Can Contract Farming Increase Farmers Income And Enhance Adoption Of Food Safety Practices

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Can contract farming increase farmers’ income and enhance adoption of food safety practices?

Author : Kumar, Anjani
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 36 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Can contract farming increase farmers’ income and enhance adoption of food safety practices? by : Kumar, Anjani

Download or read book Can contract farming increase farmers’ income and enhance adoption of food safety practices? written by Kumar, Anjani and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-20 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing inequality has become an important concern in many countries. One of the ways that inequality is perpetuated is through differential market access across regions. This research deals with one of the primary determinants of regional inequality manifested in terms of market access. Nepal is one country where hierarchical geography leads to regional inequality. Differential market access can cause as well as accentuate inequality among farmers. Coordination arrangements such as contract farming can improve outcomes for the farmers and integrators on the one hand, but on the other hand it can accentuate inequality if only some regions benefit from it. With this background, in this paper we study the case of contract farming for exports with farmers in remote hilly areas of Nepal. The prospect for contract farming in such areas with accessibility issues owing to underdeveloped markets and lack of amenities is ambiguous. On the one hand, contractors in these areas find it difficult to build links, particularly when final consumers have quality and safety requirements. On the other hand, remoteness can make the contracts more sustainable if the agroecology offers product-specific quality advantages and, more important, if there is a lack of side-selling opportunities. At the same time, concerns remain about buyers’ monopsonistic powers when remotely located small farmers do not have outside options. This study hence quantifies the benefits of contract farming on remotely located farmers’ income and compliance with food safety measures. Results show that contract farming is significantly more profitable (offering a 58 percent greater net income) than independent production, the main pathway being higher price realization, along with training on practices and provision of quality seeds.

Adoption of food safety measures among Nepalese milk producers

Author : Kumar, Anjani
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 52 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Adoption of food safety measures among Nepalese milk producers by : Kumar, Anjani

Download or read book Adoption of food safety measures among Nepalese milk producers written by Kumar, Anjani and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Food safety is the most vital component of food security. One option to ensure food safety is through enhancing compliance at the farm level. This study investigates the status, estimates the cost, identifies the determinants, and assesses the impact of compliance with food safety measures in milk production in Nepal. The study is based on cross-section primary data collected at the farm level from six districts of Nepal. These districts are known for milk production and capture the geographical and institutional diversity of milk production in the country. The study shows that the status of compliance with food safety measures at the dairy farm level is not very encouraging. The intensity with which food safety practices are adopted shows wide inter- and intra-district variations. This intensity depicts a positive relationship to herd size. The additional cost of compliance with food milk safety measures reveals an inverse relationship with herd size. The factors associated with the adoption of food safety measures are caste, number of children and elderly people in a family, household labor size, herd size, access to information, inspection for conformity with the safety and quality standards in dairy farming, perception of households about food safety assistance provided by milk buyers, and market outlet types. We also provide evidence of the impact of food safety measures on farm-gate prices and farmers’ profitability.

Transforming Agriculture in South Asia

Author : Ashok K. Mishra
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000336433
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis Transforming Agriculture in South Asia by : Ashok K. Mishra

Download or read book Transforming Agriculture in South Asia written by Ashok K. Mishra and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Debates about public expenditure in the agricultural sector have reopened in many developing and emerging economies because of high budget deficits and changes in public opinion. As a result, agricultural policy in many of these countries is beginning to take a more market-oriented approach to agrarian problems, most notably through the introduction of contract farming. This book explores the policy issues around contract farming and its transformative potential and addresses the lack of empirical research on this topic by focusing on South Asia: principally India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The book first addresses the effects of contract farming (vertical coordination) on productivity, food security indicators (yield, consumption expenditures, prices), employment and input usage. Then it draws lessons from the South Asian case studies on the impact of institutional changes, like contract farming, on income and food security of smallholder households. The core of the book includes case study chapters on several commodities that are produced under contract farming, including vegetables and fisheries in Bangladesh, low-value crops in Nepal and coffee in India. Other chapters also explore contracts, storage, input usage and technical efficiency in these cases. This book serves as an essential guide to academics, researchers, students, legislative liaisons and think tank groups interested in agrarian issues, agricultural economics and agricultural policy in emerging economies and particularly in South Asia.

