Nutritional and Economic Analysis of Small-Scale Agriculture in Imbabura, Ecuador Intervention projects in the developing world normally aim to satisfy either the nutritional needs of a group, or advancing the economic stability, but not both. One of the many issues that may arise by narrowly focusing and creating an aid program is that although a group may be fed, they are not equipped to mitigate risks that will arise after project completion and thus continue or revert back to a malnourished state. A bridge is required to join the economic and nutritional programs to create aid interventions that are sustainable past the point of donor separation. This paper proposes the creation of a linear program model to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of such intervention programs. Investigating the effects of merging economic and nutrition interventions as pursued in this report required the first step to be the creation of economic information for a typical small-scale farm. The region of Cochas, Imbabura, Ecuador was selected as the study area in which data would be collected for a representative sample of production and living circumstances of a poor, rural, and small-scale farmer. A comprehensive set of estimated cost and return (enterprise) budgets for small-scale agricultural crops that could be grown by the representative farm family used in this analysis was developed. This was accomplished via data collected in rural Ecuador by Jake Erickson, a Master's student in the department of Applied Economics at Utah State University. Of the supervisory committee, daily interaction occurred with Dr. DeeVon Bailey, project supervisor, and Dr. Ruby Ward, linear program specialist, whom were crucial in project completion. Various scenarios of the linear program were run with variations to the selection of nutritional requirements, off-farm income, and allowing food purchases off the family farm. Each of these scenarios was pursued as they mimic circumstances in which families may struggle to exist within the developing world. The results of each run are compared across the set of results to help understand what assumptions need to exist to validate an intervention's approach to improving the standard of living or nutrition of the world's poor, rural, small-scale farmers. This model is a preliminary attempt at assessing the sustainability of merging common intervention approaches and it should be recognized that further development is needed to create a more encompassing model. Utilizing enterprise budgets, a linear programming model, and nutritional information, such as is done in this study, can help in planning rural development interventions as the income maximization and least-cost diet models are integrated into one within the resource and management constraints of the representative small-scale farm.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-12-04Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:13:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_ce_me_bauru.pdf: 583086 bytes, checksum: 9073a5e0f5401964a1b9b3790f8fde60 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A globalização da economia e da concorrência e a grande quantidade de empresas que fecham suas portas por ano no Brasil reforça a importância do empresário planejar as suas ações. O planejamento passa a ser um fator diferencial para a sustentabilidade das empresas e o orçamento seu instrumento de mensuração quantitativa. Esta pesquisa descritiva apresenta um estudo elaborado nas indústrias do Distrito Industrial I da cidade de Bauru - SP, cadastradas NO CIESP - Diretoria Regional Bauru. As perguntas do questionário estão organizadas em blocos relacionados aos objetivos específicos e investigando as características das indústrias. O orçamento é utilizado por 57% das indústrias pesquisadas, que indica que nem todas as empresas consideram do orçamento empresarial como instrumento de mensuração quantitativa e de gestão, buscando torná-lo um instrumento de integração, condução e um meio eficiente de atingir os objetivos da empresa. Em termos específicos, esta pesquisa apresenta os fatores relevantes para o desenvolvimento do planejamento orçamentário. Por outro lado, o estudo apresenta os principais motivos pelos quais algumas empresas não elaboram esta atividade. Contudo, o planejamento orçamentário é um importante instrumento de gestão empresarial, proporcionando a concentração dos esforços dos administradores nos pontos-chave, minimizando a tensão no processo de tomada de decisão... / The globalization of the economy - and of the competition - and the large number of companies which shut down every year in Brazil reinforces the importance of action planning for the businessman. Planning has become a differential factor for the sustainability of the companies, and the budget, their quantitative assessment instrument. This descriptive research presents a study made with the industries of the industrial estate I, in Bauru city, São Paulo state, registered at CIESP - Bauru regional board of directors. The questions in the questionnaire are organized in blocks related to the specific objectives of the research and investigating the characteristics of the companies. The budget is used by 57% of the companies surveyed, which indicates that not all the companies consider the use of the enterprise budget as an instrument for integration, direction, and an effective way to reach the company's goals. In specific terms, this research presents the relevant factors for the development of the budget planning. On the other hand, the study also presents the main reasons why some companies fail to fulfil this activity. Nevertheless, budget planning is an important instrument for enterprise management, leading to the concentration of managers' efforts on the key points, minimizing, thus, the strain in the decision making process.

