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on Agricultural Economics |
| By: | Russel, Yeshua |
| Abstract: | Nigeria’s agri-food sector is one of the largest and most complex in sub-Saharan Africa, encompassing diverse crops, regions, actors, and markets. With agriculture contributing approximately 24% to the national GDP and employing over 70% of the rural workforce (CBN, nd), the sector plays a central role in livelihoods, food security, and inclusive growth. Within this sector, agri-food value chains constitute the connective tissue that links smallholder farmers, processors, traders, input suppliers, and consumers, both within the domestic economy and across international markets. Nigeria's agricultural output is predominantly driven by staple food crops such as maize, rice, and cassava, while export-oriented value chains like cocoa provide significant foreign exchange and economic diversification potential. These chains vary widely in terms of modernization, capital intensity, and integration into digital financial services. Staple crop chains are typically domestic-facing and labor-intensive, offering high employment shares and deep linkages with poverty alleviation. Export-oriented chains, although narrower in farmer reach, tend to offer higher margins, foreign earnings, and exposure to quality standards and global market dynamics. |
| Keywords: | agrifood sector; livelihoods; value chains; smallholders; staple foods; exports; agricultural value chains; digital technology; Nigeria; Africa; Western Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:175658 |
| By: | Valerian, Judith |
| Abstract: | Agriculture is vital to Tanzania's economic framework, significantly contributing to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). According to the ministerial report on the agriculture sector, the agriculture sector contributed 26.3 percent to national GDP in 2024, an increase from 26.2 percent in the previous year (MOA, 2025). It employed an average of 61.4 percent of the population, a slight decrease from 65.6 percent in 2023. Furthermore, agriculture provides 65 percent of essential raw materials for industries (MOA, 2024). Specifically, crop production recorded a growth rate of 4.2 percent in 2023, up from 2.7 percent in 2022, contributing 16.1 percent to national GDP, an increase from 15 percent in 2022 (MOA, 2024). Agriculture continues to play a critical role in ensuring food security, meeting 128 percent of domestic food demand in 2024 (MOA, 2025). Exports of agricultural products also saw substantial growth, reaching approximately USD 3.54 billion in 2023/2024, a significant increase from about USD 1.2 billion in 2019/2020 (MOA, 2025). Tanzania's agricultural transformation increasingly relies on modernizing agri-food value chains, especially those linking rural producers to growing urban and export markets, which are seeing a widening price gap. Value addition is essential for improving agricultural productivity and can take multiple forms. Hidayati et al. (2023) categorize value addition based on quality, safety, and market orientation, while emphasizing the importance of social factors such as job creation and food safety, alongside economic aspects such as sales, profitability, and environmental impacts. In agriculture, value addition involves transforming raw materials into finished products and by-products through processes such as drying, processing, packaging, and distribution. These activities enhance the market value of agricultural products, bolster economic growth through job creation, and contribute to food security. Consequently, maximizing value addition is crucial to fully leveraging the potential of Tanzania’s agricultural sector and translating it into measurable economic growth. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; economic development; food security; agrifood sector; value chains; digital technology; Tanzania; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:175446 |
| By: | Martin, Will; Nia, Reza; Vos, Rob |
| Abstract: | Agricultural yield shocks are frequently correlated across countries and much of the recent literature concludes that both the volatility of shocks and the extent of correlations across countries are likely to increase substantially with climate change. Given this background, it seems important to consider the potential impacts of large, synchronized yield shocks in both developing and developed countries. These shocks are examined using IFPRI’s MIRAGRODEP model and the linked POVANA household models to assess the impacts on real incomes, food prices, poverty and food insecurity. The results of a 25% reduction in productivity in South Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa are compared with a similar productivity reduction in Europe and North America. The results make clear that the adverse impacts on global poverty and food security are much more severe when the shock originates in developing countries. The results point to a need for quite different policy responses in the case of a multiple breadbasket failure arising in the global south, rather than—like the three most recent food crises—in the global north. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; climate change; crop yield; developing countries; extreme weather events; food security; poverty; shock |
| Date: | 2025–09–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176642 |
| By: | Sidahmed, Anwar; Mohamed, Shima |
| Abstract: | Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in widespread displacement, destruction of infrastructure, and the collapse of essential services. As with agricultural production in rural communities across Sudan, urban and peri-urban farming systems in Greater Khartoum, the area around the capital city, have also been harmed by the conflict. An integrated assessment of the impact of conflict on crop production in Greater Khartoum was conducted using recent satellite imagery from 2024/25 winter season (October 2024 to March 2025), along with household-level data from the 2024 IFPRI Smallholder Farmers Survey covering the 2023/24 winter season (October 2023 to March 2024). Key findings from the assessment include: Decline in cropping activities: Analysis of satellite imagery showed clear evidence of a decline in cropping activities between December 2022 and December 2024. Land use analysis showed a 22 percent reduction in total cultivated area over this period. Notably, land under center-pivot irrigation declined by 87 percent. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis showed a 36 percent decline in vegetated land, indicating both reduced cultivation and plant cover. Widespread disruption to farming: Thirty-six percent of the farmers surveyed in Khartoum state reported not cultivating any crops in the 2023/24 winter season primarily because of conflict-related challenges that they could not overcome. Of those that did farm, over three-quarters reported that the conflict had disrupted their agricultural activities. Shifts in crop selection and agricultural input use: Vegetables and fruits are now the most commonly grown crops, followed by fodder and beans. Less than one-quarter of farmers now use improved seeds, largely due to conflict-related input shortages. However, despite the conflict, access to fertilizer markets has been maintained— 87 percent of farmers reported that they continue to use fertilizer. Localized resilience: Some areas of Greater Khartoum, particularly Karari locality, have maintained relatively high levels of cultivation, reflecting localized resilience and reasonable safety and access to agricultural landholdings. By combining spatial and socioeconomic data, the study highlights the complex and multidimensional nature of agricultural disruption in conflict-affected areas, like Greater Khartoum. Several policy responses and other actions needed for recovery and to strengthen the resilience of affected farmers are suggested by the study findings: Promote resilient and inclusive farming systems and agricultural value chains. Restore agricultural infrastructure and input supply chains. Improve farmer mobility and market access. Provide emergency assistance and recovery packages to farmers. Strengthen agricultural monitoring systems. |
