Agricultural Markets In Benin And Malawi

Author : Marcel Fafchamps,Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 74 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Agriculture
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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agricultural markets in benin and malawi by Marcel Fafchamps,Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin Pdf

Surveys of the operation of agricultural traders in two Sub-Saharan African countries suggest that their performance would benefit from policies aimed at increasing their asset base, reducing transaction risk, promoting more sophisticated business practices, and reducing physical marketing costs.

Author : Marcel Fafchamps
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 68 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1290704563

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Agricultural Markets in Benin and Malawi by Marcel Fafchamps Pdf

Surveys of the operation of agricultural traders in two Sub-Saharan African countries suggest that their performance would benefit from policies aimed at increasing their asset base, reducing transaction risk, promoting more sophisticated business practices, and reducing physical marketing costs.Drawing on original surveys of agricultural traders, Fafchamps and Gabre-Madhin examine how traders operate in two Sub-Saharan African countries, Benin and Malawi. They find the following:- The largest transaction costs for traders are search and transport. Search methods rely principally on personal visits by the trader, which raises search costs. And since enterprises are very small, transport represents a large share of marketing costs.- Brand recognition, grading, and quality certification are nonexistent.- Brokers and agents are not organized in commodity exchanges.- Quantities are not pooled for transport and storage so as to achieve returns to scale.- Interseasonal and interregional arbitrage is not feasible for most traders, who prefer to operate day to day in a small territory.This information provides some important insights into how agricultural trade could be improved. It suggests possible policy interventions in four main areas: increasing traders' asset base, reducing transaction risk, promoting more sophisticated business practices, and reducing physical marketing costs.This paper - a product of Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the operation of commodity markets in rural areas. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project quot;Markets for Agricultural Inputs in Sub-Saharan Africaquot; (RPO 683-48). The authors may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].

Author : Kherallah, Mylene,Delgado, Christopher L.,Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z.,Minot, Nicholas,Johnson, Michael
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780801871986

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Reforming agricultural markets in Africa by Kherallah, Mylene,Delgado, Christopher L.,Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z.,Minot, Nicholas,Johnson, Michael Pdf

The long-term reduction of hunger and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the great challenges for the international development community. Eliminating hunger and promoting widespread growth in the region inevitably involves agriculture, given its central role in the region’s economies. Over the past 20 years, most African governments have carried out reforms to deregulate agricultural markets and reduce the role of state enterprises. How much has the state actually withdrawn from agricultural markets? Have well-functioning private markets emerged? How successful were these reforms in boosting agricultural production, economic growth, and the incomes of the rural poor? What lessons can we learn from the reform process? The authors of this book address these questions through an analysis based on an extensive review of experiences with reform, focusing on three major agricultural markets: fertilizer, food crops, and export crops. They examine the historical rationales for intervention, the factors contributing to reform, the process of implementation, and the impact of the reforms on farmers and consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors find that reforms have had many favorable results, but that the impact has been muted by partial implementation and structural constraints. They propose a new agenda for promoting the development of agricultural markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying areas where governments can play a supportive role. They argue that appropriate agricultural marketing policies and investments can improve livelihoods and the economic health of the region.

Author : Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 4 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2020-03-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Market information and access to structured markets by small farmers and traders: Evidence from an action research experiment in Central Malawi: Synopsis by Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob Pdf

Structured markets are organized platforms where economic agents such as farmers, traders, processors and financial institutions enter transparent and legal trading and financial arrangements (East Africa Grain Council 2013). Structured markets are important for the stabilization of volumes and prices of agricultural commodities (Hernandez et al. 2017) and diversification of foreign exchange earnings (Edelman et al. 2014). If supported by export mandates, structured markets for cereals and legumes could also limit informal cross-border trade and increase agricultural exports (Government of Malawi 2016). They could potentially also provide better statistics on volumes traded to aid in the planning, production, and marketing of crops in Malawi (Baulch and Gondwe 2017).

