Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2021.1886493
J. Kirsten
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the existence of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA). This is young by most standards, but the milestone still makes us the 12th oldest surviving Agricultural Economics Association in the world. We are, however, in this celebratory year mourning the untimely passing of our Past-President and leader in the agricultural economics profession in South Africa, Prof. Mohammad Karaan. We will miss him dearly, and so to honour his role and contribution to our association, we pay tribute to him in this issue of Agrekon (page 88). The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in the deaths of a number of our other agricultural economics colleagues early in 2021. They include Prof. Micah Masuku, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Professor in Agricultural Economics at the University of Eswatini, and Bokkie Strauss, former Agricultural Attaché in Washington and Brussels and later a senior Executive and Director of Capespan. May their souls rest in peace. The March 2021 issue of Agrekon introduces its 60th volume, which presents an ideal opportunity to reflect on the history and evolution of the journal. This editorial, as well as the contribution by Prof. Nick Vink (pages 7–10) on his experience as editor of Agrekon, provide an introduction to this very important milestone. The inaugural issue of Agrekon was published in the first quarter of 1962, following its establishment by the South African Department of Agriculture. Its aim was to “communicate important events in the field of agricultural economics and to serve as forum for the exchange of topical views”. Agrekon was the personal brainchild of Mr SJJ de Swardt, Head of the Division of Economics and Markets in the Department of Agriculture for many years. He was a pioneer in agricultural economics research and education, and it was under his guidance that many a young graduate was sent overseas for post-graduate study, training and research. In the first issue of Agrekon in January 1962, De Swardt described its aim as being to spread information about the policy and actions of the Department, Control Boards and other organisations, as well as to act as an organ for publishing research results to stimulate scientific debate. This was clearly evident from the contents of the first few decades of Agrekon. The journal largely contained opinion pieces and overviews of economic trends, as well as descriptive pieces on the controlled agricultural marketing system. Between 1962 and 1989 (volumes 1–28), 40% of authors were affiliated with government departments, control boards and other parastatals, while 56% were affiliated with South African universities and 4% with universities abroad (mainly the guest speakers at the AEASA annual conference). In the next three decades, 64% of authors were affiliated with South African universities, 9% with parastatals (such as Agricultural Research Council, Human Sciences Research Council and Water Research Com
今年是南非农业经济协会(AEASA)成立60周年。以大多数标准来看，这个协会还很年轻，但这一里程碑仍然使我们成为世界上存活时间第12长的农业经济协会。然而，在这值得庆祝的一年里，我们哀悼我们的前任主席和南非农业经济学界的领袖穆罕默德·卡拉安教授不幸逝世。我们将深深地怀念他，因此，为了纪念他的作用和对我们协会的贡献，我们在本期《Agrekon》(第88页)上向他致敬。2019冠状病毒病大流行还导致我们的一些农业经济学同事在2021年初死亡。他们包括埃斯瓦蒂尼大学农业学院院长、农业经济学教授Micah Masuku教授，以及前驻华盛顿和布鲁塞尔农业专员、后来担任Capespan高级执行和董事的Bokkie Strauss。愿他们的灵魂安息。2021年3月发行的《Agrekon》将迎来第60卷，这是一个反思该杂志历史和演变的理想机会。这篇社论，以及Nick Vink教授关于他作为Agrekon编辑的经历的贡献(第7-10页)，为这一非常重要的里程碑提供了介绍。《Agrekon》创刊号于1962年第一季度出版，随后由南非农业部成立。其目的是“传播农业经济领域的重要事件，并作为交流专题观点的论坛”。Agrekon是SJJ de Swardt先生的个人构想，他曾担任农业部经济与市场司司长多年。他是农业经济学研究和教育的先驱，在他的指导下，许多年轻的毕业生被派往国外进行研究生学习、培训和研究。在1962年1月的第一期《Agrekon》中，De Swardt将其目标描述为传播有关该部门、控制委员会和其他组织的政策和行动的信息，以及作为发表研究结果以激发科学辩论的机构。从希腊最初几十年的内容中可以清楚地看出这一点。该杂志主要包含对经济趋势的观点和概述，以及对受控制的农业营销系统的描述性文章。1962年至1989年间(第1-28卷)，40%的作者隶属于政府部门、控制委员会和其他半国有机构，56%隶属于南非的大学，4%隶属于国外的大学(主要是AEASA年会上的客座演讲者)。在接下来的30年里，64%的作者隶属于南非的大学，9%隶属于半国有机构(如农业研究理事会、人文科学研究理事会和水研究委员会)和政府部门，27%隶属于国际机构和大学。在第一篇社论中，提到了1961年AEASA的成立。随着时间的推移，协会与Agrekon之间的联系变得更加紧密。在AEASA会议上发表的论文从1969年到2002年在希腊发表。此外，由于AEASA没有官方出版物，因此Agrekon发展成为南非农业经济学家最重要的出版场所之一。特别是自20世纪70年代末以来，学术文章开始占据了Agrekon的大部分页面。正是因为这个原因，Wissing and Groenewald(1987)才得出结论，25年后的今天，《Agrekon》已经达到了科学出版物的地位。一个促成因素
