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on Agricultural Economics |
| By: | Kumara T M, Kiran; Birthal, Pratap Singh; Meena, Dinesh Chand; Kumar, Anjani |
| Abstract: | Agriculture is multi-functional, producing economic goods including food, feed, fibre, and fuel, as well as providing several intangible or non-tradable services to society free of cost. Non-tradable services, unlike economic goods, remain unpriced; as a result, farmers are not compensated monetarily for the benefits of the several non-tradable services they provide through agriculture. Recognizing the monetary value of non-tradable ecosystem services is crucial to incentivize farmers to adopt eco-friendly technologies and practices for the sustainable development of agriculture. Through a meta-analysis of the existing evidence on ecosystem services, this study attempts to estimate the value of ecosystem services by using direct and indirect valuation methods—for example, carbon sequestration, methane emission, nutrient availability, biological nitrogen fixation, and water saving—generated by several important technological and agronomic interventions, namely the direct seeding of rice (DSR), zero-tillage in wheat, leguminous crops, organic manure, integrated nutrient management, and agroforestry, based on studies conducted in India. It also explores the trade-offs between the non-tradable and tradable ecosystem services attributable to these interventions. The monetary value of the non-tradable services resulting from most of these interventions is quite large, 34–77% of the total value of all the ecosystem services. However, not all interventions result in a win-win situation that yields improvements in both tradable and non-tradable outcomes. While no-till wheat, legumes, and integrated nutrient management result in a win-win outcome, there are trade-offs between the tradable and non tradable ecosystem services in the cases of directed seed rice, organic manure, and agroforestry. This evidence suggests that not all agricultural technologies and practices are beneficial for farmers, despite their higher environmental benefits. Thus, the findings of this study imply that agricultural policy should provide incentives for the adoption of technologies and practices to conserve ecosystems and natural resources. |
| Keywords: | ecosystem services; agriculture; economic value; farmers; sustainability; incentives; technology adoption; India; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–04–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:140796 |
| By: | Kishore, Prabhat; Birthal, Pratap S.; Srivastava, Shivendra Kumar |
| Abstract: | Propelled by advancements in agricultural technology, irrigation expansion, infrastructure development, and incentives such as subsidies on inputs and guaranteed purchase of produce at government-determined prices, India’s food system has evolved, transforming the country from a state of food deficit to food surplus. However, this transformation has come at a cost. The incentive structure that contributed to this transformation has now become unsupportive of agricultural sustainability, damaging natural resources, agrobiodiversity, and the environment. This paradoxical situation necessitates a critical examination of current policies and practices. In this study, we evaluated the impact of Minimum Support Prices (MSP), one of the key components of agricultural policy, on crop yields, market prices, farmers’ income, and groundwater levels. The findings demonstrate that MSP-based procurement, by mitigating market uncertainties and price risks, and incentivizing production, serves as an income safety net for farming communities. |
| Keywords: | Food Security and Poverty, Sustainability |
| Date: | 2025–01–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:icar24:358869 |
| By: | Sharma, Kriti; Kumar, Anjani; Kumar, Nalini Ranjan |
| Abstract: | Potato remains a crucial crop for achieving India’s food security goals and generating income for small-scale farmers. But India, the largest potato producer after China, remains behind many of its peers in attaining high yield. A low varietal replacement rate could be one of the major reasons for low yield in India. This critical issue warrants investigation, yet empirical results remain limited in the Indian context. Drawing on data from a comprehensive field survey of 892 potato growing farmers conducted in 2018–19 across five major potato-producing states in India, we find the determinants of the average area-weighted age of potato varieties used, and their impact on potato yield. The instrumental variable regression analysis establishes a negative association between varietal age and yield of potato. It also underscores the importance of access to weather forecast and linkages with agricultural organizations to achieve higher yield. Furthermore, it shows that household size, links to political party, and information about new seeds from friends, progressive farmers and input dealers are associated with lower varietal age. These insights will be instrumental for policymakers and potato breeders in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and boosting food security in India amidst the impending demographic challenges. |
| Keywords: | crop yield; food security; policy innovation; potato harvesters; regression analysis; India; Asia; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–09–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152446 |
| By: | Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Akramov, Kamiljon T.; Ergasheva, Tanzila |
| Abstract: | Nutrition-sensitive agricultural diversification continues to receive interest among developing country stakeholders as a viable option for achieving dual goals of poverty reduction and food/nutrition security improvements. Assessing the effectiveness of this strategy is also essential in countries like Tajikistan. We attempt to enrich the evidence base in this regard. We assess the linkages between household-level agricultural diversification and dietary diversity (both household- and individual-levels) using unique panel samples of households and individual women of reproductive ages in the Khatlon province. Using difference-in-difference propensity-score methods and panel fixed-effects instrumental variable regressions, we show that higher agricultural diversification together with greater overall production per worker and land at the household level leads to higher dietary diversity, particularly in areas with poor food market access. Typology analyses and crop-specific analyses suggest that vegetables, fruits, legumes/nuts/seeds, dairy products and eggs are particularly important commodities for which a farmer’s own production contributes to dietary diversity improvement. Furthermore, decomposition exercises within the subsistence farming framework suggest that nutritional returns and costs of agricultural diversification vary across households, and expected nutritional returns may be partly driving the adoption of agricultural diversification. In other words, households’ decisions to diversify agriculture may be partly driven by potential nutritional benefits associated with enhanced direct on-farm access to diverse food items rather than farm income growth alone. Our findings underscore the importance of supporting household farm diversification in Tajikistan to support improved nutrition intake, especially among those living in remote areas. In a low-income setting with limited local employment opportunities that is vulnerable to a wide range of external shocks, this will likely continue to be one of the most straightforward and realistic paths to improving household’s nutrition resilience. |
| Keywords: | dietary diversity; food security; nutrition; propensity score matching; agriculture; modelling; Tajikistan; Asia; Central Asia |
| Date: | 2024–04–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:140750 |
| By: | Birthal, Pratap S.; Srivastava, Shivendra Kumar; Saxena, Raka; Godara, S.; Chand, Prem; Kishore, Prabhat; Jumrani, Jaya; Kandpal, Ankita; Sharma, Purushottam; Pant, Devesh Kumar |
| Abstract: | Indian agriculture has reached the stage of unprecedented achievements, accompanied by unprecedented challenges. It has witnessed an all-time high growth of approximately 4% during the past decade ending 2023-24, which is likely to continue with the right set of technologies, policies and institutions. However, it is pertinent to examine the factors underlying these achievements and their associated costs to prepare a roadmap for sustainable growth of agriculture to achieve the national goals of food and nutrition security, and inclusive development. In some states, agricultural sector has emerged as the primary driver of economic growth. However, this occurred because of the intensive use of resources and prioritizing short-term gains over long-term sustainability in most cases. This is evidenced by the factors such as increased use of fertilizers to produce the same amount of output, declining groundwater levels, soil degradation, and environmental pollution. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Sustainability |
| Date: | 2025–03–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:icar24:358871 |
| By: | Laborde Debucquet, David; Olivetti, Elsa B.; Piñeiro, Valeria; Illescas, Nelson |
| Abstract: | This study identifies food system interventions with high transformational potential for Indonesia by utilizing the MIRAGRODEP a multi-region, multisector computable general equilibrium model to analyze policy scenarios. Our findings reveal a range of economic, social, and environmental impacts. Initiatives such as social safety nets and food stamps can enhance affordability, while repurposing farm subsidies can improve socio-economic sustainability. Comprehensive policy packages that include social safety nets, repurposing agricultural supports, environmental regulation and investment in sustainable production, can lead to substantial GDP growth, poverty reduction, and dietary enhancements. However, each intervention presents distinct trade-offs between economic gains and environmental implications. This analysis underscores the need for a holistic policy approach when trying to achieve multiple sustainability goals. Implementing a blend of policies designed to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability simultaneously could drive Indonesia towards a sustainable and resilient food system, addressing the complex interplay between economic development, environmental conservation, and improved nutrition. |
