Commodity prices, exchange rate and economic growth in West Africa: Case study of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
September 2017
Some West African countries have extensive access to natural resources and rely heavily on revenues from the export of these primary commodities. The heavy dependence of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire on revenues from the exportation of cocoa raises the possibility that these economies are vulnerable to external commodity price fluctuations. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between cocoa prices, exchange rate...
Determinants of credit access by smallholder farmers in North-East Benin
August 2017
Financing agriculture is a key issue in rural development. Despite the efforts of the government to make credit services available and affordable in most of the rural areas, access to credit among smallholder farmers remains low. This paper analyzes the determinants of credit access by farmers in the North East, Benin. Primary data were collected from one hundred and twenty respondents randomly selected and interviewed...
Technical efficiency determinants of potato production: A study of rain-fed and irrigated smallholder farmers in Welmera district, Oromia, Ethiopia
August 2017
Increasing productivity through enhanced potato production efficiency could be an important move towards food security. In Ethiopia potato (Solanum tubersum L.) production levels and rates have been increasing due to the development and dissemination of improved potato technologies. Despite these efforts by the government, smallholders’ potato productivity has remained below potential. However, empirical studies...
Maximizing the economic return from Egypt's export of the most important vegetable crops in the foreign markets
August 2017
This study is set to examine the possibility of maximizing the returns of Egyptian vegetable exports: fresh potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, through the optimal distribution of exports to international markets. Linear programming model is formulated to determine the optimal distribution of exports among the importing countries. This model is restricted by export capacity, import capacity, and suggested organization...
Resource use efficiency in rice production in the lower Anambra irrigation project, Nigeria
August 2017
Increasing the output of rice to match the growing demand for rice is a global challenge, and with growing world population, the need becomes more pertinent. For developing countries with high population density like Nigeria, the importance of rice in the food security status of the population cannot be questioned. Although the production of rice in Nigeria has been increasing over time, there is need to move towards...
Dairy farmer households’ farm gate milk price heterogeneity in Kericho County, Kenya
July 2017
This study aimed at identifying factors affecting farm gate milk price heterogeneity in dairy farmer households in Kericho County, Kenya. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from 432 dairy farmer households. To estimate survey data, multivariate probit and selectivity biased mixed-effects linear regression models were used. Results showed that increased daily milk output sold and number of...
Differential impacts of an irrigation project: Case study of the Swar Dam Project in Yedashe, Bago region of Myanmar
July 2017
In Myanmar, the government has made a vast investment in the construction of dams to improve crop productivity and to ensure socioeconomic development. This study explores the differential impacts, in terms of socioeconomic conditions, of these investments for paddy farmers in Yedashe Township, in the Bago region in the south-central part of Myanmar. A farm survey among 95 respondents is used to compare the situation...
Profitability of apple enterprise among small-holder farmers in South Western Highland Agro-Ecological Zone (SWHAEZ) of Uganda
July 2017
The study evaluated the socio-economic viability and factors influencing profitability of apple enterprise under smallholder farming system in Uganda. A sample of 52 apple farming households was randomly selected in the districts of Uganda: Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu and Rukungiri. Data were collected with the use of structured questionnaires, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and multiple...
Interdependencies and sequential patterns in adoption of dairy technologies in Ethiopia
July 2017
In this paper adoption of dairy technologies in the Ethiopian highlands was examine using seemingly unrelated multivariate probit model which encompasses the effects of interdependencies of multiple technologies and unobserved heterogeneity in a unified framework. Model estimates show that household's likelihood of adopting dairy technologies is jointly determined by the observed household characteristics as well as...
Determinants of household’s consumption preference for processed cocoyam in Enugu State, Nigeria
June 2017
Cocoyam is a nutritious food crop which is consumed in different parts of Nigeria. Its importance in the food systems of many communities in Nigeria, particularly among the Igbo people is based on its nutritive value and its relative ease in cultivation. Studies on the crop focused more on production and marketing without examining consumer behaviour. Although, an understanding of the determinants of the consumption of...