{"title":"Introduction to volume 60 of Agrekon","authors":"J. Kirsten","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2021.1886493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2021.1886493","url":null,"abstract":"This year marks the 60th anniversary of the existence of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA). This is young by most standards, but the milestone still makes us the 12th oldest surviving Agricultural Economics Association in the world. We are, however, in this celebratory year mourning the untimely passing of our Past-President and leader in the agricultural economics profession in South Africa, Prof. Mohammad Karaan. We will miss him dearly, and so to honour his role and contribution to our association, we pay tribute to him in this issue of Agrekon (page 88). The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in the deaths of a number of our other agricultural economics colleagues early in 2021. They include Prof. Micah Masuku, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Professor in Agricultural Economics at the University of Eswatini, and Bokkie Strauss, former Agricultural Attaché in Washington and Brussels and later a senior Executive and Director of Capespan. May their souls rest in peace. The March 2021 issue of Agrekon introduces its 60th volume, which presents an ideal opportunity to reflect on the history and evolution of the journal. This editorial, as well as the contribution by Prof. Nick Vink (pages 7–10) on his experience as editor of Agrekon, provide an introduction to this very important milestone. The inaugural issue of Agrekon was published in the first quarter of 1962, following its establishment by the South African Department of Agriculture. Its aim was to “communicate important events in the field of agricultural economics and to serve as forum for the exchange of topical views”. Agrekon was the personal brainchild of Mr SJJ de Swardt, Head of the Division of Economics and Markets in the Department of Agriculture for many years. He was a pioneer in agricultural economics research and education, and it was under his guidance that many a young graduate was sent overseas for post-graduate study, training and research. In the first issue of Agrekon in January 1962, De Swardt described its aim as being to spread information about the policy and actions of the Department, Control Boards and other organisations, as well as to act as an organ for publishing research results to stimulate scientific debate. This was clearly evident from the contents of the first few decades of Agrekon. The journal largely contained opinion pieces and overviews of economic trends, as well as descriptive pieces on the controlled agricultural marketing system. Between 1962 and 1989 (volumes 1–28), 40% of authors were affiliated with government departments, control boards and other parastatals, while 56% were affiliated with South African universities and 4% with universities abroad (mainly the guest speakers at the AEASA annual conference). In the next three decades, 64% of authors were affiliated with South African universities, 9% with parastatals (such as Agricultural Research Council, Human Sciences Research Council and Water Research Com","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"60 1","pages":"1 - 6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2021.1886493","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41896338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2021.1883448
J. Ngango, Seungjee Hong
ABSTRACT Maize is one of the main staple food crops grown in Rwanda that forms a significant part of household consumption. However, maize yields in Rwanda have remained low due to the limited adoption of fertilisers and improved seed varieties. This study aims to analyse factors that influence the timing of adoption of fertilisers and improved seed varieties (i.e., intensive agricultural practices) in Rwanda. The duration analysis approach is applied, providing a statistical method that permits the timing of the adoption event to be explicitly modelled in a dynamic framework. The results highlight the importance of social learning and information acquisition through extension services, media, and a network of fellow farmers in increasing adoption rates for fertilisers and improved maize varieties. Similarly, membership in farmers' associations, access to credit, and risk-loving behaviour positively affect the speed of adoption. Policy insights from the study suggest that strategies for promoting faster adoption should focus on providing information through agricultural extension services, media, and a network of fellow farmers. Additionally, farmers' cooperatives should be given priority as a dissemination pathway that can increase adoption speed for fertilisers and improved maize varieties.
