My dissertation consists of three empirical essays where I analyze animal products consumption and marketing. First using cross-sectional household data, I investigate the importance of consumption from home produce (self-provisioning) and conclude that studying food consumption decisions in isolation from production is not warranted for Turkey. I develop a testing procedure incorporated into linear approximation of the almost ideal demand system (LA/AIDS) model to formally test the relevance of food self-provisioning. Studying consumption in isolation from production leads significant overestimation of rural households’ responsiveness to price and income signals especially for the dairy and egg products. Second I investigate the contribution of consumption from home produce to alleviate vulnerability to undernutrition in rural areas. I find that the level, depth and severity of food poverty to be least among rural households who engage in food self-provisioning and food self-provisioning reduce vulnerability to undernutrition. Moreover, food self-provisioning is concentrated in expensive calories from vegetables and dairy so self-provisioning rural households also have a more balanced diet. Finally I investigate whether milk processing firms abuse their oligopsony power to excessively profit themselves to the expense of milk farmers and final consumers. I look for evidence whether the speed of adjustment of processed milk price is same when farm-gate milk prices increase and decrease. I find no evidence that will point out any price gauging on the part of milk processors to benefit themselves. Actually I detect a long-term downward trend in processed milk prices coinciding with new major entries to milk processing industry.

In this dissertation I develop a Marxian class analysis of corn-producing family farms in the Midwestern United States during the early twentieth century. I theorize the family farm as a complex hybrid of mostly feudal and ancient class structures that has survived through a contradictory combination of strategies that includes the feudal exploitation of farm family members, the cannibalization of neighboring ancient farmers in a vicious hunt for superprofits, and the intervention of state welfare programs. The class-based definition of the family farm yields unique insights into three broad aspects of U.S. agricultural history. First, my analysis highlights the crucial, yet under-recognized role of farm women and children’s unpaid labor in subsidizing the family farm. Second I offer a new, class-based perspective on the roots of the twentieth century “miracle of productivity” in U.S. agriculture, the rise of the agribusiness giants that depended on the perpetual, technology-induced crisis of that agriculture, and the implications of government farm programs. Third, this dissertation demonstrates how the unique set of contradictions and circumstances facing family farmers during the early twentieth century, including class exploitation, were connected to concern for their ability to serve the needs of U.S. industrial capitalist development. The argument presented here highlights the significant costs associated with the intensification of exploitation in the transition to industrial agriculture in the U.S. The family farm is implicated in this social theft. Ironically, the same family farm is often held up as the bedrock of American life. Its exalted status as an example of democracy, independence, self-sufficiency, and morality is enabled among other things by the absence of class awareness in U.S. society. When viewed through the lens of class, the hallowed family farm becomes example of one of the most exploitative institutions in the U.S. economy. The myth of its superiority takes on a new significance as one of the important non-economic processes helping to overdetermine the family farm’s long survival, while participating in foreclosing truly radical transformations of these institutions to non-exploitative alternatives.

This dissertation investigates the impact of organic farming for achieving the environmental and social objectives of sustainability in Europe over the past 20 years. Organic farming is considered the poster child of rural development in Europe, often seen as a model of the integration of small-scale production with environmental considerations. Since this model runs counter to the logic of developing capitalist structures in agriculture, I revisit the Marxian predictions regarding the "agrarian question". Furthermore, I trace the discursive changes in support of small-scale production in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and assess whether small farms have improved their situation under the revised CAP. Subsequently, I use statistical analysis in order to assess the socio-economic and the environmental consequences of the rise in organic farming. Contrary to what is often assumed, organic farms in Europe display larger average sizes and lower rates of labor intensity than their conventional counterparts, casting doubts on the efficacy of organic farms to allow family farmers to remain in the countryside as high-value producers. I argue that this development should be viewed as further evidence of the "conventionalization" of organic farming. In order to explain the process which led to such an outcome, I proceed to explain the different ways through which organic farms could overcome traditional problems which impeded the capitalist development of agriculture. Regarding the environmental implications, I evaluate the rise of organic farming by assessing its impact for different countries' overall pesticide and fertilizer intensity. My results are mixed, with higher organic shares being correlated with decreased application of fertilizer, but less significant results for pesticide intensity. Finally, I present evidence from qualitative work conducted in 2010 in rural Greece which points to the absence of well-established networks among organic producers, and between them and other actors in the chain of distribution. Small producers who switch to organic methods appear unable to reap the benefits from the higher prices and the institutional support for organic farming. Hence, it is larger enterprises which dominate the organic sector. I also examine the role of certification agencies, as a prime recipient of surplus transfers, and question the safeguards of organic enterprises against recent developments in agricultural labor relations, which are highly exploitative of immigrant labor.

