mechanism.展开更多
文摘This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods research design that relied on farmers records for the quantitative analysis and focus group discussion and in-depth interviews for key experts for the qualitative aspects. A mix of regression analysis, t-tests, Pearsons’s correlation and analysis of variance statistical methods were used for the quantitative analysis while thematic response analysis was used for the qualitative engagements. The findings showed that by the end of the activity, the project had successfully narrowed the banana yield gaps to 18.66 tons per hectare working with a potential yield base of 40 tons. However, 5 years after the project closure the yield gap had fallen to 24.7 tons indicating a lack of sustainability of yield gap reduction. However, the yield gap slump does not override the fact that farmers on average were still able to sell approximately 5 tons per every 6 months after 5 years from the project closure which is beyond any poverty threshold. This suggests genuine upward economic mobility. Additionally, in analyzing what factors had the greatest influence on yield gap reduction, the access to fertilizer ranked highest where genetics, irrigation and improved agronomy followed in that respective order. The study further showed that farmers who receive value chain development support whilst at an already commercialized state tend to maintain productivity thresholds higher in comparison to those who are at a pre commercial state. This is evidenced by the fact that the pre commercial farmers had a yield reduction of 30.83 percent after 5 years of the project closure whereas the former realized a productivity growth of 7.84%. In conclusion, whilst the intervention was successful in transitioning farmers out of poverty, more investment should be made towards transitioning smallholder farmers to integrated soil fertility management practices and improvement of agronomic efficiency through stronger on field collaboration between research institutions, the government and development institutions.
基金supported by the Project of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ministry of Education of China (No.16YJC630090)
文摘The financing strategies for a coal-electricity supply chain in which the coal company has capital constraint and faces yield uncertainty were studied. We propose an advance payment mechanism: in the coal company's initial production period, the electricity company provides advance payment to the coal company, and the coal company pays interest to the electricity company as the risk compensation. The optimal operation strategies for the coal company and the electricity company under the advance payment mechanism are derived and compared with those under the bank loan financing case. We find that,the expected profit functions of the coal company and the electricity company under the advance payment mechanism are the same with those under the case that the coal company has enough capital;under the advance payment mechanism, the profits of the coal company and the electricity company are higher than those under the bank financing case. We also discuss the compensation interest rate of the advance payment and the ordering and production quantities under the advance payment mechanism.