Dairy contract farming in Bangladesh: Implications for welfare and food safety

Author : Islam, Abu Hayat Md. Saiful
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 17 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Dairy contract farming in Bangladesh: Implications for welfare and food safety by : Islam, Abu Hayat Md. Saiful

Download or read book Dairy contract farming in Bangladesh: Implications for welfare and food safety written by Islam, Abu Hayat Md. Saiful and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contract farming is emerging as an important institutional innovation in the high value food chain in developing countries including Bangladesh, and its socioeconomic implications are topic of interest in policy debates. This study is an empirical assessment to explore the determinants of participation and the impact of contract farming on welfare and adoption of food safety practice in Bangladesh. Our analysis indicates that contract farmers are more likely to have better access to agricultural extension services, attended proportionately more community meetings, households members are member of organizations, access more credit, are located farther from output market, and have larger herd sizes. We also find that network variables such as time spent with cooperatives and other institutions and price fluctuation and average prices received experience before participation in contract are strongly associated with participation in contract farming. We find that contract farming has a robust positive impact on welfare measured by expenditure, farm profit and farm productivity, and food safety practice adoption even after innovatively controlling for observed and unobserved heterogeneity among dairy farmers. More specifically results indicate that a one unit increase in the likelihood of participating in contract farming is associated with a 42, 35,34 and 9 percent increase in household expenditure, gross margin and net margin per cow, and food safety practice adoption rate respectively, among other positive impacts.

Qualitative methods for gender research in agricultural development

Author : Rubin, Deborah
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Qualitative methods for gender research in agricultural development by : Rubin, Deborah

Download or read book Qualitative methods for gender research in agricultural development written by Rubin, Deborah and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-05-27 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rise of mixed methods approaches to development-oriented research has brought new attention to qualitative research methods. This paper describes the use of qualitative approaches to illuminate gender relations in agricultural development research and project implementation. For gender research, qualitative methods can be particularly helpful in illuminating how men and women view their lives. Drawing on literature about social science methods and linking it to recent examples of qualitative methods employed in research and development projects, the paper argues for greater precision in key concepts of gender research, starting with sex and gender. From the many possible qualitative methods used in development work, the paper focuses on several common observational (both direct and participatory) and interview techniques, the latter including key informant and group interviews and focus group discussions. Researchers use various techniques to gather different types of information, for example, mapping techniques to understand men’s and women’s different types of knowledge about their environment and eliciting in-depth information on a single topic with key informants. In a brief discussion of the analysis of qualitative data, the paper notes that informant responses are not “the truth” but need to be assessed against other sources of data. Finally, there is a short discussion of how qualitative data have been used in comparative work. The paper concludes that the results of good qualitative research on gender relations can help identify the locally specific pathways needed to achieve gender-transformative development approaches.

Can labor market imperfections explain changes in the inverse farm size-productivity relationship ?

Author : Deininger, Klaus
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Can labor market imperfections explain changes in the inverse farm size-productivity relationship ? by : Deininger, Klaus

Download or read book Can labor market imperfections explain changes in the inverse farm size-productivity relationship ? written by Deininger, Klaus and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-06-24 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To understand whether and how inverse relationship between farm size and productivity changes when labor market performance improves, we use large national farm panel from India covering a quarter-century (1982, 1999, 2008) to show that the inverserelationship weakened significantly over time, despite an increase in the dispersion of farm sizes. A key reason was the substitution of capital for labor in response to nonagricultural labor demand. In addition, family labor wasmore efficient than hired labor in the 1982–1999 period, but not during the 1999–2008period.In line with labor market imperfections as a key factor, separability of labor supply and demand decisions cannot be rejected in the second period,except in villages with very low nonagricultural labor demand.

