In the recent past precision farming has become increasingly popular amongfarmers. However, little has been done to study the business aspect of precision farming,with most research focusing on the production side. This purpose of this thesis is tostudy the feasibility of successfully opening and operating a precision farming firm inKentucky. To determine the feasibility of such a venture a computer model was createdand a producer survey was designed and distributed to farmers in Western and CentralKentucky.The purpose of the computer model was to determine the factors that wouldinfluence the successful operation of a precision farming firm including number of acresserviced per year, pricing of services, the cost of capital to borrow money, and manyother factors. A break-even analysis was performed to determine what kind of annualincreases in business would be required, what price range services should be in, and atwhat interest rate money could be borrowed and a simulated precision farming firm couldstill operate successfully.The producer survey was mailed to 336 farmers in Western and Central Kentuckybecause of their geographical locations and the type of crops that are grown there. Thesurvey response rate was 20 percent and of the 66 surveys that were returned 59 wereappropriate and useful for research. After compiling the results of the surveys,regressions were run to determine any correlation between dependent and independentvariables that affect the adoption rate of precision farming techniques. The results foundthat a negative correlation exists between age adoption rates of precision farming and thata positive correlation exists between farm size and adoption rates of precision farming.After conducting the research, it is believed that given the right economicconditions and management a precision farming firm is very capable of thriving inKentucky. However, the workforce must be very motivated and capable of constantlyrecruiting new clients to adopt precision farming.

Economic growth in emerging economies has been changing the livelihoods of many smallholders. Typically, disparity increases as economies emerge, and the agricultural sector experiences lower growth relative to other sectors. Growing inequalities and economic vulnerabilities during this critical period of development in emerging economies are often associated with social problems and political tensions, as this is the case in Thailand. In the latter, the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy (SE) has been employed through the monarchy in a number of ways. Due to laws prohibiting critique of the monarchy, these projects are not fairly evaluated and the perspectives of smallholders affected are largely unknown. Knowledge on the effectiveness of Thailand’s Philosophy of SE in combating the disparity problem and economic vulnerability in the agricultural sectors of emerging economies was gained through semi-structured interviews. An organic farming project run by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), called ISAC follows the principles of Sufficiency Economy, and is located in the Mae Taeng district in the north of the province of Chiang Mai. A sample of 20 farmers from two villages (Don Chiang and San Pa Yang) who participate in the project was interviewed. Questions regarding age and education level of all family members also created a quantitative sample of 72 individuals. An epistemological framework based in critical realism was employed with the use of purposive interview sampling methods Results indicate that employing SE can help a select group of farmers to escape economic vulnerability. This group includes farmers in an older age group with sufficient land and access to guidance. The philosophy may help keep this group of farmers satisfied as the countries economy evolves. The project appears to be sustainable only in the short-term as younger generations seem to be reaching higher levels of education than their elders and are likely to pursue lives outside of agriculture. In addition, some benefits of farming with the principles of SE include, lower financial stress, improved health, and a better family life. Conversely, a decision to live by the principles of SE can lead to a stigmatization of farmers within their community, creating in-groups and out-groups.

