The impact of a farmer business school program on incomes of smallholder farmers: Insights from central Malawi

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

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Book Synopsis The impact of a farmer business school program on incomes of smallholder farmers: Insights from central Malawi by : Chilemba, Joanna

Download or read book The impact of a farmer business school program on incomes of smallholder farmers: Insights from central Malawi written by Chilemba, Joanna and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Various models and approaches are being implemented to provide technical assistance and support to improve smallholder farmers’ incomes and welfare in Malawi. This study evaluates the impact of farmer business schools (FBS) on crop incomes of smallholder farmers in Dedza district in central Malawi. The FBS approach, which has been implemented nationally by the Government of Malawi since 2011, consists of one year of group training and learning sessions for smallholder farmers focusing on improving market access and establishing profitable agribusiness ventures. This study used a multi-stage sampling procedure to collect data from 455 smallholder farmers: 162 FBS graduates, 84 FBS dropouts, and 209 non-participants. Using propensity score matching and difference-in-difference techniques, crop incomes from two groups of farmers were evaluated; FBS participants and FBS non-participants as well as FBS graduates and FBS dropouts. The study finds a positive yet small impact of FBS participation on crop income and production (US$20 per year on average), and no significant difference in crop income and production for farmers who graduated from FBS versus those who dropped out. Insights from the qualitative research component of this study suggest that this is primarily due to the limited financial resources smallholder farmers have to implement the agricultural techniques and business models taught in FBS.

Gender research in the CGIAR research program on policies, institutions, and markets in 2018 and 2019

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 67 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Gender research in the CGIAR research program on policies, institutions, and markets in 2018 and 2019 by : Vos, Andrea

Download or read book Gender research in the CGIAR research program on policies, institutions, and markets in 2018 and 2019 written by Vos, Andrea and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2021-02-11 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report analyses PIM’s 391 peer-reviewed 2018 and 20191 publications. We highlight key gender findings and discuss the challenges faced by researchers in doing gender analysis, with a view to documenting lessons learned and improving practices. It is hoped that the gaps and strengths identified in this report will be useful inputs for future research under PIM and One CGIAR.

Agricultural extension: Global status and performance in selected countries

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 : 0896293750
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (962 download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural extension: Global status and performance in selected countries by : Davis, Kristin E., ed.

Download or read book Agricultural extension: Global status and performance in selected countries written by Davis, Kristin E., ed. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-09-02 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural transformation and development are critical to the livelihoods of more than a billion small-scale farmers and other rural people in developing countries. Extension and advisory services play an important role in such transformation and can assist farmers with advice and information, brokering and facilitating innovations and relationships, and dealing with risks and disasters. Agricultural Extension: Global Status and Performance in Selected Countries provides a global overview of agricultural extension and advisory services, assesses and compares extension systems at the national and regional levels, examines the performance of extension approaches in a selected set of country cases, and shares lessons and policy insights. Drawing on both primary and secondary data, the book contributes to the literature on extension by applying a common and comprehensive framework — the “best-fit” approach — to assessments of extension systems, which allows for comparison across cases and geographies. Insights from the research support reforms — in governance, capacity, management, and advisory methods — to improve outcomes, enhance financial sustainability, and achieve greater scale. Agricultural Extension should be a valuable resource for policymakers, extension practitioners, and others concerned with agricultural development.

Assessing and strengthening Malawi’s pluralistic agricultural extension system: Evidence and lessons from a three-year research study

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 12 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Assessing and strengthening Malawi’s pluralistic agricultural extension system: Evidence and lessons from a three-year research study by : Ragasa, Catherine

Download or read book Assessing and strengthening Malawi’s pluralistic agricultural extension system: Evidence and lessons from a three-year research study written by Ragasa, Catherine and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2019-11-20 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In July 2016, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partners launched a three-year evidence-based policy support project to analyze demand for and supply of agricultural extension services in Malawi and help design activities to strengthen service providers’ capacity to address farmers’ demands for information. For this project, IFPRI partnered with Wadonda Consult and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) to conduct the household survey and qualitative interviews. Funding came from the Government of Flanders, the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension (SANE), the German Agency for International Cooperation [GIZ]), and the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM). The project collected two rounds of nationally representative panel data of 2,880 households (2016 and 2018), two rounds of focus group discussions (FGDs), census of extension service providers in 15 districts, and a series of in-depth interviews. This note summarizes the main findings from 10 reports completed to analyze and draw conclusions from the stories behind these datasets.

