essays on precision agriculture technology adoption and risk management PDF
Preview essays on precision agriculture technology adoption and risk management
UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff KKeennttuucckkyy UUKKnnoowwlleeddggee University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2005 EESSSSAAYYSS OONN PPRREECCIISSIIOONN AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE TTEECCHHNNOOLLOOGGYY AADDOOPPTTIIOONN AANNDD RRIISSKK MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT Jean-Marc A. Gandonou University of Kentucky RRiigghhtt cclliicckk ttoo ooppeenn aa ffeeeeddbbaacckk ffoorrmm iinn aa nneeww ttaabb ttoo lleett uuss kknnooww hhooww tthhiiss ddooccuummeenntt bbeenneefifittss yyoouu.. RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Gandonou, Jean-Marc A., "ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT" (2005). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 227. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/227 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Jean-Marc A. Gandonou The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2005 ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky By Jean-Marc A. Gandonou Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Carl R. Dillon, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics Lexington, Kentucky 2005 Copyright © Jean-Marc A. Gandonou 2005 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT Precision agriculture (PA) can be defined as a set of technologies that have helped propel agriculture into the computerized information-based world, and is designed to help farmers get greater control over the management of farm operations. Because of its potential to spatially reduce yield variability within the field through variable rate application of nutrients it is thought to be a production risk management instrument. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is another production risk management technology that is generating interest from the farming community as a result of new technological improvements that facilitate equipment maintenance and reduces water consumption. In the first article the production risk management potential of these two technologies was investigated both for each technology and for a combination of the two. Simulated yield data for corn, wheat and soybeans were obtained using EPIC, a crop growth simulation model. Mathematical programming techniques were used in a standard E-V framework to reproduce the production environment of a Kentucky commercial grain farmer in Henderson County. Results show that for risk averse farmers, the lowest yield variability was obtained with the SDI technology. The highest profit level was obtained when the two technologies were combined. Investment in two sets of equipments (PA and SDI) to maximize profitability and reduce risk could however expose many farm operations to financial risk. In the second article, a discrete stochastic sequential programming (DSSP) model was used to analyze the impact of PA and/or SDI equipment investment on the farm’s liquidity and debt to asset ratio. In the last article, the cotton sector in Benin, West Africa, was utilized to study the transferability of PA technology to a developing country. Properly introduced, precision agriculture (PA) technology could help farmers increase profitability, improve management practices, and reduce soil depletion. An improved production system could also help farmers better cope with the policy risk related to cotton production. Results from the two models show that PA is less profitable for the risk neutral farmer but more profitable for the risk averse one when compared to conventional production practices. The adoption of the new technology also has very little impact on the choice of crop rotation made by the farmer. KEYWORDS: Precision agriculture (PA), irrigation, risk management, mathematical programming, Biophysical simulation. ________________________________________________ ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT By Jean-Marc A. Gandonou _______________________ Dr. Carl R. Dillon ___ Director of Dissertation _____________________Dr. David Freshwater___ Director of Graduate Studies _________________________________________ RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date DISSERTATION Jean-Marc A. Gandonou The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2005 ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky By Jean-Marc A. Gandonou Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Carl R. Dillon, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics Lexington, Kentucky 2005 Copyright © Jean-Marc A. Gandonou 2005
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