| Keywords: | food systems; computable general equilibrium models; policies; social safety nets; sustainable development; agriculture; economic development; nutrition; poverty; Indonesia; South-eastern Asia; Asia |
| Date: | 2024–07–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:149269 |
| By: | Czyżewski, Bazyli; Poczta-Wajda, Agnieszka; Matuszczak, Anna; Smędzik-Ambroży, Katarzyna; Guth, Marta |
| Abstract: | CONTEXT. The European Union actively supports and promotes the development of more sustainable and resilient farming systems and contributes to the significant expansion of organic farming. Despite the considerable growth of the organic agricultural sector, this process faces several structural challenges, especially in countries with fragmented agriculture, such as Romania, where small-scale farming dominates. Small-scale farmers are quite reluctant to transition to organic farming even despite financial incentives. OBJECTIVE. This study aims to understand small-scale farmers’ reluctance to adopt organic farming by combining embeddedness theory, which links economic activities to social structures, with the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). METHODS. A survey of 150 small-scale farms in Romania's Centru region was conducted in 2023 using semi-structured face-to-face questionnaires. The research framework combines embeddedness theory and the extended TPB using structural equation modelling and simultaneous confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. It was demonstrated that network embeddedness exerts the most significant influence on pro-ecological behavioural intentions when considered in the context of other TPB constructs. However, this positive impact is partially offset by the negative impact of embeddedness at the farm level. Our research results suggest that changing the approach of small-scale farmers to organic farming requires strengthening network embeddedness through workshops, training sessions, rallies, and meetings that would highlight the benefits of organic farming. SIGNIFICANCE. We shed more light on the behavioural drivers of adopting organic practices in small-scale framing and argue that the relational embeddedness construct represents a significant extension of the TPB framework for agri-environmental studies. |
| Keywords: | organic farming, Romanian agriculture, structural equation modelling, extended TPB, social embeddedness |
| JEL: | Q15 Q18 Q56 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123832 |
| By: | Kumar, Suresh; Birthal, Pratap S.; Kumar, S.; Yadav, R. K. |
| Abstract: | Sustaining livelihoods in fragile environments, characterized by land degradation amidst the increasing threat of climate change, is a significant challenge. Soil salinity and other forms of land degradation severely affect crop yield and food supply. Hence, both preventive and curative strategies are essential for managing salt-affected and waterlogged saline soils. To effectively promote such strategies, policymakers need robust evidence on their socioeconomic impacts. This study provides evidence of the economic impact of subsurface drainage technologies. In addition, it identifies constraints faced by farmers and project implementation agencies during the execution and operation of the subsurface drainage system. By highlighting these challenges, this study offers valuable insights into the practical difficulties in implementing strategies for reclamation of waterlogged saline soils. |
| Keywords: | Climate Change, Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty, Land Economics/Use, Sustainability |
| Date: | 2025–02–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:icar24:358870 |
| By: | Bowman, Maria; Ferraro, Paul J.; Fuller, Kate Binzen; Gramig, Benjamin; Mosheim, Roberto; Njuki, Eric; Pratt, Bryan; Rejesus, Roderick; Rosenberg, Andrew |
| Abstract: | The use of soil health and conservation practices has the potential to benefit society and agricultural producers through improvement in soil health, water quality, agricultural productivity, and other ecosystem services. However, there are costs associated with implementing such practices, and the net benefit to the producer and to society depends on how the practice is implemented, the production system, weather, climate, soils, and other variables. In addition, the factors affecting a producer’s decision to implement soil health and conservation practices are complex. These factors include expectations about short- and long-run profitability, the risk and uncertainty associated with the practices, and behavioral factors such as producer willingness to take on risk, peer effects, and stewardship identity. This report provides conceptual framing and background on soil health management, producer decision making, and economic outcomes of soil health and conservation practices; documents trends in the adoption of key soil health and conservation practices on cropland; reviews key findings on the economic effects of soil health and conservation practices; and provides new results on the relationship between selected practices and the yields and costs at the field level and farm-level productivity and technical efficiency. |
| Keywords: | Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Research Research Methods/Statistical Methods, Resource/Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:uersrr:358985 |
| By: | Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James |
| Abstract: | Climate and weather shocks pose significant threats to crop-livestock systems, leading to economic losses and humanitarian crises. Utilizing a modeling framework that innovatively integrates the crop and livestock systems, this study examines the interactions and dynamic adjustments within these systems following weather shocks, using Ethiopia as a case study. We also evaluate the effectiveness of various adaptation strategies in sustaining farm incomes, food security, and welfare. Results show unique effects on the crop and livestock sectors resulting from a joint shock on the two systems. While food crops experience a strong and immediate growth effect that fades quickly, the livestock sector faces the full impact of the shock a year later, with the effect persisting to some degree. We also find diverging economic and livestock system adjustment trajectories from the separate shocks to the crop and livestock systems. Further, the intervention options analyzed show contrasting impacts on various outcome indications, with only the resilient crop intervention causing sector-indifferent impacts. Our findings emphasize the importance of proactive measures to enhance the resilience of crop-livestock systems, with implications for policy and practice aimed at safeguarding food security and livelihoods in semi-subsistence economies. |
| Keywords: | crops; economics; livestock; weather; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152379 |
| By: | Aladesuru, Damilola T.; Kasule, James B.; Bosch, Christine; Kato, Edward; Ringler, Claudia; Birner, Regina |
| Abstract: | While video extension is a recognized means to overcome the challenges posed by traditional agricultural advisory services, adoption has been limited. This paper presents two case studies conducted in Kenya and Uganda that explore the potential of video extension for promoting climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. In Kenya, videos were rolled out by GROOTS Kenya, which predominantly serves women farmers. In Uganda, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries’ Agricultural Extension Services implemented the video rollout, focusing on both women and men farmers. We used qualitative research linked to both video rollouts to understand the benefits and challenges linked to the intervention. We also compared the implementation strategies used in the two countries to evaluate the suitability of videos as a “best fit” advisory provision tool. Both women and men farmers enjoyed watching the videos. They improved farmers' access to information, resulting in increased knowledge and adoption of CSA practices. Costs involved in some practices affected their adoption as did lack of intrahousehold decision-making power, particularly for women. In some cases, infrastructural challenges complicated the video showings. The findings underscore the importance of complementing traditional agricultural extension with interactive and context-specific video content without replacing and neglecting other modes of extension, as well as the need for political support to ensure the scalability and long-term success of video extension initiatives. |
| Keywords: | agricultural extension; climate-smart agriculture; decision making; farmers; women; Kenya; Uganda; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152283 |
| By: | Kane, Papa Abdoulaye; Barry, Mamadou Bobo; Eissler, Sarah; Tall, Thiané; Camara, Astou Diao; Sall, Moussa; Fass, Simone; Bryan, Elizabeth; Ringler, Claudia |
| Abstract: | Goats are an important source of income, nutrition and resilience in Senegal. This study assesses opportunities to strengthen women’s agency, increase resilience to climate change, and improve nutrition along the various stages of goat value chains from the acquisition of feed resources and other inputs to processing, marketing and consumption of various goat products. The qualitative study finds that even though goats are more climate resilient than other livestock, climate change impacts on goat production and productivity are increasingly felt, particularly through impacts on feed resources. The study identified opportunities to strengthen women’s roles along the goat value chain, particularly in goat production and, to a lesser extent, in processing of goat products. Women and their families also benefit from the consumption of goat milk and women have some degree of control over income from the sale of goat products. Strengthening women’s agency in these nutrient-rich and relatively climate-resilient value chains will require improving their access to land resources and better animal feeds, supporting women’s groups and building women’s capacity for processing and marketing goat products, improving access to electricity for cold storage of goat products, and raising awareness regarding the nutritional benefits of goat products, especially for women and children. |
| Keywords: | climate change; goats; nutrition; climate resilience; value chains; women’s empowerment; gender; Senegal; Africa; Western Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152294 |
