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This study reports on the development of a diagnostic tool to assess the current socio-economic and cultural conditions as well as physical and natural resources among the rural communities of Salitrón and San Juan Ermita, Chiquimula, Guatemala. This diagnostic tool revealed the current situation in these communities, especially in the population dedicated to agricultural production. Several alternative recommendations are provided to improve development projects in these communities. This project was made possible through the participation of CUNORI (Centro Universitario de Oriente) agricultural students.

Institutions are considered a fundamental determinant of economic growth. And agriculture is the key sector for poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth in low and middle-income countries. The vital role of agriculture would not materialize without sustained agricultural productivity growth driven by public investments in agricultural Research and Development (R&D). The objective of the thesis is threefold: (i) to measure the effect of institutions on agricultural productivity and on public agricultural R&D investments in low and middle incomes countries, (ii) to estimate the impact of public R&D investment on agricultural productivity, and (iii) to test the hypothesis that agricultural R&D spending would differ across countries at different stages of economic development (i.e., examine the role of per capita GDP in determining agricultural R&D spending).Agricultural productivity is measured by yield (cereal yield); institutions are measured by four indicators: protection of property rights, impartial public administration, judicial independence, and legal enforcement of contracts; agricultural R&D is represented by public investments in R&D. Data were collected from the World Bank, the FRASER Institute, and the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) over the period of 2000 to 2011 and in 49 low-and middle-income countries (25 from sub-Saharan Africa, 11 from LAC, and 13 from Asia). Panel data with fixed effects models were estimated to address the three objectives. The multiple linear regression analysis reveals the protection of property rights and legal enforcement of contracts have a substantial but opposite impact on agricultural productivity (cereal yield) across low-and middle-income countries. The same result suggests that impartial public administration affect positively public agricultural R&D investment while property rights, judicial independence, and legal enforcement of contracts have no significant implications on public agricultural R&D investment. The analysis also indicates that agricultural R&D investment positively impacts cereal yield across low-and middle-income countries. The same analysis carried out in the three regions has shown that the four institution indicators have different effects on agricultural productivity (cereal yield) and public agricultural R&D investment. In addition, the analysis suggests that public agricultural R&D investment significantly impacts agricultural productivity in Asia and the LAC regions but not in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the result confirms that agricultural R&D spending differs across countries at different stages of economic development.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of foreign assistance on less-developed countries' agricultural productivity. The study employed a Cobb- Douglas production function model. Several alternative model specifications were utilized in an attempt to model the true relationship between agricultural inputs and output. First, the foreign aid variable was included as a distributed lag of past foreign aid receipts and then as a three years moving average of aid expenditures. Second, dummy variables were introduced to allow the effects of aid to differ by income levels, yearly factors, and geographical regions. An inter country pooled cross section and time-series data for a set of 59 countries was used in the models from 1975-1984. The empirical results did not support the hypothesis that the aggregate effect of foreign aid on agricultural production ls positive. However, the results of the model including dummy variables which account for the regional differences of aid effects revealed that the contributions of aid differ by geographical regions. / Master of Science

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O objetivo principal desta Tese foi desenvolver um modelo de equilíbrio geral computável (EGC) com especificação detalhada do uso da terra para o Brasil. Primeiramente, pelo lado da demanda, isso foi alcançado com a introdução de uma estrutura aninhada para o fator terra com possibilidades de substituição entre os usos do composto de lavouras, pecuária e floresta. No nível mais inferior desta estrutura, o composto de lavouras definiu as possibilidades de substituição entre diferentes usos de terras de lavouras. Em segundo, pelo lado da oferta, os usos da terra pelas atividades agrícolas foram definidos em termos físicos. Desta forma, modificações no retorno relativo da terra conduzem as variações do uso da terra de acordo com os diferentes usos possíveis. A estratégia de identificação dos usos da terra no modelo foi realizada atrelando os usos às atividades agrícolas correspondentes, mostrando-se distinta das estratégias encontradas na literatura. A capacidade analítica do modelo é ampla, podendo ser aplicado para investigar políticas que afetam direta ou indiretamente o uso da terra. Duas aplicações foram realizadas no contexto de análise de desenvolvimento do modelo. A primeira foi a mensuração dos efeitos econômicos de mudanças climáticas sobre o Brasil. Para a construção dos choques foi adotada uma estratégia de integração entre os resultados de um modelo econométrico do uso da terra, que forneceu a sensibilidade da alocação de terra entre os usos possíveis a mudanças climáticas, e o modelo de equilíbrio geral. A integração foi definida de forma que as mudanças climáticas produzissem deslocamentos na função de demanda por terra neste modelo. Para a construção dos choques foram consideradas projeções para temperatura e precipitação com base em dois cenários do IPCC, A2 e B2. Os resultados desta análise indicaram uma redução do PIB real nacional em ambos os cenários e nos intervalos de projeção. As atividades agrícolas foram as mais afetadas negativamente. A economia da maioria dos estados apresentou variação negativa do PIB real. A outra análise implementada foi a avaliação dos impactos regionais da mudança na produtividade da terra agrícola das lavouras entre 1996 e 2006. A mudança na produtividade agrícola produziu efeitos positivos sobre o PIB real nacional e da maioria dos estados. / The main objective of the dissertation was to develop a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with detailed specification of land use for Brazil. First, in the demand side, it was achieved with the introduction of a nested structure for land with substitution possibilities among the uses of crops composite, livestock and forestry. At the lowest level of this structure, the crops composite defined the substitution possibilities among different uses of crop land. Second, in the supply side, the land uses by agricultural activities have been defined in physical terms. Thus, changes on relative return of land drive the changes in land use according to the different possible uses. The strategy of identification of land uses in the model was peculiar wherein the land uses were linked to the corresponding agricultural activities, being distinct from the strategies found in the literature. The analytical capability of this model is broad and it can be applied to investigate policies that directly or indirectly affect land use. Two applications were made using the model. The first one was to measure the economic effects of climate change on Brazil. For the construction of the shocks was adopted a strategy of integration between the results of an econometric model of land use, which provided the sensitivity of the allocation of land among the possible uses to climate change, and the general equilibrium model. The integration was set so that the climate changes produce shifts in the demand function for land in this model. For the construction of the shocks were considered projections for temperature and precipitation based on two IPCC scenarios, A2 and B2. The results of this analysis indicated a reduction in national real GDP in both scenarios and projection intervals. Agricultural products were the most adversely affected. The economies of most states showed negative change in real GDP. A further analysis was implemented to evaluate the impact of the regional change in productivity of agricultural crops between 1996 and 2006. The change in agricultural productivity had positive effects on national real GDP and the majority of states.

