Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dairy industry: Lessons from China and the United States and policy implications

The purposes of this study are to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts on the dairy industries in China and the United States and to derive policy recommendations for enhancing the diary industries' resilience to pandemics and other market shocks. Specifically, data from the two nations are used to analyze and compare the mechanisms through which the pandemic has affected their dairy industries and to discuss potential lessons from their experiences. The findings suggest that this pandemic has heavily affected the dairy industries in both China and the United States through similar mechanisms, such as decreased farmgate milk prices, disruption and difficulties of moving milk within the supply chains, worker shortages, increased production costs, and lack of operating capital. There were also significant differences in the affecting mechanisms between the two nations, including transportation difficulties from widespread road closures and significant reduction in holiday sales of dairy products in China, and the shutdown of many dairy processors in the United States due to the closing of schools, restaurants, and hotels. While government financial reliefs are highly needed to help many dairy farms and processors survive this pandemic in the short term, the dairy industries and governments need to work together to develop long-term strategies and policies to balance the industries' efficiency and flexibility, product specialization and diversification, supply chain integration and local food systems, and market mechanisms and policy regulations and interventions.     

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural exports

The COVID-19 outbreak has shocked the world's economies in the year of 2020. As this pandemic spreads around the globe, many experts feared that the global food supplies might start running short, especially if supply chains were disrupted. COVID-19 also added to the uncertainty of the business operation. Therefore, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 pandemic affected global food supply and market. In this study, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural export companies in China using a unique firm-level survey data. We found that although on average agricultural businesses experienced declines in the exports, exports of some agricultural products especially grain and oil held strong and even increased, implying the essential demand for staple food during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, exports of medicinal herb also increased significantly during the pandemic. However, exports of goods such as edible fungus and horticultural products sharply decreased. Our results also showed that in general, impact of COVID-19 on smaller firms was more severe than that on larger firms. The results of this study can provide useful guidance and implications for agricultural businesses and policy makers on their COVID-19 mitigation efforts to navigate this global pandemic.     

Off-farm employment and poverty alleviation in rural China

Two phenomena in the history of China's economic growth during the last four decades are the increase in the share of offfarm employment and the progress in poverty alleviation in rural China. Although both of them have been well documented in the literature, less is known about the linkage between the two. To better understand the role that off-farm employment has played in poverty alleviation in rural China is critically important not only for China but also for those countries that are trying to reduce poverty. Here, we examine the impact of off-farm employment on poverty alleviation in rural China. Using the data from two nationally representative household panel surveys(China National Rural Survey and China Rural Development Survey), this paper provides supporting evidence that off-farm employment contributes to poverty alleviation in rural China. Specifically, if household participation in off-farm employment increases by 10 percentage points, the likelihood for a nonpoor household to fall into poverty will decrease by 0.88 percentage point whereas the likelihood for a poor household to climb out of poverty will increase by 3.5 percentage points. In a word, off-employment can not only prevent rural residents to fall into poverty but also help those already in poverty climb out of it.     

当前中国农村的贫困问题

20世纪中国农村贫困人口的快速下降得到了国际社会的广泛好评。但是进入新世纪以后，农村贫困问题并没有继续得到明显改善，贫困人口数量保持刚性稳定，过去对贫困人口数量的估算也受到了各方面的质疑。贫困人口生计脆弱性、妇女贫困等一系列的贫困问题仍然十分严峻。本文从我国贫困人口数量、贫困人口分布、贫困结构和贫困程度以及贫困人口生计等角度，总体叙述了当前中国农村的贫困问题。     

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vegetable production and countermeasures from an agricultural insurance perspective

In the face of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential to stabilize the security of urban “shopping baskets”. Through a survey and interviews with 46 agricultural cooperatives in Shanghai, this paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on vegetable production and offers suggestions on agricultural insurance. The research results show that: (1) the pandemic has impacted almost all stages of the vegetable supply chain but has had a greater impact on the sales stage; (2) the market risks of vegetable production have increased significantly, and the gap between the field price and the market price has widened. The sales price difference between traditional channels and e-commerce is notable; (3) farmers' incomes have generally declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and traditional small-scale farmers have suffered more losses; and (4) agricultural insurance plays an important role in stabilizing the supply of vegetables to the city. To minimize the impact of the pandemic on vegetable production and to stabilize both urban “shopping baskets” and farmers' incomes, it is necessary to further improve agricultural insurance, especially to provide insurance against market risks.     