{"title":"Speed of adoption of intensive agricultural practices in Rwanda: A duration analysis","authors":"J. Ngango, Seungjee Hong","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2021.1883448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2021.1883448","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Maize is one of the main staple food crops grown in Rwanda that forms a significant part of household consumption. However, maize yields in Rwanda have remained low due to the limited adoption of fertilisers and improved seed varieties. This study aims to analyse factors that influence the timing of adoption of fertilisers and improved seed varieties (i.e., intensive agricultural practices) in Rwanda. The duration analysis approach is applied, providing a statistical method that permits the timing of the adoption event to be explicitly modelled in a dynamic framework. The results highlight the importance of social learning and information acquisition through extension services, media, and a network of fellow farmers in increasing adoption rates for fertilisers and improved maize varieties. Similarly, membership in farmers' associations, access to credit, and risk-loving behaviour positively affect the speed of adoption. Policy insights from the study suggest that strategies for promoting faster adoption should focus on providing information through agricultural extension services, media, and a network of fellow farmers. Additionally, farmers' cooperatives should be given priority as a dissemination pathway that can increase adoption speed for fertilisers and improved maize varieties.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"60 1","pages":"43 - 56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2021.1883448","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44820747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2021.1886495
N. Vink, W. Sihlobo, J. Kirsten
{"title":"In memoriam: Abdul Salam Mohammad Karaan (1968–2021)","authors":"N. Vink, W. Sihlobo, J. Kirsten","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2021.1886495","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2021.1886495","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"60 1","pages":"88 - 89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2021.1886495","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45634065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2021.1875854
Rebecca N. Kiwanuka-Lubinda, John N. Ng’ombe, C. Machethe
ABSTRACT While contract farming and interlocked contractual arrangements (ICAs) are generally perceived to resolve persistent market failures and improve smallholder farmers' welfare in developing countries, uncertainties remain as to whether these arrangements enhance welfare because of farmers' low marketed volumes and margins. To account for potential selection bias, non-Gaussian and missing data problems, a robust two-stage Bayesian instrumental variable approach is used to determine the impact of dairy farmers' participation in ICAs on household income and milk revenue. Data are from smallholder dairy farmers in Zambia. We find that male household heads, wealth, experience selling to milk collection centres (MCCs), livestock holding, milking parlour ownership, landholding, and access to marketing information positively affect farmers' probability to participate in ICAs. However, increased off-farm income and distance to MCCs limit their participation. While some socioeconomic variables have significant positive effects of affecting ICA participation on household welfare, we find no sufficient evidence of causal effects of ICAs on household incomes and milk revenue among dairy farmers. Thus, while ICAs enhance smallholder farmers' access to markets, they may not address high rural poverty rates in developing countries. We provide some insights by which performance of ICAs in the dairy sector may be improved.
{"title":"Impacts of interlocked contractual arrangements on dairy farmers’ welfare in Zambia: a robust Bayesian instrumental variable analysis","authors":"Rebecca N. Kiwanuka-Lubinda, John N. Ng’ombe, C. Machethe","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2021.1875854","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2021.1875854","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT While contract farming and interlocked contractual arrangements (ICAs) are generally perceived to resolve persistent market failures and improve smallholder farmers' welfare in developing countries, uncertainties remain as to whether these arrangements enhance welfare because of farmers' low marketed volumes and margins. To account for potential selection bias, non-Gaussian and missing data problems, a robust two-stage Bayesian instrumental variable approach is used to determine the impact of dairy farmers' participation in ICAs on household income and milk revenue. Data are from smallholder dairy farmers in Zambia. We find that male household heads, wealth, experience selling to milk collection centres (MCCs), livestock holding, milking parlour ownership, landholding, and access to marketing information positively affect farmers' probability to participate in ICAs. However, increased off-farm income and distance to MCCs limit their participation. While some socioeconomic variables have significant positive effects of affecting ICA participation on household welfare, we find no sufficient evidence of causal effects of ICAs on household incomes and milk revenue among dairy farmers. Thus, while ICAs enhance smallholder farmers' access to markets, they may not address high rural poverty rates in developing countries. We provide some insights by which performance of ICAs in the dairy sector may be improved.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"60 1","pages":"10 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2021.1875854","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44075639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1828116
B. Conradie, A. Genis
ABSTRACT This study presents a preliminary analysis of the productivity performance of a small group of mixed winter rainfall farms over the past decade. Results indicate that there has been no technical progress in the sector over the past decade and group members are falling further behind their own benchmark as time passes. Relative rankings have remained stable, with most of the group riding the peaks and troughs of good and bad years without breaking rank. There is clearly room for fresh thinking. Drought does not offer a simple explanation for the observed trends. This group’s total factor productivity is inversely correlated with farm size despite evidence that their technology is increasing returns-to-scale. This is difficult to explain. Woolled sheep seems to be the solution to drought, but too much land under planted pastures lowers overall efficiency. There is much more investigation to do, including to cast the net wider so that a more sophisticated efficiency model can be fitted. There was no information on heat stress or rainfall variability, or the date of adoption of conservation agriculture, which is known to be a good strategy against unreliable rainfall. We also could not model the effect of farmers’ skills and ambitions on their performance. The study’s main contribution is to debunk the myths that rainfall places an absolute limit on performance and that a larger scale of operation is always beneficial.
