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on Agricultural Economics |
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Issue of 2024‒04‒22
sixteen papers chosen by |
| By: | Mekonnen, Dawit Kelemework; Mekonnen, Yalew; Warner, James; Ringler, Claudia |
| Abstract: | The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weather event of 2015/16 caused severe drought conditions in northern and central Ethiopia affecting the welfare of millions of farmers in late 2015 and early 2016. Using nationally representative panel data collected in 2012 and 2016 and recent advances in the difference-indifferences literature, this paper explores the effects of the 2015/16 drought and the potential role of irrigation in reducing the adverse effects of the drought. We find that the drought caused, on average, a 37 percent reduction in net annual crop income, an 8 percent decline in area cultivated, a 3 percent decline in household dietary diversity score, and a 10 percent decline in the share of harvest sold for rainfed farmers. On the other hand, irrigating farmers affected by the drought managed to increase their daily expenditures by 72 percent of their average daily food expenditure in the pre-drought period, and maintained their net crop income, size of cultivated land, household dietary diversity, and share of harvest sold to the market. Overall, while rainfed agricultural producers suffered sharp declines in welfare, those farmers with access to irrigation maintained their economic status. The results suggest that irrigation protected farmers from the adverse effects of the 2015/16 ENSO event and given increasing climate variability in Ethiopia, the government should intensify its investment and support to irrigation development in the country. |
| Keywords: | drought; irrigation; resilience; farmers; Ethiopia; Afria; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:2242&r=agr |
| By: | Feng, Kuishuang; Chen, Xiangjie |
| Abstract: | How to keep water and land stress within planetary boundaries is a major challenge for sustainable development in Latin American countries. Using a global multi-regional input-output analysis (GMRIO) approach, this study simulates the future land and water demand for Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia under three climate-socioeconomic scenarios: SSP1-RCP2.6, SSP2-RCP4.5, and SSP5-RCP8.5. Under all three scenarios, land and water demand in all four countries are projected to increase rapidly in the next few decades. By 2050, the demand for cropland in Peru and Bolivia will exceed their planetary boundaries and the rise in income will be the most significant contributor to the rising demand. In addition, foreign demand will significantly drive the growth of both water and land demand in Ecuador and land demand in Colombia. Non-agricultural sectors (e.g., the mining sector in the latter) will be primarily responsible for the increased water demand in Ecuador and Peru, exacerbating competition between those sectors and the agricultural sector for water. In Peru and Bolivia, there is a significant spatial mismatch of water and land resources at the basin level. With hydraulic infrastructure as a prerequisite, developing irrigated agriculture may lead to a water-land trade-off that will significantly alleviate the land stress in Peru and Bolivia. |
| Keywords: | Water and sanitation;Water use;Land stress;Agriculture and Food Security;climate change;Productive Transformation;Andean countries;Andean Region |
| JEL: | C67 Q01 Q15 Q24 Q25 Q56 |
| Date: | 2023–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:13093&r=agr |
| By: | Jana, Sebak Kumar; Payra, Tapas; Manna, Siddhartha |
| Abstract: | India at present faces a daunting challenge to provide food security to the burgeoning population. Rainfed areas falling mostly in arid zones accounts 60% of the total cultivated area in India. More than one-third share of the total population in the arid zone of India is below the poverty line. There is an urgent need to explore the possibilities of adopting innovative techniques of production in agriculture in the arid zones. The present paper provides some cases of innovative technologies to improve agricultural productivity in the arid zones in India. The innovative technologies that have been considered here are Happa, System of Rice Intensification (SRI), rain shelter, and mango orchard. The paper highlights the economics of these technologies for tribal households in the study area of Nayagram Block in Jungle Mahal in the state of West Bengal in India. All these technologies have been found to be economically beneficial for the farmer households in the arid zones under study. |
| Keywords: | Innovative technology, SRI, Happa, Rain shelter, Orchard, Agricultural productivity, Arid Zone, India |
| JEL: | O30 |
| Date: | 2024–02–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120524&r=agr |
| By: | Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubrhan; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Fasoranti, Adetunji |
| Abstract: | Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world and one of the highest consumers. This paper documents the challenges in cowpea production and consumption, export, and import trends in Nigeria. The critical and comparative review reveals several important insights. Cowpea is important for households and communities due to its substantial contributions to food security, nutrition, and revenue production. It plays a pivotal role in supporting various stakeholders involved in the value chain, including producers, processors, traders, and food vendors. Thus, cowpea is a crucial multipurpose crop. Although Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world, with a total production of 3.6 million tons in 2021, the demand for cowpea surpasses its supply due to factors such as the country's large population and low productivity. We describe the main challenges encountered in Nigeria's cowpea production, encompassing a range of issues such as high susceptibility to pests and diseases from planting to storage phases, low adoption of improved cowpea seed varieties, poor soil fertility, drought, and heat stress. The data suggest that low input use, low-yield varieties, and low productivity characterize the current level of cowpea production. Our findings suggest the need for tailored strategies to support the adoption of improved cowpea varieties in Nigeria to increase domestic production, adherence to quality standards, exploration of international markets for export opportunities, and ultimately, household income and improve nutritional outcomes. |