As food scares have hastened the growth of safety and quality standards around the world, certification schemes to assure various attributes of foods have proliferated in the global marketplace. High-value food commodities produced in the global south for export have been the subject of such schemes through third-party environmental certifications, providing regulatory and verification mechanisms welcomed by global buyers. As certification becomes more common, re-localization in the current global context can also mean the projection of place onto a food commodity to highlight its origin or attributes secured by transparent verification mechanisms. However, environmental food certification is often criticized for its inapplicability in the context of the global south, due to the extensive documentation requirements and high costs. The key question here is the process for small-scale producers in the global south to navigate increasing international regulation of food safety and quality. This dissertation examines (1) how the environmental standards (as defined by the global north) were translated in the rural global south through international certification schemes, and (2) what the implications are at the local level, especially where producers had not yet integrated into conventional global markets before the introduction of certification. The dissertation also analyzes the influence of such certification in determining the development trajectories of rural society in the global south. A case study is used to examine newly-introduced certified organic shrimp production in Ca Mau Province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. The selected shrimp production site is the first pilot organic shrimp project in Vietnam working with an international third-party certification scheme. It is located in rural Vietnam where, as in other parts of Southeast Asia, an accelerated process of agrarian transition is underway. Whereas elsewhere the trend with intensified regulation has been the consolidation of large-scale farms and the exclusion of small-scale farms from international agrofood markets, this case study demonstrates comparative advantages of small-scale farms over large-scale farms in producing sensitive high-value crops. This dissertation employs two main analytical approaches. The first approach is to examine the network of actors and the flow of information, payment and shrimp at the production level using environmental regulatory network (ERN). In contrast to chain analyses, which can be useful in identifying linear structure of supply chains for global commodities, ERN can capture the interrelatedeness of actors in the network built around environmental certification for agrofood products. The second analytical lens is that of agrarian transition. Countries experiencing agrarian transition at present are doing so in a very different international context from countries that accomplished their transitions in the past. Results of this research indicate that technical and financial constraints at the time of initial certification are not the primary obstacles to farmers getting certified, since the extensive farming method employed at the study site is organic by default. In spite of this, many farmers unofficially withdrew from the organic shrimp project by simply shifting their marketing channel back to a conventional one. Inefficient flows of information and payments, and a restrictive marketing channel within the environmental regulatory network that does not take into account local geographical conditions and farming practices, all contributed to limiting the farmers’ capacity and lowering their incentives to get involved in the network. The analysis also indicates that, by influencing those agrarian transition processes, food standards and certification based on values developed in the global north may modify, reshape and/or hold back agrarian transition processes in agricultural sectors of developing countries. The potential benefits of environmental certification are enhanced rural development, by generating opportunities for small-scale farmers to connect to global niche markets. The findings of this dissertation highlighted that such certification schemes or their environmental regulatory networks need to ensure information sharing and compensation for farmers. As an empirical finding, this dissertation also captures where ecological credibility and market logic meet: the success of this kind of certification depends on finding a balanced point where standards are ecologically (or ethically) credible to the level that does not attract too much criticism for being green washing, but not too unrealistic to become a disincentive for farmers to participate.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