The impact of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on the “health poverty alleviation” of rural households in China

This study investigates the impact of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme(NRCMS) on rural households to escape poverty. We employ the instrumental variable method, the IVProbit model, to analyze the national data from the rural-resident field survey by the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS) in 2016. Based on the large-scale data, we found that, first, the hospitalization of family members is the key factor in increasing the risk of the family falling into poverty. The NRCMS has significantly reduced the likely risk of falling into poverty. Second, the impact of the NRCMS on poverty alleviation varies among groups with different levels of income. There is no impact on the upper-middle and high-income groups; in contrast, the NRCMS has substantially improved the capacity of low-income rural families to prevent poverty due to illness, especially for the lower-middle-income group. Third, there exist significant regional differences in the impact of NRCMS on the health poverty alleviation of rural households in China. The NRCMS has successfully reduced the risk of rural households in the western region falling into poverty, simultaneously, no significant impact on those in the eastern and central regions. In order to diminish and eliminate poverty eventually and boost rural residents' capacity for income acquisition, we propose the following: raise the actual compensation ratio of the NRCMS, control the rising expense of NRCMS by promoting the payment method reform, construct the comprehensive healthcare system in the western region, strengthen the medical security for the poor in remote area, and enhance the living environment for rural residents.     

The effects of social security expenditure on reducing income inequality and rural poverty in China

Social security has, as one of its primary aims, the provision of financial support to those deemed to be poor or facing the threat of poverty. Based on China's national statistical data covering social insurance, social assistance, and social welfare between the period 1978–2018, this paper evaluates the effect of social security expenditure in reducing income inequality and rural poverty with cointegration analysis. It was found that there is a positive correlation between social security expenditure and the income gap of urban and rural residents in the long run, but the effect is very limited; nearly 99% of the changes of the urban–rural income gap come from its own contributions. Further research also shows that the elasticity of rural poverty incidence to social security expenditure is –0.2255, which indicates social security expenditure helps reduce rural absolute poverty. Based on these findings, the policy implications can be that much social security expenditure and a more equitable social security system should be encouraged. It will become one of the major anti-poverty strategies after 2020 in China when we win the battle against absolute poverty.     

Status and path of intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China: A human capital investment perspective

This paper focused on the intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China by estimating the intergenerational transmission of earnings and stated its mechanism from the perspective of human capital investment before children participated in the labor market. The data used in this study were longitude data collected in 2 000 households of 100 villages among 25 counties across five provinces in 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2019. Qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. We found a significant intergenerational transmission of earnings in rural China, especially for the pairs of father–children and parents–children. The intergenerational earnings' elasticities were much less than those in urban areas, which indicated better social mobility in rural areas than that in urban China. The children with parents who could earn much were more likely to be invested before they participated in the labor market, gain a high education and have more skills. Three cases further showed that the mechanism of human capital investment in children breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty and promoting social mobility.     

Vegetable production under COVID-19 pandemic in China: An analysis based on the data of 526 households

The COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on the vegetable supply chain in China. Effective evaluation of the pandemic's influences on vegetable production is vital for policy settings to enhance the security of vegetable supply. Based on first-hand data from 526 households, we explored regional differences in different types of loss and potential factors affecting the severity farmer households suffered during the pandemic. The results underline that sales contraction and price volatility in the context of interruption of supply chain dominate the total losses during the pandemic. Such losses differ across provinces and are more substantial in provinces with stricter confinement measures. Farmer households' participation in local market and modern marketing methods helps mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 shock, while labor hiring and facilities adoption in production widen the losses due to the shortage in the workforce. In the future, the vegetable industry practitioners and relevant government departments should work together to coordinate the development of short and long supply chains and strengthen the stability and security of the vegetable supply chain.     