| Keywords: | agrifood systems; cowpeas; value chains; households; exports; imports; Nigeria; Western Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:2241&r=agr |
| By: | Kabir, Razin Iqbal; Narayanan, Sudha; Belton, Ben; Hernandez, Ricardo; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul |
| Abstract: | Shrimp is Bangladesh’s main agricultural export and makes a substantial contribution to the economy of southern Bangladesh, but the sector has a checkered history. Bangladesh’s shrimp production and exports have been in steady decline, since peaking in the early 2010’s. Most shrimp exports from Bangladesh are used by the food service and niche ethnic markets in Europe. The complex nature of shrimp supply chains in Bangladesh, comprised of hundreds of thousands of small polyculture farms and tens of thousands of small traders, make it difficult to implement tracea bility and certification initiatives – now a prerequisite for entry into most supermarket supply chains. This report provides an overview of the sector and the challenges it faces, drawing on secondary and survey data, reviews of government reports and academic literature. We also report the findings of an expert consultation conducted to identify key constraints and potential solutions. The consensus among industry stakeholders who were part of the expert consultations is that issues related to the supply and quality of shrimp seed and pond management practices represent some of the most pressing, yet relatively simple-to-solve challenges currently faced by the sector. This would serve as the foundation for establishing traceability and certification processes. Previous interventions aimed at upgrading production practices (such as promoting stocking of disease-free shrimp seed) and facilitating disintermediation and transparency in the supply chain (such as by establishing producer groups, shrimp collection centers, and contracts with processors), have met with limited success. We outline potential interventions and partners that might offer scalable solutions enabling small shrimp farmers to access global markets. |
| Keywords: | BANGLADESH, SOUTH ASIA, ASIA, shrimp, agriculture, exports, supply chains, standardization, quality, production, small enterprises, |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:rtfmin:8&r=agr |
| By: | ROGNA Marco (European Commission - JRC) |
| Abstract: | With almost eight hundred millions people suffering from hunger in 2022, the world population projected to increase of 2 additional billions units by 2050 and the need to strongly curb greenhouse gas emissions, food production will remain a central issue in the next decades. In particular, the need to balance between environmental sustainability and output growth will require to make crucial choices. Agro-ecology, for example, strongly advocates the need to reduce inputs use in agriculture, often criticizing the intensification policy implemented during the so called "Green Revolution". However, every decision has benefits and costs. While the effect of agricultural inputs on yields has been largely studied, their contribution to nutritional outcomes has been partly overlooked. In order to take well-informed decisions about optimal inputs intensity, this is an aspect to be taken into consideration. Therefore, the present paper investigates the role of agricultural inputs in reducing undernourishment through fixed effect panel regressions at country level. By covering roughly half of the countries in the world for a 20 years' time period, it is shown that irrigation and mineral fertilizers positively and significantly contribute to reduce undernourishment. Pesticides and manure are also beneficial, but their contribution is less robust, while land per-capita seems to be inconsequential. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:eapoaf:202403&r=agr |
| By: | Sarami Foroushani, Taraneh; Balali, Hamid; Movahedi, Reza; Partelow, Stefan |
| Abstract: | Sustainable access to groundwater remains a key challenge for local users, managers and policy makers, particularly in arid agricultural regions such as Iran. Identifying and assessing the status of diverse sustainability indicators using local knowledge can act as a step in the right direction for often invisible and hard to measure resources, especially when developed through inclusive approaches that include expert stakeholder inputs. In this article, we apply Ostrom's social-ecological systems framework (SESF) to assess how the local knowledge of key informant stakeholders can be used to assess the sustainability of groundwater resources on the Hamadan-Bahar plain in Iran. We evaluate the importance of each of the SESF’s first-tier variables based on 52 indicators attained from literature review and expert insights. Local knowledge is used to assess the sustainability status of each indicator through a survey of 22 key informants. For data analysis, we use the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and the Shannon Entropy methodologies to weight and rank indicators based on the data provided on their influence on sustainability. Findings suggest that the Resource System (RS) and Resource Unit (RU) indicators have the most positive influence on sustainability. In contrast, the Governance System (GS), Actor (A) and Interaction (I) first-tier variables were evaluated as less stable, along with Outcomes (O). This suggests that social factors and diverse outcomes may need further attention in the region to ensure management and policy development that can better enable sustainable outcomes. This analysis also demonstrates the usefulness of a comprehensive science-based framework for organizing, analyzing and presenting a wide range of complex information to inform policymakers and planners. |
