Policy analysis matrix (PAM) was applied to assess the competitiveness of local, crossbred and exotic breeds of poultry and pig production in North and South Vietnam using data from a stratified sample of 2,213 farms collected in 1999. Results show that poultry meat and egg production is...

World agriculture is based on a small number of animal species and a decreasing number of breeds within each species. Several breeds of West African shorthorn cattle (Bos taurus brachyceros) are now at high risk of extinction due to interbreeding. The West African shorthorn breeds are...

This paper looks briefly at ecoregional research: what is commonly meant by the term and how it may be carried out. ILRI’s involvement in various ecoregional consortia is discussed, together with problems and constraints that have been faced to date. The paper ends by listing a number of...

Alley farming was developed as a means of maintaining soil fertility in fields under permanent cultivation in Africa, as population pressure makes the traditional practice of slash-and-burn combined with fallowing unsustainable. It is an agroforestry system under which food crops are grown in...

Economies of size have translated into much larger herd sizes and, therefore, employee bases on dairy farms throughout the Northeast. These non-family employees present managerial issues many farm managers are not accustomed to. This research quantifies and illustrates the internal pay structure...

As economies of size become increasingly important in production agriculture, farm sizes continually increase. For the farm members of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), this results in larger herds, more acres of crop production, and more full-time, non-owner employees. The...