This report discusses China's focus on agricultural reforms according to its 2012 Central Policy Document. Ensuring sufficient food production is challenging due to declining arable land, environmental restrictions on fertilizer usage, and increasing demand. The policy aims to boost farming output through technological innovation, irrigation projects, and increased rural lending. Spending on agriculture, rural development, and farmers has grown significantly in recent years and may rise another 20-30% in 2012. Opportunities exist in agricultural machinery, fertilizers, food processing, and rural financing.
Farmer's Agribusiness Training Course: Module 1 Lesson 3 Supplementary Readin...PiLNAfrica
The objectives of this paper are threefold: (1) to assess the direction and magnitude of changes in agricultural productivity in Kenya in the last 25 years for five of the most important agricultural provinces in Kenya, with particular focus on the period since the initiation of agricultural policy adjustment in the 1990s; (2) to identify the major factors affecting changes in crop productivity; and (3) to identify cost-effective strategies likely to promote future agricultural intensification and productivity growth in Kenya's crop sector in the post-reform period.
India: Soya Beans - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020IndexBox Marketing
IndexBox Marketing has just published its report: "India: Soya Beans - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020". The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Indian soya beans market. It presents the latest data of the market value, consumption, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and food balance. The report shows the sales data, allowing you to identify the key drivers and restraints. You can find here a strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts illustrate how the market will be transformed in the medium term. Profiles of the leading producers are also included.
Farmer's Agribusiness Training Course: Module 1 Lesson 3 Supplementary Readin...PiLNAfrica
The objectives of this paper are threefold: (1) to assess the direction and magnitude of changes in agricultural productivity in Kenya in the last 25 years for five of the most important agricultural provinces in Kenya, with particular focus on the period since the initiation of agricultural policy adjustment in the 1990s; (2) to identify the major factors affecting changes in crop productivity; and (3) to identify cost-effective strategies likely to promote future agricultural intensification and productivity growth in Kenya's crop sector in the post-reform period.
India: Soya Beans - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020IndexBox Marketing
IndexBox Marketing has just published its report: "India: Soya Beans - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020". The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Indian soya beans market. It presents the latest data of the market value, consumption, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and food balance. The report shows the sales data, allowing you to identify the key drivers and restraints. You can find here a strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts illustrate how the market will be transformed in the medium term. Profiles of the leading producers are also included.
The global outlook series on the Agriculture Industry provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. Illustrated with 59 fact-rich market data tables, the report offers a rudimentary overview of the industry and highlights latest trends and demand drivers. Regional markets briefly abstracted and covered include United States, Canada, Europe (Germany, Spain, UK, Russia, and Turkey) Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Philippines among others) Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Chile among others) and South Africa among others. The report offers a compilation of recent mergers, acquisitions, and strategic corporate developments. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory listing the addresses, and contact details of 352 companies worldwide.
Socio-Economic Factors Influencing the Probability of Market Participation am...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The study examined Socioeconomic factors influencing the probability of market participation among the cattle farmers in Adamawa state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to sample the respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 400 respondents in the study area. Descriptive statistic was used to analysed the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and logit regression analysis was employed to estimate the determinants market participation among the market participants. The result of the findings shows that cattle market participants were averagely aged 43 years, they are predominantly male (95.04%), (83.48%) were married, while (77.96%), (57.02%) had formal education and are full-time cattle farmers respectively. the result of logit regression analysis indicates that five variables (gender, education, distance to market, prior market information and seasonality) were significantly found to influence the farmers' decision to participate in the market. The marginal effects were used to interpret the results. Recommendations were made such as to encourage more formal education among the farmers, the more the participant is educated, the better the chance of participation in the cattle market and also to encourage female and those that are unmarried to participate in cattle marketing activities. Provision of reliable market information through mass media or extension services is paramount important in improving market participation and to provide adequate pasture land and water supply so as to curb the problems of exposure to avarice of weather, creates more additional sales point at farming communities is paramount important in the intensity of cattle market participation.
Presentation delivered by Dre. Ashok Gulati (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, India) at Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. March 25 - 28, 2014, Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.
http://www.borlaug100.org
Africa: Pigeon Peas - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025IndexBox Marketing
IndexBox Marketing has just published its report: “Africa: Pigeon Peas - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025”.
The report provides an in-depth analysis of the African pigeon pea market. It presents the latest data of the market value, consumption, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and food balance. The report shows the sales data, allowing you to identify the key drivers and restraints. You can find here a strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts illustrate how the market will be transformed in the medium term. Profiles of the leading producers are also included.
