Excerpt from Technological Changes in the Transportation Sector: Effects on U. S. Food and Agricultural Trade; A Proceedings Transportation has always been important in agricultural trade, as reflected in the 1940 Yearbook of Agriculture: Transportation, whether provided by commercial agencies or by the farmer himself, is a vital necessity to the economic functioning of agriculture. Income growth overseas and accompanying changes in food preferences and diets are most often cited as drivers behind the unmistakable, more than decade-long shift in us. Agricultural exports from bulk commodities (e. G., wheat and soybeans) to monbulk items (e. G., meats and fruit). While income growth and some policy measures to liberalize trade are key determinants in the rise of perishable shipments, advances in transportation technology and logistics are equally important. For us. Agriculture to benefit from growing overseas demand for, say, fresh fruits and vegetables, shippers must be able to deliver them to purchasers thousands of miles away with no substantial loss in freshness and quality. Perishable agricultural products, many of which u.s. Farmers could only have dreamed of selling abroad just 10 years ago, now account for about 20 percent - a growing share of total us. Food and agricultural exports. Moreover, the cost of transporting perishable products is, in many cases, substantially more than for bulk commodities: 5 to 10 percent of the free on board (fob) value of grain versus over 30 percent for important horticultural products such as citrus and frozen potatoes. In part due to declining transportation costs and new technologies for handling and extending shelf life, perishable products are a rising component of trade in food and agricultural products. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Providing new insights into the relationship between transport and the environment, and the meaning of the concept of sustainable development for the transport sector, special attention is paid to the relationship between technological progress and policy. The different theoretical approaches are combined to create a strategy for R&D and the implementation of mega-technological innovations. The author deals with two specific cases: Maglev technology and fuel-cell technology for transport purposes. Taking into account the new theoretical insights and the empirical findings, the resulting synthesis and conclusions are important for researchers and professionals in transportation, environmental sciences and related fields.

Robert C. Post explores the political, social, and economic implications behind technological developments throughout American history.

There are unique complexities associated with the economic valuation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and telematics. Traditional methods of quantitative analysis may not be appropriate in accurately and reliably assessing the economic impacts of these technologies. Although advanced transportation and related technologies are being planned and deployed at an increasingly rapid pace, many of the technologies are still relatively new, and their use may not be widespread. Much of the initial information and statistics gathered have been anecdotal and have focused more on benefits rather than costs. Therefore, difficulties arise due to the lack of historical data and 'lessons learned' from which to draw upon. In addition, compared with traditional transportation infrastructure, ITS technologies have different life cycles, cost structures, and a number of interrelated elements. This book addresses these concerns and proposes new economic assessment techniques as well as modifications to existing ones. Included are case studies from a multitude of North American, European, and Asian nations and major metropolitan areas covering a wide range of ITS technologies including freeway management, electronic toll collection, advanced driver assistance systems, and traveller information systems.