| Keywords: | armed conflicts; capacity development; crop production; farming; satellite imagery; Sudan; Africa; Northern Africa |
| Date: | 2025–10–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ssspwp:176773 |
| By: | Wassie, Solomon |
| Abstract: | Agriculture is of paramount importance to Ethiopia’s economy. Agriculture accounts for 40 percent of the country's GDP, 80 percent of export earnings, and employs 75 percent of the population (Tamene & Ali, 2022). Crop and livestock production account for roughly 65 percent and 25 percent of agricultural GDP, respectively (International Trade Administration, 2024). Cereals account for roughly 90 percent of total grain production. Teff, known for its gluten-free nutritional aspect, takes the leading share of cereals by production area (ESS 2022). Ethiopia is also the second-largest wheat producer in Africa, following South Africa, with an expansion potential of 1.3 million hectares (Senbeta & Worku, 2023). Coffee, a crop with high cultural and economic importance in Ethiopia, accounts for 30 percent of exports and 25 percent of total employment. Ethiopia stands as Africa's leading coffee producer and among the top five coffee producing nations worldwide (Tefera & Torry, 2023). Within Ethiopia’s overall agri-food system, most agricultural value chain activity fits the traditional definition, where subsistence farming dominates, postharvest value addition is minimal, and grain production constitutes the largest share (Barrett et al., 2022). However, some commodities in Ethiopia are progressing from traditional to transitional and modern value chains. The dairy value chain can be considered transitional, as it is characterized by a growing processing and logistics sector and emerging pre-urban supply chains (which disfavor remote regions with high production potential as they need more advanced logistics). The coffee value chain in Ethiopia can be considered as a modern value chain – i.e., characterized by product standardization and quality control aimed at the global market/export (Ambler et al., 2023; Barrett et al., 2022). |
| Keywords: | agriculture; digital technology; agrifood systems; value chains; finance; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:175447 |
| By: | Kym Anderson; Roehlano Briones |
| Abstract: | For decades the Philippines has protected many of its farmers from import competition, taxed farm exports, and insulated domestic markets from fluctuations in international prices. Policy developments to the mid-1960s are summarized by Power (1971), and were updated to the mid2000s by David, Intal and Balisacan (2009). This paper looks at what has changed in terms of agricultural assistance and food market insulation in the two decades since then, with emphasis on the extent to which those rates of assistance have fluctuated from year to year with international price movements as governments attempted to stabilize the nation’s domestic prices of farm products, most notably for rice. Philippine policies have been similar to those of other food-importing countries in adopting farm-support policies but have been unusual in being so protectionist so early in the country’s economic development. The paper explores the prospect of re-purposing support away from price-distorting measures – which are highly inequitable – toward more-direct forms of support for just the poorest rural households and boosting investment in rural public goods such as infrastructure and agricultural research. The latter would benefit a larger proportion of rural people as well as reduce food prices in urban areas. |
| JEL: | F13 F14 Q17 Q18 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pas:papers:2025-12 |
| By: | Kimura, Yuichi |
| Abstract: | Under Ghana's customary land tenure system, family land allocated through matrilineal ties is associated with a lower propensity to take up rubber cultivation and lower yields where rubber is planted. Consistent with conventional wisdom, tenure insecurity reduces yields, but most of this effect operates through diminished labor input by family members rather than through reduced material input or lack of collateral value of land. Moreover, tenure insecurity arises primarily from undefined rights among household members, rather than from the more distant possibility of lineage-level reallocations. Company-led interventions to reconcile land rights within kin groups effectively mitigated these gaps by reducing family members' disincentives to work on shared land. |
| Keywords: | Land tenure institution; land titling; tenure reconciliation; investment in agriculture. |
| JEL: | O12 O13 Q12 Q15 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:126441 |
| By: | Alexandre Gohin (SMART - Structures et Marché Agricoles, Ressources et Territoires - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Rennes Angers - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement); Alan Matthews (University of Dublin) |
| Abstract: | Following 25 years of negotiations, the Mercosur countries and the European Commission reached a political agreement on a comprehensive association agreement in December 2024. However, its ratification is currently uncertain due to concerns of some European member states, among other issues, around possible negative impacts on their farm/livestock sectors. The main objective of this paper is to quantify these likely impacts. Our methodology elaborates on the general equilibrium framework used in previous sustainable impact assessments, where potential or illustrative agreements were analysed. We simulate both a full liberalisation scenario as well as a scenario simulating the more limited market‐opening offers in sensitive sectors, notably tariff rate quotas in agriculture. This allows us to identify the protective impact of these more limited offers. We also provide results for the main European member states and conduct several robustness analyses. We find that, because the beef offer is limited to additional import quotas, the negative impacts on livestock income are heavily muted. We also find that the European livestock sector, and more generally the farm and food industries, benefit from the income growth induced by the other components of the agreement. Finally, we do not find stronger negative effects in countries currently opposed to ratification, in particular France, because their consumers prefer domestic foods. |
| Keywords: | General equilibrium, Income, Livestock, Mercosur, Trade agreement, Europe |
| Date: | 2025–09–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05319827 |
| By: | Mingoti, Rafael; da Silveira, Hilton Luis Ferraz |
| Abstract: | The Amazon and Cerrado biomes, which together cover nearly two-thirds of Brazil, are critical to global ecological stability but face significant deforestation pressures driven by agriculture and livestock expansion. While the Cerrado, with its savanna-like vegetation, and the dense forests of the Amazon have distinct ecological characteristics, both have been similarly impacted by Brazil's rapid agricultural and infrastructural development. Historically, these biomes were sparsely occupied until the 20th century, when large-scale projects such as the Belém-Brasília and Trans-Amazonian highways facilitated settlement and land conversion. During the 1980s, agricultural frontiers expanded rapidly, especially in the Cerrado. Research by Embrapa introduced advanced soil management techniques and crop adaptation strategies, enabling efficient tropical agriculture and converting native vegetation into productive farmland for crops like soy and corn. In the Amazon, where soils are less fertile, large-scale cattle ranching dominated, leading to the establishment of the infamous "arc of deforestation" along major transport routes. |