Channing Arndt
COUNTRY WORKSHOP
The Knowledge Lab on Climate Resilient Food Systems: An analytical support facility to achieve the SDGs
Co-Organized by IFPRI and AGRA
FEB 7, 2019 - 08:30 AM TO 05:55 PM EAT
Presentation for the Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on "Cambodia Agriculture in Transition: Opportunities and Risks"; given on September 18, 2013 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
"Pakistan Increasing Agricultural Productivity for Inclusive Growth", presented by
Madhur Gautam, the Lead Economist Agriculture and Rural Development, South Asia Region at The World Bank
Presented at DSGD Pakistan Strategy Support Program
Brown Bag Panel Discussion “Addressing the Needs for Sustained and Rapid Agriculture Sector Growth in Pakistan”, Oct 22, 2014
The global outlook series on the Agriculture Industry provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. Illustrated with 59 fact-rich market data tables, the report offers a rudimentary overview of the industry and highlights latest trends and demand drivers. Regional markets briefly abstracted and covered include United States, Canada, Europe (Germany, Spain, UK, Russia, and Turkey) Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Philippines among others) Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Chile among others) and South Africa among others. The report offers a compilation of recent mergers, acquisitions, and strategic corporate developments. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory listing the addresses, and contact details of 352 companies worldwide.
Socio-Economic Factors Influencing the Probability of Market Participation am...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The study examined Socioeconomic factors influencing the probability of market participation among the cattle farmers in Adamawa state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to sample the respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 400 respondents in the study area. Descriptive statistic was used to analysed the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and logit regression analysis was employed to estimate the determinants market participation among the market participants. The result of the findings shows that cattle market participants were averagely aged 43 years, they are predominantly male (95.04%), (83.48%) were married, while (77.96%), (57.02%) had formal education and are full-time cattle farmers respectively. the result of logit regression analysis indicates that five variables (gender, education, distance to market, prior market information and seasonality) were significantly found to influence the farmers' decision to participate in the market. The marginal effects were used to interpret the results. Recommendations were made such as to encourage more formal education among the farmers, the more the participant is educated, the better the chance of participation in the cattle market and also to encourage female and those that are unmarried to participate in cattle marketing activities. Provision of reliable market information through mass media or extension services is paramount important in improving market participation and to provide adequate pasture land and water supply so as to curb the problems of exposure to avarice of weather, creates more additional sales point at farming communities is paramount important in the intensity of cattle market participation.
Presentation delivered by Dre. Ashok Gulati (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, India) at Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. March 25 - 28, 2014, Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.
http://www.borlaug100.org
Africa: Pigeon Peas - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025IndexBox Marketing
IndexBox Marketing has just published its report: “Africa: Pigeon Peas - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025”.
The report provides an in-depth analysis of the African pigeon pea market. It presents the latest data of the market value, consumption, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and food balance. The report shows the sales data, allowing you to identify the key drivers and restraints. You can find here a strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts illustrate how the market will be transformed in the medium term. Profiles of the leading producers are also included.
Channing Arndt
COUNTRY WORKSHOP
The Knowledge Lab on Climate Resilient Food Systems: An analytical support facility to achieve the SDGs
Co-Organized by IFPRI and AGRA
FEB 7, 2019 - 08:30 AM TO 05:55 PM EAT
Presentation for the Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on "Cambodia Agriculture in Transition: Opportunities and Risks"; given on September 18, 2013 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
"Pakistan Increasing Agricultural Productivity for Inclusive Growth", presented by
Madhur Gautam, the Lead Economist Agriculture and Rural Development, South Asia Region at The World Bank
Presented at DSGD Pakistan Strategy Support Program
Brown Bag Panel Discussion “Addressing the Needs for Sustained and Rapid Agriculture Sector Growth in Pakistan”, Oct 22, 2014
Indian Food Processing Industry - A Synopsisnandanmalu
This report will present an overview on the Indian food processing industry along with details on various segments, performance and the scope of business in the segment.
IFPRI Policy Seminar "Input Subsidy Programs in Developing Countries
What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why?" presentation by Professor Thomas Jayne, Michigan State University on 18 April 2013.
"Food market transformation and improving food security in Asia (within and across countries)”, presented by Kevin Chen, IFPRI/Beijing at the ReSAKSS-Asia Conference, Nov 14-16, 2011, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
anric blatt, lauralouise duffy, global fund exchange, earth wind & fire fund, investing in agriculture, investing in water, investing in the future of energy
Kevin Chen
POLICY SEMINAR
Virtual Event - Evolving effects of COVID-19 on poverty and food security: What are we learning from China?
JUL 28, 2020 - 09:30 AM TO 10:45 AM EDT
Effects of Rice Liberalization Law on Rice Production, Farmers’ Wages and Gov...IJAEMSJORNAL
This article estimated the effect of Rice Liberalization Law on rice production, farmers' wages, and government budgets in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. The quantitative research design was utilized in this study using the time series data. The results found out that the government budget has a significant role and a positive effect on Philippine rice productions. Finding also suggests that low rice production affects farmers’ wages and income, tantamount to a high price of rice due to the demand and leads to high rice importation. Therefore,it is necessary to increase rice production at a lower cost that will give a positive effect on farmers ' wages and rice market prices. This could result in enticing the younger generation or unemployed citizens to be engaged in farming that will eventually result in to increase in rice production.