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools

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Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN 13 : 9251315698
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (513 download)

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Book Synopsis Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Download or read book Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Farmer Field School (FFS) has been one of the most successful approaches developed and promoted by FAO over the past three decades, empowering farmers to become better decision makers in their own farming systems. Initiated by FAO in 1989, and subsequently adopted by many other organizations and institutions, the FFS programs constitute one of the most important “results of the collective action of millions of small-scale farmers” that FAO has supported. FFS is an interactive and participatory learning by doing approach that offers farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolks, foresters and their communities a place where they can learn from each other,share experiences, co-create knowledge and try new ways of doing. Participants enhance their understanding of agro-ecosystems, resulting in production systems that are more resilient and optimize the use of available resources. FFS aims to improve farmers’ livelihoods and recognize their role as innovators and guardians of natural environments. FFS has attained plenty of outstanding achievements in all aspects of agriculture and rural development.

Report on a study to crowdsource farmgate prices for maize and soybeans in Malawi

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 15 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Report on a study to crowdsource farmgate prices for maize and soybeans in Malawi by : Ochieng, Dennis O.

Download or read book Report on a study to crowdsource farmgate prices for maize and soybeans in Malawi written by Ochieng, Dennis O. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-10-08 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report summarizes the findings from an innovative study to collect the prices that farmers received for maize and soybeans during the 2020 main marketing season in Malawi. Between April and July, whenever they sold maize or soybeans, farmers were asked to report the prices they received by calling or texting a toll-free number managed by Farm Radio Trust. Reported prices were then compared to the minimum farmgate prices set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Our findings show that 75 percent of maize farmers and 90 percent of soybean farmers sold their crops below the official minimum farmgate prices. On average, prices received by these farmers were approximately three-quarters of official minimum farmgate prices.

Agricultural Input Subsidies

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199683522
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (996 download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural Input Subsidies by : Ephraim Chirwa

Download or read book Agricultural Input Subsidies written by Ephraim Chirwa and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-26 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes forward our understanding of agricultural input subsidies in low income countries.

From subsistence to profit

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 : 0896295583
Total Pages : 30 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (962 download)

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Book Synopsis From subsistence to profit by : Fan, Shenggen

Download or read book From subsistence to profit written by Fan, Shenggen and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2013-07-25 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This food policy report presents a typology of the diverse livelihood strategies and development pathways for smallholder farmers in developing countries, and offers policy recommendations to help potentially profitable smallholders meet emerging risks and challenges. Main Findings Smallholder farmers in developing countries play a key role in meeting the future food demands of a growing and increasingly rich and urbanized population. However, smallholders are not a homogeneous group that should be supported at all costs. Whereas some smallholder farmers have the potential to undertake profitable commercial activities in the agricultural sector, others should be supported in exiting agriculture and seeking nonfarm employment opportunities. For smallholder farmers with profit potential, their ability to be successful is hampered by such challenges as climate change, price shocks, limited financing options, and inadequate access to healthy and nutritious food. By overcoming these challenges, smallholders can move from subsistence to commercially oriented agricultural systems, increase their profits, and operate at an efficient scale—thereby helping to do their part in feeding the world’s hungry.

New Directions for Smallholder Agriculture

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Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191003565
Total Pages : 584 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis New Directions for Smallholder Agriculture by : Peter B. R. Hazell

Download or read book New Directions for Smallholder Agriculture written by Peter B. R. Hazell and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-03-06 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of the poor and hungry people in the world live on small farms and struggle to subsist on too little land with low input - low yield technologies. At the same time, many other smallholders are successfully intensifying and succeeding as farm businesses, often in combination with diversification into off-farm sources of income. This book examines the growing divergence between subsistence and business oriented small farms, and discusses how this divergence has been impacted by population growth, trends in farm size distribution, urbanization, off-farm income diversification, and the globalization of agricultural value chains. It finds that policy makers need to differentiate more sharply between different types of small farms than they did in the past, both in terms of their potential contributions towards achieving national economic growth, poverty alleviation, and food security goals, and the types of assistance they need. The book distinguishes between smallholders that are business oriented, subsistence oriented, and at various stages of transition to the non-farm economy, and discusses strategies appropriate for assisting each type. The book draws on a wealth of recent experience at IFAD and elsewhere to help identify best practice approaches.