| By: | Diao, Xinshen; Jones, Eleanor; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James; Xu, Wenqian |
| Abstract: | Agricultural transformation, in broad terms, is the process during which the agricultural sector develops from a low-productivity, subsistence-oriented sector to a modern, commercially oriented one. It typically involves adopting advanced technologies and more sustainable and efficient production practices, and results in higher agricultural productivity per worker, agricultural diversification into high-value crops, and rising rural incomes. Importantly, agricultural transformation is also seen as a catalyst for broader economic development and a structural shift towards industrialization in developing economies. Given the central role of agricultural transformation in driving such change, as well as its contribution to development objectives such as poverty reduction, improvements in diet quality, and environmental sustainability, it is useful to measure and monitor progress on agricultural transformation. This is the purpose of the Agricultural Transformation Index (ATI), a newly developed composite index constructed from four indicators of progress on agricultural transformation: staple crop productivity, crop diversification, agricultural labor productivity, and food system expansion. Together, these indicators, which are calculated from publicly available, global datasets, can be used to examine progress over time on global, regional, and national scales. In addition to being transparent and easy to interpret, the index can be updated annually as new data is released. As demonstrated in this study, the ATI produces a plausible ranking of countries and is highly correlated with indicators of overall economic wellbeing such as GDP per capita or household-specific welfare measures such as poverty or the prevalence of undernourishment. The ATI is not only useful for identifying countries in need of support from international development partners or tracking their progress on agricultural transformation but can also highlight specific areas of agricultural transformation where technical or investment support might be directed by governments or their partners. |
| Keywords: | agricultural transformation; economic development; productivity; structural adjustment |
| Date: | 2024–09–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152282 |
| By: | Assefa, Thomas; Berhane, Guush; Abate, Gashaw T.; Abay, Kibrom A. |
| Abstract: | We revisit the state of smallholder fertilizer demand and profitability in Ethiopia in the face of the recent global fuel–food–fertilizer price crisis triggered by the Russian–Ukraine war and compounded by other domestic supply shocks. We first examine farmers’ response to changes in both fertilizer and food prices by estimating price elasticity of demand. We then revisit the profitability of fertilizer by computing average value–cost ratios (AVCRs) associated with fertilizer application before and after these crises. We use three-round detailed longitudinal household survey data, covering both pre-crisis (2016 and 2019) and post-crisis (2023) production periods, focusing on three main staple crops in Ethiopia (maize, teff, and wheat). Our analysis shows that fertilizer adoption, use, and yield levels were increasing until the recent crises, but these trends seem halted by these crises. We also find relatively large fertilizer price elasticity of demand estimates, ranging between 0.4 and 1.1, which vary across crops and are substantially larger than previous estimates. We find suggestive evidence that households with smaller farm sizes are relatively more responsive to changes in fertilizer prices. We also document that farmers’ response to increases in staple crop prices is not as strong as perceived and hence appears to be statistically insignificant. Finally, we show important dynamics in the profitability of chemical fertilizer. While the AVCRs show profitable trends for most crops, the share of farmers with profitable AVCRs declined following the fertilizer price surge. Our findings offer important insights for policy focusing on mitigating the adverse effects of fertilizer price shocks. |
| Keywords: | fertilizer application; smallholders; household surveys; yield response factor; shock; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–07–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:148984 |
| By: | Benfica, Rui; Hossain, Marup; Davis, Kristin E.; Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Azzarri, Carlo |
| Abstract: | Sustainable agrifood systems (AFS) provide food security and nutrition without compromising economic, social, and environmental objectives. However, many AFS generate substantial unaccounted for environmental, social, and health costs. True cost accounting (TCA) is one method that adds direct and external costs to find the “true cost” of food production, which can inform policies to reduce externalities or adjust market prices. We find that for Kenya— considering the entire food system, including crops, livestock, fishing, and value addition sectors at the national level—external costs represent 35 percent of the output value. Social costs account for 73 percent of the total external costs, while environmental costs are 27 percent. In contrast, in Viet Nam, where total external costs represent 15 percent of the output value, the environmental costs (75 percent) dominate social costs. At the subnational level, in the three Kenyan counties (Kisumu, Vihiga, and Kajiado) covered by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions (NATURE+), external costs (or the true cost gap) represent about 30 percent of all household crop production costs. Those external costs are overwhelmingly dominated by social (84 percent) over environmental (16 percent) externalities. In Viet Nam's Sa Pa and Mai Son districts, external costs represent about 24 percent of all household crop production costs. Environmental externalities (61 percent) are greater than social ones (39 percent). In Kenya, forced labor is the main social (and overall) external impact driven by factors ranging from "less severe" financial coercion to "more severe" forms of physical coercion. Land occupation is the most important environmental impact, resulting from occupation of lands for cultivation rather than conservation, while underpayment (low wages) and low profits are important social costs that are closely associated with the prevailing gender wage gap and occurrence of harassment. Soil degradation is the only other environmental impact, linked with the use of inorganic fertilizers (60 percent of households) and pesticides (36 percent). In Viet Nam, land occupation is the most important external impact, followed by soil degradation and contributions to climate change, primarily due to widespread use of inorganic fertilizers (98 percent of households) and pesticides (93 percent). Underpayment and insufficient income are significant social costs, followed by the gender wage gap and child labor. Crop production systems in Kenya exhibit relatively high labor-related costs compared with nonlabor inputs, with relatively lower intensity in the use of inorganic fertilizer and other chemical inputs and lower crop yields. This production system leads to relatively greater social externalities. Conversely, crop yields in Viet Nam are significantly higher than those in Kenya, likely due to the extensive use of inorganic fertilizers representing the largest direct cost component and leading to a relatively higher level of environmental externalities. Because external costs represent a significant part of the total cost of food production, policy and investments to minimize these costs are essential to a nature-positive AFS that is environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. Strategies to reach this goal include regulatory adjustments, investments in resource efficient infrastructure and technologies that minimize costs, and the prudent management of environmentally impactful production inputs and factors. |
| Keywords: | agrifood systems; environment; food security; sustainability; true cost accounting; food production; Kenya; Vietnam; Africa; South-eastern Asia; Asia; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152074 |
| By: | Mamun, Abdullah; Laborde Debucquet, David |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the drivers of export restrictions on agricultural products based on an original dataset developed at IFPRI. We focus on four food price crises when export restrictions (e.g., ban, tax, licensing etc.) were applied: the 2008 and 2010 food price crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022 crisis associated with the Russia-Ukraine war. Although the justifications for such trade policies have been discussed in the literature, the ability to forecast their implementation remains understudied. The probit model used in this study suggests that the inflation rate has a higher power to predict export restrictions than do international commodity prices. The probability of export restrictions increases more when price change is measured from a reference level in the long interval than the short interval. Among the covariates, agricultural land per capita, commodity share in production and export, weather condition increases the chances of imposing export restrictions. Per capita income, population density, share of agriculture in GDP, urbanization rate, political economy indicators - all have a negative influence on this likelihood. |
| Keywords: | agricultural products; commodities; COVID-19; export controls; international trade; war; trade liberalization; exports |
| Date: | 2024–03–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:140687 |
| By: | Adong, Annet; Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; de Brauw, Alan; Herskowitz, Sylvan; Islam, AHM Saiful; Wagner, Julia |