| Keywords: | deforestation; agriculture; Amazon River; ecology; livestock; satellite imagery; Brazil; Americas; South America |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:lacwps:176755 |
| By: | Hill, Ruth; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob |
| Abstract: | CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic benefits for the U.K. while reducing global poverty and food insecurity. CGIAR has boosted productivity on British farms, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for British consumers. It has also helped prevent potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten U.K. farm livelihoods. CGIAR investments are likely to continue benefiting U.K. farmers in the future as the CGIAR’s provision of genetic material to the U.K. has increased over time. This paper quantifies the benefits to farmers, exporters and consumers. |
| Keywords: | economic benefits; poverty; food security; farms; exports; consumers; United Kingdom; Europe |
| Date: | 2025–09–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprwp:176682 |
| By: | Wairimu, Edith |
| Abstract: | Kenya’s agrifood systems are broad and diverse, including both staple food crops and high-value exports which are essential to the economic and social advancement of the nation. The agricultural sector em ploys more than 40 percent of Kenya's workforce, including more than 70 percent of rural residents, and accounts for about 33 percent of the country's GDP (FAO, 2023a; FAO, n.d.). The growth of Kenya’s agrifood system is largely driven by domestic market demand rather than exports, a trend driven by rapid urbanization and rising income opportunities in the rural nonfarm sector, which are leading to shifts in dietary preferences and are expected to further influence ongoing structural transformation (Diao et al., 2023). Kenya’s agricultural sector is characterized by several value chains that significantly support economic output, job creation, and trade. Tea is Kenya's most significant agricultural export, contributing about 2 percent to the overall GDP and 4 percent to GDP in agriculture. Managed predominantly by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), which oversees over 60 percent of national tea production, the sector supports approximately 6.5 million people (Tea Board of Kenya, 2024). Tea also contributes around 21 percent of Kenya's export earnings, which makes it the third-largest source of foreign exchange earnings in the nation after diaspora remittances and tourism (Kilimo News, 2024). |
| Keywords: | value chains; agrifood systems; agricultural sector; digital technology; finance; Kenya; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:175448 |
| By: | Hill, Ruth Vargas; McNamara, Brian; Ringler, Claudia; Spielman, David J.; Thurlow, James; Berrospi, Maria Lucia; Chambers, Judith A.; Falck-Zepeda, José B.; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Glauber, Joseph W.; Hernandez, Manuel A.; Headey, Derek D.; Hoffmann, Vivian; Kosec, Katrina; Martin, Will; Nia, Reza; Nin-Pratt, Alejandro; Piñeiro, Valeria; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob; Zambrano, Patricia; Zhang, Wei |
| Abstract: | This report documents how CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic, security, and diplomatic benefits for the U.S. that far exceed financial contributions. By driving agricultural innovation and providing evidence-based insights, CGIAR has boosted U.S. farm productivity, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for American consumers. It has also helped prevent billions of dollars in potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten U.S. food security and farm livelihoods. CGIAR promotes American leadership in agricultural innovation by supplying the majority of the genetic materials used in U.S. crop breeding and acting as a critical research partner for U.S. businesses and universities. CGIAR also makes America safer and stronger through its work on predicting crises, protecting food security, and on improving livelihoods as an alternative to migration. |
| Keywords: | economic aspects; finance; agricultural innovation; exports; markets; food security; research; United States; Americas; Northern America |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprwp:176753 |
| By: | Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob |
| Abstract: | This note documents how CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic, benefits for Canada while reducing global poverty and food insecurity. By driving agricultural innovation and providing evidence-based insights, CGIAR has boosted Canadian farm productivity, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for Canadian consumers. It has also helped prevent billions of dollars in potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten Canadian farm livelihoods. CGIAR investments are likely to continue benefiting Canadian farmers in the future as the CGIAR continues to provide a large share of genetic materials for plant breeding. These genetic materials will be essential to the discovery and development of new traits that increase yields and benefit Canadian farmers in the future. CGIAR research will continue to support the work of Canadian partner institutions and promote demand for Canadian exports by fostering economic growth in low- and middle- income countries. |
| Keywords: | investment; economics; food security; poverty; Canada; Americas; Northern America |
| Date: | 2025–10–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprwp:176948 |
| By: | Corong, Erwin; Gautam, Madhur; Martin, Will; Vos, Rob |
| Abstract: | As the agricultural transformation associated with economic development proceeds, the economic fulcrum of the agrifood system moves from primary production to nonfarm activities, such as input supply, food processing, food services, and wholesale and retail trade. Traditional measures of farm employment and value added (or GDP) represent a shrinking share of the agrifood system’s total contribution. Better quantification is important not only to appreciate the role of agrifood system transformation in broader economic development, but also to inform policies that create more and better-quality jobs and accelerate structural transformation in developing economies. This study considers two broad approaches to measuring the agrifood sector: (1) measuring agrifood activities, and (2) exploiting the economy’s full input–output structure to measure the direct and indirect resources needed to meet final demands for agrifood products and to transform agrifood output into nonfood products such as biofuels and clothing. We apply both approaches using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database and comparing their results. We then use the input–output approach to estimate the employment generated by the agrifood sector, including employment in backward and forward linkages. The findings suggest that the input–output approach provides a more comprehensive assessment, with the agrifood sector generating 15.2 percent (near one-sixth) of global GDP and one-third of global employment. The findings further show that the off-farm segments of the agrifood system provide better-quality jobs than the farm segments, particularly for women. These findings provide insights on the potential for improving welfare and reducing poverty and inequality through agrifood system transformation. |
| Keywords: | agrifood systems; economic development; employment; gender inequality; input output analysis; gross national product; gender |
| Date: | 2025–10–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176871 |
| By: | Missirian, Anouch; Noack, Frederik; Engist, Dennis; Gantois, Josephine; Gaur, Vasundhara; Hyjazie, Batoule F.; Larsen, Ashley; M’Gonigle, Leithen K.; Qaim, Matin; Sargent, Risa D.; Souza-Rodrigues, Eduardo; Kremen, Claire |
