Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Pan Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Information & Management College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Jiamin Zhu Author-Workplace-Name: Information & Management College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Wenwen Pan Author-Workplace-Name: Information & Management College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Bingjun Li Author-Workplace-Name: Information & Management College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Qian Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Information & Management College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China Title: Factors affecting grain loss reduction efforts among Chinese farmers Abstract: In this study, we used psychology and organisational behaviour theories to determine the main elements affecting Chinese farmers' grain loss-reduction efforts (LREs). We established social factors (SFs), policy factors (PFs) and buyer's strategies (BSs) as the three central factors and constructed a theoretical framework linking these factors to grain producers' LREs. Using this framework, we designed a survey questionnaire and an interview guide; we subsequently collected 1 536 valid questionnaire responses and 25 interview transcripts. The findings revealed that SFs, PFs and BSs had a significance positive effect on the LREs of grain producers. Critically, grain producers from significant Chinese grain-producing regions did not always minimise the effects of the independent variables (SF, PF and BS) on the dependent variable (LRE). This research provides a new viewpoint on grain farmers' LREs activities and may be used to tailor policy and commercial strategies. Keywords: grain producers, influencing factors, loss-reduction efforts, postharvest losses, structural equation modelling Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 423-432 Volume: 71 Issue: 8 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/305/2024-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/305/2024-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202508-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:71:y:2025:i:8:id:305-2024-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Chunhua Chen Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Chongyu Ma Author-Workplace-Name: Transportation Institute, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, P.R. China Title: Efficiency of agricultural and pastoral systems in China considering shared factors and undesirable outputs Abstract: Assessing and optimising the efficiency of agricultural and pastoral systems is crucial for the long-term development of a country. The presence of shared factors and undesirable outputs increases the complexity of evaluating the efficiency of these systems. To address this issue, we first analysed the production possibility sets of the agricultural subsystems, pastoral subsystems, and agricultural and pastoral systems. Then, two bounded adjusted measure (BAM) models considering shared factors and undesirable outputs were proposed to evaluate the divisional efficiency of agricultural and pastoral subsystems. Additionally, a network BAM model in the presence of shared factors and undesirable outputs was developed to assess overall efficiency. Undesirable outputs were handled by slack-based measures in the three novel models. The proposed models were used to evaluate the efficiency of agricultural and pastoral systems across 30 provinces and cities in China. To explore the impact of undesirable outputs, the efficiency of ignoring undesirable outputs was investigated and compared with that obtained from the new method. These results suggest that ignoring undesirable outputs may misestimate efficiency to a certain extent. Keywords: agriculture, bounded adjusted measure, data envelopment analysis, shared factors, undesirable outputs Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 445-457 Volume: 71 Issue: 8 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/411/2024-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/411/2024-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202508-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:71:y:2025:i:8:id:411-2024-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Emmanuel Kiprop Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu. P.R. China Author-Name: Jane Chelagat Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya Author-Name: Geng Xianhui Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu. P.R. China Author-Name: Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu. P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness. Prince G Consultancy and Academy, Kabwe, Zambia Author-Name: Kebebew Bezu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu. P.R. China Author-Name: Salman Ibn Yasin Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu. P.R. China Title: The impact of contract farming on household income and poverty alleviation: Insights from smallholder poultry farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya Abstract: This study explores the impact of contract farming on household income and rural poverty alleviation using measures outlined by World Bank among 410 smallholder Kenyan poultry farmers. Using endogenous switching regression and propensity score matching models, we found that contract farming significantly boosts household income, with participants experiencing a 74% increase. If non-participants had engaged in contract farming, their income could have risen by 45.59%. The average treatment effect on the treated was USD 0.21 per capita per day, corresponding to a 9.83% reduction in extreme poverty and a 16.90% reduction in poverty severity. Written contracts proved the most effective in poverty alleviation, contributing to reduction of 12.17% and 20.93% in extreme poverty and poverty severity respectively. Spot transactions resulted in a 10.35% reduction in extreme poverty and a 17.80% reduction in poverty severity, while unwritten contracts had the least impact, with reductions of 7.92% and 13.62%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the substantial benefits of contract farming in improving household income and alleviating rural poverty. They highlight the importance of implementing and supporting written contracts to maximise poverty reduction. Targeted policy interventions and support for contract farming could further enhance its effectiveness and contribute to sustainable rural development. Keywords: dryland agriculture, Kenya, rural development, poultry value chain, small-scale farmers Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 433-444 Volume: 71 Issue: 8 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/450/2024-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/450/2024-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202508-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:71:y:2025:i:8:id:450-2024-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ilona Svobodová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Marie Šimpachová Pechrová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Milan Takáč Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Perception of resilience and its determinants with a focus on farm size: The case of agricultural enterprises in the Czech Republic Abstract: The aim of the paper is to examine the resilience of Czech agricultural enterprises through the perceptions of farm managers and to assess the areas where these businesses perceive themselves as resilient and where they feel vulnerable. The analysis is based on data from a survey conducted by the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information (IAEI) in June 2022, involving 521 Czech agricultural managers. The study focuses on six key areas: climate change and its impacts, agricultural inputs, labour force, market outlets, land prices and availability, and changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Across all areas, managers reported that businesses were more frequently vulnerable than resilient, particularly in relation to agricultural inputs and climate change. The results also highlight differences in the perception of resilience across enterprises of varying sizes, with significant variation noted in how changes to the CAP were viewed. Contrary to the common belief that larger enterprises are more resilient, the survey found that Czech medium-sized and large enterprises (with 200 hectares or more of agricultural land) were more frequently perceived as vulnerable. Keywords: determinants of resilience, farm, farmers' perception, resilience, vulnerability Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 458-474 Volume: 71 Issue: 8 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/479/2024-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/479/2024-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202508-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:71:y:2025:i:8:id:479-2024-AGRICECON