Agriculture and Food Industry in India 2011 - SampleNetscribes, Inc.
The overall consumption and production figures have been provided for the fertilizer market. Segmented share of Nitrogenous, Phosphatic, Potassium, Complex fertilizers is included with the various subsidies provided by the government. Major drivers analysed includes the shift to nutrient based subsidy, increasing use of other fertilizers, MRP and price decontrol, low penetration per hectare while major challenges faced are inadequate supply of natural gas, ineffective government policies and dependence on potash imports.
The value chain and the major equipments used in agriculture have been highlighted. The section includes the market size and growth as well as the segmented market share of the agricultural equipment market. It further elaborates on the usage of power tillers and tractors, sales of the same and the penetration of agricultural equipments. It includes the regional distribution of the tractor market and highlights the major reasons for growth in each region. An analysis of the drivers explains growth factors such as improved availability of credit, lower penetration of farm equipments, low farm power availability and opportunity in new markets and products. The challenges faced by the market are cost constraints, fragmentation of land and erratic monsoons.
The agricultural warehousing and cold chains segment has been considered. It includes the warehousing markets size and growth as well as the capacity expansion. The overall size and growth figures have also been provided for the cold chains market but it also analyses the major segments, namely surface storage and refrigerated transport, providing its segmented share. Primary drivers including growth in organized retail, shift towards horticultural crops, growth in processed food sector, government initiatives, investments and challenges namely lack of logistical support, uneven distribution of cold chains, cost structure, power supply and inadequate infrastructure & resources have been covered in this section. Major trends have also been highlighted.
The next section covers the food processing sector providing the market size and growth as well as the penetration levels of major products. A brief of each of the segments has been included highlighting the growth rate for the same. An analysis of the drivers explains growth factors such as increasing consumer spend on processed foods, India’s competitive edge, growing food retailing in India, government support, growth in food processing exports, growth in terminal markets, low level of penetration in domestic market while the challenges faced by the market are lack of integrated supply chain and scale of operations, limited use of technology in food processing, high taxes on branded agricultural products.
A global comparison has been provided for the organic foods segment with information regarding market segmentation by product. Drivers identified in this segment include increasing health consciousness of the people, huge export market, increasing organized retail, government initiatives while challenges covered are high prices, certification barrier and lack of integrated supply chain.
The report also discusses the segments with the maximum growth opportunities based on investment levels. It also enlists the various PE investments and M&A deals in the market.
A competitive landscape has been provided for each of these sectors which includes information regarding the major players in the market. The Annexure contains a snapshot of their corporation, business highlights and their product portfolio, providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario.
Veripath has over 90,000 (2021) acres across its Canadian row-crop portfolios and its principals have been investing in the Canadian farmland space since 2007, including creating the first RRSP eligible Canadian farmland fund. Minimum and zero tillage methodologies have very high penetration in Canadian prairies (AB, SK and MB). These tillage techniques are accepted to increase carbon/biomass in the soil and are a key component of conservation/regenerative agriculture practices. Veripath portfolios have minimum and zero tillage usages levels that on average are materially higher
than baseline provincial levels
"Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome" – Veripath Farmland Funds Q4 Investor Letter: Investing in a World of Financial Repression, Negative Real Rates, Valuation “Challenges” and Inflationary Forces.
Do G7 governments have an incentive to attempt to keep inflation higher for longer and real rates lower for longer? Negative real rates across a broad spectrum of credit assets are a graphic sign that we inhabit a world of financial repression orchestrated by central banks at the formal/informal behest of sovereign borrowers. In a normally functioning market, lenders do not provide capital to borrowers for negative yields – i.e., they do not pay for the privilege of lending. It goes without saying we are not in a normally functioning market.
Veripath Research "As people in the emerging economies of India and China make the transition to western standards of
living there is an often-overlooked issue – their water
consumption is rising dramatically.
Veripath Farmland Partners Research - portfolio optimization using farmland a...Veripath Partners
A review of the Canadian farmland market over the last 30 years reveals: a farmland holding would have improved the financial performance of typical investor portfolios; realized volatility that was lower than stocks; realized returns that were greater than bonds; a low correlation to traditional financial asset returns; and most importantly domestic institutional and retail investors are clearly under-invested relative to efficient frontier analysis.
Are fiscal/monetary conditions affecting the macro thesis for Canadian farmland investments? Do publicly traded equity investments hedge all inflation regimes? Canada's debt to GDP - looming threat or irrelevancy?
Equicapita Announces Acquisition of Majority of CCMETVeripath Partners
Equicapita Income Trust and Equicapita Income LP (collectively “Equicapita” or the
“Fund”) are pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of a 70% equity ownership of CCMET
Group of Companies, a leading provider of integrated, full service materials engineering and testing
services throughout Western Canada, by an affiliate of the Fund.
Equicapita Reaches $100M in Subscribed Trust Capital Veripath Partners
Equicapita Income Trust announces it has completed the raise of $100M in subscribed preferred trust capital.