| Abstract: | Genetically modified (GM) crops have been adopted by some of the world’s leading agricultural nations, but the full extent of their environmental impacts remains largely unknown. While concerns about the direct environmental effects of GM crops have declined, GM crops have led to indirect changes in agricultural practices, including pesticide use, agricultural expansion, and cropping patterns with profound environmental implications. Recent studies paint a nuanced picture of these environmental impacts, with mixed effects of GM crop adoption on biodiversity, deforestation, and human health that vary with the GM trait and geographic scale. New GM or gene-edited crops with different traits would likely have different environmental and human health impacts. |
| Date: | 2025–10–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tse:wpaper:131056 |
| By: | Food and Materials Division, Commodity Stabilization Service, United States Department of Agriculture |
| Abstract: | Defense planning is vital both as a deterrent to aggression and as a means of coping with the effects of aggression if it should occur anyway. The U. S. Department of Agriculture has major planning and, in event of actual emergency, major operational responsibilities in relation to food; defense against biological and chemical warfare in relation to livestock and crops, defense against fallout as it relates to certain areas-of responsibility of USDA, and rural fire defense. This statement will concern itself with a brief review of the existing programs of USDA in relation to defense, authorities and organization for defense planning and the nature of defense planning. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:usdami:373359 |
| By: | Mawia, Harriet; Ferguson, Nathaniel; Bryan, Elizabeth; Thomas, Timothy S. |
| Abstract: | Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, accounting for 20% of the country’s GDP in 2020. Yet the growth of the sector has slowed in recent years due to unfavorable weather conditions, leading to a reduction in crop and livestock performance (Central Bank of Kenya, 2023). While employment in agriculture has been steadily declining (to 32% in 2023), the sector still employs a large share of the rural population and is the main source of informal employment, rural income, and livelihoods (D’Alessandro et al., 2015; ILO 2025). A majority of Kenyan farmers operate on a small scale and are solely dependent on rainfall (D’Alessandro et al., 2015). However, since the 1970s, the country has experienced significant changes in rainfall pat terns--average rainfall during the long season has decreased while rainfall during other times of the year has increased and the country has experienced more frequent climate extreme events (Kogo et al. 2021). Increased climate variability has negative effects on agriculture and may exacerbate inequalities within the sector. Due to gender inequalities and gender-differentiated roles in agrifood systems, men and women do not experience climate change and variability in the same ways (Balikoowa et al., 2019; Lecoutere et al. 2023). According to the World Economic Forum, women are more vulnerable than men to climate change due to lower education and exclusion from the political and domestic decision-making processes that affect their lives (Gunawardena, 2020). |
| Keywords: | agriculture; employment; climate change; extreme weather events; gender; agrifood systems; Kenya; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gcanip:175631 |
| By: | Abdelaziz, Fatma; Abay, Kibrom A. |
| Abstract: | Despite growing enthusiasm about the potential of digital innovations to transform agrifood systems, adoption among smallholder farmers in Africa remains low and heterogeneous. While the proliferation of digital tools targeting smallholder farmers is encouraging, the vast majority remain at pilot stages, facing important demand and supply-side barriers to adoption. This paper evaluates alternative digital literacy interventions designed to address these demand-side barriers. Following a Training of Trainers (TOT) model, we designed and implemented a randomized control trial to test three variants of digital literacy training: standard classroom-based digital literacy training (T1), digital training complemented (preceded) by a video-based play (T2), digital training complemented (preceded) by a live community play (T3), and a control group (C). We find that all variants of digital training significantly increased the uptake and utilization of digital tools by smallholder farmers. Specifically, the standard digital training alone increased uptake by 20 percentage points and utilization by 26 percentage points. The interventions also significantly enhanced farmer trust in digital tools by 8–13 percentage points. Surprisingly, for some outcomes, the digital literacy training alone outperformed the combined approaches that incorporated edutainment nudges. We explore possible explanations, including group size effects and social influence dynamics during the plays. We also document heterogeneity in the impact of these interventions across farmers’ gender and age. Our findings offer insights for designing cost effective and scalable interventions to build digital capabilities and trust among smallholder farmers. |
| Keywords: | digital literacy; training; digital agriculture; smallholders; technology adoption; Egypt; Africa; Northern Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176520 |
| By: | Falck, Elisabeth; Schulte, Patrick |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we provide evidence on the impact of global seasonal temperature shocks on global food commodity prices. Utilizing monthly data from 1961 to 2023, we find an economically and statistically highly significant, longer-lasting positive impact of summer temperature shocks on global food commodity prices. In contrast, we do not find such effects for winter, spring or autumn temperature shocks. A summer which is 0.4 êC hotter than in the previous five years, roughly equal to the largest summer shock we observe in our sample, causes food commodity prices to rise by about 10 % within 12 months. In addition, we show that such weather shocks lower global food production quantities, indicating that such shocks can be classified as supply shocks. |
| Keywords: | Global seasonal temperature shocks, food commodity prices, food production, local projections |
| JEL: | Q02 Q11 E31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:bubdps:330306 |
| By: | Fang, Peixun; Anamo, Iga; Gimiseve, Harry; Hayoge, Glen; Mukerjee, Rishabh; Schmidt, Emily; Zhang, Xiaobo |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the constraints within Papua New Guinea's vegetable sector, drawing on large scale household surveys, extensive qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, and Large Language Model (LLM) methods. Our survey data reveal that vegetable production is ubiquitous, with almost all households surveyed (91%) growing at least one vegetable. Indigenous varieties, such as leafy greens (96%) and fresh beans (69%), are widely cultivated across regions, while high-value vegetables like onion (17%) and tomato (19%) show more regional concentration. Over half (53%) of PNG vegetable farmers sell their produce, with farmers located in the nonseasonal highlands agro-ecological area leading in market participation (66%), contributing to an overall commercialization rate of 24% (defined as the share of pro duction sold). However, modern input use, particularly improved seed adoption, significantly lags behind output commercialization in all agroecological zones except the islands survey areas. The quantitative analysis, using the PNG Rural Household Survey 2023, and the qualitative analysis, drawing from both manual review and LLM-assisted processing of in-depth interview notes, consistently identify poor feeder roads as critical bottlenecks for every stakeholder across PNG's vegetable value chain. Beyond transportation, these interviews repeatedly highlighted persistent seed supply shortages and high seed costs as significant hurdles. Since PNG depends on imported vegetable seeds, several structural and procedural barriers contribute to these shortages. These include potentially arduous quarantine procedures, limited foreign exchange for seed imports, and cumbersome permit processes, often leaving major distributors with insufficient stock. These reported bottlenecks may contribute to the low improved seed adoption and use reflected in the household survey analysis. |