{"title":"Efficiency of a mixed farming system in a marginal winter rainfall area of the Overberg, South Africa, with implications for thinking about sustainability","authors":"B. Conradie, A. Genis","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1828116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1828116","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study presents a preliminary analysis of the productivity performance of a small group of mixed winter rainfall farms over the past decade. Results indicate that there has been no technical progress in the sector over the past decade and group members are falling further behind their own benchmark as time passes. Relative rankings have remained stable, with most of the group riding the peaks and troughs of good and bad years without breaking rank. There is clearly room for fresh thinking. Drought does not offer a simple explanation for the observed trends. This group’s total factor productivity is inversely correlated with farm size despite evidence that their technology is increasing returns-to-scale. This is difficult to explain. Woolled sheep seems to be the solution to drought, but too much land under planted pastures lowers overall efficiency. There is much more investigation to do, including to cast the net wider so that a more sophisticated efficiency model can be fitted. There was no information on heat stress or rainfall variability, or the date of adoption of conservation agriculture, which is known to be a good strategy against unreliable rainfall. We also could not model the effect of farmers’ skills and ambitions on their performance. The study’s main contribution is to debunk the myths that rainfall places an absolute limit on performance and that a larger scale of operation is always beneficial.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"387 - 400"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1828116","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44722408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1831936
Jakub Olipra
ABSTRACT This paper emphasises the impact of the ongoing liberalisation of agricultural policies and trade in agricultural commodities on spatial price transmission in agricultural markets. Based on a literature review covering a broad range of topics, the article derives four main conclusions. First, more market-oriented agricultural policies and trade liberalization improve horizontal price transmission in global agricultural markets. Second, in the integrated agricultural markets, some regions tend to lead the price discovery process, which is determined mainly by their role in international trade. Third, with the growing integration of agricultural markets, the significance of local factors such as seasonality is diminishing. Fourth, as markets become more integrated, spontaneous public interventions aimed at the stabilisation of domestic prices are less effective. These findings may help market participants at all stages of the food supply chain to better understand how policy deregulation and trade liberalisation affect price setting in agricultural markets and, consequently, enable them to adjust to these changes more effectively. Furthermore, the paper provides policy implications, as it distinguishes the institutional factors determining the degree of price transmission in agricultural markets and emphasises the decreasing effectiveness of domestic agricultural and trade policies as globalisation in agricultural markets continues.
{"title":"Price transmission in (de)regulated agricultural markets","authors":"Jakub Olipra","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1831936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1831936","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper emphasises the impact of the ongoing liberalisation of agricultural policies and trade in agricultural commodities on spatial price transmission in agricultural markets. Based on a literature review covering a broad range of topics, the article derives four main conclusions. First, more market-oriented agricultural policies and trade liberalization improve horizontal price transmission in global agricultural markets. Second, in the integrated agricultural markets, some regions tend to lead the price discovery process, which is determined mainly by their role in international trade. Third, with the growing integration of agricultural markets, the significance of local factors such as seasonality is diminishing. Fourth, as markets become more integrated, spontaneous public interventions aimed at the stabilisation of domestic prices are less effective. These findings may help market participants at all stages of the food supply chain to better understand how policy deregulation and trade liberalisation affect price setting in agricultural markets and, consequently, enable them to adjust to these changes more effectively. Furthermore, the paper provides policy implications, as it distinguishes the institutional factors determining the degree of price transmission in agricultural markets and emphasises the decreasing effectiveness of domestic agricultural and trade policies as globalisation in agricultural markets continues.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"412 - 425"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1831936","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46859389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1822893
H. J. Sartorius von Bach, K. M. Kalundu
ABSTRACT Cattle production in Namibia has been widely analysed. However, farm business performance is still partially understood. This paper provides a scenario of volatility in gross margin in the cattle farming enterprise, as a result of weather cycles. The impact of drought on biomass cattle production augmented by other factors are compound to the hypothesis for profit maximisation. The paper follows a stepwise approach to test the causality of variables affecting production decision-making during periods of volatility, such as drought or floods Testing the OLS results for robustness, if was found that the inclusion of dynamic estimations such as ARDL and ARCH/GARCH approaches were required. Findings show that effective rainfall is the main determinant for livestock farming in the Namibian arid areas, much more than stocking rates or other variables suggested in earlier literature. Advanced analysis shows that the inclusion of known rainfall cycles in production decision making can improve the farm gross margin by 15.9%, which reduces volatility. The findings call for extension services to avail early warning systems that will enable livestock farmers to cushion the impact of gross margin volatility. Cushioning the cattle industry against gross margin volatility will provide positive impact on the national economy.
