From 1991 to 1997, field observations on trials involving the use of metalaxyl and copper-based fungicides were made on farmers' farms in four Phytophthora megakarya affected cocoa growing regions of Ghana to control Phytophthora pod rot disease. Data on farm management practices, cocoa and shade tree types and densities, plot sizes, yield, land tenure and labour arrangements for farm operations, disease incidence and profitability of disease control were collected. Lower disease incidence and higher yields were recorded on fungicide-treated plots than on the untreated plots.

In 2003 we conducted a study to determine the consequences of feral hog (Sus scrofa) invasions in several ecoregions of Texas. We examined the observations, experiences, and actions of landowners and managers concerning feral hogs on their property. We used purposive sampling of landowners and managers who fit 1 or more of 3 selection criteria. Landowners and managers were either sent a self-administered, mail-out questionnaire or given a copy of the questionnaire during pesticide applicator workshops. There were 775 survey participants.

The objective of this study is to determine the financing impact of total expenditure on the use of agriculture inputs (fertilizers, labor, and pesticides), and the output of cotton, rice, beans, corn, soybean, and wheat in Brazil. We study the period 1976–2005. The analysis is based on duality applied to the production theory. The output supplies and conditioned input demands are estimated from a translog multi‐output, multi‐input restricted profit function, where the total production credit is used as proxy of the total expenditure.

This paper analyses the effect of a set of irrigation rehabilitation projects conducted over the last 10 years in Peru. The projects were conducted without the aim or the tools for a full-fledged impact evaluation. Nevertheless, this paper attempts an evaluation through the use of alternative data sources such as household surveys and geographic information, a strategy of identification of beneficiaries and control households based on spatial proximity to the projects' sites, and an econometric approach consisting of a double-differencing technique.

Optimum crop yield is greatly affected by proper planting and sowing times. The objective of this research was to develop an algorithm that uses the heat unit concept to determine the most suitable planting times for vegetable crops. The developed algorithm was programmed in a database environment with sample climatic data for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The model was tested by validation (comparison to experts’ estimations), verification (statistical comparison to formal published data), and evaluation (by professionals, landowners, and farmers).

The study used a combination of ethno-social surveys and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to assess 651 pastoral households and their land use under agropastoral production systems in Ogun State, Nigeria. Yields of arable crops on agropastoralists' fields were generally low. Livestock productivity was similar on all parameters to levels in comparable contexts elsewhere across the West African subregion, but generally below possible potentials and on-farm research findings. Pastoral households' activities presently influence between 221 km2 and 523 km2 of land in Ogun State.

The practice of raising cattle in the Amazon has been connected to deforestation, which has been especially intense in the Eastern Amazonian state of Pará that contained 23% of new rural settlements before 2008. The settlements were part of a program of land reform that allowed farmers to receive public credit. Public credit aims to increase production and incorporation of new technologies by settled farmers, which can lead to a decrease in pressure on forested areas.

The fate of ecosystem services (ESS) in the United States depends on the actions of private landowners and operators (‘farmers’). This work uses a mixed qualitative and quantitative method to understand farmer knowledge of ESS and willingness to manage lands from an ESS perspective. Fourteen interviews were conducted to analyze farmer understanding of ESS within the context of conservation management.

This article examines how property rights expectations affect resource management incentives. It utilizes expected property rights over different timespans and of different strengths, corresponding to (a) investments of different intensities and (b) farmers' sense of security regarding their often de facto property rights. The results suggest that property rights and their alienability in ten-year time matter to intensive infrastructural investments, although not to lighter investments.

Payment for ecosystem services (PES) has been widely promoted as an effective and efficient model for conservation; however, few studies have empirically examined how the market-based approach interacts with farmer's decision-making processes and their abilities to sustain new conservation practices. This paper examines the sustainability of a PES silvopastoral programme in Colombia from peasant farmers’ perspectives.