西南地区贫困乡村地域类型划分及减贫对策研究

以国务院扶贫开发领导小组2012年最新确定的国家扶贫重点县名单中涉及西南地区(重庆、四川、云南、贵州、广西)的267个贫困县为研究对象,利用Arc GIS空间分析软件和SPSS统计分析软件,将西南地区贫困县空间数据与属性数据进行叠加分析,揭示西南地区贫困乡村的空间分异特征。通过高程、坡度、人均GDP、少数民族占比、距省府距离等因素的分级和聚类分析,划分西南地区贫困乡村地域类型,针对各类贫困乡村的关键致贫因子,提出减贫脱贫措施。结果表明:1)西南地区贫困乡村的分异表现为:地势较低,坡度相对较缓的地区,贫困的发生率及贫困乡村的密度相对较低;而地势较高、坡度变化较大的地区,贫困县的分布较为集中;少数民族比重较高、距省府较远的区域,贫困的发生率及贫困乡村分布越广泛;2)通过综合聚类分析,西南地区贫困乡村共划分成九类;3)针对九类贫困乡村的关键致贫因子提出相应减贫对策:深化三产融合发展,进一步加强区域特色产业发展,并延长产业链;促进生态、经济、社会文化互动共进与协调发展;加强基础设施与公共服务设施建设,缩短贫困乡村与经济中心时间距离和经济距离,改善其通达状况。     

Impact of climate-smart agricultural technology on multidimensional poverty in rural Ethiopia

A large body of empirical literature showed that the adoption of agricultural technologies reduces poverty. However, dominants of those studies so far used one-dimensional income or expenditure-based measures of poverty which may not reflect other types of deprivations. Therefore, the major objective of this study is to examine the impact of adopting climate-smart agricultural technology, which refers to a joint application of row planting methods and the use of chemical fertilizers, on the multidimensional poverty status of rural households in Ethiopia. To estimate the impact of the stated technologies, this study employs propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression methods. To measure the multidimensional poverty index, the study also uses the Alkire and Foster counting approach. Using the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey(ESS), collected in 2015-Wave 3, the results of the study show that the adoption of these technologies reduces deprivation score and one of its component, the standard of living part. Regionally, a high reduction in deprivation is observed in Amhara and Oromiya regions. The results also show that the impact is significantly higher in severely deprived households. It is also observed that the reduction in multidimensional poverty due to the technology is through an increase in income/consumption via improvement in production gain. The impact channels more through the non-food expenditure pathway. Finally, this study also sheds light on the effects that technology adoption has on multidimensional poverty reduction.     

广东农村贫困的类型及原因

结合广东省农村贫困实际，总结了广东农村贫困分布的分散化趋势，归纳了广东农村贫困的6种具体类型及其表现特点，并对致贫原因进行了分析．     

致富带头人带贫减贫机制及个体特征的影响

为探究致富带头人的带贫减贫机制及个体特征的影响,基于参与式扶贫理论与涓滴理论,利用20个县市致富带头人的调研数据,采用分位数回归方法,对致富带头人带动农户带贫减贫的机制进行了剖析,检验了个体特征对致富带头人带动农户减贫效果的差异。研究表明:致富带头人同时具备“农民”和“企业家”的双重身份,具有明显的主动“带富”特征,对农户收入的影响包含了“利己性”与“利他性”的双向特征,致富带头人的教育水平和技能水平对带动农户增收和脱贫影响显著,但存在一定的局限性,现有的技能培训和管理培训还需进一步深化。因此,需要培育多种形式的致富带头人,扩大乡村经济精英与社会精英范围,加强致富带头人系统化技能和管理培训,强化物质支持和精神激励,提高身份认同,激发带富潜能。     

新冠肺炎疫情对乡村人居环境治理的影响及提升策略分析——基于安徽的调查分析

基于安徽省443个调研数据对村民乡村人居环境治理现状认知和参与乡村人居环境治理意愿响应进行分析。结果表明，农村基础设施供给数量和质量不均衡问题依然存在，基层卫生保障条件水平还有较大提升空间，村民参与人居环境治理水平相对偏低，互联网在乡村人居环境治理中的作用开始显现。大部分村民愿意以出资方式参与乡村人居环境治理水平提升行动，村民对村庄环境提升作用认识、对村干部信任程度对他们的出资意愿具有显著正向影响。建议在乡村人居环境治理中关注乡村人居环境内涵建设，多措并举提升乡村人居环境治理质量。     