{"title":"An econometric estimation of gross margin volatility: a case of ox production in Namibia","authors":"H. J. Sartorius von Bach, K. M. Kalundu","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1822893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1822893","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Cattle production in Namibia has been widely analysed. However, farm business performance is still partially understood. This paper provides a scenario of volatility in gross margin in the cattle farming enterprise, as a result of weather cycles. The impact of drought on biomass cattle production augmented by other factors are compound to the hypothesis for profit maximisation. The paper follows a stepwise approach to test the causality of variables affecting production decision-making during periods of volatility, such as drought or floods Testing the OLS results for robustness, if was found that the inclusion of dynamic estimations such as ARDL and ARCH/GARCH approaches were required. Findings show that effective rainfall is the main determinant for livestock farming in the Namibian arid areas, much more than stocking rates or other variables suggested in earlier literature. Advanced analysis shows that the inclusion of known rainfall cycles in production decision making can improve the farm gross margin by 15.9%, which reduces volatility. The findings call for extension services to avail early warning systems that will enable livestock farmers to cushion the impact of gross margin volatility. Cushioning the cattle industry against gross margin volatility will provide positive impact on the national economy.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"401 - 411"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1822893","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49284170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1855219
Abdul-Hanan Abdallah, A. Abdul‐Rahaman, Gazali Issahaku
ABSTRACT This study employs panel data from the sub-Saharan Africa’s Intensification (Afrint) project to examine the impacts of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) on crop production and hidden hunger. The dataset consists of 2368 households (4736 plots) across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The study utilizes a multinomial endogenous switching regression model in the empirical estimations to account for sample selection bias caused by observed and unobserved farmer attributes. In addition, the study employed Mundlak fixed effects criteria to address plot level heterogeneity. The results show that joint adoption of SAPs improves total value of output and reduces hidden hunger, relative to adoption of SAPs in isolation. Specifically, an increase in total value of output is at most USD8,288.66/ha whiles decrease in cereal self-provisioning capacity is at most 647.69 kg per adult equivalent. The results therefore suggest that joint adoption of the SAPs should be promoted over adoption in isolation. The results also indicate that the benefits associated with adoption of SAPs, either in isolation or jointly, vary across Africa. This therefore implies that compatibility and potentials of the SAPs in various locations of Africa should be considered when promoting uptake of SAPs.
{"title":"Production and hidden hunger impacts of sustainable agricultural practices: evidence from rural households in Africa","authors":"Abdul-Hanan Abdallah, A. Abdul‐Rahaman, Gazali Issahaku","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1855219","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1855219","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study employs panel data from the sub-Saharan Africa’s Intensification (Afrint) project to examine the impacts of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) on crop production and hidden hunger. The dataset consists of 2368 households (4736 plots) across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The study utilizes a multinomial endogenous switching regression model in the empirical estimations to account for sample selection bias caused by observed and unobserved farmer attributes. In addition, the study employed Mundlak fixed effects criteria to address plot level heterogeneity. The results show that joint adoption of SAPs improves total value of output and reduces hidden hunger, relative to adoption of SAPs in isolation. Specifically, an increase in total value of output is at most USD8,288.66/ha whiles decrease in cereal self-provisioning capacity is at most 647.69 kg per adult equivalent. The results therefore suggest that joint adoption of the SAPs should be promoted over adoption in isolation. The results also indicate that the benefits associated with adoption of SAPs, either in isolation or jointly, vary across Africa. This therefore implies that compatibility and potentials of the SAPs in various locations of Africa should be considered when promoting uptake of SAPs.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"440 - 458"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1855219","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43221604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-02DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1782761
Etsehiwot Semreab Tiruneh, S. B. Wassie
ABSTRACT Using plot-level data from Ethiopia, this study aims to examine the determinants and impact of alternative teff production technologies on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The study employed a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model that accounts for selection bias due to observable and unobservable factors. The authors’ results show that technology adoption has a positive association with education, farm size, extension visits, community meetings and asset ownership. On the contrary, distance to input and output markets have a negative and significant effect on the adoption of alternative teff production technologies. The MESR model results reveal that, while full technology adoption is the most productive and profitable option, adopting any of the alternative technologies also substantially improves the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The results also suggest that row-planting technology has a positive impact on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers only when it is adopted with improved seed technology.