| Keywords: | vegetables; large language models; commercialization; household surveys; artificial intelligence; Papua New Guinea; Melanesia; Oceania; Asia |
| Date: | 2025–07–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:pngfwp:175558 |
| By: | Ghassan Baliki; Wolfgang Stojetz; Tilman Brück; Mekdim D. Regassa; Damir Esenaliev; Milena Tzvetkova; Monika Schreiner |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive food insecurity in low-income countries. However, most studies rely on aggregate-level exposure measures, overlooking individual-level heterogeneity and introducing measurement errors that limit causal inference. To overcome these gaps, we examine the impact of COVID-19 exposure on food security in four African countries — Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique - using large-scale phone survey data collected throughout 2021. We introduce a novel micro-level measure of "COVID-19 exposure" and employ a heteroskedasticity-based IV method to mitigate potential endogeneity concerns. We find that one in two households faced moderate-to-severe food insecurity during this period, with particularly pronounced impacts among households characterized by large family sizes, limited access to public services, fewer assets, and with female, younger, and less educated household heads. Our analysis identifies significant declines in household income in COVID-19 exposed areas as primary drivers of worsened food insecurity. Moreover, vulnerable households often lacked financial support from governments, leading them to adopt harmful coping strategies. Our analysis offers nuanced insights into the mechanisms linking individual pandemic exposure to food insecurity and provides valuable implications for designing targeted policy interventions to protect vulnerable households in low- and middle-income countries. |
| Keywords: | africa, countermeasures, covid-19, food security, income shocks |
| JEL: | I18 O15 Q18 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hic:wpaper:439 |
| By: | Ahmed, Mosab; Kirui, Oliver K.; Taffesse, Alemayehu S.; Raouf, Mariam; Abushama, Hala; Siddig, Khalid |
| Abstract: | This study examines the impact in Sudan of conflict on employment and incomes and the effect of remittances and assistance received by a household on its food insecurity and food consumption. The analyses use data from the 2022 Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey (SLMPS), the 2023 Sudan Rural Household Survey (SRHS), and the 2024 Sudan Urban Household Survey (SUHS). Conflict is found to significantly increase the likelihood of employment and income loss, particularly among female-headed and displaced households. Receipt of remittances does not have a significant effect on the food security or food consumption of a household. In contrast, whether a household receives assistance is associated with higher food insecurity and lower food consumption, likely reflecting the targeting of assistance programs toward vulnerable households. However, due to the cross sectional nature of the data, causal relationships cannot be established. The results highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the food security and welfare of households affected by the current conflict in Sudan, particularly through efforts to stabilize employment and incomes. |
| Keywords: | Sudan; Africa; Northern Africa; conflicts; employment; income; remittances; food security; food consumption |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ssspwp:21 |
| By: | Briones, Roehlano M.; Espineli, Isabel B. |
| Abstract: | This benchmarking study compares the performance of the livestock, poultry, and dairy (LPD) industries in the Philippines with other major producers and consumers in Asia, specifically China, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It also includes data from major global players. In the case of swine, commercial farms in the Philippines have a lower unit cost of production than backyard farms due to economies of scale. However, the cost per unit in commercial farms in the Philippines is among the highest of the countries studied, mainly because of elevated feed and grower stock costs. Similar to swine, commercial broilers benefit from economies of scale, resulting in a lower cost per kilogram compared to China, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The high tariffs on corn imports are driving up the cost of livestock and poultry feed. In terms of dairy, cattle and buffalo milk production at a semicommercial scale can be profitable, but the business case for backyard dairy operations needs to be strengthened. The Philippines has implemented regulatory and support policies for the LPD industries, covering regulations, support programs, and trade policies. Based on the findings of the study, the following policy recommendations are suggested: (1) conduct a comprehensive review of trade policies affecting the value chain to enhance the competitiveness of the LPD industries; (2) earmark the revenues generated from tariffs on pork and chicken imports to fund regulatory services and production support; (3) invest in research and data collection to inform policy and program development; (4) enhance the delivery of technical assistance, regulatory services, and production support; (5) improve the oversight system for the LPD industries in terms of regulatory compliance, zoning, enforcement of grades and standards, food safety, and animal welfare; (6) focus on upgrading technology and business practices for backyard operators through a collaborative extension approach; (7) strengthen farmer organizations to include most, if not all, backyard operators to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance and regulatory services and realize gains from economies of scale and scope. |
| Keywords: | competitiveness;agricultural benchmarking;value chain |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:rpseri:rps_2025-06 |
| By: | Abate, Gashaw T.; Regassa, Mekdim D.; Bernard, Tanguy; Minten, Bart |
| Abstract: | Coffee is Ethiopia’s most important export crop, and it constitutes an important source of livelihood for an estimated 15 million people across the value chain, most of whom are poor smallholder farmers. While coffee production and exports generally increased over the last decade or so, several constraints are still keeping the sector from attaining its full potential. Low-yielding, aged coffee trees and poor farm management and agronomic practices are among the main constraints. Between 2019 and 2022, TechnoServe (TNS)—in collaboration with Max und Ingeburg Herz Stiftung/HereWeGrow (HWG)— implemented a 25-month coffee agronomy training program in the Sidama region of Ethiopia that comprised a package of interventions to address these constraints and increase smallholders’ coffee productivity and income. In particular, the program covered five woredas/districts (Aleta Chuko, Dale, Bona Zuria, Hawela, Shebedino) and reached 47, 759 farm households in two cohorts (2019 and 2020). |
| Keywords: | agronomy; coffee; livelihoods; smallholders; impact assessment; Ethiopia; Africa; Northern Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2025–10–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:176772 |