| Abstract: | Intermediary firms within agri-food value chains operating between the farmgate and retailers typically account for at least as much, if not more, value added as the primary agricultural production sector of the economy, but little is known about how these small and largely informal firms conduct their business. Drawing on a set of innovative surveys implemented amid the arabica coffee and soybean value chains in Uganda and the rice and potato value chains in Bangladesh, we describe the financial activities of the firms that transform agricultural produce into food. We document four sets of results. First, across all intermediary actors in our data the overwhelming majority of transactions are cash-based. Second, although many intermediary actors are un-banked, access to financial accounts varies considerably by value chain segment, commodity, and country. Third, while most intermediary actors report using mobile money for personal purposes, especially in Uganda, very few use mobile money to facilitate business transactions. Fourth, although intermediary actors frequently report exposure to risk, very few effectively manage this risk. We conclude by discussing how intermediary agri-food value chain actors represent an underappreciated population for the promotion of new technologies both to improve the stability of the agricultural sector and to improve outcomes among smallholder farmers. |
| Keywords: | agrifood systems; finance; mobile phones; technology; value chains; Bangladesh; Uganda; Africa; Eastern Africa; Asia; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–08–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:151859 |
| By: | Sonna Vikhil ((corresponding author) Ph.D. Research Scholar, Madras School of Economics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600025); K.S. Kavi Kumar (Professor, Madras School of Economics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600025) |
| Abstract: | With Unconditional Cash Transfers in Agriculture emerging as a significant policy instrument in India in recent years, evaluating such interventions has become imperative and policy relevant. This study aims to estimate the causal impact of one such program implemented by the state of Telangana in 2018, on the agricultural input spending. This study uses the data from National Sample Survey’s 77th round which is a nationally representative survey conducted in 2018-19. The analysis applies propensity score matching combined with inverse probability weighting method to estimate the causal impact of the cash transfer program. The findings from the study suggested a 36 percent raise in agricultural input spending for the average treatment effect estimate that is highly significant and can be traced to the cash transfer program. Additionally, after accounting for the selection bias, the average treatment effect on the treated estimates reveals a highly significant 18 percent increase in the input spending by the farmers. The results further suggest that the intervention shifts expenses away from imputed labour toward paid labour, and facilitates increased use of fertilizers. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural Policy; Cash transfers; Input Spending |
| JEL: | Q18 I38 O13 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mad:wpaper:2025-278 |
| By: | Abate, Gashaw T.; Bernard, Tanguy; Bulte, Erwin; Miguel, Jérémy Do Nascimento; Sadoulet, Elisabeth |
| Abstract: | When quality attributes of a product are not directly observable, third-party certification (TPC) enables buyers to purchase the quality they are most interested in and reward sellers accordingly. Beyond product characteristics, buyers’ use of TPC services also depends on market conditions. We study the introduction of TPC in typical smallholder-based agriculture value chains of low-income countries, where traders must aggregate products from many small-scale producers before selling in bulk to downstream processors, and where introduction of TPC services has oftentimes failed. We develop a theoretical model identifying how different market conditions affect traders’ choice to purchase quality-certified output from farmers. Using a purposefully designed lab-in-the-field experiment with rural wheat traders in Ethiopia, we find mixed support for the model’s prediction: traders’ willingness to specialize in certified output does increase with the share of certified wheat in the market, and this effect is stronger in larger markets. It, however, does not decrease with the quality of uncertified wheat in the market. We further analyze conditions where traders deviate from the theoretically optimal behavior and discuss implications for future research and public policies seeking to promote TPC in smallholder-based food value-chains. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; certification; markets; quality; smallholders; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–06–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:144973 |
| By: | Ragasa, Catherine; Ma, Ning; Hami, Emmanuel |
| Abstract: | Many rural producer groups face poor management practices, low productivity, and weak market linkages. An information and communication technology (ICT)-based intervention bundle was provided to producer groups to transform them into ICT hubs, where members learn about and adopt improved management practices and increase their productivity and incomes. The intervention bundle includes phone messages and videos, promotion of the call center/hotline, and facilitation of radio listening clubs and collective marketing. The study, a cluster-randomized controlled trial, randomly assigned 59 groups into treatment groups and 59 into control groups. After 18 months of interventions, results show positive but small impact on crop sales (USD65 per household) and no impact on productivity. The income effect was mainly from Kasungu and Nkhota-kota, which experienced increased production and sales of rice, soybean, and groundnut and received higher prices due to collective marketing. Farmers in Kasungu and Nkhota-kota improved a few agricultural management practices, while farmers in other districts did not improve their management practices. Results show more farmers accessing phone messaging on agriculture and markets, greater awareness and use of the call center, more listening groups established, and more farmers—especially women—joining these groups. Nevertheless, coverage and uptake remain very low, which are likely reasons for the limited impact. |
| Keywords: | markets; Information and Communication Technologies; digital agriculture; digital extension tools; impact assessment; sales; productivity; agriculture; Malawi; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–06–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:148814 |
| By: | Monteiro, Sofia; Pujol-Busquets, Georgina; Smith, James; Larmuth, Kate |
| Abstract: | There is reasonable concern that self-reported nutrition assessments do not reflect actual food choices. Yet, a correspondence between both is imperative to evaluate any intervention on food preferences. This paper makes such a comparison. It provides evidence from a low-carbohydrate nutrition education program, which is assessed with both surveys and an incentivized behavioral measure of food choice. The main result is that there is a large correspondence between survey and behavioral measures for our sample of 95 women from two historically underprivileged communities in the Western Cape, South Africa. Compared to the control, the treatment group reported a 35% lower intake from the high-carbohydrate/ ultra-processed food Red List and 60% higher intake from the low-carbohydrate whole foods Green List. The treatment group was also 40% less likely to buy anything from the Red List with a supermarket voucher. In terms of the Green List, the treatment group was significantly more likely to buy eggs, organ meat, traditional fats, avocado and fish but there was no difference in red meat and chicken, non-starchy vegetables and full cream dairy. Low-cost incentivized measures of revealed preferences can be designed to validate subjective habits, increasing confidence in the quality of evidence from nutrition intervention studies. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:319531 |
| By: | Benin, Samuel |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the determinants of the composition of government agriculture expenditure (GAE) in Africa and estimates the effect of the composition on agricultural productivity using cross-country annual data from 2014 to 2020 and structural equations modeling methods. It includes different specifications of the explanatory variables to assess the sensitivity of the results to different assumptions of the conceptual variables that are hypothesized to affect the composition and pathways of impact of government expenditure. The results show that there is a wide variation in GAE across African countries, and few have achieved the 10 percent CAADP agriculture expenditure target. Most African countries spend much smaller proportions of the national budget on agriculture than the sector’s share in the economy, and total agriculture expenditure seems to be allocated across subsectors according to their relative contribution to the sector’s output, with forestry and fisheries being slightly favored compared with crops and livestock, which dominate the sector. The allocation is also affected by several factors, such as past output and size of the subsector, official development assistance, education, irrigation, and state of agricultural transformation, although there are cross-subsector differences in their influence. There are also subsector differences in the estimated effect of GAE on land productivity: 0.06 to 0.08 for expenditure on the total sector, 0.02 for research, 0 to 0.09 for crops, 0 to 0.08 for livestock, and 0 to 0.07 for fisheries. The lower bound of zero means that the estimated effect is not statistically significant in some of the model specifications, such as whether cross-subsector expenditure effects are considered. We discuss implications of the results and suggestions for future research. |
| Keywords: | agricultural productivity; agriculture; CAADP; data; expenditure; Africa |
| Date: | 2024–06–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:148782 |
| By: | Bhanjdeo, Arundhita |