Farming Systems and Poverty

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Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN 13 : 9789251046272
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (462 download)

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Book Synopsis Farming Systems and Poverty by : John A. Dixon

Download or read book Farming Systems and Poverty written by John A. Dixon and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.

Working with Smallholders

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464812780
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Working with Smallholders by : International Finance Corporation

Download or read book Working with Smallholders written by International Finance Corporation and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-12-05 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook addresses the challenges that agribusiness companies face when working with smallholder suppliers in their value chain.

Modeling the effectiveness of the lead farmer approach in agricultural extension service provision: Nationally representative panel data analysis in Malawi

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Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 45 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Modeling the effectiveness of the lead farmer approach in agricultural extension service provision: Nationally representative panel data analysis in Malawi by : Ragasa, Catherine

Download or read book Modeling the effectiveness of the lead farmer approach in agricultural extension service provision: Nationally representative panel data analysis in Malawi written by Ragasa, Catherine and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2019-06-14 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The lead farmer (LF) approach has been implemented and heavily promoted nationwide in Malawi since 2009 to support government extension workers and accelerate technology dissemination. Earlier reports have shown that donor-funded projects in Malawi widely adopted the LF approach, indicating positive roles and contributions of LFs. However, national data show persistently low rates of adoption of management practices being promoted by the LFs, prompting this study to look closely at the nationwide implementation and effectiveness of the LF approach. Specifically, we model the effects of farmers’ interaction with and exposure to LFs and farmers’ access to LFs’ advice on farmers’ awareness of and adoption of several promoted technologies and management practices. We use data from 531 randomly selected LFs linked to panel data from 2,800 farming households and, using correlated random effects, model the effectiveness of the LF approach on technology awareness and adoption. This is complemented by 55 focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with agricultural extension development officers (AEDOs) and service providers. Our results point to two major conclusions. First, LFs support and assist AEDOs in their work, especially in organizing community meetings and farm demonstrations, and are also an important bridge between farmers and AEDOs. But LFs complement AEDOs’ work rather than substitute for it. In communities without strong AEDOs and community leaders to work with and monitor them, LFs were not active or performed at a substandard level. Second, results show limited coverage and weak implementation and effectiveness of the LF approach at the national level. Only 13 percent of farmers reported receiving agricultural advice from an LF in the last two years, and only 20 percent reported having interacted with an LF. Our econometric models also consistently show neither the farmers’ exposure or interaction with LFs nor farmers’ access to LFs’ advice had an effect on awareness of and adoption of the major agricultural management practices being promoted. When heterogeneity and types of LFs are unpacked, results show that quality of LFs, adoption behavior of LFs, and regular training of LFs have strong and consistent effect on the awareness and adoption of most agricultural practices promoted.

"It takes two": Women’s empowerment in agricultural value chains in Malawi

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Author :
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 71 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis "It takes two": Women’s empowerment in agricultural value chains in Malawi by : Ragasa, Catherine