| By: | Abushama, Hala; Kirui, Oliver K.; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Siddig, Khalid; Mohamed, Shima A. H. |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the socioeconomic effects of conflict-induced migration in Sudan, focusing on the food security and access to healthcare of displaced households. Triggered by the civil conflict that started in April 2023, the recent widespread displacement of households has intensified vulnerabilities across the country. Using three datasets—the pre conflict 2022 Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey and two surveys conducted during the conflict, the 2023/24 Sudan Rural Household Survey and the 2024 Sudan Urban Household Survey—the research examines the impacts on household food security and healthcare access of migration driven by conflict. The study employs inverse probability weighting to estimate the causal impacts of migration, leveraging data from over 12, 000 households. The key impact indicators at the household level were the Food Insecurity Experience Scale score and, as a measure of healthcare access, any incidence of illness in the household. Analysis shows that migration induced by conflict exacerbates food insecurity, with over 90 percent of rural households and nearly 80 percent of urban households reporting moderate to severe food insecurity. Rural households face additional challenges as displacement disrupts agricultural livelihoods and access to markets. Migration also worsens healthcare access, particularly in rural areas where displaced households experience a higher likelihood of illness. For urban households, migration fails to alleviate their healthcare challenges due to the collapse of urban healthcare systems. The study calls for urgent policy interventions, including targeted food aid and mobile healthcare services. Restoring healthcare infrastructure, expanding social protection mechanisms, and fostering peacebuilding efforts are critical to mitigating future displacement and supporting socioeconomic recovery. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and humanitarian actors to address the immediate and long-term needs of displaced populations in Sudan. |
| Keywords: | Sudan; Africa; Northern Africa; conflicts; migration; food security; health; displacement; livelihoods; market access |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ssspwp:23 |
| By: | Pierre E. Biscaye; |
| Abstract: | Can transitory economic shocks affect long-term violent conflict risk? This paper studies this question using data on con ict events and desert locust swarm exposure across 0.25◦ grid cells in Africa and the Arabian peninsula from 1997-2018. A staggered event study approach shows that swarm exposure increases the average annual probability of any violent conflict in a cell by 1.8 percentage points (64%) in subsequent years. Effects are driven by initial agricultural destruction: exposure to swarms in nonagricultural areas or outside the main crop growing season has no impact. Agricultural activity (but not average productivity) falls following swarm exposure, indicating persistent indirect economic effects which may reduce opportunity costs of fighting. The largest effects of swarms on con ict occur with a 7 year lag and there are no effects in the year of exposure, inconsistent with predictions based on changes in opportunity costs of fighting alone. Impacts of past exposure are concentrated in periods of social/political disruptions driven by other proximate causes (e.g., the Arab Spring, civil war). This creates the delay in the largest impacts of swarm exposure, and aligns with models of civil conflict emphasizing the role of grievances in conflict onset. Patterns of long-term impacts on conflict and heterogeneity by local unrest are similar for exposure to droughts, indicating the mechanisms are not specific to locust swarms. These results add motivation for policies mitigating the risk of agricultural shocks and promoting household resilience and recovery. |
| Keywords: | africa, agriculture, conflict, desert locusts, natural disasters |
| JEL: | D74 J16 Z12 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hic:wpaper:436 |
| By: | de Brauw, Alan; Hirvonen, Kalle |
| Abstract: | Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the food environment in many low- and middle-income countries. But there is little systematic knowledge about the opportunities they have and constraints they face in trying to grow their businesses. To contribute to building this knowledge base, we draw upon linked household–enterprise surveys collected in two districts in Ethiopia in 2023. To learn about the constraints faced by these enterprises, we examine differences in organizational characteristics and business practices by outlet type, location, and manager gender and education among MSMEs that sell food. The results suggest that while there are clear availability constraints for specific types of foods, there are some strategies that could help MSMEs that retail healthy foods increase sales. If policymakers or others are interested in supporting sales through the food environment, interventions such as business training, service access, and capacity building on nutrition would best fit their needs. |
| Keywords: | capacity development; enterprises; food environment; healthy diets; households; nutrition; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–10–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:177229 |
| By: | Vicente Pinilla (1Department of Applied Economics, Universidad de Zaragoza and Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2)); Silvia Abella (2Department of Business Administration, Universidad de Zaragoza); Juan Ramón Ferrer (3Department of Agricultural Economics, Statistics and Business Administration, Universidad Polite?cnica de Madrid); Raúl Serrano (4Department of Business Administration, Universidad de Zaragoza and Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2)) |
| Abstract: | This article analyses the trajectory of Spanish wine exports, explaining, first, their historical background and then their dynamics in recent decades within a highly globalised market. Subsequently, it describes the macro factors that explain the high growth of these exports, such as the incorporation of technological innovations, access to the European Union, the expansion of the protected designation of origin and the reinforcement of their quality control and the fall in wine consumption in Spain. Finally, the business strategies that have largely fostered the export boom are analysed. |
| Keywords: | Global Wine Markets, Spanish Wine Exports, Wine Firms, Wine Export Strategies |
| JEL: | F14 N54 N74 Q17 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zar:wpaper:dt2025-02 |
| By: | Kirui, Oliver K.; Ahmed, Mosab; Raouf, Mariam; Abushama, Hala; Siddig, Khalid |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the determinants of access to safe water and reliable energy for households in Sudan using nationally representative data from a recent labor market survey. The results show that urbanization, education, and wealth significantly enhance the access households have to these essential services, while rural areas and less developed regions, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, face substantial challenges. Access to reliable energy correlates with better food security and health outcomes within households, and improved access to safe water significantly enhances the health of household members. Policy recommendations supported by these research results include targeted rural infrastructure investments, educational improvements, and regional interventions to address disparities in household access to safe water and reliable energy across Sudan. |
| Keywords: | Sudan; Africa; Northern Africa; capacity development; households; water; energy; food security; health; socioeconomic environment; rural urban relations |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ssspwp:22 |
