Pub Date : 2020-03-30DOI: 10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).02
C. M. Mwungu, B. Muriithi, V. Ngeno, H. Affognon, C. Githiomi, G. Diiro, S. Ekesi
Integrated pest management (IPM) has been promoted globally as an alternative approach to the widespread broad-spectrum chemical insecticidal application for the control of pests and diseases in agricultural production to minimise the harmful effects of the chemicals on humans and the environment. This study examines the impact of an IPM strategy developed to control mango fruit flies on humans and the environment. Using a random sample of 371 mango farmers from Meru County in Kenya, health and environmental outcomes were measured using the environmental impact quotient (EIQ) field use and causal impacts, which were estimated using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model. The results indicate that the adoption of the IPM strategy reduced pesticide use and pesticide toxicity. Policy efforts therefore should focus on promoting and disseminating fruit fly IPM to improve the livelihoods of rural mango farmers, but also reduce human health and environmental threats as a result of pesticide use.
{"title":"Health and environmental effects of adopting an integrated fruit fly management strategy among mango farmers in Kenya","authors":"C. M. Mwungu, B. Muriithi, V. Ngeno, H. Affognon, C. Githiomi, G. Diiro, S. Ekesi","doi":"10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).02","url":null,"abstract":"Integrated pest management (IPM) has been promoted globally as an alternative approach to the widespread broad-spectrum chemical insecticidal application for the control of pests and diseases in agricultural production to minimise the harmful effects of the chemicals on humans and the environment. This study examines the impact of an IPM strategy developed to control mango fruit flies on humans and the environment. Using a random sample of 371 mango farmers from Meru County in Kenya, health and environmental outcomes were measured using the environmental impact quotient (EIQ) field use and causal impacts, which were estimated using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model. The results indicate that the adoption of the IPM strategy reduced pesticide use and pesticide toxicity. Policy efforts therefore should focus on promoting and disseminating fruit fly IPM to improve the livelihoods of rural mango farmers, but also reduce human health and environmental threats as a result of pesticide use.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43162046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-30DOI: 10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).05
S. Chonabayashi, Theepakorn Jithitikulchai, YeQing Qu
The adverse effects of weather extremes produce widespread damage and cause severe alterations in the normal functioning of household agricultural production in Zambia. Extreme weather events such as floods and drought are expected to increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change. Coupled with high poverty levels and limited institutional capacity, the country is highly vulnerable to the impact of extreme events. We quantify the effects of economic diversification on agricultural productivity of poor farm households with a skew-normal regression approach while accounting for drought and flood shocks. Our analysis finds that economic diversification is a strategy to increase agricultural productivity and mitigate the adverse impact of droughts and floods on agricultural households. The results also support the country's policies to encourage hybrid maize production and to provide crop seeds and fertiliser to poor farmers. This paper provides a framework to plan and inform interventions to enhance household economic resilience to weather shocks through agricultural diversification in Zambia and other countries.
{"title":"Does agricultural diversification build economic resilience to drought and flood? Evidence from poor households in Zambia","authors":"S. Chonabayashi, Theepakorn Jithitikulchai, YeQing Qu","doi":"10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).05","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).05","url":null,"abstract":"The adverse effects of weather extremes produce widespread damage and cause severe alterations in the normal functioning of household agricultural production in Zambia. Extreme weather events such as floods and drought are expected to increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change. Coupled with high poverty levels and limited institutional capacity, the country is highly vulnerable to the impact of extreme events. We quantify the effects of economic diversification on agricultural productivity of poor farm households with a skew-normal regression approach while accounting for drought and flood shocks. Our analysis finds that economic diversification is a strategy to increase agricultural productivity and mitigate the adverse impact of droughts and floods on agricultural households. The results also support the country's policies to encourage hybrid maize production and to provide crop seeds and fertiliser to poor farmers. This paper provides a framework to plan and inform interventions to enhance household economic resilience to weather shocks through agricultural diversification in Zambia and other countries.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46686851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-01DOI: 10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).03
Edward Martey, P. Goldsmith
Agricultural commercialisation is a critical pathway for economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the lack of market information may impede this development. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine market information and preferences for soybean quality in a developing-world context. We seek to understand the nature of information markets associated with the nascent soybean trade in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to inform the market and policy of previously unknown key marketing information. The research involves a discrete choice experiment with 228 buyers of soybean involving five key soybean quality attributes. The sample represents three distinct classes of buyer/traders: wholesalers, processors and retailers. Traders significantly discount the price of soybean attributes such as off-colour, small grain size, low oil levels and high contamination with foreign material, such as stones. Foreign material ranks highest of the attributes that we examined, in terms of the discount level, at 22%. The study finds significant preference heterogeneity among traders, explained partly by the socioeconomic and trade characteristics of the respondents. We identified three distinct classes of traders per the latent class logit (LCL) results, namely ‘high price discounters’, ‘big bean supporters’, and ‘oil sceptics’. Our findings improve soybean market information, transparency and signalling. This will lead farmers to be more efficient and allow policymakers to understand better how the market actually prices grain at the farm gate.
