Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Co-Lin CC), from its beginning, has been a product of and provider of service to its local and regional communities, from its economic impact through increased tax base and revenue, to its educational impact through graduates of academic and technical programs, to its workforce training impact through cooperation with local industry to promote economic development. It is imperative for the continued growth and stability of the communities it serves and the state of Mississippi that Co-Lin CC and the other Mississippi community colleges continue to carry out their mission of providing the best possible opportunities for students. The purpose of this study was to place one institution into the larger historical narrative about community colleges. This study attempted to describe the factors that led to the establishment of an agricultural high school that developed into a junior college. The study also described the original mission and how it evolved during the 100 year history of the institution, including the continuing economic impact of the college on the local community. Historical data were mined from a variety of primary sources such as documents, letters, legislation, school records, board meeting minutes, and images; pertinent secondary sources and interviews from pertinent college leaders were collected; and existing economic impact data were referenced to identify emerging trends. Results indicate factors leading to the establishment of the agricultural high school and junior college included access, affordability, and quality of education. The implementation of the mission of the college, throughout its 100 year existence, evolved along with the changing needs of the community. The needs of the students and the community changed and the wording of the mission changed, but the mission did not change. Along with the educational impact, the economic impact is an integral part of the effect that Co-Lin CC has on the local communities it serves.

Information technologies (IT) have provided significant benefits for society. By drawing on the assumptions of the New Public Management (NPM) framework, the author investigates how, in one case, IT alters the policy implementation process. Additionally, the author tests reinforcement theory, sociotechnical theory, and technological determinism to determine which IT model best explains the utilization of IT at the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). This study examines the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. By conducting interviews, analyzing documents, and examining a physical artifact, the author explores the administration of an economic impact analysis (EIA) that was conducted on the I-269 corridor. Using a quasi-experimental design, the author compared a control EIA with a test EIA that utilized the Regional Economic Modeling Inc. (REMI) software to determine how IT altered the EIA, which is required through NEPA. The control EIA process was conducted by MDOT, and the test EIA was administered by a research team from Mississippi State University (MSU). In this case, the author found that the utilization of IT altered the test EIA. First, the REMI model provided a broader scope and provided more variables and outputs for analysts to observe. Second, the utilization of REMI reduced the time associated with the data collection and analysis of the I-269 corridor. Finally, the author found that the projected economic impacts changed direction. In other words, instead of the construction of I-269 positively affecting the community, region, or state, the REMI model indicated that the construction of the corridor would negatively impact the surrounding areas. Finally, by tracing the utilization of REMI at MDOT, the author determined that reinforcement theory explained the initial adoption and utilization of IT. However, the author discovered the REMI model was not utilized in all EIAs. This finding highlights that MDOT has the discretionary power to adjust the methods utilized to investigate the economic impacts associated with highway projects. Therefore, while NPM promotes the utilization of IT for agencies to achieve objectives and transform bureaucracies, the research highlights a tentative critique of the NPM framework.

The majority of Nepal's population relies on agriculture, so invasive and native pests' ability to reduce farmers' crop yields is a significant concern. To protect farm households' food security and livelihoods, it is imperative to find effective pest management products and practices. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an arguably cheaper and less harmful alternative to conventional synthetic pesticides and is a way of managing and preventing agricultural pests using different levels of control methods (e.g., biological, cultural, and chemical) that have minimal adverse environmental and human health impacts. This study provides information on the extent of IPM practices by Nepali vegetable farmers, adds to the understanding of factors that influence the IPM adoption decision, and compares the economic benefits and performance of IPM to other conventional pest management practices. Our survey of 346 vegetable farmers in four districts throughout Nepal provides the primary data we use in our analysis. We distinguish practices into two categories: simple IPM practices that are commonly used and require limited knowledge and complex practices that typically require more knowledge and conscious use of IPM itself. We use a probit model to determine the factors that significantly affect the decision to adopt complex IPM practices. Our results find two explanatory variables that consistently affect complex IPM adoption: gender and IPM training. We compare the costs and benefits of using IPM to other conventional pest management practices by analyzing results from experimental field trials conducted in Nepal's Banke and Surkhet districts. Using an economic surplus approach, we estimate the market-level benefits of using IPM practices for three vegetables in Banke and four vegetables in Surkhet. The results predict cumulative IPM benefits of $1.06 to $1.44 million across the two districts. / Master of Science / The majority of Nepal's population relies on agriculture, so invasive and native pests' ability to reduce farmers' crop yields is a significant concern. To protect farm households' food security and livelihoods, it is imperative to find effective pest management products and practices. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an arguably cheaper and less harmful alternative to conventional synthetic pesticides and is a way of managing and preventing agricultural pests using different levels of control methods (e.g., crop rotation, weeding, pheromones to disrupt mating) that have minimal adverse environmental and human health impacts. This study provides information on the extent of IPM practices by Nepali vegetable farmers, adds to the understanding of factors that influence the IPM adoption decision, and compares the economic benefits and performance of IPM to conventional synthetic pesticides. Our survey of 346 vegetable farmers in four districts throughout Nepal provides the primary data we use in our analysis. We distinguish practices into two categories: simple IPM practices that are commonly used and require limited knowledge and complex practices that typically require more knowledge and conscious use of IPM itself. Various statistical methods are used and find that gender and IPM training consistently affect the decision to adopt complex IPM practices. Compared to female Nepali vegetable farmers, males are more likely to adopt complex practices. In addition, attending an IPM training event increases the likelihood of farmers using complex IPM practices. We use data from field trials of farmers in Surkhet and Banke, IPM adoption rates from the survey, and information on Nepal's vegetable market to calculate the economic benefits of farmers using complex IPM practices for tomato, cauliflower, onion, and cucumber production. The results predict cumulative IPM benefits of $1.06 to $1.44 million to vegetable consumers and producers across the two districts.