| By: | Roche, Maxime; Comstock, Andrew; Ecker, Olivier |
| Abstract: | Understanding how food demand responds to household income and price changes is essential for anticipating global food needs and designing effective food policies. Yet existing elasticity estimates vary widely due to differences in data, estimation methods, and study settings. This study aims to assess how empirical choices influence elasticity values and examine theory-based predictions related to income growth and inequality, urbanization, and demographic change. It provides the most comprehensive global systematic literature review and meta-analysis of income and price elasticities to date, compiling over 13, 000 elasticity estimates from 215 peer-reviewed studies published between 1974 and 2022. We estimate two-level random effects meta-regressions and use the results to generate predicted elasticities for nine food groups by world region. While most data and methodological choices have little effect on price elasticity estimates, income elasticities are influenced by factors such as demand model type, use of conditional specifications, and the choice of expenditure measure. We find empirical support for Engel’s Law but only partial support for Bennett’s Law. Income elasticities are positively associated with urbanization, particularly in lower-income countries, and negatively associated with population aging. By projecting income elasticities through 2050 under alternative Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, we show that ignoring structural shifts in sociodemographics can yield meaningfully different estimates of future food demand. |
| Keywords: | systematic reviews; forecasting; meta-analysis; prices; elasticities |
| Date: | 2025–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176595 |
| By: | Hirvonen, Kalle; Abate, Gashaw T.; Berhane, Guush; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Hoddinott, John F.; Leight, Jessica; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum |
| Abstract: | Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) – one of the largest social protection programs in Africa – has improved food security and strengthened recovery from shocks, yet it has achieved limited progress in raising incomes or diversifying livelihoods. In response, policymakers have layered graduation models onto the PSNP to promote sustainable self-reliance. This note synthesizes evaluation evidence from NGO- and government-led initiatives. NGO-led intensive, high-cost models increased assets and incomes in the short to medium term but rarely enabled households to exit the program. NGO-led lighter-touch approaches improved resilience but delivered minimal gains in overall well-being. Government-led efforts have faced persistent delivery challenges, including overstretched systems, weak credit access, and limited market linkages. Broader structural constraints, such as shrinking landholdings, scarce nonfarm opportunities, and recurrent drought and other shocks, further undermine the promise of graduation programming in this context. The review highlights six policy lessons on design, financing, and integration with broader development strategies to shape more effective approaches going forward. |
| Keywords: | food security; livelihoods; poverty; social protection; modelling; Ethiopia; Africa; Eastern Africa; Northern Africa |
| Date: | 2025–10–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176897 |
| By: | Noémi Berlin (EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Tarek Jaber-Lopez (IPP - Instituto de politicas y Bienes Publicos - Centrode Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas); Moustapha Sarr (CNRS, EconomiX, Université Paris Nanterre, 92001 Nanterre) |
| Abstract: | In a lab-in-the-field experiment, we investigate the influence of social norms on 300 parents' beliefs regarding the nutritional quality of food items and their subsequent food choices. We use a 3 × 2 between-subject experimental design where we vary two factors: 1-the social norm provided to parents: a descriptive norm (what other parents choose) vs. an injunctive norm (what other parents approve of), and 2-the recipient of the food decisions made by parents: their own child vs. an unknown child. Parents participate in a two-stage process. In the first stage, we elicit their beliefs regarding the nutritional quality of various food items and ask them to make a food basket without specific information. In the second stage, based on their assigned treatment, they receive specific information and repeat the belief elicitation and the food basket selection tasks. We find that only the descriptive norm significantly reduces parents' overestimation rate of items' nutritional quality. Injunctive norm significantly improves the nutritional quality of both, the parent's and child's baskets. Descriptive norm significantly improves the nutritional quality of child's baskets only when parents are choosing for unknown child. |
| Keywords: | child, parent, food beliefs, food choices, information provision, Social norms |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05330418 |
| By: | Kazeem B. Ajide (Lagos, Nigeria); Olorunfemi Y. Alimi (Lagos, Nigeria); Simplice A. Asongu (Johannesburg, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | The research investigates the relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ) and environmental degradation, aiming to understand how cognitive abilities influence environmental outcomes across different nations and time periods. The objective is to examine the impact of intelligence quotient (IQ) on environmental indicators such as carbon emissions, ecological demand, and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), seeking insights to inform environmental policy and stewardship. The study utilizes statistical techniques including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS), and Iteratively Weighted Least Squares (IWLS) to analyze data from 147 nations over the years 2000 to 2017. These methods are applied to explore the relationship between IQ and environmental metrics while considering other relevant variables. The findings reveal unexpected positive associations between human intelligence quotient and carbon emissions, as well as ecological demand, challenging conventional notions of "delay discounting." Additionally, variations in the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis are identified across different pollutants, highlighting the roles of governance and international commitments in mitigating emissions. The study concludes by advocating for the adoption of a "delay discounting culture" to address environmental challenges effectively. It underscores the complex interactions between intelligence, governance, and population dynamics in shaping environmental outcomes, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to achieve sustainability objectives. |
| Keywords: | Human capital; intelligence quotient; population; output; carbon emission; EKC, World |
| JEL: | C52 O38 O40 Q50 I20 |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dbm:wpaper:24/004 |
| By: | Collyer, Sophie |
