Christopher Bliss, Peter Lanjouw, and Nicholas Stern
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288329
- eISBN:
- 9780191596599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288328.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Provides a detailed examination of the key forces of change in Palanpur over the survey period. The more than doubling of the village population over the survey period is analysed. The expansion of ...
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Provides a detailed examination of the key forces of change in Palanpur over the survey period. The more than doubling of the village population over the survey period is analysed. The expansion of non‐farm employment opportunities outside the village is documented. The determinants of access to and income from non‐farm sources are studied. Changing agricultural practices are assessed. Agricultural technologies, land‐utilization practices, cropping patterns, and yields are found to have undergone significant change.Less
Provides a detailed examination of the key forces of change in Palanpur over the survey period. The more than doubling of the village population over the survey period is analysed. The expansion of non‐farm employment opportunities outside the village is documented. The determinants of access to and income from non‐farm sources are studied. Changing agricultural practices are assessed. Agricultural technologies, land‐utilization practices, cropping patterns, and yields are found to have undergone significant change.
Joel Mokyr
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195074772
- eISBN:
- 9780199854981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195074772.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter discusses the medieval Western technology that drew from classical antiquity, Islamic and Asian societies, and its own original creativity. It observes that diffusion of new technology ...
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This chapter discusses the medieval Western technology that drew from classical antiquity, Islamic and Asian societies, and its own original creativity. It observes that diffusion of new technology was usually slow, and that the old techniques often stubbornly survived and coexisted with the new for decades and even centuries. The chapter notes that in terms of direct contribution to aggregate output, changes in agricultural technology were particularly important, as the bulk of the population was engaged in farming. It also discusses energy utilization as the second area in which early medieval Europe was successful. The chapter notes that wind power had been used in sailing ships, but had not been harnessed in the West in other ways until the first windmills were built there in the twelfth century. In waterpower, radical improvements came early, and during the Merovingian and Carolingan eras, better and bigger waterwheels spread through Europe.Less
This chapter discusses the medieval Western technology that drew from classical antiquity, Islamic and Asian societies, and its own original creativity. It observes that diffusion of new technology was usually slow, and that the old techniques often stubbornly survived and coexisted with the new for decades and even centuries. The chapter notes that in terms of direct contribution to aggregate output, changes in agricultural technology were particularly important, as the bulk of the population was engaged in farming. It also discusses energy utilization as the second area in which early medieval Europe was successful. The chapter notes that wind power had been used in sailing ships, but had not been harnessed in the West in other ways until the first windmills were built there in the twelfth century. In waterpower, radical improvements came early, and during the Merovingian and Carolingan eras, better and bigger waterwheels spread through Europe.
Jean-Paul Chavas, David Hummels, and Brian D. Wright (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226128924
- eISBN:
- 9780226129082
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226129082.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
There is still no consensus on the underlying reasons for recent drastic changes in food prices and continuing agricultural market volatility merits a thorough investigation. This book is a ...
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There is still no consensus on the underlying reasons for recent drastic changes in food prices and continuing agricultural market volatility merits a thorough investigation. This book is a collection of research and discussion by various experts on food price volatility, its effect on the farmer and consumer alike, and an evaluation of current knowledge on the subject. They also identify topics that merit further analysis. With great advances in agricultural technology, the fluctuations can largely be attributed to changes in economic policies. Corn has a high degree of importance in the US, which holds about 40% of the crop’s world production. Government subsidies for corn to be used as ethanol have had major impacts on food prices and made them unusually sensitive to weather shocks. Other price fluctuations in food can be attributed to substitution between calorie sources and policy changes, particularly in impoverished countries seeking to insulate their market from more prosperous nations. In recent years, some observers have claimed that food price bubbles have been generated by financial investments in agricultural commodity markets. This new research on food price volatility may help both private and public decision makers to develop improved management strategies and policies that can address current and future market instability.Less
There is still no consensus on the underlying reasons for recent drastic changes in food prices and continuing agricultural market volatility merits a thorough investigation. This book is a collection of research and discussion by various experts on food price volatility, its effect on the farmer and consumer alike, and an evaluation of current knowledge on the subject. They also identify topics that merit further analysis. With great advances in agricultural technology, the fluctuations can largely be attributed to changes in economic policies. Corn has a high degree of importance in the US, which holds about 40% of the crop’s world production. Government subsidies for corn to be used as ethanol have had major impacts on food prices and made them unusually sensitive to weather shocks. Other price fluctuations in food can be attributed to substitution between calorie sources and policy changes, particularly in impoverished countries seeking to insulate their market from more prosperous nations. In recent years, some observers have claimed that food price bubbles have been generated by financial investments in agricultural commodity markets. This new research on food price volatility may help both private and public decision makers to develop improved management strategies and policies that can address current and future market instability.
Yujiro Hayami and Vernon W. Ruttan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199754359
- eISBN:
- 9780190261320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199754359.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
This chapter explores the common basis for rapid growth in agricultural output and productivity that lies in the adaptation of agricultural technology to the contrasting factor proportions in Japan ...
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This chapter explores the common basis for rapid growth in agricultural output and productivity that lies in the adaptation of agricultural technology to the contrasting factor proportions in Japan and the United States. It explains the important aspect of adaptation as the ability to generate a continuous sequence of induced innovations in agricultural technology that are subjective toward saving limiting factors. In Japan the innovations were biological and chemical, while in the United States the innovations were mechanical.Less
This chapter explores the common basis for rapid growth in agricultural output and productivity that lies in the adaptation of agricultural technology to the contrasting factor proportions in Japan and the United States. It explains the important aspect of adaptation as the ability to generate a continuous sequence of induced innovations in agricultural technology that are subjective toward saving limiting factors. In Japan the innovations were biological and chemical, while in the United States the innovations were mechanical.
Yujiro Hayami
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199754359
- eISBN:
- 9780190261320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199754359.003.0015
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
This chapter identifies the nature of a new agricultural problem emerging in high-performing economies in Asia, as they advance from the low-income to a middle-income stage. The “agricultural ...
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This chapter identifies the nature of a new agricultural problem emerging in high-performing economies in Asia, as they advance from the low-income to a middle-income stage. The “agricultural problem” is defined as a problem in designing and implementing agricultural policies to promote national economic development. The chapter concludes with an analysis of needed investments in appropriate agricultural technology to prevent the loss of comparative advantage in agriculture and investments in human capital to facilitate the transfer of labor from farm to non-farm sectors.Less
This chapter identifies the nature of a new agricultural problem emerging in high-performing economies in Asia, as they advance from the low-income to a middle-income stage. The “agricultural problem” is defined as a problem in designing and implementing agricultural policies to promote national economic development. The chapter concludes with an analysis of needed investments in appropriate agricultural technology to prevent the loss of comparative advantage in agriculture and investments in human capital to facilitate the transfer of labor from farm to non-farm sectors.