Orientador: Angelo Cataneo / Banca: Renato de Campos / Banca: Aquiles Elie Guimarães Kalatzis / Resumo: A globalização da economia e da concorrência e a grande quantidade de empresas que fecham suas portas por ano no Brasil reforça a importância do empresário planejar as suas ações. O planejamento passa a ser um fator diferencial para a sustentabilidade das empresas e o orçamento seu instrumento de mensuração quantitativa. Esta pesquisa descritiva apresenta um estudo elaborado nas indústrias do Distrito Industrial I da cidade de Bauru - SP, cadastradas NO CIESP - Diretoria Regional Bauru. As perguntas do questionário estão organizadas em blocos relacionados aos objetivos específicos e investigando as características das indústrias. O orçamento é utilizado por 57% das indústrias pesquisadas, que indica que nem todas as empresas consideram do orçamento empresarial como instrumento de mensuração quantitativa e de gestão, buscando torná-lo um instrumento de integração, condução e um meio eficiente de atingir os objetivos da empresa. Em termos específicos, esta pesquisa apresenta os fatores relevantes para o desenvolvimento do planejamento orçamentário. Por outro lado, o estudo apresenta os principais motivos pelos quais algumas empresas não elaboram esta atividade. Contudo, o planejamento orçamentário é um importante instrumento de gestão empresarial, proporcionando a concentração dos esforços dos administradores nos pontos-chave, minimizando a tensão no processo de tomada de decisão... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The globalization of the economy - and of the competition - and the large number of companies which shut down every year in Brazil reinforces the importance of action planning for the businessman. Planning has become a differential factor for the sustainability of the companies, and the budget, their quantitative assessment instrument. This descriptive research presents a study made with the industries of the industrial estate I, in Bauru city, São Paulo state, registered at CIESP - Bauru regional board of directors. The questions in the questionnaire are organized in blocks related to the specific objectives of the research and investigating the characteristics of the companies. The budget is used by 57% of the companies surveyed, which indicates that not all the companies consider the use of the enterprise budget as an instrument for integration, direction, and an effective way to reach the company's goals. In specific terms, this research presents the relevant factors for the development of the budget planning. On the other hand, the study also presents the main reasons why some companies fail to fulfil this activity. Nevertheless, budget planning is an important instrument for enterprise management, leading to the concentration of managers' efforts on the key points, minimizing, thus, the strain in the decision making process. / Mestre

Peanuts (Arachis-hypogaea) are one of the staples in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other developing countries. This leguminous crop is frequently contaminated with aflatoxins, which are secondary metabolites of some Aspergillus fungi, mostly Aspergillus. flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxins in foods are known to cause liver cancer, stunted growth in children, immune system disorders and economic losses. Aflatoxin contamination of peanuts during storage is worse in the tropics because climatic storage conditions there are almost the same as the optimum conditions for Aspergillus growth: temperature conditions of about 26-43 °C and relative humidity of 62-99%. This study investigated the growth of Aspergillus and the production of aflatoxin in shelled peanuts under varying treatment and packaging conditions. In addition, the appropriate pre-storage treatments and packaging needed to reduce aflatoxin production and to maintain quality of shelled and in-shell peanuts in storage under tropical environments were studied. Another aim was to determine the impact of the switch to hermetic storage on peanut farming and marketing profitability in Ghana. Different peanut treatments, with and without Aspergillus flavus fungi, were packaged in different systems; specifically, polypropylene woven sacks and hermetic packaging. Peanuts were analyzed for fungi growth, aflatoxin production and lipid oxidation (peroxide value and p-Anisidine value). Partial roasting and blanching of peanuts eliminated aflatoxigenic fungi and halted aflatoxin production in stored peanuts, increased the effectiveness of peanut sorting and, hence, helped reduce or eliminate aflatoxin levels along the peanut value chain. Additionally, the results of this study demonstrated that hermetic storage, by suppressing aflatoxin production, has the potential for maintaining peanut quality vis a vis polypropylene