{"title":"Heterogeneous demand for soybean quality","authors":"Edward Martey, P. Goldsmith","doi":"10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53936/afjare.2020.15(1).03","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural commercialisation is a critical pathway for economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the lack of market information may impede this development. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine market information and preferences for soybean quality in a developing-world context. We seek to understand the nature of information markets associated with the nascent soybean trade in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to inform the market and policy of previously unknown key marketing information. The research involves a discrete choice experiment with 228 buyers of soybean involving five key soybean quality attributes. The sample represents three distinct classes of buyer/traders: wholesalers, processors and retailers. Traders significantly discount the price of soybean attributes such as off-colour, small grain size, low oil levels and high contamination with foreign material, such as stones. Foreign material ranks highest of the attributes that we examined, in terms of the discount level, at 22%. The study finds significant preference heterogeneity among traders, explained partly by the socioeconomic and trade characteristics of the respondents. We identified three distinct classes of traders per the latent class logit (LCL) results, namely ‘high price discounters’, ‘big bean supporters’, and ‘oil sceptics’. Our findings improve soybean market information, transparency and signalling. This will lead farmers to be more efficient and allow policymakers to understand better how the market actually prices grain at the farm gate.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48248029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
André Nso Ngang, C. Kamdem, Christian Bernard Kaldjob Mbeh, P. Pédelahore, D. Onana, Joephine Mireille Akoa Etoa
In order to understand the influence of the types of hired labour contracts on the performance of cocoa farms in Mbam and Kim in Cameroon, a reasoned sampling exercise was carried out to select 114 cocoa farmers. The two-stage approach using data envelope analysis (DEA) and Tobit censored models made it possible to analyse the efficiency of the farms. Two types of contracts were identified: a fixed annual contract (FAC) and a percentage sales contract (PSC) for cocoa harvested. The PSC appears to be more efficient than the FAC in terms of productivity and the allocation of inputs. In addition, the increase in the area of the farms, the number of clearings and mixed treatments are factors that contribute most to the inefficiency of these cocoa farms, while sanitary harvest, increasing the number of shade settings and cocoa tree sizes are sources of efficiency.
{"title":"Labour contracts and performance of cocoa farms in Mbam and Kim in Cameroon","authors":"André Nso Ngang, C. Kamdem, Christian Bernard Kaldjob Mbeh, P. Pédelahore, D. Onana, Joephine Mireille Akoa Etoa","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.307623","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.307623","url":null,"abstract":"In order to understand the influence of the types of hired labour contracts on the performance of cocoa farms in Mbam and Kim in Cameroon, a reasoned sampling exercise was carried out to select 114 cocoa farmers. The two-stage approach using data envelope analysis (DEA) and Tobit censored models made it possible to analyse the efficiency of the farms. Two types of contracts were identified: a fixed annual contract (FAC) and a percentage sales contract (PSC) for cocoa harvested. The PSC appears to be more efficient than the FAC in terms of productivity and the allocation of inputs. In addition, the increase in the area of the farms, the number of clearings and mixed treatments are factors that contribute most to the inefficiency of these cocoa farms, while sanitary harvest, increasing the number of shade settings and cocoa tree sizes are sources of efficiency.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"15 1","pages":"111-126"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68540601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The main focus of this paper was to: (i) determine the impact of women’s share of household income on the pattern of expenditure on various categories of basic goods in southeast Nigeria; (ii) explain the pattern of household expenditure using the bargaining model of household behaviour; and (iii) extrapolate the results to the policy implications of gender-specific control of household incomes. We used cross-sectional household data elicited from a sample of 400 households constituting 2 520 members collected from November 2016 to March 2017 and disaggregated by gender. We found that increasing women’s share of incomes raises the budget share for food, children’s clothes, children’s school fees, fuel for household services and other expenditure, although not significantly with the budget shares for alcohol and meals out of the home. Our results suggest that any strategy by policymakers in southeast Nigeria to improve any of the expenditure items should target the empowerment of the gender that will more likely spend their money on the items concerned.
