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| Sain, Gustavo; Buckles, Daniel. |
| This paper compares the economics of the abonera maize production system, in which maize is grown in rotation with a green manure crop (velvetbean, Mucuna deeringiana), with traditional bush-fallow cultivation of maize in the Atlantic Coast area of Honduras. A probabilistic cost-benefit analysis of introducing velvetbean into the existing maize cropping pattern is carried out for the field, farm, and regional level. The probabilistic approach allows for a more comprehensive assessment of economic profitability, one which recognizes that farmers are interested in reducing production risk as well as obtaining increases in average net benefits. The analysis reveals that the abonera system provides significant returns to land and family labor over the six-year... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 1998 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7676 |
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| Sain, Gustavo; Martinez, Julio. |
| This report is based on a study of the adoption and use of improved open-pollinated varieties and hybrids by small-scale farmers in the Department of Jutiapa, Guatemala. The majority of maize producers in Guatemala are small-scale subsistence farmers. Approximately 60% of the basic grains produced in the country are grown on farms that are too small to satisfy the basic nutritional needs of a typical family (5-6 persons). Increasing yields through the use of new technologies is seen as a critical step to ensuring adequate nutrition and increasing farmer income in the area. The study, conducted in June and July 1991, randomly surveyed 208 farmers in 18 municipalities of Jutiapa, apportioned according to the number of farms in each municipality. There was... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 1999 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7687 |
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| Sain, Gustavo; Lopez-Pereira, Miguel A.. |
| This paper reviews trends in maize production and consumption in Central America and Mexico in the context of the political and economic changes taking place in the region since the 1970s. The authors focus on the effects of the structural adjustment programs in the 1980s and 1990s. The analysis begins by reviewing the economic context in which maize production occurs in the region and the main economic policy instruments affecting the maize economy. Next, trends in maize consumption and production are analyzed, along with the main factors influencing maize production, including trends in the public financing of maize research and extension. The authors find that several factors related to structural adjustment have defined--and are still defining--the... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 1999 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7680 |
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| de Herrera, Adys Pereira; Sain, Gustavo. |
| An aggressive research and validation program launched in 1984 in Azuero, Panama, yielded a recommendation advocating zero tillage for maize production. Ten years later, maize farmers in Azuero used three land preparation methods: conventional tillage, zero tillage, and minimum tillage (an adaptation of the zero tillage technology). This study aimed to quantify the adoption of zero and minimum tillage for maize in Azuero; identify factors influencing adoption of the different land preparation practices; and analyze the implications of the findings for future maize research and extension. Between 1985 and 1994, farmers in Region I of Azuero changed from conventional tillage to zero (33%) and minimum tillage (43%). In Regions II and III, most farmers still... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 1999 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7696 |
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