Fruit and vegetables – your dietary essentials

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN 13 : 9251337098
Total Pages : 81 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (513 download)

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Book Synopsis Fruit and vegetables – your dietary essentials by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Download or read book Fruit and vegetables – your dietary essentials written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 (IYFV), as declared by the UN General Assembly in Resolution A/RES/74/244, aims at raising awareness of, directing policy attention to, and sharing good practices on the nutritional and health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, the contribution of fruit and vegetable consumption to the promotion of diversified, balanced and healthy diets and lifestyles, and reducing loss and waste of fruits and vegetables. This background paper outlines the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, but also examines the various aspects of the fruit and vegetable sector from a food systems approach: from sustainable production and trade to loss and waste management. This paper provides an overview of the sector and a framework and a starting point for discussion for the Year, highlighting the interlinkages of stakeholders and key issues to be considered for action during the IYFV.

Structural transformation and intertemporal evolution of real wages, machine use, and farm size–productivity relationships in Vietnam

Download Structural transformation and intertemporal evolution of real wages, machine use, and farm size–productivity relationships in Vietnam PDF Online Free

Author : Liu, Yanyan
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 24 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Structural transformation and intertemporal evolution of real wages, machine use, and farm size–productivity relationships in Vietnam by : Liu, Yanyan

Download or read book Structural transformation and intertemporal evolution of real wages, machine use, and farm size–productivity relationships in Vietnam written by Liu, Yanyan and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-20 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper explores the evolution of real agricultural wages, machinery use, and the relationship between farm size and productivity in Vietnam during its dramatic structural transformation over the course of the 1990s and 2000s. Using six rounds of nationally representative household survey data, we find strong evidence that the inverse relationship between rice productivity and planting area attenuated significantly over this period and that the attenuation was most pronounced in areas with higher real wages. This pattern is also associated with sharp increases in machinery use, indicating a scale-biased substitution effect between machinery and labor. The results suggest that rural-factor market failures are receding in importance, making land concentration less of a cause of concern for aggregate food production.

Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets

Author : Ebata, Ayako
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets by : Ebata, Ayako

Download or read book Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets written by Ebata, Ayako and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-07-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to modern commercialization channels is key for smallholder farmers to be able to move away from subsistence farming and overcome poverty. However, achieving that goal is challenging for smallholders given their lack of appropriate managerial practices, production technology and infrastructure. This paper examines the effect of receiving training in two different entrepreneurial practices designed to link farmers to commercial markets: one direct aimed at the individual and farmer-association level and another indirect focused at the community level. We exploit an extensive panel dataset of staple bean farmers in Nicaragua who participated in a program run by a nongovernmental organization between 2007–2012. We find that the two market-linkage training activities had opposite effects on the commercialization of beans, especially on the intensive margin or volume of sales. While receiving direct training on entrepreneurial practices is positively associated with sales in commercial markets, training on municipality engagement (ME) activities is negatively associated. The market-linkage activities mainly affected entrant farmers as opposed to those already participating in commercial markets. We further find varying effects of the ME activities by plot size and leadership position. Additional results show that training activities that appear to work for bean producers do not necessarily work for other crop producers, and vice versa.

Understanding compliance in programs promoting conservation agriculture

Author : Ward, Patrick S.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 28 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding compliance in programs promoting conservation agriculture by : Ward, Patrick S.

Download or read book Understanding compliance in programs promoting conservation agriculture written by Ward, Patrick S. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-05-13 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Land degradation and soil erosion have emerged as serious challenges to smallholder farmers throughout southern Africa. To combat these challenges, conservation agriculture (CA) is widely promoted as a sustainable package of agricultural practices. Despite the many potential benefits of CA, however, adoption remains low. Yet relatively little is known about the decision-making process in choosing to adopt CA. This article attempts to fill this important knowledge gap by studying CA adoption in southern Malawi. Unlike what is implicitly assumed when these packages of practices are introduced, farmers view adoption as a series of independent decisions rather than a single decision. Yet the adoption decisions are not wholly independent. We find strong evidence of interrelated decisions, particularly among mulching crop residues and practicing zero tillage, suggesting that mulching residues and intercropping or rotating with legumes introduces a multiplier effect on the adoption of zero tillage.