| Keywords: | Groundwater management, local knowledge, knowledge co-production, sustainability indicators, socio-ecological systems (SES), stakeholder inclusion, water governance, commons |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:289209&r=agr |
| By: | Yi-Chun Ko; Shinsuke Uchida; Akira Hibiki |
| Abstract: | This study delves into the factors that underly farmer’s adaptation of farm production to extreme weather. Specifically, we examine how farmer’s age mitigates the negative effects of extreme temperatures on crop yields. Our findings reveal a nonlinear relationship between age and the ability to adapt, wherein the adaptation capability generally increases and then decreases with age. Furthermore, we explore how farmer’s age interacts with farm technology, such as irrigation, to influence farmer’s adaptation simultaneously. Interestingly, age effects are less pronounced in irrigated areas, where the likelihood of exposure to climate risk is comparably low. This suggests that human capital plays a critical role in introducing adaptation measures in areas at high risk of exposure to extreme temperatures. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:toh:tupdaa:49&r=agr |
| By: | Dang, Hai-Anh H.; Jolliffe, Dean; Serajuddin, Umar; Stacy, Brian |
| Abstract: | A country's statistical capacity takes an indispensable part in its development. We offer a comprehensive comparison between the World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicators and Index (SPI) and its predecessor, the Statistical Capacity Index (SCI) regarding different conceptual and empirical aspects. We further examine the relationships of the two indexes with some agriculture development indicators such as food security, food sustainability and productivity as well as other key indicators including headcount poverty, GDP per capita, and an SDG progress index. Our analysis employs the latest SPI data update in 2022, which were not available in previous studies. We also propose clear guidelines on how the SPI can be maintained and updated in the future to ensure that this process is transparent, replicable, safeguarded with high quality, and provides comparable data over time. |
| Keywords: | statistical capacity, statistical performance, statistical capacity index, national statistical system, food security |
| JEL: | C8 H00 I00 O1 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1411&r=agr |
| By: | Marco Letta; Pierluigi Montalbano; Adriana Paolantonio |
| Abstract: | The complex relationship between climate shocks, migration, and adaptation hampers a rigorous understanding of the heterogeneous mobility outcomes of farm households exposed to climate risk. To unpack this heterogeneity, the analysis combines longitudinal multi-topic household survey data from Nigeria with a causal machine learning approach, tailored to a conceptual framework bridging economic migration theory and the poverty traps literature. The results show that pre-shock asset levels, in situ adaptive capacity, and cumulative shock exposure drive not just the magnitude but also the sign of the impact of agriculture-relevant weather anomalies on the mobility outcomes of farming households. While local adaptation acts as a substitute for migration, the roles played by wealth constraints and repeated shock exposure suggest the presence of climate-induced immobility traps. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2403.09470&r=agr |
| By: | Elmira, Elza S.; Beyene Chichaibelu, Bezawit; Qaim, Matin |
| Abstract: | Malnutrition in its various forms is a serious problem in many countries, contributing to human suffering, large healthcare costs, and hampered economic and human development. While various policies to reduce malnutrition exist, such policies typically fail to consider cultural factors. Here, we contribute to the scant literature on cultural practices and nutrition, focusing on issues of gender discrimination and intra-household resource allocation. In particular, using representative panel data from Indonesia covering a period of 22 years, we analyze how ethnic-based kinship systems and marriage customs influence the nutritional status of male and female individuals. We find that patrilocal practices contribute to a higher body mass index (BMI) among males, in comparison to both males in other cultural settings and females. Matrilocality contributes to a higher BMI among females in comparison to females in other cultural settings but not in comparison to males. Bride price practices increase BMI among both male and female individuals. Quantile regressions show that the effects on increasing BMI are especially pronounced among those already overweight, whereas discrimination against females is particularly pronounced among the underweight. Our findings underline that cultural practices matter for nutritional outcomes. Better understanding the links in different cultural settings is important for effective nutrition policies, especially given the fact that different malnutrition problems coexist in many countries. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety |
| Date: | 2024–04–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubzefd:341095&r=agr |
| By: | Huynh, Cong Minh; Nguyen, Phan Kim Han |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of brand awareness, brand image, and perceived value on customer loyalty within the milk industry in Vietnam. The research concentrates on renowned milk brands in Vietnam, such as Vinamilk, Dutch Lady, Nutifood, Nestle, TH true milk, Abbott, and Fami. The results from a sample of 141 respondents reveal that each of these factors positively influences customer loyalty. Notably, perceived value emerges as the most influential factor, with brand image and brand awareness following in strength. These findings offer valuable insights for professionals and researchers in related business domains. |