O sistema agrícola itinerante (SAI), uma das formas mais antigas de agricultura, continua sendo praticado pelas comunidades quilombolas do Vale do Ribeira-SP. Entretanto, as atuais restrições da legislação ambiental brasileira, a maior integração ao mercado, e a influência de instituições e políticas públicas, estão entre os principais motivos da diminuição desta prática. A produção para o consumo doméstico do SAI está sendo substituída pela agricultura permanente e comercial de pupunheira para palmito, apoiada por incentivos governamentais como créditos financeiros e assistência técnica especializada. Este projeto teve como objetivo avaliar a produtividade entre os diferentes sistemas de cultivo e entre áreas submetidas a diferentes tempos de pousio, discutindo os motivos e os impactos desta transição, sua sustentabilidade, assim como os impactos econômicos para as comunidades. Utilizamos a unidade doméstica como unidade de análise para a organização social do trabalho; para cada atividade reconstituímos o itinerário técnico através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e visitas a campo; e para estimar a capacidade de remuneração dos diferentes sistemas agrícolas utilizamos o cálculo do valor agregado líquido. Durante onze meses acompanhamos a implantação das roças para consumo doméstico e o manejo do cultivo permanente de pupunheira para palmito. Os resultados mostram que há uma tendência de que em capoeiras mais jovens (entre 10-15 anos de pousio) o tempo destinado ao trabalho seja menor quando comparado com o tempo destinado ao trabalho em capoeiras avançadas (com mais de 25 anos de pousio). Entretanto, devido ao tamanho reduzido da amostra não foi possível testar sua significância. Já para a avaliação da produtividade entre os diferentes sistemas, a agricultura permanente se mostrou mais eficiente em termos de renda e no uso do trabalho, do que o SAI. Entretanto, ao considerarmos a multifuncionalidade da agricultura, o SAI desempenha um papel não só de produção de alimentos e fibras, mas também é parte de um complexo de relações socioambientais que incluem a manutenção da diversidade cultural, da agrobiodiversidade e da preservação ambiental. / The shifting cultivation system (SCS), one of the oldest forms of agriculture, is still practiced by quilombola communities in the Vale do Ribeira - SP. However, current restrictions of the Brazilian environmental legislation, increased market integration, and the influence of institutions and public policies, are among the main reasons for the decrease in this practice. The production of SCS for domestic consumption is being replaced by permanent and commercial cultivation of peach palm, supported by government incentives such as financial claims and specialized technical assistance. This project aimed to assess the productivity of the different cultivation systems and between areas under different fallow lenghts, discussing the reasons and the impacts of this transition, its sustainability and economic impacts for communities. The household was used as the unit of analysis for social work organization; for each activity we recomposed the technical itinerary through semi-structured interviews and field visits; to estimate the remuneration capacity of the different farming systems used the added net value. During eleven months we monitored the implementation of the cultivated fields for domestic consumption and the management of permanent cultivation of peach palm. Our results showa tendency for lower worktime in fields with younger fallows (10-15 years) when compared to older ones (25 years).However, due to the small sample size after the abandonment of the fields by some farmers it was not possible to test its significance. As for the evaluation of productivity between the two different systems, permanent agriculture was more efficient in terms of income and the use of labor than SCS. However, when the multifunctionality of agriculture is considered, SCS plays a role not only in food and fiber production, but is also part of a complex socio-environmental relations that include the maintenance of cultural diversity, agrobiodiversity and environmental preservation.