{"title":"Impact of women's share of income on household expenditure in southeast Nigeria.","authors":"P. Opata, A. Ezeibe, Chukwuma Otum Ume","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.307616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.307616","url":null,"abstract":"The main focus of this paper was to: (i) determine the impact of women’s share of household income on the pattern of expenditure on various categories of basic goods in southeast Nigeria; (ii) explain the pattern of household expenditure using the bargaining model of household behaviour; and (iii) extrapolate the results to the policy implications of gender-specific control of household incomes. We used cross-sectional household data elicited from a sample of 400 households constituting 2 520 members collected from November 2016 to March 2017 and disaggregated by gender. We found that increasing women’s share of incomes raises the budget share for food, children’s clothes, children’s school fees, fuel for household services and other expenditure, although not significantly with the budget shares for alcohol and meals out of the home. Our results suggest that any strategy by policymakers in southeast Nigeria to improve any of the expenditure items should target the empowerment of the gender that will more likely spend their money on the items concerned.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"15 1","pages":"51-64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68540183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study identifies appropriate segments of urban markets that can enable rice cooperatives to sell their products effectively. Thus, experimental auctions were carried out in 2015 to collect data from 291 consumers in these urban areas. The two-step cluster segmentation method was used to identify three segments of the local rice market determined by the socio-economic and geographical characteristics of the consumers and the attributes of the rice: the first comprises essentially men who consume little local rice; the second refers essentially to women who do not consume local rice at all; and the third comprises women consuming only local rice. Specific marketing actions targeting each segment are needed to significantly increase local rice consumption and improve the incomes of key players.
{"title":"Segmenting the urban market of local rice in Benin: An analysis using the cluster classification method","authors":"R. Fiamohe","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.307612","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.307612","url":null,"abstract":"This study identifies appropriate segments of urban markets that can enable rice cooperatives to sell their products effectively. Thus, experimental auctions were carried out in 2015 to collect data from 291 consumers in these urban areas. The two-step cluster segmentation method was used to identify three segments of the local rice market determined by the socio-economic and geographical characteristics of the consumers and the attributes of the rice: the first comprises essentially men who consume little local rice; the second refers essentially to women who do not consume local rice at all; and the third comprises women consuming only local rice. Specific marketing actions targeting each segment are needed to significantly increase local rice consumption and improve the incomes of key players.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68540111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This continent-wide review of studies on price transmission implemented for the global, regional cross-border, within-country urban and within-country rural market segments provides a broad overview of current conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa food markets and provides insights into how market development varies across regions and crops. The review focuses on barriers to trade, both those related to policy and those related to general market development. Observations in the reviewed studies show that there are several long-run and short-run factors that have inhibited, and currently inhibit, food trade in the analysed markets. The long-run factors are related to general market development, such as imperfect substitutability between imported and domestic produce and infrastructure deficiencies. Short-run factors include intermittent changes in trade and/or tax policy and changes in self-sufficiency status. In only a few cases were no barriers to trade identified, and these were for highly traded foods between markets within countries. Since tradability is an indicator of market development, greater policymaker and donor partner attention is needed to remove barriers to trade, especially for foods that are efficiently produced domestically but do not yet have a welldeveloped domestic or international market.
{"title":"Barriers to trade in Sub-Saharan Africa food markets","authors":"Patrick L. Hatzenbuehler","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.284958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.284958","url":null,"abstract":"This continent-wide review of studies on price transmission implemented for the global, regional cross-border, within-country urban and within-country rural market segments provides a broad overview of current conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa food markets and provides insights into how market development varies across regions and crops. The review focuses on barriers to trade, both those related to policy and those related to general market development. Observations in the reviewed studies show that there are several long-run and short-run factors that have inhibited, and currently inhibit, food trade in the analysed markets. The long-run factors are related to general market development, such as imperfect substitutability between imported and domestic produce and infrastructure deficiencies. Short-run factors include intermittent changes in trade and/or tax policy and changes in self-sufficiency status. In only a few cases were no barriers to trade identified, and these were for highly traded foods between markets within countries. Since tradability is an indicator of market development, greater policymaker and donor partner attention is needed to remove barriers to trade, especially for foods that are efficiently produced domestically but do not yet have a welldeveloped domestic or international market.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"14 1","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68535200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study examines how food prices and related seasonality factors affect the dietary choices of low-income farm households in rural Tanzania. The Kishapu and Mvomero districts were selected based on contrasting rainfall patterns, farming practices and economic activities. Data were collected before and after harvest in 2014, using household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and monthly market-price surveys. A linear-programming solution provides a choice-diet bundle of food items, given model constraints. The cost of the choice diet was compared with household incomes to determine diet affordability. Cheaper, more energy-dense foods lacking other nutrients were consumed at lower budgets in both seasons. Policies and strategies to address problems of the high cost of nutritious foods should be considered to enable low-income households to consume affordable but nutritious diets. Moreover, strategies and interventions that can influence behaviour and promote awareness are important for better household nutrition through a suitably balanced diet of available foods.