新冠肺炎疫情时期网民的信息需求主题关联及情境因素研究

[目的/意义]识别信息需求的情境因素对于理解信息需求的产生机制具有重要意义.[方法/过程]本研究从百度知道社会问答平台上爬取了2019.12.31～2020.3.30期间网民关于新冠肺炎的提问数据,采用内容分析法、共现网络分析法等方法,识别网民信息需求主题、揭示信息需求主题关联、发现不同信息需求主题在各种情境因素下的特...     

能人带户旅游扶贫模式下农户增权效应研究——基于易县狼牙山地区的案例分析

贫困人口能力和权利缺失已成为影响旅游扶贫效应的重要因素,探究能人带户旅游扶贫模式下贫困地区农户社区增权效应对当地旅游扶贫项目精准实施具有重要意义,也为其他区域实现旅游扶贫可持续发展提供理论与实践参考。以河北省易县狼牙山地区为例,运用案例分析和实地调研方法,分析能人带户旅游扶贫模式下社区增权效应,剖析其内在逻辑。结果表明,狼牙山地区在能人带户旅游扶贫模式下基本实现了社区旅游经济、心理、社会增权,主要得益于村庄能人的社会责任感和能人带户示范带动效应,也契合了村民、政府和村庄能人的利益诉求。同时依托于全民参与机制与利益分配机制,实现了旅游扶贫社区增权,提升了贫困农户的可行能力和获得感。面对村庄公共事务村民仍然存在话语权和决策权缺失、利益分配不均衡导致的政治失权。因此,提出强化村庄能人培养,加大对能人带户旅游扶贫模式政策扶持和引入社会组织机构的对策建议。     

民族地区贫困农户多维贫困测量与帮扶精准度研究

为进一步摸清民族地区贫困底数,提高帮扶精准度,利用A-F多维贫困测度方法和改进的Park瞄准数量缺口公式,以大小凉山彝区为例,本研究首先对民族地区贫困农户多维贫困状况进行了测算,接着对贫困农户"五个一批"帮扶精准度进行了分析。结果表明:1)民族地区贫困农户存在较为严重的多维贫困,以社保和生活条件最为突出;2)家庭特征对多维贫困有重要影响,户主为女性,户主文化程度越低,家庭人口越多,贫困剥夺愈加严重;3)与汉族地区不同的是,民族地区贫困更多表现为绝对贫困,盲目外出务工非但没有减轻贫困,反而加重了家庭负担;4)容易出政绩和进入门槛较低的帮扶措施做得相对较好,瞄准精度较高;5)整体上看,贫困帮扶中漏出问题比渗入问题更加严重。因此,接下来应有效衔接民族地区贫困人口的多维识别和精确帮扶,并重点解决好绝对贫困、脱贫能力不足、贫困渗入和漏出等方面的问题。     

我国农村多维贫困的空间分布特征及影响因素分析——基于31省的多维贫困测度

为探究我国农村多维贫困的空间分布特征和影响因素,选取31省农村居民消费的8个维度,运用ELES方法测算出基本需求支出份额,建立多维贫困测度模型,进而计算出各地区不同维度的相对贫困指数和各地区多维贫困指数,并着重分析了东、中、西部三大地带的贫困空间分布特征,结果显示各区域的相对贫困指数与多维贫困指数都呈现出"西部最高,中部次之,东部最低"的空间梯度分布。在此基础上,进一步探讨了影响农村居民多维贫困空间格局的主次因素,对影响机理进行了实证分析。结果表明:在一个区域农民收入水平越高、非农收入占比越大、文化教育程度越高,则区域总体贫困程度越轻。因此增加农村居民收入,尤其是工资性收入比重,加大农村文化教育的投入力度,提高他们的文化教育水平,有助于改善农村贫困问题。