The diploma thesis is focused on the analysis of the damages which were caused by wild boar on farming plants in the region of Milevsko. Three areas of interest were chosen for the observation (the area around Sepekov, Přeštenice and Opařany). Each of the areas of interest observed was chosen because of its conditions suitable for the occurrence of wild boar during whole year. Each area had also ideal conditions for evaluating of the damages caused by this species on farming plants. The main aim of this diploma thesis was appraisal of the damages caused by wild boar according to the most suitable Czech and foreign methodologies. The observation was realized in the period from the beginning of February 2011 to the end of October 2011. The size of the damages on particular farming lands was measured according to three Czech methodologies (according to Dvořák et al., 2006). Total evaluation of the damages caused by wild boar on farming plants was realized according to Czech methodology by Kamler and two foreign methodologies (by Jonathan Yoder and Ray T. Sterner). The biggest damages caused by wild boar were found out in the area around Sepekov. The most attractive and also the most damaged farming plant was maize in the region of Milevsko. The damages of permanent grass cover caused by rooting of wild boar were found out only in spring term. Winter grains were mostly damaged by wild boar in the period of milky ripeness. In case of the usage of the methodologies for finding out the amount of damaged area it was necessary to choose the methodology according to the kind of a farming plant, the height of a plant and the kind of the damage. All three types of the methodologies used for finding out the total amount of damages caused by wild boar on farming plants were very exact and applicable to the chosen region.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:24:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PGCA14MA136.pdf: 1647918 bytes, checksum: ff7f5d61d4f253fad4a57167131394e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / World aquaculture has shown a steady growth with emphasis on fish farming . In the inland waters of altitude regions in Brazil, raising trout is an example of exponential growth of production. The rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss is a exotic fish species, native to western North America and was introduced in Brazil to populate the rivers of naturally poor in native fish fauna highlands. The trout production is characterized as an intensive culture, achieving high productivity in small areas, representing an alternative economic activity. However, considering the high investment for the implementation and maintenance of cultivation, it is necessary to evaluate the economic viability of the activity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the economic viability of raising trout in small, medium and large-scale production based on the economic results obtained. In order to obtain economic data were taken as a basis three producers located in the cities of Bocaina do Sul, Painel and Urubici, being characterized as small and medium (perform fattening) and major producer (produces full-cycle), respectively. Based on the analysis of the economic viability of small and medium producers was observed that the two scales of production were economically viable, and larger scale production provided higher annual income (AI) and higher Net Present Value (NPV), but in general other indicators were very similar for the two producers. The results for the small to medium producer respectively were: Payback period on capital invested (PRC) 5.3 and 5.6 years; Cost Benefit Ratio (CBR) 1.54 and 1.63, Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 18 and 19%. For large producer was possible to observe that the full production cycle is economically viable, showing excellent economic indicators. The large-scale production provided an annual income of R $ 1,123,467.00, the Payback period was fast (4.1 years on average), the Cost Benefit Ratio was 2.08 and the Internal Rate of Return was 24%. Based on the results it can be concluded that raising trout in small and medium scale is economically viable and that the small-scale production requires full time from producer. From the creation of different scenarios for the different scales of production was observed that the average scale is feasible to hire a technical manager, without compromising the economic results, which was not possible with the small producer. The full production cycle generates excellent economic results and increases the autonomy of the producer in relation to the supply chain, and do only fattening reduces profitability and increases the risks for the producer. Produce supplies such as ration improves economic outcomes and decreases the dependence on the market, but in return makes feed conversion worse. Working only with an industry was less profitable than full production cycle, and in that case the producer is dependent on the production of other properties to keep his unit operating. Finally, it was demonstrated that all scales of production are economically viable, but improper food handling can make the activity unviable, since the feed was the largest item of costing on all scales analyzed / A aquicultura mundial vem apresentando um crescimento constante com destaque para a piscicultura. Nas águas interioranas de regiões de altitude no Brasil, a truticultura é um exemplo de crescimento exponencial de produção. A truta arco-íris Oncorhynchus mykiss é uma espécie de peixe exótica, originária do oeste da América do Norte e foi introduzida no Brasil para povoar os rios das regiões serranas, naturalmente pobres em ictiofauna nativa. A produção de trutas caracteriza-se como sendo uma cultura intensiva, alcançando alta produtividade em pequenas áreas, representando uma atividade econômica alternativa. Entretanto, como é um alto investimento para a implantação e manutenção do cultivo, é necessário