Stephen Johnston, a partner at Equicapita reports, "Equicapita is pleased to have passed the $100M mark in subscribed capital. Equicapita is part of a group of innovative Calgary based alternative funds seeking alternative investments. As managers we seek to deliver superior investment returns with lower volatility than public markets through private equity investing that combines strong underlying asset fundamentals and a disciplined value style. In practice we look for investments with: established macro drivers (typically in the form of a favourable supply/demand situation) and: a margin of safety (in the form of discounted asset prices, ability to acquire cash flow cheaply). To date, we have successfully deployed capital in multiple investment strategies via a group of funds – in farmland, SME PE, energy and non-bank lending – and currently have approximately $300M in unlevered AUM.
Agcapita is pleased to announce that Agcapita Fund IV has launched. Agcapita Fund V is a $20 million offering and is the only RRSP eligible farmland investment vehicle in Canada. If you would like to receive information about Agcapita Fund V please feel free to contact us at Fund5@agcapita.com or register online at the Agcapita website.
Stephen Johnston, co-founder of Agcapita, commented "Agcapita believes that prices of Canada farmland, in particular Saskatchewan farmland, are discounted to world averages for a tonne of productive capacity. Part of our investment premise is that this gap will close and with the attention that Canadian farmland is receiving from investors it can obviously happen quite quickly. It is this "margin of safety" return driver that attracted us to Canada and Saskatchewan in the first place.”
Investigating the Long Run Relationship Between Crude Oil and Food Commodity ...Veripath Partners
"Crude oil price is believed to be one of the factors that affect food commodity prices. It is an
agricultural production input, therefore the prices of fertilizer, fuel and transportation are affected by the crude oil prices directly, and subsequently they influence the production of grain commodities. There is another dimension to how oil prices can affect food commodity prices, and it is from the derived demand for biofuels. With rising oil prices, demand for biofuels increase and the production
of these fuel is highly dependent on the availability of agricultural feed stocks. So it is primarily because of the above two dynamics that I want to investigate if there is a long term relationship between crude oil prices and food commodity prices. This is an important issue in present times because of the rising prices and volatility in the oil and food commodity markets. I will try to examine if there exist a cointegrating relationship between crude oil price and food commodity price for the period between 1980 to 2011. The food commodities selected are maize, rice, soybean and wheat. Time Series econometric techniques were applied to find our results. The Engle-Granger Co-integration test revealed that there is long run relationship between crude oil prices and maize, soybean, wheat. But, rice prices were not found to be cointegrated. I also carried out the traditional Granger Causality test to check whether causality exist between the two prices. We find that there is unidirectional causality, with only crude oil prices ‘Granger causing’ each of the four food commodity prices. The reverse was not true, as crude oil prices were not found to be influenced by price of food commodities. So from our results we can confirm the significance of oil prices and the impact it has on the food commodity prices."
VBA Journal: Farmland, Reaping the Reward of IlliquidityVeripath Partners
Farmland is an asset class that provides a legal claim on land, and the agricultural produce that is grown on that land, in perpetuity. The returns from farmland are like those of a perpetual bond, with the proviso that operational farming returns show high volatility, being largely driven in the short term by climatic conditions and commodity prices. Bonds are typically priced at between 20 and 50 times returns, which is consistent with farmland price multiples. In contrast, equities in a moderate growth sector generally trade at a price to earnings ratio of approximately 10, making farmland look less attractive if perceived as a stock. Like other real assets farmland is protected against inflation, as is farm production. Farmland is thus similar to an inflation-protected perpetual bond with a variable yield, where both principal
and coupons are protected against currency depreciation.
Agcapita Update – Canadian Growing Season Lengthens 2 Weeks Over Last 50 Year...Veripath Partners
According to a recent Bloomberg article: "Corn is the most common grain in the U.S., with its production historically concentrated in a Midwestern region stretching from the Ohio River valley to Nebraska and trailing off in northern Minnesota. It had been ungrowable in the fertile farmland of Canada’s breadbasket. That is changing as a warming climate, along with the development of faster-maturing seed varieties, turns the table on food cultivation. The Corn Belt is being pushed north of what was imaginable a generation ago. Growing seasons on the Canadian prairie have lengthened about two weeks in the past half-century.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
available on those devices, but many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security. This best practices guide outlines steps the users can take to better protect personal devices and information.
Enchancing adoption of Open Source Libraries. A case study on Albumentations.AIVladimir Iglovikov, Ph.D.
Presented by Vladimir Iglovikov:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglovikov/
- https://x.com/viglovikov
- https://www.instagram.com/ternaus/
This presentation delves into the journey of Albumentations.ai, a highly successful open-source library for data augmentation.
Created out of a necessity for superior performance in Kaggle competitions, Albumentations has grown to become a widely used tool among data scientists and machine learning practitioners.
This case study covers various aspects, including:
People: The contributors and community that have supported Albumentations.