A systematic review of cross-country data initiatives on agricultural public expenditures in developing countries

Author : Anson, Richard
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 76 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis A systematic review of cross-country data initiatives on agricultural public expenditures in developing countries by : Anson, Richard

Download or read book A systematic review of cross-country data initiatives on agricultural public expenditures in developing countries written by Anson, Richard and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-07-08 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study reviews all of the relevant data and analytical initiatives or activities that focus on or include agricultural public expenditure (AgPE) in developing and transitioning countries. In addition to taking stock of such initiatives, we carry out a comparison of relevant features, describe differences and similarities, and identify possible avenues for greater collaboration and complementarity, including the use of selected empirical examples arising from the comparative review.

United States agricultural policy

Author : Glauber, Joseph W.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 40 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis United States agricultural policy by : Glauber, Joseph W.

Download or read book United States agricultural policy written by Glauber, Joseph W. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-07-20 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the development of US agricultural policy and considers how it has affected US consumers and producers, as well as how US programs affect foreign producers and consumers within the context of the United States’ obligations under the World Trade Organization. Throughout its history, the United States has supported the farm sector through a myriad of policies affecting prices, production, and farm incomes. Although many of the policies put in place during the New Deal legislation in the 1930s were seen as temporary at the time, most have persisted in one form or another to the present day. And while many would argue that the form and function of today’s agricultural programs are less distortionary than before, the level of support provided to the sector is several billion dollars annually.

Contract farming, productivity and fertilizer usage: Empirical evidence from specialty crop production

Author : Mishra, Ashok K.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 43 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Contract farming, productivity and fertilizer usage: Empirical evidence from specialty crop production by : Mishra, Ashok K.

Download or read book Contract farming, productivity and fertilizer usage: Empirical evidence from specialty crop production written by Mishra, Ashok K. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-11-14 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigates the impact of contract farming (CF) in baby corn production on yield, irrigation costs, fertilizer costs and usage of chemical fertilizer. We find that adoption of CF by baby corn smallholders, after controlling for characteristics of both control and treatment groups, leads to higher yields and lower spending on fertilizers and irrigation. Additionally, CF in baby corn farming leads to a reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers (Urea and DAP). Thus, CF intervention benefits the livelihood of smallholders, reduces environmental degradation and reduces stress on groundwater without compromising yield.

Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation

Author : Diao, Xinshen
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 56 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation by : Diao, Xinshen

Download or read book Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation written by Diao, Xinshen and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A renewed focus on agriculture’s potential contribution to economic transformation in Africa has resulted in increased attention paid to agricultural mechanization. African agriculture still relies predominantly on human muscle power despite anecdotal evidence on urbanization and rising rural wages, in contrast to other developing regions that have experienced rapid increases in agricultural mechanization during the past few decades. Past state-led mechanization pushes in Africa often failed due to insufficient understanding of the nature of demand for mechanization technologies among farmers and insufficient knowledge of private-sector functions. This background paper reviews the factors likely to influence farmer demand for mechanization in Africa and details different existing and potential mechanization supply models. Although an empirical analysis of mechanization demand and the effectiveness of supply chains is beyond the scope of this paper, in part due to data limitations, this paper suggests that demand for mechanization may be emerging in some parts of Africa. It also suggests that private-sector-driven supply models are better positioned to meet this demand than direct government involvement and certain types of subsidized programs. The paper then identifies possible areas for government support to complement private-sector leadership in developing mechanization supply chains. Nevertheless, significant further research is required to better understand the changing nature of mechanization demand in Africa and the extent and effectiveness of different supply models in meeting it.