While extensive research has been carried out to examine the yield growth brought about by innovations in agricultural technology, not enough work has been done to document the economic impacts of these innovations on areas besides yields and income. This study presents two papers which contribute to our understanding of the health and environmental impacts of agricultural innovation, "Expected economic benefits of meeting nutritional needs through biofortified cassava in Nigeria and Kenya," and "Projected farm-level impacts on income of conservation agriculture in the Andean Region." The first paper is motivated by the public health consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which affect more than two billion people worldwide and can lead to increased incidence of illness, disability, and mortality. Through the use of the disability adjusted life years concept (DALYs), economic surplus analysis, and benefit-cost analysis, the authors determine the economic impact of a staple crop biofortification project. The study finds that biofortified cassava in Nigeria and Kenya is a cost effective means of reducing health problems associated with vitamin A and iron deficiency. The second paper considers the significant livelihood challenges faced by rural communities in the Andes, including poverty, food insecurity, and natural resource constraints. Through the development and implementation of a linear programming model, the study analyzes the economic impact of a conservation agriculture project in central Ecuador, and finds that certain experimental cropping activities designed to decrease soil degradation may contribute to increased incomes for farm households. / Master of Science

The present study analyzes the economic impact of the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Uruguay's agriculture. Using a partial equilibrium framework the impacts of transgenic varieties are simulated for two crops, rice and potatoes, in small open and closed economies respectively. The model accounts for the presence of market imperfections created by the monopolistic behavior of the genes' patent owner. The change in economic surplus generated after the adoption of the new technology is projected to be positive, although the seed markup charged by the monopolist reduces the surplus compared to a perfectly competitive market. Total deadweight losses and domestic losses are found to increase with the seed premium, as additional monopolist profits are extracted out of the country. Adoption decreases with the seed premium, further reducing the domestic consumer and producer surplus. The results of the study suggest an active role for national technology policies and for the agricultural R&D system in Uruguay to generate conditions that attract the technology's owner to a small market while at the same time reducing the potential losses that monopoly power creates . / Master of Science

In 2014, a virulent clonal group of Aeromonas hydrophila (VAH) was the predominant disease impacting the east Mississippi (EMS) commercial catfish industry. The EMS aquatic ambulatory service observed an area not prone to VAH outbreaks. In addition, frequent underestimations of the scope and economic impact of the EMS catfish industry and its diseases warranted a descriptive effort. Therefore, the EMS catfish industry, its economic impact, the diseases of this region and their economic impact were described. Further, differences in water and geological chemistry of the area not prone to VAH outbreaks, and the sensitivity of VAH and Edwardsiella ictaluri to any of those differences were evaluated. A survey of EMS catfish producers documented 115 commercial operations (4,900 ha) with a mean catfish production of 8,070 ± 783 kg ha-1. The direct ($100.2M), indirect ($15.7M) and induced ($54.9M) economic impacts of east MS totaled $170.8M, which generated $18.5M in state and federal tax revenues. The predominant diseases reported by producers were parasites (Bolbophorus damnificus and Henneguya spp.), VAH, and Flavobacterium spp. The direct (-$16.6M), indirect (-$2.6M), and induced (-$10.9M) economic impacts of disease in east MS totaled -$30.1M. The occurrence of these diseases results in a loss of $3.3M in state and federal tax revenues. Differences in disease prevalence were observed regionally and between the east MS producer and a regional diagnostic lab. Iron (mg l-1) was the only significantly different water quality parameter measured among the farms that were less (3.8x) prone to MAS outbreaks (0.61 ± 0.3) versus the remainder of the EMS industry (0.22 ± 0.14). Pyrite (FeS2) and kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH4) were characteristic mineralogical features of the farms not prone to MAS outbreaks. In-vitro sensitivity analyses demonstrated the bactericidal properties of iron sulfate, a mixture of iron sulfate + aluminum sulfate and kaolin clay to VAH and E. ictaluri. Survival in VAH immersion challenges was higher among catfish fed diets supplemented with iron sulfate, kaolin, iron sulfate + kaolin and iron sulfate + aluminum sulfate. There were no differences observed in survival among the E. ictaluri in-vivo challenge treatments and controls