Metrics: The success indicators such as downloads, daily active users, GitHub stars, and financial contributions.
Challenges: The hurdles in monetizing open-source projects and measuring user engagement.
Development Practices: Best practices for creating, maintaining, and scaling open-source libraries, including code hygiene, CI/CD, and fast iteration.
Community Building: Strategies for making adoption easy, iterating quickly, and fostering a vibrant, engaged community.
Marketing: Both online and offline marketing tactics, focusing on real, impactful interactions and collaborations.
Mental Health: Maintaining balance and not feeling pressured by user demands.
Key insights include the importance of automation, making the adoption process seamless, and leveraging offline interactions for marketing. The presentation also emphasizes the need for continuous small improvements and building a friendly, inclusive community that contributes to the project's growth.
Vladimir Iglovikov brings his extensive experience as a Kaggle Grandmaster, ex-Staff ML Engineer at Lyft, sharing valuable lessons and practical advice for anyone looking to enhance the adoption of their open-source projects.
Explore more about Albumentations and join the community at:
GitHub: https://github.com/albumentations-team/albumentations
Website: https://albumentations.ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100504475
Twitter: https://x.com/albumentations
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
GridMate - End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid...ThomasParaiso2
End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid regressions. In this session, we share our journey building an E2E testing pipeline for GridMate components (LWC and Aura) using Cypress, JSForce, FakerJS…
Why You Should Replace Windows 11 with Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 for enhanced perfor...SOFTTECHHUB
The choice of an operating system plays a pivotal role in shaping our computing experience. For decades, Microsoft's Windows has dominated the market, offering a familiar and widely adopted platform for personal and professional use. However, as technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of innovation, alternative operating systems have emerged, challenging the status quo and offering users a fresh perspective on computing.
One such alternative that has garnered significant attention and acclaim is Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, a sleek, powerful, and user-friendly Linux distribution that promises to redefine the way we interact with our devices. With its focus on performance, security, and customization, Nitrux Linux presents a compelling case for those seeking to break free from the constraints of proprietary software and embrace the freedom and flexibility of open-source computing.
zkStudyClub - Reef: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Regex ProofsAlex Pruden
This paper presents Reef, a system for generating publicly verifiable succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that a committed document matches or does not match a regular expression. We describe applications such as proving the strength of passwords, the provenance of email despite redactions, the validity of oblivious DNS queries, and the existence of mutations in DNA. Reef supports the Perl Compatible Regular Expression syntax, including wildcards, alternation, ranges, capture groups, Kleene star, negations, and lookarounds. Reef introduces a new type of automata, Skipping Alternating Finite Automata (SAFA), that skips irrelevant parts of a document when producing proofs without undermining soundness, and instantiates SAFA with a lookup argument. Our experimental evaluation confirms that Reef can generate proofs for documents with 32M characters; the proofs are small and cheap to verify (under a second).
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1886
Generative AI Deep Dive: Advancing from Proof of Concept to ProductionAggregage
Join Maher Hanafi, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, in this new session where he'll share a practical framework to transform Gen AI prototypes into impactful products! He'll delve into the complexities of data collection and management, model selection and optimization, and ensuring security, scalability, and responsible use.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
Leonard Jayamohan, Partner & Generative AI Lead, Deloitte
This keynote will reveal how Deloitte leverages Neo4j’s graph power for groundbreaking digital twin solutions, achieving a staggering 100x performance boost. Discover the essential role knowledge graphs play in successful generative AI implementations. Plus, get an exclusive look at an innovative Neo4j + Generative AI solution Deloitte is developing in-house.
Pushing the limits of ePRTC: 100ns holdover for 100 daysAdtran
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HSBC - The Future is Farming
1. 渐飞研究报告 - http://bg.panlv.net
Flashnote
abc
Global Research
Equity Strategy
China China Strategy
The future is farming
This year’s No.1 Central Document focuses again on ‘san
nong’ reforms for agriculture, rural areas and farmers
Ensuring a sufficient food supply to maintain social and
price stability remains a daunting challenge
We screen for opportunities in agricultural machinery,
fertilizer, food processor, rural consumption and financing
The No.1 Central Policy Document for 2012 – released last Wednesday – extends the
country’s almost-decade long focus on farming and rural reform, stressing the importance of
technological innovation to sustaining growth in agricultural output. In the past 4 years, the
3 February 2012
market has priced in such favourable agricultural policies 3 months ahead of the No.1 Central
Steven Sun (孙 瑜)*
Policy Document’s release, with relevant stocks tending to continue outperforming for a month
Equity Strategist
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking after the event. The good news this year is that the usual sector rally has yet to take place.
Corporation Limited
+852 2822 4298 Ensuring a sufficient supply of agricultural output is vital to social and price stability,
stevensun@hsbc.com.hk
especially amid the deepening impact of climate change, and increasing shortage of arable
Roger Xie*
land and water at home. China now consumes nearly 50% of the pigs, 40% of the eggs
Equity Strategist
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking and 30% of the rice that the world produces (chart 1). Food items make up one-third of
Corporation Limited
China’s CPI basket and have driven 95% of its movement in the past 10 years (chart 2).