This dissertation analyzes the environmental impact of state policies in Cuban agriculture, and compares state farms, family farms, and cooperative farms, with respect to their management of natural resources. Organizational forms of agricultural production are distinguished by the property rights and production technologies used by farming units. I examine the premise that family farmers have adequate incentives to engage in resource conservation measures. Conversely, I examine the premise that state property rights do not structure adequate incentives for resource conservation in state farms. Finally, I compare private farms and state farms with cooperatives, in terms of their resource management in practices. Because of the important role of central planning in natural-resource management under socialism, the dissertation also analyzes environmental policies and the evolution of the system of environmental protection in Cuba. I argue that while state ownership of natural resources and planning create the opportunity to incorporate environmental concerns into economic decision-making, environmental concerns are secondary to production goals. Moreover, the public does not have sufficient information, nor the mechanisms, for choosing higher levels of environmental quality. At the same time, enterprise managers do not have sufficient incentives to voluntarily comply with environmental regulations, and the environmental agency lacks the power to enforce them.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / A solidarity nuanced economy has the potential to be an antagonist to inequality and poverty. Solidaric features in an economy can serve development initiatives in that solidarity fosters cooperation and promotes self-help. Exchange is one of the most ubiquitous of all human behaviors. A principle of exchange is that both parties, either individuals or groups, must derive greater benefit than sacrifice for the exchange to occur. Exchange enhances an economic agent’s utility. Solidarity informs utility; thus, solidarity impacts exchange. Solidarity can be tersely defined as “social cooperation.” Utility maximization unwrought is based on the premise of self-regarding behavior. Solidarity, on the other hand, is other-regarding behavior. These two elements in exchange need not be in discord; quite the opposite, they act in concord. Solidarity is articulated as being distinct from large group collective action. Collective action can incorporate features of revenge and punishment. Solidarity, as a specialized form of collective action, is strictly associated with cooperation and charity. Solidarity is a process of other-regarding mutual exchange. The inescapability of living out solidarity is described and the case is presented that solidarity is of individual initiative. Because incentives (dis-incentives) are felt at the individual level, it is here that other-regarding behavior (i.e., solidarity) is incubated. The Inequality Predicament suggests that economic inequality is the most pressing issue hindering development (United Nations, 2005). The inequality phenomenon calls for more attention to the role of economic solidarity. The inequality predicament may not be so much a matter of wealth inequality as it is inequality of access to resources and markets. Solidarity is an implement of engagement in gaining access to markets. Few studies in collective action literature are addressing how rural households are affected by changes in property rights and how land policies impact incentives to engage in solidarity. Land rights can only be properly understood in the context of their development. The uniqueness of land rights is informed by past and present culture. This dissertation presents a conceptual framework for examining the relationship between solidarity (i.e., cooperation) and access to land markets. The focus of this study is on the interplay between property rights and solidaric utility decisions of individuals or small groups. The arena of research is land fragmentation and agricultural development in the Republic of Moldova.

In central Mexico's semi-arid highlands, it is common practice for ejidatarios (members of a communal farm, or ejido) to migrate to the United States and other parts of Mexico in order to generate enough household income. Economic and demographic traits within the household affect the decision of an ejidatario to migrate. This thesis examines the effects of those traits on migration decisions. Migration data and household characteristics were collected from 169 ejidatario families (1415 individual family members) from four ejidos in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In addition, representatives of various governmental and non-governmental organizations who work with the ejidos were interviewed.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Timothy J. Dalton / Smallholder farmers in Tanzania remain susceptible to food insecurity and poverty. To combat these challenges, the country and development organizations have turned to agriculture. In particular, value chains have been identified as a point of interest. Specifically, the maize value chain is of critical importance since maize is the staple crop of the country as well as the staple carbohydrate in the Tanzanian diet. Markets are beneficial because they enable households to specialize in agricultural production according to their comparative advantage. Specifically, markets have been shown to be one tool for increasing welfare, measured through the proxy income. The objective of this thesis is to identify the determinants of a household’s decision to participate in the maize market as well as identify the determinants of a household’s decision regarding how much maize to sell in a given market. This research examines formal and informal market participation among 908 households during the 2008 long rainy season. Probit models were estimated to determine market participation for the formal, informal, and aggregate sale market levels. A Heckman OLS model was used to further analyze the value sold by the household in a given market. Econometric results indicate that “quantity harvested” positively and significantly impacts market participation decisions as well as value sold decisions. The variable “male-headed households” was positive and significant in the formal market while the variable showed no significant impact in the informal market participation model. Both “radio ownership” and “mobile telephone ownership” proved to be positive and significant in the formal model while only the ownership of a radio was significant in the informal market. Additionally it was found that for the formal market participation decision, “bicycle ownership” was positive and significant. Overall, it appears that households participate in the informal market as a way to meet cash needs since farmers were not price-responsive. However, in the formal market farmers were found to be very price-responsive, following neo-classical economic theory.