avaliar a viabilidade econômica da atividade. Assim sendo, o objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a viabilidade econômica da truticultura em pequena, média e grande escala de produção com base nos resultados econômicos obtidos. Para a obtenção dos dados econômicos, foram tomados como base três produtores localizados nos município de Bocaina do Sul, Painel e Urubici, sendo caracterizados como pequeno e médio (realizam a engorda) e grande produtor (produz em ciclo completo), respectivamente. A partir da análise de viabilidade econômica do pequeno e médio produtor foi possível observar que as duas escalas de produção foram viáveis economicamente, e a maior escala de produção proporcionou maior renda anual (RA) e maior valor presente líquido (VPL), mas de maneira geral os outros indicadores foram bem semelhantes para os dois produtores. Os resultados para o pequeno e médio produtor respectivamente foram as seguintes: período de retorno do capital investido (PRC) 5,3 e 5,6 anos; relação benefício custo (RBC) 1,54 e 1,63 e uma taxa interna de retorno (TIR) 18 e 19%. Para o grande produtor foi possível observar que a produção em ciclo completo é viável economicamente, inclusive mostrando excelentes indicadores econômicos. Na grande escala de produção foi observado uma renda anual de R$ 1.123.467,00, um período de retorno de capital rápido (em média 4,1 anos), a relação benefício custo de 2,08 e a taxa interna de retorno de 24%. A partir dos resultados pode-se concluir que a truticultura em pequena e média escala é viável economicamente e que a produção em pequena escala exige dedicação integral do produtor. A partir da criação de diferentes cenários para as diferentes escalas de produção se observou que na média escala é viável a contratação de um responsável técnico, sem comprometer os resultados econômicos, o que não foi possível com o pequeno produtor. A produção em ciclo completo gera excelentes resultados econômicos e aumenta a autonomia do produtor em relação à cadeia produtiva, e fazer somente a engorda diminui a lucratividade e aumenta os riscos para o produtor. Produzir insumos como a ração melhora os resultados econômicos e diminui a dependência do mercado, mas em contrapartida piora a conversão alimentar. Trabalhar apenas com frigorífico foi menos rentável que produção em ciclo completo, e neste caso produtor fica dependente da produção de outras propriedades para manter sua unidade beneficiadora operando. Finalmente, foi demonstrado que todas as escalas de produção são viáveis economicamente, porém um manejo alimentar inadequado pode inviabilizar a atividade, já que a ração foi o maior item de custeio em todas as escalas analisadas

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T17:44:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dieterson_Debus.pdf: 1859784 bytes, checksum: 40bbc43ad96719601d931a98589141a3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-10-26 / Family farming is configured as an important strategy for sustainable rural development, food production, job creation and community building and productive practices. In this context, the cities of Toledo and Maripá have increased both in fish production and productivity. Toledo is the first state of the producer in the fish farming sector with a production of about 50 million fry and about six million kilos of fish killed in 2015. But the municipality of Maripá in addition to the production there are the productivity. There are 89 fish farmers, who cultivate an area of about 125.0 ha of water surface, with an average yield of 7.0 t/ha, while the state average is about 2.5 t/ha. As such, good management of small rural property is of great importance for both tax requirements as to the knowledge of the results of the activity. Balance sheets, income statements and other reports based on rural accounting tools are of paramount importance for property management. Thus, this thesis analyzed the financial control of the activity of fish farming in family farming in the cities of Toledo and Maripá in the west of Paraná, listing the aspects of family farming, sustainable development and management real estate. Therefore, on the basis of documentary literature interviews, literature and field-directed fish farmers Toledana Aquaculture Association - Atoaqui and the Association of Aquaculture Aquaculture Producers - Aquimap. The results highlighted the low level of education of fish farmers, a greater financial dependence on activity by Maripá fish farmers, lack of effective financial control in the activity, the situation has an impact development of strategies and future investment. Also noteworthy are the weak provision of technical assistance by associations and the highest percentage of issuance of producer tax notes among Maripá fish farmers. As far as the environmental aspects are concerned, most of the properties comply with the legislation in force. In addition, there is no effective treatment of effluent produced by fish farms in both cities. In addition, research has shown the importance that activity on the income of the families surveyed, which contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of these. However, the major challenge in dealing with this same time, with all the daily financial, political and environmental activities and still manage related to rural properties. Thus, it is expected that this research