| Abstract: | Over the last decade in India, farmer producer organizations (FPOs) have emerged as a means of collectivizing smallholder farmers and providing them access to extension, innovation, and market services. FPOs that center women farmers, traditionally at a disadvantage vis-à-vis their male counterparts in access to resources and extension, can serve to enhance women’s agency and collective action in agricultural value chains. We used 59 key informant interviews and nine focus group discussions to examine the constraints to, and facilitators of, women’s and men’s participation in three women-only FPOs in Jharkhand, an eastern Indian state. Additionally, we study the gender and power dynamics in such FPOs and the potential of collective efficacy to enhance agricultural and empowerment outcomes. The FPO intervention we evaluated was supported by an NGO that provides FPO members with both agricultural and gender-based inputs to improve agronomic practices, market linkages, agricultural yields and profits, and the role of women both within the FPO and within their households and communities. In this paper, we provide contextual insights on ‘what works’ to empower women in this context. Women’s perceptions of the benefits from FPO membership were heterogeneous. Our qualitative analysis suggests a nuanced picture of women’s autonomy and decision-making within and outside their household, further shaped by women’s and men’s perception of shifts in women’s access to resources and services. The emerging lessons provide inputs for development implementers and policymakers to recognize diverse contextual barriers in designing FPO interventions to enable and enhance women empowerment outcomes. The research also contributes to the body of knowledge on local gender norms and understanding of empowerment. |
| Keywords: | agricultural value chains; collectivization; extension; gender; innovation; women’s empowerment; India; Asia; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–06–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:145187 |
| By: | Eissler, Sarah; Rubin, Deborah; de Anda, Victoria |
| Abstract: | This study presents findings from a qualitative research study conducted in Chiapas, Mexico that is one component of a larger activity funded by the Walmart Foundation and implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), titled Applying New Evidence for Women’s Empowerment (ANEW). ANEW seeks to generate evidence from mixed-methods evaluations of women’s empowerment in production and other entrepreneurial efforts at different nodes of agricultural value chains and aims to develop and validate measures of women’s empowerment that focus on agricultural marketing and collective empowerment at the group level, both of which build upon the project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index for Market Inclusion (pro-WEAI+MI). In this report, we present findings of a qualitative study of coffee cooperatives supported by Root Capital in Chiapas, Mexico and how Root Capital engages with them to advance women’s economic empowerment, among other objectives. As part of this study, we aimed to describe the gender dynamics and roles and responsibilities of men and women in the coffee value chain in Chiapas, and the opportunities and barriers faced as a result of these dynamics. This study employed qualitative methods to collect primary data from types of respondents using individual and group interviews. Two coffee cooperatives in Chiapas that work with Root Capital were selected to participate in this study. From June to July 2023, 21 individual interviews and 9 group interviews were conducted with market actors, men and women coffee cooperative leaders, men and women cooperative members and their wives, and Root Capital staff from two municipalities in Chiapas. The data were transcribed into Spanish and then translated into English. These transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis in NVivo software. A codebook inclusive of inductive and deductive themes was developed to guide the thematic analysis. This study design adhered to best practices for ethical research and received approval from IFPRI’s IRB. Several limitations should be considered when reviewing the findings and conclusions of this study. There exist defined gender roles and divisions of labor at each node of the coffee value chain in Chiapas, and participants often described these roles as expected given social norms or perceived gender-specific limitations of natural abilities that would shape how men or women could engage in different activities. Men and women indicated that while men are in charge of coffee production activities, women do spend time contributing to cleaning and management activities, and that women are heavily involved in the coffee harvest. Both men and women explained that women are responsible for processing activities, which can be time consuming and laborious, but often occur close to the home. Although the coffee harvest activities require physical labor in picking and carrying the baskets of ripened cherries, there is a perception that women cannot participate in other post-harvesting activities, such as transporting bags of coffee, because the lifting is too physically heavy of a task for women. Men are responsible for managing the sale of coffee and directly negotiating with the buyer to the extent that a negotiation happens. In instances when buyers travel to the household as the point of sale, women can participate in sales, typically facilitating the sale under the direction of her husband. However, women still do not lift the coffee bags nor transport the bags for sale. And many coffee producing households prefer to or sometimes need to hire labor to help with coffee harvest activities; they tend to hire men as laborers more out of preference or their availability compared to women. Men and women interviewed for this study also described their perceptions and understanding of empowerment and elements of an empowered person with relation to engaging in the coffee value chain. Overall, while the concept of an empowered person was difficult for both men and women to relate to, they shared perceptions of how relations between men and women had changed over the years. Respecting women’s rights or the perception of respecting women’s rights was more acknowledged at the time of the interviews than in previous years, and it was more common to see men and women both generating incomes for the household. Men and women shared different perspectives regarding attitudes toward intimate partner violence, whereas both acknowledged men often mistreated their wives, but women discussed it as a private matter where men shared concerns over women’s reaction to the mistreatment rather than the mistreatment itself. Varying access to resources limited both men and women farmer’s ability to advance in the coffee value chain, particularly access to credit, which was limited for both men and women in the study areas. Limited access to credit with favorable or reasonable terms limited men’s and women’s ability to hire additional labor on their coffee farm or to purchase machines that would reduce specifically women’s time burdens within the household. Women’s time use is constrained by expectations and normative tasks in ways that men are not constrained. Future research is needed and discussed to better understand these dynamics of gendered roles and relations and elements of empowerment in the coffee value chain in Chiapas. Men and women members of the two respective cooperatives shared differences in how they were able to participate in and benefit from their participation in each cooperative. One cooperative provided more opportunities for members to directly engage in meetings, social activities, and capacity building opportunities whereas the other operated through a more decentralized structure and did not offer opportunities for members to directly participate in decision-making or meetings beyond the representation of their delegate. Members of both cooperatives perceived their cooperatives to be consistent and reliable coffee buyers offering stable prices. The former cooperative was also perceived as a source of support and community for members to advance their coffee production and post-harvesting activities. Both cooperatives also addressed key barriers faced by members, such as providing consistent and reliable pricing. Some members reported that cooperatives offered higher prices than those offered by non-cooperative buyers. Cooperatives also provided transportation options for producers to sell their coffee, which also enables women to have more engagement in coffee sales. However, normative barriers, such as women’s existing time burdens and their need for their husbands’ permission, limits women’s full participation in the cooperatives. Finally, we explored the extent to which Root Capital’s engagement with the cooperatives had supported activities or changes that strengthen women’s empowerment by understanding members and leaders’ perceptions of this engagement. Overall, cooperative members were generally unaware of Root Capital and its engagement with the cooperative. Since Root Capital does not provide direct services to farmers or cooperative members, it was not surprising that many cooperative members were generally unaware of Root Capital and its engagement with the cooperative. However, a few were aware of Root Capital, knowing it had provided their cooperative a loan to purchase and maintain a truck, which was used to reduce barriers faced by producers to bring their coffee to the point of sale and had implications for shifting gender roles to manage coffee sales. Cooperative leaders reflected on the loan that facilitated increased transportation capacity, as well as other benefits from working with Root Capital. However, as Root Capital operates with a client-driven approach, adoption of the Gender Equity Advisory services was limited as these services only became recently available in 2021 and cooperatives opted not to prioritize these until 2023. Therefore, there was limited data to understand how these activities may be influencing cooperative operations, gender dynamics and roles, and perception of women engaged in the coffee value chain at the time of this study. We present several recommendations for areas of future research and considerations for Root Capital to strengthen its approach to gender equity programming. |
| Keywords: | coffee; cooperatives; research methods; value chains; women’s empowerment; gender; collective behaviour; qualitative analysis; Mexico; Americas; Northern America |
| Date: | 2024–03–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:140749 |
| By: | Wenjing Zhang; Ling Sun; Phu Nguyen-Van |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the dynamic interactions among global economic policy uncertainty, food prices, and maritime freight rates, focusing on changes in the global food landscape since China’s WTO official accession. Using a time-varying parameter vector autoregressive model with stochastic volatility (TVP-VAR-SV), it analyzes the impacts of economic policy changes, environmental policy, geopolitical risks, and global public health events on food and transportation markets. Additionally, it explores how fluctuations in maritime freight rates may affect food prices and, consequently, global economic development. Finally, the paper offers recommendations for food import and export countries to enhance food security and promote sustainable development in food transport firms. |