Download or read book "It takes two": Women’s empowerment in agricultural value chains in Malawi written by Ragasa, Catherine and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2021-03-03 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inclusive agricultural value chains (VCs) are potential drivers for poverty reduction, food security, and women’s empowerment. This report assesses the implementation of the Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education Training for Women Program (ATVET4Women) that aims to support women with vocational training and market linkages in priority agricultural value chains. This report focuses on Malawi, one of the six pilot countries of the ATVET4Women; and focuses on vegetable value chains in which some non-formal training sessions have been conducted as of October 2019. This report presents (1) program experience of stakeholders; (2) evidence of program benefits and challenges among ATVET4Women non-formal training graduates; and (3) baseline data on value chain and empowerment indicators, using a pilot household survey-based instrument for measuring women’s empowerment in agricultural value chains (pro-WEAI for market inclusion) and supplementary qualitative research. Results show graduates’ satisfaction and appreciation of the training provided, and some graduates reported having access to more lucrative markets as a result of the training. However, positive changes in several outcome indicators were reported by only some graduates: 30 percent of graduates reported increased production and sales. There is no significant difference in the reported changes and levels of vegetable production and income between graduates and non-graduates. Qualitative findings suggest that constraints to accessing agricultural inputs and funds to upgrade their production may be why there are no measured differences. Results on empowerment status reveal that 73 percent of women and 85 percent of men in the sample are empowered, and 73 percent of the sample households achieved gender parity. The main contributor of disempowerment among women and men is lack of work balance and autonomy in income. Fewer women achieved adequacy in work balance than men. Adequacies in attitudes about domestic violence, respect among household members, input in productive decisions, and asset ownership are generally high for both women and men, but significantly lower for women. While this report is mainly descriptive and further analysis is ongoing, it offers some lessons and practical implications for improving ATVET4Women program implementation and its outcomes on women’s market access, incomes, and empowerment.

Smallholder Agriculture and Market Participation

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781780449418
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (494 download)

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Book Synopsis Smallholder Agriculture and Market Participation by : Nigel Poole

Download or read book Smallholder Agriculture and Market Participation written by Nigel Poole and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

It's Small World After All: Defining Smallholder Agriculture in Ghana

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

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Book Synopsis It's Small World After All: Defining Smallholder Agriculture in Ghana by : Jordan Chamberlin

Download or read book It's Small World After All: Defining Smallholder Agriculture in Ghana written by Jordan Chamberlin and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2008 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Hearing on Alternative Agriculture and Rural Economic Development

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 154 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (15 download)

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Book Synopsis Hearing on Alternative Agriculture and Rural Economic Development by : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Rural Economy and Family Farming

Download or read book Hearing on Alternative Agriculture and Rural Economic Development written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Rural Economy and Family Farming and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Effects of agricultural mechanization on smallholders and their self-selection into farming

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

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Book Synopsis Effects of agricultural mechanization on smallholders and their self-selection into farming by : Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Download or read book Effects of agricultural mechanization on smallholders and their self-selection into farming written by Takeshima, Hiroyuki and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-12-16 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research was undertaken to better assess the role of mechanization in the future of smallholder farmers in Nepal. It addresses the knowledge gap about whether promoting mechanization that is often complementary to land can effectively support smallholders, particularly in the face of a growing nonfarm sector. Rising rural wages in Nepal have increasingly put pressures on smallholder farmers, who tend to operate labor-intensive farming. Agricultural mechanization through custom hiring of tractor services has recently been considered as an option to mitigate the impact of rising labor costs for smallholders. However, the benefit of agricultural mechanization may still be better captured by exploiting the economies of scale of medium to large farmers rather than smallholders. In the meantime, the Nepal agricultural sector still employs a disproportionate share of workers given its share in the economy, potentially depressing agricultural labor productivity. It is therefore an important policy question whether to (1) continue supporting smallholders through custom-hired tractor services or (2) encourage smallholders to rent their farms out to medium-size or larger farmers, while helping smallholders specialize in the nonfarm sector, where their labor productivity may be higher. Using samples from the Terai zone—one of the agroecological belts in Nepal, largely consisting of lowland plains— from the Nepal Living Standards Survey, we assess whether the benefits of hiring in tractor services are greater among medium to large farmers than among smallholders, and how these benefits may depend on smallholders’ decision to remain in or leave farming. This study also contributes to the impact evaluation literature by showing that jointly assessing the effects of two treatments (whether to adopt custom-hired tractor services and continue farming, or to search for better options and specialize in off-farm activities) can lead to different implications than assessing them separately. Our analyses suggest that the government should continue to promote custom-hired tractor services not only for medium to large farmers but also for smallholders. If, over time, barriers to specializing in nonfarm activities are lowered and more smallholders start leaving farming, mechanization may no longer benefit the remaining smallholders. Support for mechanization can then be focused more on medium to large farmers, while types of support other than mechanization can be devised for the remaining smallholders.