A dynamic spatial model of agricultural price transmission

Author : Goundan, Anatole
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 28 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis A dynamic spatial model of agricultural price transmission by : Goundan, Anatole

Download or read book A dynamic spatial model of agricultural price transmission written by Goundan, Anatole and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-06-09 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spatial interactions are essential drivers of price transmission mechanisms and may significantly affect any food’s policy outcomes. However, spatial aspects seem to be generally overlooked when analyzing price transmission. This paper attempts to fill this gap by highlighting the usefulness of spatial interaction and models for market integration analysis. A spatial dynamic panel datamodel is presented and applied to Niger’s millet market. Empirical results show that (1) the millet market is partly integrated, (2) locally traded commodities (millet and sorghum) are linked by a cross-commodity price transmission, (3) most imported cereals prices, which for Niger is maize and rice, did not affect the millet market, and (4) no cross-regions price transmissionoccurred for the millet market.

Long-term drivers of food and nutrition security

Author : Laborde Debucquet, David
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Long-term drivers of food and nutrition security by : Laborde Debucquet, David

Download or read book Long-term drivers of food and nutrition security written by Laborde Debucquet, David and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-05-18 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2015 Global Hunger Index suggests that despite progress in reducing hunger worldwide, hunger levels in 52 of 117 countries in the 2015 Global Hunger Index remain “serious” or “alarming.” Since achieving and maintaining food and nutrition security (FNS) remains a goal for all countries, it is important to understand the individual, national, and global factors that affect FNS. This paper proposes an analytical framework to identify and analyze the respective roles of key long-term drivers of FNS. We start by identifying what the key variables affecting FNS are at the household and country level, and then we continue by defining what the main exogenous or endogenous drivers affecting these variables are. We discuss the key drivers of both aggregated food supply and demand and therefore their impact on prices. Specifically, for aggregated food demand, we discuss demographic factors, income growth, changes in dietary preferences, aggregated domestic distortions, and overall quality of the food system. With respect to the drivers of aggregated food supply, we discuss land available for food products and the drivers behind land availability, the share of waste/losses generated by the food system, and the normalized average yield. We define yield as the amount of nutrients produced by unit of land. It depends both on the physical yield of the crop or the livestock and on the quality of the food produced. It also can be affected by the changes in production patterns linked to the different dietary patterns of the consumers and by climate change. We emphasize the fact that in many cases, key drivers may have ambiguous effects on the FNS situation of different agents. For instance, more liberal trade policies will affect real income, terms of trade, demand and supply, returns of factors, foreign direct investments, and food prices and thus may lead to the improvement of the global-level FNS, that is, the FNS of the majority of the population. At the same time, more liberal trade policies may bring food insecurity to some households. Therefore, careful quantitative assessment is needed for each policy option. Finally, we propose a typology of variables that will help modelers adapt their models to study the different drivers through both direct and indirect effects.

Boserupian pressure and agricultural mechanization in modern Ghana

Author : Cossar, Frances
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Boserupian pressure and agricultural mechanization in modern Ghana by : Cossar, Frances

Download or read book Boserupian pressure and agricultural mechanization in modern Ghana written by Cossar, Frances and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The adoption of machinery in agricultural production in Africa south of the Sahara has been far behind the level of mechanization found in Asia and Latin America. However, recent survey data have revealed high levels of machinery use in localized areas of cereal production in northern Ghana. A survey conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute, in partnership with the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute, found that in some areas more than 80 percent of farmers were using machinery for at least one operation. This paper considers the theoretical drivers of agricultural intensification, as outlined by Boserup, Pingali, and Binswanger, and the extent to which they are able to explain the spatial variation in machinery use found in northern Ghana. Population pressure, market access, and agroecological conditions are considered key drivers that cause farmers to find ways to increase productivity and adopt new technologies. Combining survey data with geospatial datasets, the empirical analysis finds that population growth and travel time to the local urban center explain a significant and large proportion of the variation in machinery use by farmers.