| Keywords: | global economic policy uncertainty; food market; food maritime transport; TVP-VAR-SV; food security |
| JEL: | O13 Q18 R41 L92 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:drm:wpaper:2025-28 |
| By: | Resnick, Danielle |
| Abstract: | Why is there high variability—both across countries and across different food staples—in the adoption and implementation of large-scale food fortification (LSFF)? A systematic diagnostic of the enabling environment for LSFF can identify key bottlenecks and help to calibrate policy interventions appropriately. This paper delineates the components of such a tool by focusing on two core elements of the enabling environment—political will and implementation capacity—and applies the framework to Madagascar. With more than 75 percent of its population living below the poverty line and almost 40 percent of children under five who are stunted, Madagascar faces major hurdles to addressing malnutrition, including weak consumer purchasing power, recurrent political crises, and frequent climate shocks that undermine agricultural productivity. LSFF has been identified in several national nutrition plans as an option for addressing malnutrition. Yet, thus far, only salt has been fortified at a national scale. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 31 knowledgeable stakeholders in Madagascar in the areas of mandatory fortification of salt, voluntary targeted fortification of infant flour, and fortification of foods for humanitarian assistance, the framework reveals several key priorities. First, weak governance overall affects several dimensions of nutrition and fortification policy, including policy momentum, commitment, and communication. Nutrition interventions therefore need to be calibrated to the country’s broader political risks, incentive structures, and capacities of relevant civil servants. To this end, fortification advocates should go beyond drawing on the expertise of nutrition professionals alone and also engage public sector governance experts as partners in fortification efforts. Second, major priorities for investment include a large-scale micronutrient and consumption survey to update information on micronutrient deficiencies and identify viable food vehicles for mass fortification. Third, an accredited laboratory to test micronutrients is sorely needed in the country to help reduce costs faced by companies who currently send their products overseas for testing and who face competition from counterfeit products. Fourth, financial and technical partners must pursue a multi-pronged lobby approach to overcome high government taxes on imported premix. Fifth, the National Food Fortification Alliance, which serves as a multi-stakeholder platform, requires a sustainable financing model to attract committed leadership and ensure consistent coordination activities. These and other lessons hold policy relevance for other low-income and fragile settings where LSFF is being considered as an option to address micronutrient deficiencies. |
| Keywords: | environment; food fortification; implementation; micronutrient deficiencies; governance; fragility; Madagascar; Africa; Southern Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–05–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:141798 |
| By: | Martin, Will; Mamun, Abdullah; Minot, Nicholas |
| Abstract: | Food trade barriers in many countries are systematically adjusted to insulate domestic markets from world price changes—a response not predicted by traditional political economy models. In this study, policymakers are assumed to minimize the political costs associated with changing domestic prices and deviating from longer-run political-economy equilibria. Error correction techniques applied to domestic and world price data for rice and wheat collected to measure trade policy distortions allow estimation of policy response parameters. The results suggest that systematic short-run price insulation reduces shocks to domestic prices but sharply increases world price volatility and the costs of trade distortions. However, idiosyncratic domestic price shocks resulting from inefficient policy instruments such as quantitative restrictions increase domestic price volatility relative to the magnified volatility of world prices—frequently outweighing the stabilizing impacts of price insulation. This fundamentally changes our understanding of the impacts of price-insulation—from a zero-sum game where some countries reduce the volatility of their prices using beggar-thy-neighbor policies that raise price volatility elsewhere, into one where price volatility rises in most countries. National policy reforms to move away from discretionary, destabilizing policies could lower costs, reduce volatility in domestic and world prices, and facilitate reform of international trade rules. |
| Keywords: | food prices; volatility; consumer economics; trade policies; behaviour; econometric models |
| Date: | 2024–05–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:141800 |
| By: | Minot, Nicholas; Hossain, Shahadat; Kabir, Razin; Dorosh, Paul A.; Rashid, Shahidur |
| Abstract: | Rice plays a central role in the diet in Bangladesh and as a source of income for farmers. Although Bangladesh has largely liberalized international trade in rice, it maintains a public food distribution system to stablize prices, distributing an average of 2 million tons of rice per year at a cost of almost US$ 800 million per year. This study explores whether alternative policies could achieve similar stabilization at a lower cost. It uses a stochastic spatial-equilibrium model of rice markets to simulate monthly prices in eight regions of the country. Stochastic shocks are used to simulate fluctuations in regional production, replicating historical patterns at the region-season level, as well as inter-regional correlation in production shocks. It also simulates fluctuation in world rice prices, mimicking the mean, variance, and serial correlation of historical wholesale prices of rice in Delhi. Public procurement and distribution follow historic averages by month and region. Private storage is represented by a simplified version of rational expectations models, in which net storage is a non-linear function of availability in the previous month. One set of simulations tests alternative levels of distribution, finding that cutting distribution to 1 million tons would have minimal effects on the level of rice price stability. Another set of simulations tested different import tariff levels, including the baseline rate of 25%1. We find that lower tariffs result in both lower rice prices and less price instability, as world rice prices tend to be more stable than local prices. Simulating a buffer stock with different price bands shows that a narrow band can achieve high price stability but at a high fiscal cost. A 20 T/kg (USD 0.26/kg) price band generates similar price stabilization at a lower cost compared to current policy. However, it is difficult to set the “right” purchase and sale price, and many simulations result in exhausting reserves or reaching warehouse capacity. An adaptive buffer stock, in which the price is adjusted as the stock runs too low or too high, solves some of these problems. In general, the study finds that current procurement and distribution patterns do not match well with the regional and monthly patterns of surplus and deficit, possibly reflecting multiple and conflicting goals of the public food distribution system. |
| Keywords: | equilibrium; price stabilization; stochastic models; rice; tariffs; Bangladesh; Asia; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–05–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:141799 |
| By: | Ray, Soumyajit; Raghunathan, Kalyani; Bhanjdeo, Arundhita; Heckert, Jessica |
| Abstract: | Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)—farmer collectives, often legally registered - can mitigate some of the constraints smallholder farmers face by improving their access to extension, services, and markets, especially for women. We evaluate the effects of a set of interventions delivered through women-only FPOs in Jharkhand, India, using a panel of 1200 households and a difference-in-difference model with nearest neighbor matching. A complementary qualitative study in the same areas helps triangulate and interpret our findings. The interventions aimed to improve agricultural productivity by coordinating production and improving access to services, while also providing gender sensitization trainings to FPO leaders and members. We collect household data on asset ownership and agricultural outcomes and individual data on women’s and men’s empowerment using the project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index for Market Inclusion (pro-WEAI+MI). Our results for asset ownership, land cultivated, cropping intensity, and per acre yields, revenues or costs are statistically insignificant. Effects on men’s and women's empowerment are mixed. While we see positive effects on women’s decisionmaking, asset ownership, control over income and attitudes towards intimate partner violence, the program is associated with an increase in workload and a reduction in active group membership for both men and women. Men appear to cede control over resources and decisionmaking to other household members. Additional analyses suggest that while some effects can occur in the short-term, others take time to accrue. FPO based interventions that aim to empower women or other marginalized groups likely require sustained investments over multiple years and will need to go beyond improving FPO functioning and increasing women’s participation to transforming social norms. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; farmers organizations; cooperatives; markets; prices; yields; empowerment; smallholders; women; gender; India; Asia |
| Date: | 2024–08–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:151877 |
| By: | Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; de Brauw, Alan; Herskowitz, Sylvan; Wagner, Julia |