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / Maize is a staple food to many Zambians. It is for this reason that it has received a lot of support from government as a way of maintaining food security in the nation. No other crop in Zambia currently receives such level of support from government. Factors influencing its availability can thus seriously affect food security. In recent years, Zambia has not been spared by adverse climatic changes that have continued to affect the entire globe. In the early 1980s the southern “maize-belt” part of the country that was devastated by continuous drought that caused villagers to go hungry and lose a lot of livestock that was their main livelihood. The trend of decreasing rainfall in consecutive seasons has continued in many parts of the country. Because most smallholder farmers, who are the major contributors to the nation’s food supply, depend on rain for crop production, there has been a deliberate policy by government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives to encourage the farmers to diversify their on- and off-farm activities to improve food security at household and national level. To this end, the government has continued to encourage the growing of cassava. Several studies have suggested that cassava is a nutritious food crop (Chitundu, Droppelman and Haggblade, 2006). Cassava has a number of industrial uses too. Good attributes of cassava lie not only in the nutrition content of the tuber and leaves but also in the fact that as a field crop it does not require expensive inputs like fertilizer and is better able to withstand drought compared to the maize crop. This study attempts to understand the economic factors that influence consumption of cassava to shed light on its potential to avert potential crisis associated with prolonged droughts. Based on the survey conducted in 2007 in Lusaka, the study found that price and quality of cassava meal are the principal determinants of cassava meal demand in Lusaka. Direct price elasticity of demand for cassava is -1.32, suggesting that cassava meal is price elastic. The study also found that the cross price elasticity between maize meal price and cassava meal demand is 0.04 suggesting that cassava meal is a substitute to maize meal, but inelastic. The income price elasticity of demand for cassava meal is -0.12. However, income was found to be statistically insignificant in determining the demand for cassava meal. As such these economic factors are keys to the consumption of cassava. Therefore, the study suggests that the demand for cassava meal in Zambia may be improved through deliberate promotion.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Gwinner / Purple Wave, Inc. has five major auction categories: Real Estate; Business Liquidation; Heavy Equipment (Agricultural and Construction); State Surplus; and Personal Property). Although Purple Wave is rapidly expanding in all categories its current focus is on increasing its real estate sales category. Selling real estate via the auction method is the fastest growing sector of the auction industry. The auction process provides a time-defined result, usually 60 to 90 days from contract signing to closing. The process also establishes a true market value established by the public. I have been tasked with evaluating our current real estate marketing methods. I am to determine the best way to allocate marketing funds to attract the most viable, competitive, well funded, and aggressive real estate bidders. The economic rationale of this issue is the ability to market real estate for higher sale prices. The cost of this issue cannot be measured in terms of a direct expense. The issue is how the company could best spend the marketing funds they receive to ensure the auction will reach the maximum price for the property. Purple Wave is paid on a percent of the sale price. The customer and company have everything to gain from a higher sale price since both will receive a larger profit. Purple Wave would like this issue to be solved with the development of a marketing menu. The real estate teams can use this new menu to show a potential customer how their marketing funds will be used to gain them the maximum amount of advertising exposure. The format can also show sellers how we plan to invest the marketing funds in specific promotional areas.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Arlo Biere / With a large portion of U.S. farm production expenditures related to the cost of fertilizer, seed, and chemicals, producers within the Corn Belt region are looking for new methods and/or planting processes that would deliver higher levels of production efficiencies and lower operating costs. Specifically within the planting operation, Corn Belt producers are faced with the challenge to better manage the higher cost of crop inputs in order to sustain profitability. The primary objective of this thesis is to examine new planting technologies that would better manage planting applications while directly lowering related input costs. Another objective is to understand through regression analysis how various planting variables affect yield potential. Results from the regression analysis illustrate how the various planting variables affect yield and show the importance of “realtime” planter management, advancements possible only with the new planter technology. Customer surveys and several on-site customer visits were conducted throughout the Corn Belt to better understand the actual needs of producers for new planting technologies. Throughout the customer visits, specific questions about the producers’ planting operation were asked to find new ways for precision technology to help increase overall productivity and ultimately profitability. Producer comments and feedback were analyzed through Quality Functional Deployment (QFD) practices and aligned into product development programs. The products developed from the customer research will help producers in the Corn Belt to reduce corn production inefficiencies and, potentially, increase profit margins, assuming profit levels remain steady and/or increase in lieu of reduced input costs.Farm level net present value (NPV) analyses of new planting technologies were performed. Corresponding yield data from efficiencies gained in seed corn placement and control during “real-time” planting applications were integrated into the NPV analyses along with the precision technology costs. The NPV results were positive.