| Keywords: | Brand awareness, Brand image, Perceived value, Customer loyalty, Milk industry |
| JEL: | L81 M31 M37 |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120346&r=agr |
| By: | Kythreotis, Andrew P.; Hannaford, Matthew; Howarth, Candice; Bosworth, Gary |
| Abstract: | Climate risk continues to be framed ostensibly in terms of physical, socio-economic and/or ecological risks, as evidenced in the 2012 and 2017 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) evidence reports. This article argues that framing climate risk in this way remains problematic for the science-policy process, particularly in ensuring adequate climate risk assessment information translates into more effective adaptation decision-making. We argue how climate risk assessments need to further consider the social and political aspects of place-based climate risk to ensure more effective adaptation policy outcomes. Using a discourse analysis of the CCRA3 Technical Report methods chapter published in June 2021, we discuss three critical themes around how climate risk is currently framed within the Technical Report methods chapter. These are (i) the over-reliance on reductive methodological framing of assessing climate risk through ‘urgency scores’; (ii) the idea of what constitutes ‘opportunity’; and (iii) the framing of transformational adaptation discourses through the lens of climate risk. To conclude, we suggest that to move beyond assessing risk solely in terms of biophysical and socio-economic risk, a greater emphasis on the social and political contexts of ‘place-based’ risk needs to be central to climate change risk assessments. |
| Keywords: | climate change risk assessments; social and political risk; place-based climate action; adaptation decision-making and transformation; adaptation policy and governance; CCRA3; Andrew Kythreotis and Candice Howarth thank the British Academy and the Department of Business; Energy and Industrial Strategy for funding to continue this research in the context of the new civil politics of climate change (Ref. SRG19\190291); ES/S008381/1; 'through through the PlaceBased Climate Action Network' |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2024–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:122155&r=agr |
| By: | Shilpa Aggarwal; Dahyeon Jeong; Naresh Kumar; David Sungho Park; Jonathan Robinson; Alan Spearot |
| Abstract: | While cash transfers consistently show large effects on immediate outcomes like consumption, limited access to markets may mute their impact on productive investment. In an experiment in Malawi, we cross-cut cash transfers with an "input fair, " designed to reduce transport costs to access agricultural inputs. Cash alone increases investment by 27%, while the joint provision of cash and the input fair increases investment by about 40%; thus, the incremental effect of the input fair is equivalent to about a 50% increase compared to the effect of cash alone. Input fairs alone were ineffective. |
| JEL: | O13 Q12 |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32263&r=agr |
| By: | Scanlan, Oliver |
| Abstract: | Adequately integrating evidence from diverse social science perspectives, from political ecology to development studies, gives us a clear picture of the conditions necessary for conservation strategies to support human rights outcomes. Collectively these comprise the need for principles of recognitional, procedural and distributional justice to be embedded in conservation programs. An analysis of the World Bank-funded Sustainable Access to Forests and Livelihoods (SUFAL) Program in Bangladesh, finds significant shortcomings relating to this conception of environmental justice within the disclosed project documentation. The SUFAL project is likely to fail in achieving human rights outcomes. The theoretical implication is that at least in some cases area-based conservation will fail to protect human rights because justice is not part of the plan. The methodological implication is that analysis of all extant disclosed donor documentation by area experts is a research priority, allowing us to determine the extent to which the SUFAL intervention design is typical. To the extent that it is typical, it is likely that the Global Biodiversity Framework will fail to achieve human rights outcomes. In policy terms, this further vindicates recent progress in donor disclosure practices; such practices should be strengthened where they already exist, and adopted immediately by conservation NGOs and civil society organizations. |
| Date: | 2024–03–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:x8u2a&r=agr |
| By: | In Kyung Kim (Department of Economics, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea); Kyoo il Kim (Department of Economics, Michigan State University) |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of a boycott on one of the largest Korean dairy producers, triggered by the exposure of the firm’s unethical management practices, on sales of its own and others. We find empirical evidence that the boycott had substantial and long-lasting consequences. First, consumer utility from the boycotted products decreased significantly, reflecting consumers’ strong willingness to take part in collective action. Second, our discrete choice demand model, which addresses both price endogeneity and product substitution, estimates that sales of the boycotted firm decreased by almost eight percent, or equivalently by 8.1 million liters during the 12-month post-boycott period. Third, the boycotted firm’s sales and revenue decreases would have been more severe had the firm not cut prices after the boycott outbreak. Our findings emphasize top-level managers’ role in fostering an ethical organizational culture within the firm and taking proper and timely countermeasures to curb losses incurred by a boycott. |
| Keywords: | boycott, CSR, discrete choice demand, milk |
| JEL: | D12 L66 M14 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sgo:wpaper:2401&r=agr |