| Abstract: | A key challenge in systematically collecting data on intermediary agri-food value chain actors is that value chains take the form of a network, with actors linked by a series of transactions. Moreover, we have limited ex ante knowledge about the structure or scale of these networks, which complicates the construction of valid sampling frames and limits traditional random sampling approaches to collect data. To address these challenges, we adapt the respondent-driven sampling approach to collect data on intermediary agri-food value chain actors within their transaction-linked network and implement this approach in the arabica coffee and soybean value chains in Uganda and the rice and potato value chains in Bangladesh. We observe meaningful heterogeneity in the structure and scale of agri-food value chains across commodities and countries. Focusing on traders, we show that the respondent-driven sampling approach generates a larger sample of traders who differ in observable characteristics (i.e., value added, enterprise scale, and financial access) compared to a sub-sample of traders generated in a way that mimics traditional random sampling approaches used to study traders. We conclude by discussing how this respondent-driven sampling approach, applied within transaction-linked networks, can provide a useful data collection method for studying intermediary agri-food value chain actors. |
| Keywords: | data; agrifood systems; value chains; networks; arabica coffee; soybeans; rice; potatoes; Bangladesh; Uganda; Eastern Africa; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2024–05–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:144207 |
| By: | Abate, Gashaw T.; Abay, Kibrom A.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Sebsibie, Samuel |
| Abstract: | The emergence of rural land rental markets in Sub-Saharan Africa is recognized as a key component of the region’s ongoing economic transformation. However, the evidence base on land market participation relies on survey-derived measures, which do not always cohere when compared and triangulated, suggesting the possibility of non-trivial measurement error. We report the results of a priming and list experiments designed to shed light on a persistent mystery in rural household survey data from Africa: why there are so many fewer self-reported landlords (renters-out) than tenants (renters-in)? Our design addresses two hypotheses using experimental data from Ethiopia. First, rented-out and rented-in land may be systematically underreported because enumerators and respondents are typically primed to emphasize parcels that are actively managed/cultivated by the household. Second, rented or sharecropped-out land may be systematically underreported because of respondents’ reluctance to acknowledge an activity for which public disclosure may have negative repercussions. We address the first hypothesis with a priming experiment by exposing a random subset of respondents to a nudge that explicitly reminded them to fully account for all land, including rented/sharecropped-in and rented/sharecropped-out. We address the second hypothesis with a double-list experiment, designed to elicit true rates of land renting and sharecropping-out. We find that nudging induces about 4 percentage points increase (or 13% in relative terms) in the share of households participating in renting in or sharecropping-in practices but has negligible effects on reported rates of renting and sharecropping-out. Interestingly, our list experiment indicates much higher revealed rates of renting-out (14-15%) than is reflected in the nominal parcel-roster responses (3%). The magnitude of the latter finding fully explains the apparent difference in renting in versus renting-out rates derived from the regular parcel roster responses. These results indicate that efforts to document land market participation rate and associated impacts must overcome large systematic reporting biases. |
| Keywords: | land; households; survey design; surveys; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2024–05–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:144206 |
| By: | Emiliano Basco (Central Bank of Argentina); Diego Elías (Central Bank of Argentina); Luciana Pastore (Central Bank of Argentina); Maximiliano Gómez Aguirre (Central Bank of Argentina) |
| Abstract: | Agriculture, and especially soybean production, has a critical role in Argentina’s economy, as a major contributor to GDP and export revenue. This paper studies the impact of climate variability on soybean yields in Argentina using a novel department-level dataset spanning 1980–2023. We estimate a fixed effects spatial error model (SEM) to quantify the effects of weather shocks– measured by extreme heat, precipitation, and ENSO phases–while controlling for economic and technological factors such as seed technology and relative prices. Our results show that extreme heat significantly reduces yields, while moderate rainfall boosts them up to a nonlinear threshold. El Niño phases increase yields, whereas La Niña events are detrimental. Technological adoption and favorable price signals also enhance productivity. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for both climate dynamics and spatial distributions when estimating agricultural outcomes. Time series models provide a strong empirical basis for forecasting soybean yields and informing policy decisions under increasing climate uncertainty. These models can be employed as effective tools for anticipating yield outcomes under different climate scenarios and utilized in stress test exercises. This work provides valuable insights for policymaking decisions, contributing to prepare for potential economic impacts stemming from climate risks on Argentina’s agricultural sector. |
| Keywords: | Soybean Yields; Argentina; Forecasting; Model Selection |
| JEL: | Q10 Q12 C13 C32 C33 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bcr:wpaper:2025117 |
| By: | Mao, Haiou; Görg, Holger |
| Abstract: | Geographical Indication (GI) is a rising policy in developing countries, which has been relatively neglected in the existing literature. This article studies Chinese agricultural GIs and its impact on firms’ exports. By relating newly authorized GIs with firm‐product‐location‐destination level customs trade data according to GIs’ geographical coverage and product type, we estimate the impact of these new GIs on firm's exports. Importantly, we can distinguish GIs with and without quality supervision. For the latter we find negative impacts on export quality, which is not the case for GIs with quality supervision. We interpret this in the context of our theoretical framework as evidence for quality free‐riding, where individual firms have an incentive to lower the quality of the export product. We show that this negative effect is less, the more concentrated an industry is or the more GIs there are for a particular product. Furthermore, our results suggest that the China‐EU agreement on Geographical Indications may play the role of quality supervision and prevent the possibility of free‐riding. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural Geographical Indications, China, export quality, free‐riding |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:319297 |
| By: | Heimann, Tobias; Wähling, Lara-Sophie; Honkomp, Tomke; Delzeit, Ruth; Pirrone, Alessandra; Schier, Franziska; Weimar, Holger |
| Abstract: | Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a crucial element in most modelling studies on emission pathways of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to limit global warming. BECCS can substitute fossil fuels in energy production and reduce CO2 emissions, while using biomass for energy production can have feedback effects on land use, agricultural and forest products markets, as well as biodiversity and water resources. To assess the former pros and cons of BECCS deployment, interdisciplinary model approaches require detailed estimates of technological information related to BECCS production technologies. Current estimates of the cost structure and capture potential of BECCS vary widely due to the absence of large-scale production. To obtain more precise estimates, a global online expert survey (N = 32) was conducted including questions on the regional development potential and biomass use of BECCS, as well as the future operating costs, capture potential, and scalability in different application sectors. In general, the experts consider the implementation of BECCS in Europe and North America to be very promising and regard BECCS application in the liquid biofuel industry and thermal power generation as very likely. The results show significant differences depending on whether the experts work in the Global North or the Global South. Thus, the findings underline the importance of including experts from the Global South in discussions on carbon dioxide removal methods. Regarding technical estimates, the operating costs of BECCS in thermal power generation were estimated in the range of 100–200 USD/tCO2, while the CO2 capture potential was estimated to be 50–200 MtCO2yr−1 by 2030, with cost-efficiency gains of 20% by 2050 due to technological progress. Whereas the individuals' experts provided more precise estimates, the overall distribution of estimates reflected the wide range of estimates found in the literature. For the cost shares within BECCS, it was difficult to obtain consistent estimates. However, due to very few current alternative estimates, the results are an important step for modelling the production sector of BECCS in interdisciplinary models that analyse cross-dimensional trade-offs and long-term sustainability. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:319917 |
| By: | Ariong, Richard M.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; Van Campenhout, Bjorn |
| Abstract: | Quality upgrading may be lagging in value chains where the assessment and traceability of the quality of the underlying commodity is challenging. In Uganda's southwestern milk shed, a variety of initiatives are trying to increase the quality of raw milk in dairy value chains. These initiatives generally involve the introduction of technologies that enable measurement of key quality parameters at strategic nodes in the value chain, in conjunction with a system that allows for tracking of these parameters throughout the supply chain. In this paper, we use a combination of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and quantitative data that is generated by these initiatives to document outputs, describe emerging outcomes, and reflect on the potential impact. We find clear evidence that milk quality improved, but the effects on milk prices are more subtle. |