{"title":"Seasonality, food prices and dietary choices of vulnerable households: A case study of nutritional resilience in Tanzania","authors":"Achilana Mtingele, D. O’Connor","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.301042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.301042","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines how food prices and related seasonality factors affect the dietary choices of low-income farm households in rural Tanzania. The Kishapu and Mvomero districts were selected based on contrasting rainfall patterns, farming practices and economic activities. Data were collected before and after harvest in 2014, using household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and monthly market-price surveys. A linear-programming solution provides a choice-diet bundle of food items, given model constraints. The cost of the choice diet was compared with household incomes to determine diet affordability. Cheaper, more energy-dense foods lacking other nutrients were consumed at lower budgets in both seasons. Policies and strategies to address problems of the high cost of nutritious foods should be considered to enable low-income households to consume affordable but nutritious diets. Moreover, strategies and interventions that can influence behaviour and promote awareness are important for better household nutrition through a suitably balanced diet of available foods.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"14 1","pages":"202-218"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68537241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper analyses the extent to which an increase in food crop yield strengthens the relationship between agricultural commercialisation and rural poverty reduction in Burkina Faso. Based on data collected in 2011 from a sample of 1 178 smallholder farm households in rural Burkina Faso, a logit model, which includes an interaction term between crop commercialisation index and food crop yield, is estimated. The results show that, at a low yield of food crops, commercialisation can result in welfare loss, while the intensity of crop supply becomes a crucial factor of poverty reduction with a high level of yield. This suggests that structural transformation of the agricultural sector in Sub- Saharan Africa has the potential to bring about significant growth in rural income, particularly when staple crops are the driver of this transformation. Therefore, to enhance the contribution of agricultural commercialisation to poverty reduction, policy should also be designed to promote the growth of food crop yield.
{"title":"Smallholders’ agricultural commercialisation, food crop yield and poverty reduction: Evidence from rural Burkina Faso","authors":"S. A. Ouédraogo","doi":"10.22004/AG.ECON.284988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.284988","url":null,"abstract":"This paper analyses the extent to which an increase in food crop yield strengthens the relationship between agricultural commercialisation and rural poverty reduction in Burkina Faso. Based on data collected in 2011 from a sample of 1 178 smallholder farm households in rural Burkina Faso, a logit model, which includes an interaction term between crop commercialisation index and food crop yield, is estimated. The results show that, at a low yield of food crops, commercialisation can result in welfare loss, while the intensity of crop supply becomes a crucial factor of poverty reduction with a high level of yield. This suggests that structural transformation of the agricultural sector in Sub- Saharan Africa has the potential to bring about significant growth in rural income, particularly when staple crops are the driver of this transformation. Therefore, to enhance the contribution of agricultural commercialisation to poverty reduction, policy should also be designed to promote the growth of food crop yield.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"14 1","pages":"28-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68535292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Very few studies of the agricultural sector’s adaptation to climate change have been conducted in Benin. This paper focuses on farmers’ perceptions and adaptation decisions in relation to climate change. A double hurdle model that includes a logit regression and a truncated negative binomial regression was developed using data from a survey of 200 farmers located in northern Benin. The results show that farmers’ perceptions of climate change support the macro-level evidence. The econometric results reveal that the most effective ways to increase the probability of adaptation are to secure land rights and support the creation and strengthening of local farm organisations. The most effective ways to increase the intensity of adaptation are to improve access to agricultural finances and extension. The findings of this study have several public policy implications for creating an enabling environment for adaptation to climate change in Benin.
{"title":"Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and farm-level adaptation strategies: Evidence from Bassila in Benin","authors":"Achille A. Diencere","doi":"10.22004/ag.econ.284991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.284991","url":null,"abstract":"Very few studies of the agricultural sector’s adaptation to climate change have been conducted in Benin. This paper focuses on farmers’ perceptions and adaptation decisions in relation to climate change. A double hurdle model that includes a logit regression and a truncated negative binomial regression was developed using data from a survey of 200 farmers located in northern Benin. The results show that farmers’ perceptions of climate change support the macro-level evidence. The econometric results reveal that the most effective ways to increase the probability of adaptation are to secure land rights and support the creation and strengthening of local farm organisations. The most effective ways to increase the intensity of adaptation are to improve access to agricultural finances and extension. The findings of this study have several public policy implications for creating an enabling environment for adaptation to climate change in Benin.","PeriodicalId":45228,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics-AFJARE","volume":"14 1","pages":"42-55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68534923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}