+852 2822 4297
rogerpxie@hsbc.com.hk
Reforms targeting the agricultural sector, rural areas and farmers – collectively known as
Garry Evans* san nong – became the top policy priority in 2004 (chart 3), the year after China’s grain
Global Head of Equity Strategy
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking yield fell to a low of 430m tonnes (less than a kilogram per capita per day). San nong
Corporation Limited related central fiscal spending has since risen at 22% CAGR from RMB200bn in 2004 to
+852 2996 6916
garryevans@hsbc.com.hk RMB1trn in 2011, and may rise another 20-30% in 2012 to fund agricultural subsidies and
View HSBC Global Research at: investment, as the government attempts to stabilize grain production at 570m tonnes.
http://www.research.hsbc.com
This is a challenge because China’s arable land has shrunk 5% to under 122m hectares since
*Employed by a non-US affiliate of
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc, and is not 2000, due to urbanization and property development. Moreover, there are environmental
registered/qualified pursuant to FINRA
regulations restrictions on fertilizer usage, which has risen 40%+ to nearly half a ton per hectare (chart 5).
Issuer of report: The Hongkong and Meanwhile, the number of large and medium tractors – the most common machinery used in
Shanghai Banking rural areas – has more than quadrupled to around 4m units in the past decade (chart 6).
Corporation Limited
Disclaimer & For these reasons, the 2012 policy urges development of frontier agricultural technologies,
machinery and basic research, as well as construction of more irrigation, water
Disclosures
conservation and logistics facilities in rural areas. Moreover, it encourages China’s banks
This report must be read
with the disclosures and to increase lending to rural regions and supports commercial banks in extending their
the analyst certifications in branches to townships (table 7).
the Disclosure appendix,
and with the Disclaimer,
which forms part of it
2. 渐飞研究报告 - http://bg.panlv.net
Equity Strategy
China abc
3 February 2012
Achieving food independence a major challenge
Chart 1. China consumes nearly 50% of pigs, 40% of eggs Chart 2. Food items are one-third of CPI basket and explain
and 30% of rice globally 95% of CPI movement for the past decade
50% 46.4% China's % of w orld food consumption 25 CPI, % y -o-y CPI: food
37.2% 20
40%
28.1% 15
30% 24.6%
10
20% 16.6% 15.6%
5
9.5%
10% 0
0% -5 Food factor ex plains 95% of CPI for past decade
Pigs Eggs Rice Soy bean Wheat Chicken Cattle 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
Source: IMF, UN Source: CEIC
Chart 3. Decline in China’s grain yield till 2003 prompted Chart 4. San nong-related central fiscal spending topped
policy re-focus on the agriculture sector RMB1trn in 2011 and may rise 20-30% in 2012
Grain y ield (mn ton, lhs) Per capita (kilo, rhs) Central fiscal budget San-nong (rmb bn) y -o-y
600 480 1200 40%
10Y CAGR = 22%
500 450 1000 35%
400 420 800 30%
300 390 600 25%
200 360 400 20%
100 330 200 15%
0 300 0 10%
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1996
1999
2002
2005
2008
2011
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: CEIC Source: CEIC
Chart 5. Arable land has declined by 5% in the past decade, Chart 6. The number of large and medium tractors in rural
but usage of fertilizer has risen over 40% areas has more than quadrupled in the past decade
180 Fertilizer (mn ton, lhs) 0.55 5 60%
China: # of tractor (large & medium, mn)
Cultiv ated land (mn hectare)
Fertilizer per hectare (ton, rhs) y -o-y
150 0.50 4 45%
10 CAGR = 15%
120 0.45
3 30%
90 0.40
2 15%
60 0.35
30 0.30 1 0%
0 0.25 0 -15%
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Source: CEIC Source: CEIC
2
3. 渐飞研究报告 - http://bg.panlv.net
Equity Strategy
China abc
3 February 2012
Table 7. Summary of No. 1 Central Policy Documents for the past nine years
Date No. 1 Policy Document Theme Highlights
Feb 1, 2012 Technological innovation for sustainable output growth Develop agricultural technologies, machineries and basic researches
Constructions of irrigation, water-conservation and logistic facilities
Increase lending to rural regions and support commercial banks to set
up township outlets
Jan 29, 2011 Speed up the development of water resources Water is essential to modern agriculture
Investment in water should reach RMB4trn in next 10 years
Complete flood control and drought mitigation system by 2020
Feb 1, 2010 Coordinate development between urban and rural areas Coordinate to promote industrialization and urbanization
Integrate urban and rural economic development
Feb 1, 2009 Achieve steady agricultural development Take measures to avoid declining grain production
Support modern agriculture and service system
Jan 30, 2008 Fortify the foundation of agriculture Enhance rural infrastructure
Strengthen the role of agricultural science and technology
Improve the level of rural public service
Jan 29, 2007 Develop modern agriculture Improve agricultural irrigation and mechanization
Improving grain productivity
Feb 21, 2006 Construct a new socialist countryside Change the method of grain growth
Vigorously develop modern agriculture
Increase rural incomes channels
Jan 30, 2005 Strengthen rural work and improve production capacity Strengthen the agricultural infrastructure
Accelerate agricultural science and technology
Increase agricultural production capacity
Feb 8, 2004 Boost farmers' incomes Support major grain producing areas to develop food industry
Fully liberalize grain purchase and sales market
Enhance rural investments and reform
Source: HSBC Equity Strategy Research, Chinese Government Website
We screen investment opportunities in four broader categories: 1) agricultural machinery and fertilizer, 2)
food processor, 3) rural consumption, and 4) rural financing plays (table 10). There are 13 Hong Kong-
listed stocks that meet our liquidity requirement, but the two real questions are: has the policy effect
already been priced in and how long could a sector rally last?