Climate sensitivities and farmland values in Nepal: A spatial panel Ricardian approach
June 2017
This study presents an application of the Ricardian approach to explore the impact of climate change on farmland values in Nepal. The Ricardian approach is estimated using a panel fixed effects model, and the outcome is compared against two separate models that account for spatial correlation: a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model; and a spatial error model (SEM). The findings suggest that Nepalese farmlands are...
Determinants of participation in fertilizer subsidy programme among rice farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria
June 2017
Nigerian farmers, including rice farmers, still record very low levels of fertilizer use thereby limiting productivity. Subsidies have been known to encourage fertilizer use among farmers. This paper examined the factors influencing rice farmer participation in the government’s fertilizer subsidy programme. Data was collected through the aid of a well-structured questionnaire from 263 rice farmers. Descriptive and...
Do the initial land endowments lift people out of chronic and transient poverty? Evidence from central and Northern Mozambique
May 2017
This study aims at assessing the most prevalent type of poverty in rural Mozambique, and if the causes of chronic and transitory poverty are similar to recommended policy, strategies to address each of them caused by different factors. This paper concludes that, most poverty is transient (66%) than chronic (34%), unlike in earlier studies where the determinants of chronic and transient poverty are not necessarily...
Determinants of small-scale mango farmers’ market channel choices in Kenya: An application of the two-step Cragg’s estimation procedure
May 2017
The study estimates small-scale mango farmers’ choice of market channels using the Cragg’s two-step procedure where the farmer decides on the channel in the first step and the proportion sold to the selected channel in the second step. Cross section data was collected from a sample of 224 mango farmers selected through multistage sampling just after the mango season. The study was carried out in Makueni...
Determinants of information seeking behavior of smallholder farmers of Tanqa Abergelle woreda, Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia
May 2017
The purpose of this research is to reveal the determinants of information seeking behavior of the Abergelle woreda smallholder farmers. In this information era, smallholder farmers’ information seeking behavior shows difference due to many reasons: change with their geographical location, economic, demographic, psychological and institutional factors. Till now, to the best of the author’s knowledge, no study...
Spatial market integration and price transmission for papaya markets in Ethiopia
May 2017
This work aims to study the integration of papaya market, price transmission and price causality patterns with the help of Johansen co-integration test, vector error correction model and Granger causality test using 13 years average monthly prices of papaya. Johansen co-integration tests indicate that four papaya markets significantly co-integrated with each other. Vector error correction (VEC) model test...
Refining the impoverishment risks and reconstruction (IRR) model: A study of the model’s “overlooked†risks, evidences from the impacts of Tekeze Dam, North East Ethiopia
April 2017
This article tried to question the viability of the impoverishment risks and reconstruction (IRR) model in assessing all risks development projects like dams brought to affected communities. It argued that in some cases the model fell short of showing exhaustively all risks communities faced as a result of grand development projects like dams. Taking the case of Tekeze dam in Ethiopia, it unearths some of the risks the...
Determinants of Malawi’s cotton exports from 2001 to 2013
April 2017
This paper analysed the determinants of Malawi’s cotton exports, given the challenges faced by main traditional export crop which has rekindled interest in the development of cotton as a key export crop. The gravity model of trade was estimated following the Helpman, Melitz and Rubinsten (2008) framework. Using a balanced panel data, with the set of 36 countries that Malawi has exported cotton to for 13 years...
Assessing challenges of non-farm livelihood diversification in Boricha Woreda, Sidama zone
April 2017
This study was conducted to assess key livelihood strategies and to examine major socio-economic constraints that hinder households from engage in diversified activities, in two Peasant Associations of Boricha Woreda, Southern Ethiopia. From the two Peasant Associations, 110 households were selected through simple random sampling technique. Both primary and secondary data were collected to come up with dependable...
Evaluation of the environmental and economic effectiveness of soil and water conservation practices in Wenago District, Southern Ethiopia
March 2017
Efforts towards soil and water conservation (SWC) goal were started since the mid-1970s and 80s to alleviate both the problems of erosion and low crop yield of Ethiopia. The data were collected through structured questionnaire via face to face interview with 120 sampled household (HH) from Karasodity and Deko villages of Wenago district. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Heckman two-step...