woven packaging. Profitability analysis conducted as part of this study revealed that the use of the hermetic storage system would not only improve farmer and trader profits, but also reduce the incidence of various ailments attributed to aflatoxins. / Ph. D. / Peanuts are one of the staple crops in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other developing countries. This crop is frequently contaminated with a special type of molds which produce a poisonous substance called aflatoxin. In foods, it is known to cause liver cancer, stunted growth in children, immune system disorders and economic losses. Aflatoxin contamination during storage in the tropical regions is worst because peanuts are mostly packaged in polypropylene woven sacks and stored under environmental conditions. Unfortunately, climatic conditions promote mold growth and aflatoxin production. In view of this problem, this study was aimed at finding appropriate, affordable and adoptable storage solutions to control fungi growth and aflatoxin production. A portion of the shelled peanuts was partially roasted to kill the molds and to stop aflatoxin production, and then peeled to facilitate the sorting of discolored peanuts which are believed to contain aflatoxins. The partially roasted peanuts and raw ones were packaged in conventional polypropylene woven sacks and hermetic packaging system and stored. It was demonstrated that partial roasting and peeling of peanuts can kill molds and halt aflatoxin production in stored peanuts. Partial roasting increased the effectiveness of peanut sorting and hence, aided in reducing aflatoxin levels along the peanut value chain. Additionally, the results of this study have shown that, compared to polypropylene woven sacks, hermetic storage suppresses mold growth because it eliminates oxygen from the package and results in lower aflatoxin levels and reduces the rate of quality deterioration. Profitability analysis conducted as part of this study revealed that the use of the hermetic storage system would not only improve farmer and trader profitability, but also help reduce the incidence of various ailments that have been attributed to aflatoxins. With the high potential of making additional profits when the hermetic packaging system is adopted, I recommend that local production and marketing of a hermetic storage system be encouraged, along with the active creation of awareness of their benefits in reducing the incidence of aflatoxins.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T19:15:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 27 / Nenhuma / Atualmente, a ferramenta orçamentária vem sofrendo forte crítica por parte de acadêmicos e gestores de empresa, por acreditarem que o orçamento não poderá mais ser aproveitado, nem readequado às novas necessidades empresariais básicas de sobrevivência, rapidez, descentralização e flexibilidade das ações administrativas. Entendem que a ferramenta orçamentária engessa e centraliza a gestão empresarial, não agrega valor e é dispendiosa, tomando tempo demais dos gestores. A partir disto, sabendo-se da ampla utilização do orçamento no processo de gestão, como ferramenta de planejamento e controle, tornam-se relevantes os estudos sobre as práticas de gestão orçamentária atuais. Neste contexto, esta pesquisa buscou investigar as práticas atuais de gestão orçamentária das empresas estabelecidas no Brasil. O estudo foi conduzido por meio de pesquisa de campo, nomeadamente de uma pesquisa-levantamento, aplicada às cinqüenta (50) maiores empresas por venda, listadas pela revista Exame - Melhores e Maiores, nos últimos t

The accelerating pace of growth of aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa has received much positive appraisal because of the potential of the industry to contribute to economic development and food security by providing jobs and animal protein. Adoption of best management practices (BMPs) holds the potential to ameliorate the related environmental impacts of aquaculture, such as in the amounts of nutrients and sediment that will enter natural water bodies from earthen pond effluents. The goals of this study were to characterize adoption of aquaculture BMPs on small-scale, pond-based farms in Ghana, and to assess selected economic, social, and environmental outcomes of BMP adoption. Two BMPs: 1) water reuse, and 2) commercial floating feeds, were investigated for adoption by pond-based fish farmers in Ghana. I conducted my study in Ghana using on-farm experiments involving intensive monitoring of water quality and growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) over two production cycles. Additionally, I administered a baseline survey to 393 (and a follow-up survey to 160) fish farmers. I determined the best model for modelling farmed Nile tilapia growth with multi-model