From 2008 to 2010, the equity market has started to price in favourable agriculture policy three months ahead of
the policy announcement, as indicated by the outperformance of relevant stocks over the MSCI China index
(chart 8). The good news this year is that such a sector rally has yet to take place; indeed, the relevant stocks
have actually underperformed the MSCI China index by some 10ppts. Moreover, from 2007-11, the relevant
stocks have tended to enjoy one month of outperformance after the policy release (chart 9).
Chart 8. The market has tended to price in favourable Chart 9. The sector’s outperformance tends to last a month
agricultural policies in the No.1 Central Policy Document 3 after the No.1 policy document’s release, judging by data
months ahead of its release, but not this year from 2007-11
50 %, (3 month relativ e return before No.1 doc) 25 %, (1 month relativ e return after) Fertilizer & Machinery
Food Processor
20 Rural Consumption
30 Financing
15
10
10
5
-10 0
-5
Fertilizer & Machinery Food Processor
-30 Rural Consumption Financing -10
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: HSBC Equity Strategy Research, Bloomberg (relative to MSCI China) Source: HSBC Equity Strategy Research, Bloomberg (relative to MSCI China)
3
4. 4
Table 10. Agriculture-related stocks in China/HK investable equities universe with daily trading volume over USD1m
3 February 2012
China
Equity Strategy
Name BBG Code Sector Price Perf Perf 2012 2011 2011-2013 2012 ROE Market Cap 3M ADT
(HKD) 1M YTD PE PB EPS Growth Div Yield (USDm) (USDm)
Fertilizer & Machinery
CHINA BLUECHEM-H 3983 HK Materials 6.30 7% 7% 10.9 1.9 11.5% 3.1% 16.3% 3,745 3.0
SINOFERT HOLDING 297 HK Materials 2.22 2% 2% 10.4 0.9 15.6% 1.5% 8.8% 2,010 2.0
FIRST TRACTOR-H 38 HK Industrials 8.69 20% 20% 10.7 1.2 24.7% 2.6% 13.8% 948 2.7
Food Processor
CHINA MENGNIU DA 2319 HK Staples 22.15 22% 22% 17.5 2.8 18.9% 1.3% 15.4% 5,048 27.9
CHINA AGRI-INDUS 606 HK Staples 6.40 8% 8% 7.9 1.2 16.0% 3.3% 14.6% 3,333 3.5
CHINA YURUN FOOD 1068 HK Staples 12.96 27% 27% 8.8 1.4 16.9% 3.1% 16.1% 3,046 13.1
CHINA FOODS LTD 506 HK Staples 6.20 3% 3% 19.9 2.8 28.4% 1.8% 12.6% 2,233 1.0
Rural Consumption
HAIER ELECTRONIC 1169 HK Discretionary 8.35 20% 20% 8.9 4.1 25.8% 1.7% 37.4% 2,527 8.5
SKYWORTH DIGITAL 751 HK Discretionary 3.36 24% 24% 5.8 1.1 8.9% 5.4% 17.1% 1,151 7.3
TCL COMM TECH HL 2618 HK Info Tech 3.64 4% 4% 4.3 1.5 12.5% 7.1% 29.8% 523 1.8
Rural Financing
AGRICULTURAL-H 1288 HK Financials 3.90 17% 17% 6.8 1.6 16.5% 5.0% 22.0% 142,829 69.7
CHONGQING RURA-H 3618 HK Financials 4.61 15% 15% 7.4 1.3 14.8% 3.5% 16.7% 5,528 7.9
PICC PROPERTY & 2328 HK Financials 10.64 1% 1% 10.1 3.0 11.5% 1.5% 25.0% 16,814 34.2
HANG SENG CHINA ENT INDX HSCEI 11,583 17% 17% 7.6 1.4 12.7% 4.0% 17.8%
HANG SENG INDEX HSI 20,739 13% 13% 9.4 1.3 12.9% 4.2% 16.9%
Source: HSBC Equity Strategy Research, Bloomberg (price as 2 Feb 2012).