will contribute to future studies, as well as contribute to the development of family farming, which has an important role in the development of cities and the country / A agricultura familiar configura-se como uma importante estratégia para o Desenvolvimento Rural Sustentável, produzindo alimentos, gerando empregos e estimulando práticas associativas e produtivas. Nesse contexto, os municípios de Toledo e Maripá vem se destacando tanto na produção quanto na produtividade piscícola. Toledo é o 1º produtor do Estado no setor da piscicultura com uma produção de aproximadamente 50 milhões de alevinos e cerca de seis milhões de kg de peixes abatidos em 2015. Já o município de Maripá, além da produção, destaca-se pela produtividade. São 89 piscicultores, os quais cultivam uma área de aproximadamente 125,0 ha de lâmina d água, com produtividade média de 7,0 t/ha, enquanto a média do Estado gira em torno de 2,5 t/ha. Nessa capacidade produtiva, uma boa gestão da pequena propriedade rural é de grande importância, tanto para exigências fiscais quanto para o conhecimento dos resultados da atividade. Os balanços patrimoniais, demonstrações de resultados e outros relatórios extraídos da contabilidade rural são ferramentas de extrema importância para a gestão da propriedade. Assim, a presente dissertação analisou o controle financeiro na atividade da piscicultura na agricultura familiar nos municípios de Toledo e Maripá no Oeste do Paraná, elencando aspectos da agricultura familiar, do desenvolvimento sustentável e da gestão da propriedade. Para tanto, baseou-se em pesquisa documental, bibliográfica e de campo, com entrevistas direcionadas aos piscicultores da Associação Toledana de Aquicultura Atoaqui e da Associação dos Aquicultores de Maripá - Aquimap. Os resultados apontaram para a baixa escolaridade dos piscicultores, maior dependência financeira da atividade por parte dos piscicultores de Maripá, falta de um controle financeiro efetivo na atividade, situação está que impacta negativamente em estabelecer estratégias e projetar investimentos futuros. Indicaram, ainda, a baixa prestação de assistência técnica por parte das associações e o maior percentual de emissão de notas fiscais do produtor entre os piscicultores de Maripá. Em relação a aspectos ambientais, a maioria das propriedades atende à legislação vigente. Por outro lado, não existe um efetivo tratamento dos efluentes produzidos pelas pisciculturas em ambos os municípios. Ademais, a pesquisa evidenciou a importância que a atividade tem na renda das famílias pesquisadas, contribuindo com a melhoria da qualidade de vida destas. No entanto o grande desafio este em trabalhar, ao mesmo tempo, com as questões financeiras, políticas e ambientais e ainda lidar com todas as atividades diárias inerentes as propriedades rurais. Assim, espera-se que está pesquisa contribua com estudos futuros, além de colaborar para o desenvolvimento da agricultura familiar, a qual possui um papel relevante no desenvolvimento dos municípios, bem como do país

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Economic growth in emerging economies has been changing the livelihoods of many smallholders. Typically, disparity increases as economies emerge, and the agricultural sector experiences lower growth relative to other sectors. Growing inequalities and economic vulnerabilities during this critical period of development in emerging economies are often associated with social problems and political tensions, as this is the case in Thailand. In the latter, the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy (SE) has been employed through the monarchy in a number of ways. Due to laws prohibiting critique of the monarchy, these projects are not fairly evaluated and the perspectives of smallholders affected are largely unknown. Knowledge on the effectiveness of Thailand’s Philosophy of SE in combating the disparity problem and economic vulnerability in the agricultural sectors of emerging economies was gained through semi-structured interviews. An organic farming project run by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), called ISAC follows the principles of Sufficiency Economy, and is located in the Mae Taeng district in the north of the province of Chiang Mai. A sample of 20 farmers from two villages (Don Chiang and San Pa Yang) who participate in the project was interviewed. Questions regarding age and education level of all family members also created a quantitative sample of 72 individuals. An epistemological framework based in critical realism was employed with the use of purposive interview sampling methods Results indicate that employing SE can help a select group of farmers to escape economic vulnerability. This group includes farmers in an older age group with sufficient land and access to guidance. The philosophy may help keep this group of farmers satisfied as the countries economy evolves. The project appears to be sustainable only in the short-term as younger generations seem to be reaching higher levels of education than their elders and are likely to pursue lives outside of agriculture. In addition, some benefits of farming with the principles of SE include, lower financial stress, improved health, and a better family life. Conversely, a decision to live by the principles of SE can lead to a stigmatization of farmers within their community, creating in-groups and out-groups.