The unequal distribution of gains from technology between favorable and unfavorable rice environments in Asia can widen if future transgenic rice varieties cannot be adopted in less favored regions. This study investigates the potential economic impacts of three transgenic rice technologies:...

The state of Virginia has been a leader in the design and implementation of welfare reform measures. State welfare reforms were enacted in 1996 and federal reforms followed shortly after in 1996. Initial decreases in program caseloads and the movement of former recipients from unemployment to...

This thesis examines the economic impact of two alternative canning plant sizes in Scott County, Virginia. The impacts of a community cannery as well as a commercial cannery are analyzed with respect to changes in output, employment, and income. Several uses for the commercial cannery are...

This dissertation contains three related papers. The first paper revisits the concept of integrated rural development and provides examples on how to design balanced development work programs for the Trifinio region, a small rural region shared by 3 Central American countries. Work programs...

Riparian Forest Buffer Systems contribute to non-point source pollution control and improve the physical and trophic qualities of streams. There is a limited understanding of the full range of costs incurred when implementing a RFBS. Establishment costs will vary with the site characteristics....

The improper aggregation of commodities can have important consequences when estimating a system of group demand equations. Generally, aggregates are created under the assumptions that intra-group preferences are homothetic and the consumer's utility function is weakly separable over some...

The dissertation examines advancements in the methods and techniques used in the field of econometrics. These advancements include: (i) a re-examination of the underlying statistical foundations of statistical models with binary dependent variables. (ii) using feed-forward backpropagation...

The Rappahannock River Basin Commission is undergoing a collaborative water supply planning process for Virginiaâs Rappahannock River Basin. Participants in the planning process have indicated an interest in technical information about the possible impact conservation programs may have on...

In international trade involving agricultural products, attempts to safeguard the health of humans, animals, and plants, have led to the imposition of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. Due to the fact that groundnuts are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, stringent aflatoxin...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cost implications of various provisions of the Virginia Nutrient Credit Exchange Act. The first objective was to estimate the cost implications of point source trading provisions of the Act. An integer programming cost minimization model was...