Agricultural Economics最新文献

This paper presents a method for and experiences with pioneering new research directions that challenge “conventional wisdom” and change policy and research debates. The method consists of four steps: (1) identify the conventional wisdom (CW); (2) ignore the CW and go to the field without pre-conceived notions, and look long and hard at reality—with interviews and surveys broad enough to allow oneself to make discoveries that contradict the CW; (3) then identify the contradictions between the CW and the field discoveries and pinpoint the implications for policy and research debates; (4) develop and mainstream a new research theme along a research “product cycle.” The paper summarizes my and collaborators’ application of the method with illustrations from four waves of market economics field research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America since the 1980s: (a) rural nonfarm employment; (b) processed food consumption; (c) the “hidden middle” (rapid diffusion of small and medium enterprises in the midstream of value chains); and (d) the “supermarket revolution”. The paper ends with a discussion of the benefits of this approach to policy and research debates and the researcher's own career, as well as considerations of risks, timing, and approach for application of the method.

JEL Classification: D12, J20, O12, O18, Q12, Q18

Climate change threatens the livelihood of millions of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. This paper investigates whether cooperatives could promote climate-smart agriculture among their members and, through spillover effects on nonmembers in their villages, among their communities at large. For this purpose, we use panel data collected among smallholder farm households in Ethiopia. We find that (i) cooperative membership is positively associated with the number of adaptation practices adopted by farm households; (ii) this association increases with the number of cooperatives of which farm households are members; and (iii) nonmembers in villages with cooperatives adopt more adaptation practices than farm households in villages without cooperatives, although results are statistically significant only for certain types of cooperatives. These results suggest that considering different levels at which climate change adaptation occurs merits greater attention among researchers and policymakers. For example, enhancing the institutional capacity of and creating partnerships with cooperatives could facilitate the implementation of climate change adaptation policies and strategies, including at the farm level.

We examine the impact of political conflicts on China's food import refusals using monthly data from 2010 to 2022. Our analysis reveals that political conflicts significantly contribute to increased food import rejections. Specifically, a one-standard-deviation rise in political tensions results in a .02% increase in the number of import shipment rejections. Heterogeneous analysis shows that this effect is more pronounced for developed countries than for developing ones and is stronger for differentiated products compared to homogeneous ones. Dynamic analysis indicates that the impact lasts for approximately 6 months. We also find that past rejections, the presence of non-tariff measures (NTMs), the duration of a country's WTO membership, and past export values, also significantly influence China's decisions to reject food imports. These findings highlight the importance of considering the risks of shipment rejections linked to political conflicts.

We use barcode-level data in the US between 2012 and 2020 to document the evolution of trans fat content in manufactured food products before and after the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 2015 determination that trans fats are not safe for human consumption (effectively a “trans fat ban”). First, we document how the number of products containing trans fat has declined over time. Second, using detailed information on household food purchases in retail stores, we quantify the corresponding reduction in total trans fat purchases. We find that although the number of trans fat products on the market has declined over time, products with a positive trans fat content continued to exist beyond the FDA's deadline for trans fat removal. We find a larger presence of trans fat products in small-scale retailers (Dollar and Convenience stores) than in larger outlets (mass merchandisers and warehouse clubs). Similarly, trans fat products are relatively more prevalent in private label products and in products with a local presence. While trans fat purchases have declined over time, lower income households purchase product baskets with significantly larger amounts of trans fat. The findings can be used to guide more effective and efficient enforcement efforts.

Gender gaps in productivity and food security persist in the face of climate change, necessitating effective strategies for empowering women and reducing their vulnerability. This study examines the gender-specific impacts of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption on productivity, food security, and resilience to climate shocks in Tanzania. Using panel data from the World Bank's Tanzanian Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) spanning 2008–2013, we employ a multinomial switching regression model (MSRM) approach to identify the effects of CSA adoption on agricultural outcomes. Our findings reveal that CSA non-adoption exacerbates the gender gap in yields and food security, favoring men. However, CSA adoption leads to more equitable outcomes, bridging the gender gap and improving productivity and food security for both men and women. Additionally, adopters of CSA techniques exhibit greater resilience to climate shocks, experiencing smaller yield declines during periods of low rainfall. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the gendered impacts of CSA adoption, testing the risk reduction capacity of CSA technologies, and addressing the limited research on Tanzania. The findings emphasize the importance of gender-responsive CSA policies in promoting agricultural resilience and food security in the face of climate change.