inference based on Akaike information criterion (AIC), the profitability of adopting BMPs with stochastic enterprise budgets and, social welfare impact with the Economic-Surplus model. I used a Markov model to predict the equilibrium rate of adoption of the two BMPs and determined the impact of BMP adoption on the reduction of pollutant loading with the Minimum-Data method of the Tradeoffs Analysis (TOA-MD). My results showed that the logistic model is a better alternative to the von Bertalanffy model for modelling the growth of Oreochromis niloticus under pond aquaculture conditions. There were no significant differences in fish weight between the water re-use BMP and the use of new water. Adoption of the commercial floating feed BMP resulted in a 100% increase in fish final weight and yield, and in higher profitability, compared to the sinking feed type. Probability of making a profit was highest (72%) in the scenario with commercial feed and self-financing. Net present values (NPV) of about US$ 11 million and US$ 375 million could be obtained from the adoption of commercial floating feed and Genetically-Improved Farm Tilapia (GIFT) strain, respectively, in Ghana. Hence, any innovation that has a significant impact on fish yield also will have a significant impact on mean NPV and social welfare. However, I identified a number of potential negative ecological and genetic impacts exist from introducing the GIFT strain into Africa from Asia. Although considered low-intensity production systems, nutrients and solids in study ponds were found to be higher than levels expected in intensive culture ponds by wide margins. Pond water quality was significantly higher with commercial floating feed. The water-reuse BMP also prevented pollutants from leaving ponds altogether for the number of cycles for which pond water was reused, especially if associated BMPs such as rainfall capture and avoidance of water exchange are observed. Significant reductions in the loading of all water quality variables (nitrogen, phosphorus, solids, and BOD5) could be achieved with the adoption of the recommended feed type in Ghana. Adoption of the water reuse BMP has the potential to cause pollution reductions of 200% - 3,200% above that from the floating feed BMP. The strongest influence on the combined adoption of these BMPs were from : farmer's awareness of the feed BMP, perceived necessity and relative profitability of the water reuse BMP, and farmer's years of experience. A combination of central media (workshops), demonstrations, and lateral diffusion was found to be the most effective channel for disseminating these BMPs. Maximum adoption rate of the feed BMPs was estimated to be 38% - 58%. Also, US$ 6,000/year and US$12,000/year need to be paid per 0.6 ha pond surface area to push adoption of the feed BMP to 50% and 70%, respectively. Hence, to ensure the successful adoption of aquaculture BMPs, I recommend that regular well-planned workshops be organized to create awareness and a conducive atmosphere to target farmers at multiple stages of the innovation decision process. Incentives and effective dissemination will encourage the adoption of these and other environmental BMPs. Feed costs need to be lowered in order to encourage the adoption of commercial floating feed in Ghana. Future analyses could quantify the differences in production costs between using the two water types, to reveal the possible higher relative profitability of pond water reuse over draining ponds after each production cycle. Also, African governments are advised to commission rigorous baseline and ecological risk analyses before adoption of the GIFT strain. Improvements in management practices and infrastructure could increase the yield and profitability of the local strains even if genetically-improved strains are not introduced. / Ph. D.

Maintaining dissolved oxygen concentrations under different operating schemes (constant, manual or automated aeration control) was evaluated in 20 earthen catfish ponds ranging from 0.04 to 0.07 hectares in size. Ponds were assigned to treatments based on achieving equal distribution of biomass among treatments. Catfish weighing approximately 0.11 kg each were stocked at a rate of 14,820 catfish/hectare and were fed, to satiation, a 36% crude protein floating feed for the first week and switched to a 32% crude protein floating feed for the remainder of the study. Percentage weight gain, FCR and survival were calculated but did not differ among treatments. A partial enterprise budget analysis was generated to determine comparative value of different aeration techniques relative to production costs. Mean partial net returns did not differ among treatments. Complete comparison was not possible due to failure of automated monitors to record DO and to operate aerators under designed protocols.