This dissertation is comprised of three essays that generate methods to measure the ex-ante economic impacts of agriculture technology innovations. The first essay entitled âValuing Intellectual Property Rights in an Imperfectly Competitive Market: A Biopharming Applicationâ presents a method...

Cassava is the main staple crop in Nigeria. Using primary data from four south eastern states in Nigeria, the study assessed the gender impacts of improved cassava varieties. Comparative statistical analysis reveals that total female labor is higher than total male in cassava production,...

This dissertation is composed of three essays; the first two examine the decision-making of potato producing households in Bolivia and the third examines well-being changes among Zimbabwe households. The first essay entitled âThe role of risk mitigation in production efficiency: A case study of...

This research examines how the harvesting behavior of nonindustrial private forest landowners, and their use of forestland for non-timber amenities, is affected by adjacent landowner behavior. The uncertainty an individual landowner has regarding adjacent landownersâ preferences, and how the...

An analysis of the green industry of Virginia was completed in the year 2002 using a mail survey sent to industry participants. The survey was conducted by the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service (VASS). This data was used to run an economic impact analysis of the industry using IMPLAN...

This study sought to determine the feasibility of introducing bamboo as a raw material to supplement the dwindling stock of traditional timber species for Ghanaâs forest products industry. First, the CEOs of the leading exporters of tertiary and panel products in the industry were canvassed to...

Farmers around the world rely on IPM practices in order to increase their yields and reduce their losses due to pests. Assessing the impacts of previous IPM CRSP studies is crucial for successful continuance of the program and to provide meaningful recommendations to farmers. This thesis...

This study offers two cost analyses to inform public policy decisions on the use of land and water resources. The first presents some public service costs associated with different spatial forms of land development. The second cost analysis presents costs associated with three different policy...

Using a cross section data collected in 2005, this study uses both parametric and semi-parametric methods to investigate key factors associated with household vulnerability to drought and economic downturns from exposure to shocks in Niger, conditioned on household and community assets. The...

In Bolivia, potato production and marketing is important for farmersâ livelihoods and anecdotal information shows that cell phones and women are extremely important in the potato marketing chain. Efforts to improve incomes of poor highland potato producers should recognize roles of different...