| Keywords: | dairy value chains; raw milk; research methods; technology; Uganda; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–07–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:149239 |
| By: | Marc Deschamps (Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, CRESE, UR3190, F-25000 Besançon, France); Julie Le Gallo (CESAER UMR1041, INRAE, Institut Agro Dijon, France); Catherine Refait-Alexandre (Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, CRESE, UR3190, F-25000 Besançon, France) |
| Abstract: | Drawing on data from three specialized crowdfunding platforms and on semi-structured interviews conducted with project leaders located in the French Jura Arc region, we examine the role of this financing mechanism in the transition of the agri-food system. We draw in particular on proximity theory (Torre, 2018) to show that while so-called “social” proximity (ties of family, friendship, or networks) plays a decisive role in the success of crowdfunding campaigns, geographical proximity does not appear to be a determining factor in the decision to resort to crowdfunding or in the success of these campaigns. Our exploratory study also suggests that other forms of proximity (institutional or organizational) may influence the actors’ approaches. Finally, family and friendly support remains central, whereas the effect of any “geographical neighborhood” appears much more limited. |
| Keywords: | crowdfunding, transition, agri-food, proximity theory, social and geographical proximity. |
| JEL: | G29 Q14 Q20 R11 R12 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crb:wpaper:2025-03-eng |
| By: | Bachev, Hrabrin |
| Abstract: | There has been enormous development in land supply governance in Bulgarian farms during the last two decades. However, due to insufficient (statistical, official, etc.) information and traditional inadequate (Neo-classical economics, Agency theory, etc.) approaches, there is no complete knowledge of dominating modes and driving factors of land governance. This chapter fills the gap and identifies dominating modes and factors of land supply in Bulgarian farms. Interdisciplinary New Institutional Economics methodology is incorporated, and original new representative data from the managers of farms of different types and locations is analyzed. The study found that rent and lease contracts are the most common forms of farmland supply, followed by ownership mode and joint cultivation. The importance of different governance modes, forms of supply contracts, the intensity of transactions, types of partners, and kinds of land rent and price varies considerably depending on the juridical type, size, specialization, and geographical and ecological locations of holdings. The main factors for the governance choice are frequency, uncertainty, asset specificity of transactions, and professional experience of farm managers. The amount of transaction costs for finding needed lands and natural resources is among the critical factors strongly restricting the development of many Bulgarian farms, particularly of sole traders and cooperatives, farms with large sizes, holdings specialized in permanent crops and mix crops, those located in plain regions, protected zones, and near big cities, and enterprises in North-east, North-central, and South-central regions of the country. Most problems and costs for land (purchase, rent, and lease) deals of farms are consequences of the lack of available lands, high prices, great fragmentation of land plots, and needs for deals with numerous (co)owners. A comparative analysis with a similar study demonstrated enormous modernization in land supply and overall governance of farms in the last two decades. |
| Keywords: | land supply; farms; governance; modes; factors; transaction costs |
| JEL: | D22 Q12 Q13 Q15 Q18 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:125065 |
| By: | Wilson, William W.; Bullock, David |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, International Relations/Trade |
| Date: | 2025–07–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:nddaae:359086 |
| By: | Bleck, Jaimie; Carrillo, Lucia; Gottlieb, Jessica; Kosec, Katrina; Kyle, Jordan; Soumano, Moumouni |
| Abstract: | We surveyed 2, 919 community leaders across seven regions of Mali to provide insights on the prevalence and severity of shocks and crises across localities; which types of shocks and crises are most difficult from which to recover; the formal and informal ways in which local actors are involved in aid distribution systems; and the types of programming local actors view as most beneficial for promoting resilience. Despite increasing prevalence of conflict across localities, leaders predominately cited climate-related shocks as the most difficult from which to recover— especially droughts. We find that localities vary in the inclusiveness of local governance around aid distribution: while elected mayors are almost always involved, traditional leaders, women’s group and youth leaders in villages, civil servants, and civil society leaders are each involved in 40–60% of localities. We used both a budget allocation exercise and an experimental game in which we introduced the concept of anticipatory action (AA) programming—aid that is “triggered” by an early warning signal to arrive before a shock and mitigate its worst effects—to probe preferences over aid modality. We found that leaders see value in balancing investment across resilience programming (including AA) and humanitarian response, especially food aid. However, there is some important variation between village- and commune-level officials: village-level leaders are more likely to prioritize aid modalities that target households directly, like food aid and cash transfers, while commune-level leaders are more likely to prioritize risk prevention trainings. Our findings have important policy implications for promoting local resilience in Mali, including the importance of investing more in drought resilience, engaging actors at different levels of local governance who have different information and perspectives, and simultaneously investing in capacity-building around early warning system accuracy and dissemination. |
| Keywords: | governance; climate; conflicts; resilience; Mali; Africa; Western Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152260 |
| By: | Kalantzis, Fotios; Kesidou, Effie; Ri, Anastasia; Roper, Stephen |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates how firms navigate the dual challenges of digitalisation and climate change. Our comprehensive approach considers climate change strategies, distinguishing adaptation-only, mitigation-only and 'dual' adaptation and mitigation strategies. Drawing on theoretical insights from the literature on digital affordances, we argue that digitalisation enables firms to recognise better the opportunities and risks associated with climate change. These affordances significantly influence strategic decisions regarding adaptation, mitigation, or a combination of both, ultimately impacting the intensity of their implementation efforts. To empirically examine these dynamics, we analyse data from the 2022 and 2023 European Investment Bank Investment Survey waves. Our sample includes over 24, 000 firms, spanning small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large businesses across 27 EU Member States and the USA. Our results reveal that firms with higher digitalisation are more likely to adopt a 'dual' strategy that combines mitigation and adaptation efforts rather than pursuing a single climate strategy or no climate response. Furthermore, we find a positive relationship between digitalisation and climate action intensity across mitigation and adaptation measures. Importantly, these patterns hold consistently across different sectors and firm sizes. Overall, our study sheds light on the critical role of digital technologies in shaping firms' climate responses, emphasising the need for organisations to leverage their technological strengths to address environmental challenges effectively. |
| Keywords: | Business, Strategic management, Digitalization, Climate change, Climate protection, Environmental management, EU countries, USA |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:eibwps:319607 |
| By: | Howarth, Candice; Mcloughlin, Niall; Murtagh, Ellie; Kythreotis, Andrew P.; Porter, James |
| Abstract: | The integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy – or ‘climate policy integration’ (CPI) – is key to mainstreaming and harmonising both of these crucial strands of action in policy responses to climate change worldwide. However, little is known about how CPI can be applied in practice beyond single policy areas. This paper addresses this gap by considering how CPI can be better implemented in the context of responding to extreme heat, a climate change impact and risk that is growing in international importance. Using the heatwaves that occurred in the UK during the summer of 2022 as a case study, the paper explores the extent to which key stakeholders consider the integration of adaptation and mitigation to be important; perceptions of the feasibility of such integration; and the main enablers and challenges associated with integrating adaptation and mitigation. They find appetite for integrating mitigation and adaptation but a lack of integration happening in practice. |
| Keywords: | heat risk; adaptation; migration; integration; resilience; climate resilient net zero |
| JEL: | Q54 Q58 |
| Date: | 2024–10–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:128525 |
| By: | Tarsia, Romano |
| Abstract: | This paper provides novel firm-level estimates of the economic damages caused by temperature shocks to European firms. I rely on a panel data analysis to show wide heterogeneities in the impact of temperature shocks, which depend on firm characteristics. This paper reveals the importance of micro-level data to reduce the uncertainty in climate damages estimates, as the average relationship between temperature and economic outcomes masks firms’ different susceptibilities to weather shocks. These create both winners and losers, harming less productive and smaller firms, particularly those in warmer regions, while benefiting more productive ones. This paper highlights the distributional effects of climate change, and offers insights for targeted adaptation policies. |
| Keywords: | weather; climate change; firms; climate damages; economic performance |
| JEL: | D24 O13 O14 O52 Q51 Q54 R11 |
| Date: | 2024–11–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:128533 |