Economy-wide effects of drought on South African Agriculture: A computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis
March 2017
South Africa’s agricultural sector is comprised of livestock, field crops and fruit in their order of size, in gross value terms. Agriculture in South Africa accounts for a relatively low share in the economy (3% of gross domestic product - GDP), 6% of employment and about 10% of exports (over R144 billion in 2015). Currently (2015/16), South Africa is experiencing the worst drought in over 100 years, which has...
Contracts for Grain Biosecurity and Grain Quality
March 2017
The export of grain from Western Australia depends on a grain supply network that takes grain from farms to port through Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) receival and storage sites. The ability of the network to deliver pest free grain to port and ship depends on the quality of grain delivered by farmers and the efficacy of phosphine based fumigation in controlling stored grain pests. Unfortunately, over time, common...
Off-farm participation decision and its impact on crop yield in Northern Ethiopia
February 2017
One of the most important facets of off-farm activities is providing employment opportunities and additional income for rural households and thereby accommodates the seasonal and fluctuating agricultural production. Given this, identifying the underlying determinants of off-farm participation and its impact on crop yield was found to be of the essence. Cross sectional data was collected through structured questionnaire...
Land fragmentation, agricultural productivity and implications for agricultural investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) region, Tanzania
February 2017
There are polarized evidences of the impact of agricultural land fragmentation on land productivity. On the one hand there viewpoints which consider land fragmentation to harm agricultural productivity. On the other hand there are counter thoughts which view land fragmentation as a positive situation which allows farmers to cultivate many environmental zones, minimise production risk and optimise the schedule for...
Determinants of adoption of multiple climate change adaptation strategies in Southern Malawi: An ordered probit analysis
January 2017
This paper aimed to identify factors affecting adoption of multiple climate change adaptation strategies in Southern Malawi. An ordered probit model was estimated using survey data collected in Nsanje and Balaka districts in 2014-2015 cropping season. Age of household head, total land area owned, petty trading and formal employment were found to reduce the probability of adopting more than two CSA strategies. Farmers...
Farming household food storage, consumption and sales decision making under price risk in northern Uganda
January 2017
This study extended the agricultural household model to explain food storage, consumption and sales behaviors of farming households in northern Uganda using two major staple grains: finger millet and beans. Using secondary data collected by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics from 782 millet and beans producing households (388 households below poverty level and 394 households above poverty level), seemingly unrelated...
Agricultural input supply challenges of smallholder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe
December 2016
This article focuses on irrigation agriculture as a critical adaptation strategy to climate change and population pressure in Africa. Smallholder irrigation schemes have been prioritised as a rural development model by many developing countries in the past five decades. However, the majority of the irrigation schemes have remained unsustainable and contributed very little towards the attainment of food security and...
Women in palm oil processing in South-East Nigeriachallenges and prospects in a dwindling economy
November 2016
This study investigated the role of women in palm oil processing in Anambra State Nigeria. It sought answers to the question as to the factors that hinder the productive role of women in palm oil processing and the measures necessary to realise the potentials of women in palm oil processing. Specifically, the study examined the socio-economic characteristics of the women and their effects on palm oil production;...
Determinants of off farm income diversification and its effect on rural household poverty in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia
October 2016
Data from 500 rural farm households were collected using multistage sampling technique from Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia and the determinants of off farm income diversification and its effect on rural poverty were examined with the help of logit and multinomial logit model. The regression result revealed that age, education, access to infrastructure, livestock ownerships, credits uses, and farm income are the main...
Contribution of remittance to the improvement of rural households’ livelihoods: The case of Tehuledere Woreda, Northeastern Ethiopia
October 2016
Migration is one among the many livelihood strategies that households employ to diversify their sources of livelihood. Remittances that are channeled by migrants play an important role in improving the living standard of households, and reducing their level of vulnerability. This study discusses the impact of international remittance on the livelihood of the rural poor in Tehuledere Woreda, Northeastern Ethiopia....