| Abstract: | As of 2023, more than 47 million people in the United States (14.3%) lived in food-insecure households. In the coming years, however, we will not know whether the national prevalence of food insecurity has risen, fallen, or remained stable, as the USDA recently announced the permanent suspension of food security data collection on the Current Population Survey (CPS). The elimination of the CPS Food Security Supplement (FSS) leaves a critical gap in the national data on economic well-being. This paper presents a model that addresses this gap by predicting national food insecurity rates in the absence of official USDA data. The model draws on established correlates of food insecurity – national rates of poverty and unemployment, and food-specific inflation – to estimate food insecurity rates for all individuals, adults, children, and households. The predicted rates align closely with actual food insecurity rates between 2010 and 2023, with a typical difference of 0.3 percentage points. Sensitivity tests show that the preferred model specification outperforms alternatives. The paper also presents predictions of 2024 food insecurity rates, for which national data are scheduled to be released later in October 2025. While continuing to measure food insecurity using the method employed by the USDA since 1995 is the only way to guarantee consistent data on this critical indicator, the model presented here may prove useful in estimating food insecurity in future years when this USDA data is unavailable. |
| Date: | 2025–10–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ydbgw_v2 |
| By: | Cheikh T. Ndour (Dakar, Senegal); Waoundé Diop (Dakar, Senegal); Simplice A. Asongu (Johannesburg, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | This study assesses the effects of natural disasters on food security in a sample of 40 sub-Saharan African countries. First, we assess the effects of natural disasters on the four dimensions of food security and secondly, we disaggregated natural disaster using the two dimensions that are most representative, namely hydrological and biological disasters. The regressions are based on the generalised method of moments on a dataset covering the period 2005-2020. Natural disasters are measured by the total number of people affected and food security by its characteristics: access, availability, use and sustainability. The results show that natural disasters increase the prevalence of undernourishment but reduce dependence on cereal imports. An increase in natural disasters by 1% increases the prevalence of undernourishment by the same proportion. As for import dependency, a 1% increase in natural disasters reduces dependency by 2.2%. The disaggregated effects show that hydrological disasters are more significant than biological disasters in impacting food security. Floods reduce the average energy supply adequacy but also dependence on cereal imports. Policy implications are discussed. The study complements the extant literature by assessing the effects of natural disasters on food security in a region where food insecurity is one of the worst in the world. |
| Keywords: | Food security; Natural disasters; Sustainable development; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dbm:wpaper:24/010 |
| By: | Manners, Rhys; Warner, James; Schneider, Kate; Matsiko, Eric; Vasanthakaalam, Hilda; Benimana, Gilberthe; Spielman, David J. |
| Abstract: | This study estimates the cost and affordability of recommended diets in Rwanda from April 2019 to December 2024 using high-frequency market price data. By deploying standardised methods for healthy diet costs to eSoko data (www.esoko.gov.rw), and local food based dietary guidelines, we calculate the monthly cost of recommended diets at the district level. Key findings reveal significant dietary cost fluctuations, with nominal costs increasing 67% between June 2022 and October 2023, coinciding directly with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The research also identifies affordability challenges; by mid-2023, and again in late 2024, where up to 70% of wage earners could not afford a recommended diet. Spatial variations were also evident, with diet costs differing between rural and urban areas, and across districts bordering different countries, with the highest dietary costs observed along the Democratic Republic of Congo border and the least expensive along the border of Tanzania. Utilizing Rwanda's eSoko data platform, the study demonstrates the value of high-frequency, spatially explicit data for understanding food system dynamics. The findings call for policy actions to consider dietary affordability, particularly for low-income groups, and suggest that Rwanda's data collection approach could serve as a benchmark for other countries. |
| Keywords: | data; dietary guidelines; markets; trends; Rwanda; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:rssppn:176590 |
| By: | Batabyal, Amitrajeet; Beladi, Hamid |
| Abstract: | A farmer in Haryana, a state neighboring the capital city of New Delhi, India, burns agricultural crop residue which leads to an increase in air pollution and gives rise to extra costs for a small business owning representative citizen in New Delhi. We theoretically analyze this farmer/citizen interaction. We first determine the optimal amount of crop produced when the farmer disregards the negative externality he imposes on the representative New Delhi citizen. Second, we study the equilibrium that emerges when the farmer must pay a fine to compensate the New Delhi citizen for the negative externality he causes. Finally, we compare the outcomes in the preceding two cases and then explain the differences that arise. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural Crop Residue, Air Pollution, Burning, External Diseconomy |
| JEL: | Q15 Q52 |
| Date: | 2025–02–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:125945 |
| By: | Resnick, Danielle; Diatta, Ampa Dogui |
| Abstract: | Senegal long has been committed to large-scale food fortification (LSFF), especially for salt, edible oil, and wheat flour, bolstered by a set of multi-sectoral nutrition strategies and institutional coordinating mechanisms. Yet, due to recent macroeconomic pressures and reductions in donor funding, the country is at a crossroads, revealing key gaps in the sustainability of its current LSFF program even as new vehicles, such as rice and bouillon, are emerging on the fortification policy agenda. Based on interviews with over two dozen public, private, and civil society sector actors, we utilize the Political Economy Diagnostic of Large Scale Food Fortification (PEDAL) to highlight strengths of the Senegalese LSFF program and weaknesses that need to be prioritized. Among the latter include the stalled financing for the national fortification alliance, known as COSFAM, insufficient testing materials and laboratories, and rising costs of premix and raw materials. Several innovations were promoted by respondents to address some of these challenges, including either the decentralization or regionalization of laboratory capabilities, a central buying center for premixes, and online data platforms to track compliance. By reflecting on Senegal’s long experience and current challenges with scaling its fortification efforts, the analysis provides useful insights to countries with more nascent fortification programs about the prerequisites for ensuring LSFF sustainability. |
| Keywords: | food fortification; nutrition; political aspects; policies; funding; innovation; sustainability; Senegal; Africa; Western Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176702 |
| By: | Baker, Peter C. |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the intersection of technology, labor, and cultural practices in the fast food industry, with a particular focus on the adoption of robotic fryers and automation. Drawing on insights from cultural sociology and the economics of technological change, the analysis explores how automation reshapes work, alters food production processes, and reframes cultural meanings attached to fast food labor. The study highlights the tension between efficiency gains and concerns over labor displacement, situating fast food automation within broader debates about technology and society. By linking industry-specific developments to questions of employment, cultural identity, and consumer expectations, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how automation in everyday contexts reflects and shapes broader social transformations. |
| Date: | 2025–10–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:drezg_v1 |