abc
5. 渐飞研究报告 - http://bg.panlv.net
Equity Strategy
China abc
3 February 2012
Disclosure appendix
Analyst Certification
The following analyst(s), economist(s), and/or strategist(s) who is(are) primarily responsible for this report, certifies(y) that the
opinion(s) on the subject security(ies) or issuer(s) and/or any other views or forecasts expressed herein accurately reflect their
personal view(s) and that no part of their compensation was, is or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific
recommendation(s) or views contained in this research report: Steven Sun, Roger Xie and Garry Evans
Important disclosures
Stock ratings and basis for financial analysis
HSBC believes that investors utilise various disciplines and investment horizons when making investment decisions, which
depend largely on individual circumstances such as the investor's existing holdings, risk tolerance and other considerations.
Given these differences, HSBC has two principal aims in its equity research: 1) to identify long-term investment opportunities
based on particular themes or ideas that may affect the future earnings or cash flows of companies on a 12 month time horizon;
and 2) from time to time to identify short-term investment opportunities that are derived from fundamental, quantitative,
technical or event-driven techniques on a 0-3 month time horizon and which may differ from our long-term investment rating.
HSBC has assigned ratings for its long-term investment opportunities as described below.
This report addresses only the long-term investment opportunities of the companies referred to in the report. As and when
HSBC publishes a short-term trading idea the stocks to which these relate are identified on the website at
www.hsbcnet.com/research. Details of these short-term investment opportunities can be found under the Reports section of this
website.
HSBC believes an investor's decision to buy or sell a stock should depend on individual circumstances such as the investor's
existing holdings and other considerations. Different securities firms use a variety of ratings terms as well as different rating
systems to describe their recommendations. Investors should carefully read the definitions of the ratings used in each research
report. In addition, because research reports contain more complete information concerning the analysts' views, investors
should carefully read the entire research report and should not infer its contents from the rating. In any case, ratings should not
be used or relied on in isolation as investment advice.
Rating definitions for long-term investment opportunities
Stock ratings
HSBC assigns ratings to its stocks in this sector on the following basis:
For each stock we set a required rate of return calculated from the cost of equity for that stock’s domestic or, as appropriate,
regional market established by our strategy team. The price target for a stock represents the value the analyst expects the stock
to reach over our performance horizon. The performance horizon is 12 months. For a stock to be classified as Overweight, the
potential return, which equals the percentage difference between the current share price and the target price, including the
forecast dividend yield when indicated, must exceed the required return by at least 5 percentage points over the next 12 months
(or 10 percentage points for a stock classified as Volatile*). For a stock to be classified as Underweight, the stock must be
expected to underperform its required return by at least 5 percentage points over the next 12 months (or 10 percentage points
for a stock classified as Volatile*). Stocks between these bands are classified as Neutral.
Our ratings are re-calibrated against these bands at the time of any 'material change' (initiation of coverage, change of volatility
status or change in price target). Notwithstanding this, and although ratings are subject to ongoing management review,
expected returns will be permitted to move outside the bands as a result of normal share price fluctuations without necessarily
triggering a rating change.
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6. 渐飞研究报告 - http://bg.panlv.net
Equity Strategy
China abc
3 February 2012
*A stock will be classified as volatile if its historical volatility has exceeded 40%, if the stock has been listed for less than 12
months (unless it is in an industry or sector where volatility is low) or if the analyst expects significant volatility. However,
stocks which we do not consider volatile may in fact also behave in such a way. Historical volatility is defined as the past
month's average of the daily 365-day moving average volatilities. In order to avoid misleadingly frequent changes in rating,
however, volatility has to move 2.5 percentage points past the 40% benchmark in either direction for a stock's status to change.
Rating distribution for long-term investment opportunities
As of 03 February 2012, the distribution of all ratings published is as follows:
Overweight (Buy) 53% (26% of these provided with Investment Banking Services)
Neutral (Hold) 36% (21% of these provided with Investment Banking Services)
Underweight (Sell) 11% (14% of these provided with Investment Banking Services)
Analysts, economists, and strategists are paid in part by reference to the profitability of HSBC which includes investment
banking revenues.
For disclosures in respect of any company mentioned in this report, please see the most recently published report on that
company available at www.hsbcnet.com/research.
* HSBC Legal Entities are listed in the Disclaimer below.
Additional disclosures
1 This report is dated as at 03 February 2012.
2 All market data included in this report are dated as at close 02 February 2012, unless otherwise indicated in the report.
3 HSBC has procedures in place to identify and manage any potential conflicts of interest that arise in connection with its
Research business. HSBC's analysts and its other staff who are involved in the preparation and dissemination of Research
operate and have a management reporting line independent of HSBC's Investment Banking business. Information Barrier
procedures are in place between the Investment Banking and Research businesses to ensure that any confidential and/or
price sensitive information is handled in an appropriate manner.
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