{"title":"Adoption and ex-post impact of alternative teff production technologies: micro-level evidence from Ethiopia","authors":"Etsehiwot Semreab Tiruneh, S. B. Wassie","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1782761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1782761","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Using plot-level data from Ethiopia, this study aims to examine the determinants and impact of alternative teff production technologies on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The study employed a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model that accounts for selection bias due to observable and unobservable factors. The authors’ results show that technology adoption has a positive association with education, farm size, extension visits, community meetings and asset ownership. On the contrary, distance to input and output markets have a negative and significant effect on the adoption of alternative teff production technologies. The MESR model results reveal that, while full technology adoption is the most productive and profitable option, adopting any of the alternative technologies also substantially improves the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers. The results also suggest that row-planting technology has a positive impact on the productivity and profitability of smallholder teff producers only when it is adopted with improved seed technology.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"321 - 336"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1782761","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42867627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-05-29DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2020.1761845
C. Yobe, S. Ferrer, M. Mudhara
ABSTRACT Post-1994, the South African government has favoured cooperatives over other types of corporate entities in its rural development programmes. An improved understanding of the key drivers underpinning the performance of cooperatives is important for informing government programmes and policies that target cooperatives. This study examined the financial efficiency, and its determinants, of 387 agricultural cooperatives in South Africa, using the Simar–Wilson methodology. Bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis estimates for financial efficiency were obtained in the first stage. The results indicated that many agricultural cooperatives are relatively inefficient, compared to the three best-performing cooperatives on the efficient boundary. In the second stage, a double bootstrap truncated regression model was used to obtain bias-corrected scores that excluded the best-performing cooperatives. The statistically significant efficiency determinants identified from the analysis were the age and size of the cooperative, the gender of the principal manager of the cooperative, its governance and the training indicators. The observed relationship between governance and efficiency may be attributed to institutions that prioritise non-financial goals by being relatively more willing to compromise on governance quality. Furthermore, deviations from sound institutional control mechanisms are more likely to emerge in cooperatives that have weak institutional and organisational arrangements.
{"title":"Measuring the financial efficiency of agricultural cooperatives in South Africa: an application of the Simar–Wilson methodology","authors":"C. Yobe, S. Ferrer, M. Mudhara","doi":"10.1080/03031853.2020.1761845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2020.1761845","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Post-1994, the South African government has favoured cooperatives over other types of corporate entities in its rural development programmes. An improved understanding of the key drivers underpinning the performance of cooperatives is important for informing government programmes and policies that target cooperatives. This study examined the financial efficiency, and its determinants, of 387 agricultural cooperatives in South Africa, using the Simar–Wilson methodology. Bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis estimates for financial efficiency were obtained in the first stage. The results indicated that many agricultural cooperatives are relatively inefficient, compared to the three best-performing cooperatives on the efficient boundary. In the second stage, a double bootstrap truncated regression model was used to obtain bias-corrected scores that excluded the best-performing cooperatives. The statistically significant efficiency determinants identified from the analysis were the age and size of the cooperative, the gender of the principal manager of the cooperative, its governance and the training indicators. The observed relationship between governance and efficiency may be attributed to institutions that prioritise non-financial goals by being relatively more willing to compromise on governance quality. Furthermore, deviations from sound institutional control mechanisms are more likely to emerge in cooperatives that have weak institutional and organisational arrangements.","PeriodicalId":55541,"journal":{"name":"Agrekon","volume":"59 1","pages":"269 - 286"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2020-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03031853.2020.1761845","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42413965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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