This article comprehensively examines the impact of integrated pest management-farmer field school (IPM-FFS) on yield, insecticide expenditures, labor expenditures, herbicide expenditures, fertilizer expenditures, and profit, based on data from onion producers in the Philippines. Propensity score matching (PSM) and regression-based approaches that account for potential bias due to selection problems from observable variables are used to achieve the objective of the study. Sensitivity of our IPM-FFS impact results to potential bias due to "selection on unobservables" was also assessed. We find that farmers who participate in the IPM-FFS training program have statistically lower insecticide expenditures than the non-IPM-FFS farmers. But we do not find any evidence that the IPM-FFS training program significantly affects yield and the other inputs. There is some evidence indicating that IPM-FFS farmers may have statistically higher profit levels than non-IPM-FFS producers, but these results are sensitive to and may still be invalidated by bias due to unobservable variables. Since IPM-FFS seem to only significantly reduce insecticide use, policymakers and extension educators may need to adjust the IPM-FFS curriculum to further emphasize (or include) other agronomic practices that also optimize the use of other inputs like labor, fertilizer, and herbicides. The more efficient use of all inputs would likely reduce total expenditures and eventually translate to higher incomes.JEL classifications: Q10, Q12, Q16

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PurposeBecause of the increasing differential between farm and retail prices, the study proposes to investigate the extent of market power in the rice value chain of Bangladesh using advanced econometric techniques.Design/methodology/approachUsing a Stochastic Frontier Estimation approach on cross-sectional data, the study examines the price spread along the rice value chain to determine whether millers and wholesalers exercise market power.FindingsEmpirical results reveal that, on average, rice millers and wholesalers charge 33 and 29% above the marginal cost, respectively. This study confirms the non-competitive behavior of the rice market with wholesalers and millers wielding substantial market powerResearch limitations/implicationsA limitation of the study is that it does not include the retailers who also play a major role in the Bangladesh rice value chain. This is left for future study.Originality/valueThis study combines primary and secondary data collected on the Bangladesh rice sector to examine the market power of two major players along the value chain, millers and wholesalers, using an advanced econometrics approach.

With the increasing frequency of extreme climatic events, the new challenge is to develop rice varieties that are tolerant of drought, water submergence, and salinity. There are now new high-yielding green super rice (GSR) cultivars developed at the International Rice Research Institute with increased tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses. But a clear understanding of the economic benefits of these varieties under farmers' production environments is not yet fully understood. In this article, we assess the yield and income effects of GSR rice varieties using a two-year panel data from one province. We use matched samples from a propensity score matching method and a fixed-effects model within a difference-in-difference (DID) framework to estimate the yield effects. The income effects were evaluated using the parameter estimates from the yield/production function model. The results of the ordinary least squares and DID fixed-effects regressions reveal significant and positive effects of GSR varieties on yield. The most important finding is that the benefits from these varieties are strongly felt when there is flooding. This evidence was not as robust when matched samples were used. However, it is clear that the yield benefits from GSR varieties could improve rice food security and help alleviate poverty in the country.JEL classifications: Q12, Q16