Constraints to growth of micro and small-scale enterprises in Ghana: A case of street food enterprises
October 2016
The aim of the paper was to identify the factors that constrain growth of street food enterprises in Ghana. The study achieved this by using panel data from two surveys to estimate the effect of constraints that are self-reported by street food vendors from Kumasi and Tamale metropolises of Ghana on growth of their businesses. Results of the study found inadequate managerial skills and financial constraints to...
Trends and regional disparity of maize production in India
September 2016
This study was aimed at investigating trends, instability, and regional variations of maize production in major producing states of India. Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), Cuddy Della Valley Index (CDVI), and decomposition analysis were used to examine the data ranging from 1980 to 1981 and 2011 to 2012. The study revealed that area under maize in India has increased from 5.89 to 9.19 Mha and production has...
How do the risk preferences of smallholder farmers affect the attractiveness of restoration activities? Evidence from forest and agricultural land in Rwanda
September 2016
In 2011, the country of Rwanda made a commitment to restore the productivity of 2 million hectares of degraded forest and agricultural land. Agroforestry and improved woodlot management activities were proposed to restore the ecological and economic productivity of agricultural and forestland in Rwanda, but the activities have not been evaluated in terms of their financial profitability, profitability risk, or...
Migration, marital arrangements and consumption smoothing among Burkinabè farm households
August 2016
Risk coping is a severe challenge for households in developing countries, particularly for farm household because income is stochastically variable and credit markets are incomplete. Because of lack of formal systems to cope with risk, households rely on informal arrangements such as migration and marriage. This paper contributes to the literature of risk-coping strategies by examining how migration and marital...
Economic benefits of biological control of cassava green mite (CGM) in Ghana
July 2016
The aim of the study was to evaluate the economic impact of biological control of cassava green mite (CGM) in Ghana by using the natural enemy Typhlodromalus manihoti. Both primary and secondary data were used for analysis. In total, 714 cassava producing households were drawn from 17 districts in seven regions of Ghana by employing a combination of proportional, purposive, simple random, and systematic random sampling...
Capacity versus incentive factors explaining research productivity: Comparative and multilevel analysis of Nigeria and Ghana agricultural research systems
June 2016
This paper analyzes factors that explain variations in research productivity and outreach among 344 agricultural scientists in Nigeria and 237 agricultural scientists in Ghana using multilevel analysis. Education level, years of experience, and perceived adequacy of funding, physical and human resources are significant capacity actors explaining research productivity. In addition to capacity factors, incentives also...
Economic analysis of profitability and competitiveness of sugarcane enterprise in Nigeria
June 2016
In Nigeria, cultivation of Industrial Sugarcane has suffered a serious setback due to poor performance of government established and owned sugar companies. Arising from over-dependence on sugar importation, development in the Nigerian sugar industry has been very slow for the past three decades while the domestic supply of sugar had lagged behind the demand for the product, inspite of the country’s comparative...
Have the fishing communities of Zanzibar Island benefited from increasing tourism development?
May 2016
This study was conducted at the coastal villages of Kamikazi, Matemwe and Nungi of Zanzibar Island to understand the influence of tourism on the income generating activities of the local fishers along the Coast of Zanzibar Island. The methodology mostly involved face-to-face interviews and structured questionnaires. Results indicate that increasing tourism has impacted fishers twofold: (1) Parts of their fishing grounds...
Scaling out control of banana xanthomonas wilt from community to regional level: A case from Uganda’s largest banana growing region
May 2016
Banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) has been successfully controlled in major banana growing areas between 2005 and 2008. This was due to combined use of participatory approaches for mobilising technology users such as farmer field schools and Integrated Agricultural Research for development (IAR4D) using cultural practices. However, the approaches focussed on small communities of about 30 to 300 farmers. Between 2010 and...
Women-Poverty-Productivity Nexus: A case study of women in riverine areas of Nigeria
May 2016
While many studies related to poverty and livelihoods of rural women have been carried out, very few have singled out women in riverine areas. The study examined the status of rural women in these areas of Ondo State using a case study approach. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 50 women from 6 villages of the Ilaje Ilumeje Community. Data were collected through personal observations and the use...
Adoption of integrated soil fertility management by groundnut farmers in Eastern Uganda
April 2016
Access to information and new technologies avails smallholder farmers an opportunity to improve their production decisions. However, access to information on technologies per se may not be relevant if the technologies are not adopted. This study was aimed at determining the factors that enable participants to access information on integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies and to apply these technologies...
Review on small holders agriculture commercialization in Ethiopia: What are the driving factors to focused on?
April 2016
The current Ethiopian economy is based on agriculture and transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, often referred to as the commercialization of agriculture. Commercialization of agriculture is therefore, the strategy Ethiopia is following to bring dynamic change to transform the traditional agriculture of smallholder farmers. As a result, this paper reviews the literature on smallholder commercialization...
Dichotomous dependent variable analysis of farmers’ decision on land utilization: A comparison between probit and linear probability models
April 2016
The study investigated what drives farmers’ decision not to utilise their land for cultivation. The study utilised data from Statistical Office of Kosovo (SOK) with sample size of 4187 agricultural households. To achieve the objective, distance and transaction costs were examined, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics. The dichotomous dependent variable, dummy=1 if land fallow otherwise=0 was regressed...
Economic efficiency of small scale soyabean farmers in Central Agricultural Zone, Nigeria: A Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier cost function approach
March 2016
This study employed the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier cost function to measure the level of economic efficiency and its determinants in small scale soyabean production in Central Agricultural Zone of Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 485 soyabean farmers in the Zone, in 2010, from whom input-output data and their prices were obtained using the cost-route approach. The parameters of the...
Comparative analysis of small scale irrigation schemes government funded and private small scale community project in Namibia
March 2016
The aim of this study was to examine factors influencing household income from small scale irrigation schemes using a case study of a government funded irrigation scheme of Etunda and a community initiated irrigation scheme of Epalela in Namibia. A weighted least square model was used to analyze data that was collected from household heads from the schemes. The key finding of this paper were that small scale irrigation...
Technical efficiency of smallholder wheat farmers: The case of Welmera district, Central Oromia, Ethiopia
February 2016
Increasing productivity through enhancing efficiency in cereal production in general and in wheat production in particular could be an important pace towards achieving food security. However, the strategic conceptual and empirical analysis in the context of the efficiency, which would guide policy makers and development practitioners in their efforts to revamp cereal productivity, is sparse. This study was undertaken to...
Development of the poultry sector in Botswana: From good intentions to legal oligopoly
February 2016
This paper examines the development of the Botswana’s poultry sector, which has become the dominant meat industry in Botswana. The poultry sector is the most successful example of import substitution in Botswana with the country having achieved national self sufficiency. The paper describes the value chain in the industry and shows how, given the small size of the market, a high degree of market concentration...
Total factor productivity growth of Turkish agricultural sector from 2000 to 2014: Data envelopment malmquist analysis productivity index and growth accounting approach
February 2016
Despite the enormous diversification Turkey has made, agriculture still remains the backbone of its economy. Most of the successes Turkey’s economy has chalked came in the last 15 years; after 2000. The agricultural contribution to both gross domestic product and employment fell within this period. The answer to the state of the sector is not found in its contribution to gross domestic product or employment but...
An evaluation on the profitability of growing improved maize open pollinated varieties in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
January 2016
This study examined the profitability of growing Open Pollinated Varieties (OPVs) of maize against hybrids in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Studies have shown that improved OPVs of maize can be a valuable step for smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas as they are relatively drought tolerant when compared to hybrids. Thirteen maize varieties were evaluated extensively by on-farm trials in selected areas under...
Constraints and opportunities to upgrading Uganda’s rice markets: A value chain approach
December 2015
Most of Uganda’s rice is produced by smallholder farmers with the purpose of marketing for family income. However, poorly developed market system is a major problem to rice producers. Based in Namutumba district (Eastern Uganda), the study involved both structured interviews with several stakeholders and focus group discussions with three farmers groups and three rice miller groups, each comprising of ten people....
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