Author : Mylène Kherallah,Christopher L. Delgado,Eleni Gabre-Madhin,Nicholas Minot,Michael Johnson
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 23 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780896295254

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The Road Half Traveled by Mylène Kherallah,Christopher L. Delgado,Eleni Gabre-Madhin,Nicholas Minot,Michael Johnson Pdf

The need for agricultural reform; How far did reforms go? Impact of the reforms; The future of agricultural market reform in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Author : Duchoslav, Jan,Nyondo, Christone,Comstock, Andrew R.,Benson, Todd
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 4 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2022-06-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Regulation of agricultural markets in Malawi by Duchoslav, Jan,Nyondo, Christone,Comstock, Andrew R.,Benson, Todd Pdf

Agriculture holds special significance in Malawi, because most Malawian households depend primarily on this sector for income and food security. Therefore, legislation surrounding the agricultural sector, and the foundation it lays for the sector’s governance, are fundamental to the development prospects of the country. At their best, agricultural laws encourage farmers, traders (both domestic and international), and processors of agricultural commodities to fully engage and further invest in the agricultural sector. At their worst, they undermine confidence to do so

Author : Comstock, Andrew,Benson, Todd,Nankhuni, Flora,Kanyamuka, Joseph,Nyirenda, Zephania,Nyondo, Christone
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 76 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2019-01-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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A critical review of Malawi’s Special Crops Act and Agriculture (General Purposes) Act by Comstock, Andrew,Benson, Todd,Nankhuni, Flora,Kanyamuka, Joseph,Nyirenda, Zephania,Nyondo, Christone Pdf

This report is a critical review of two of the principal agricultural laws in Malawi, the Special Crops Act and the Agriculture (General Purposes) Act. Both are frequently used to justify interventions by government in agricultural marketing and trade activities. The review is to assess whether this legislation is effective in promoting the goals of the country around agricultural commercialization, and if not, to provide recommendations for revisions to the laws. As a secondary task, the review considers whether either law could be used as an appropriate legal framework for contract farming regulation and oversight. The review was based on a thorough desk review of the legislation and interviews with over 230 key informants involved in agricultural production, marketing, and trade. The interviews focused on the laws and how their application by government has affected the commercial activities of the informants for better or for worse.

Author : Aad van Tilburg,Henk A.J. Moll,A. Kuyvenhoven
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9781461545231

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Agricultural Markets Beyond Liberalization by Aad van Tilburg,Henk A.J. Moll,A. Kuyvenhoven Pdf

Agricultural markets have entered a long-term process of liberalization, with the aim of reducing imposed market imperfections such as monopolistic public trade, entry barriers and subsidies. The experience of more than a decade of agriculture liberalization offers a good opportunity to review and analyze the outcome of this process and to draw lessons for the future. The central topic in Agricultural Markets Beyond Liberalization is the relationship between market structure and how markets perform in a dynamic context during a liberalization process. The topic is studied from both a micro and macro viewpoint and refers to different types of agricultural markets. This volume brings together the dynamics of agricultural markets in several parts of the world, with a special focus on transition economics and Africa. The different studies cover geographical areas as wide as a district as well as a group of countries, and institutions from individual contracts to multi-national organizations. The analysis of liberalization under different circumstances, and the different methods of analysis used by the authors provide a valuable foundation for the assessment of liberalization.

Author : Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 27 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2020-03-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Market information and access to structured markets by small farmers and traders: Evidence from an action research experiment in central Malawi by Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob Pdf

Small farmers and traders often lack the market information they need to earn the most from their crop sales. This paper analyzes the effects of an action research experiment in central Malawi, in which four groups of smallholder farmers were provided with maize and soybean price information from a local commodity exchange during the 2019 marketing season, while four other groups of smallholder farmers did not receive this information. Using data from a panel survey of 399 farmers and 78 traders conducted before and after the main marketing season and using kernel propensity score matching approach to account for possible differences between the treated and non-treated farmers, we estimate the effects of the intervention on a number of outcome indicators. A before versus after analysis was also employed to evaluate changes in traders’ marketing outcomes. We find positive but statistically insignificant effects on maize and soybean selling prices, sales through structured markets and levels of commercialization after the intervention. We also find a negative and statistically significant effect on the quantity of maize sold by farmers, suggesting paradoxically that providing farmers with price information reduced their sales volumes. The proportion of traders aware of structured markets and their share of sales through structured markets also increased significantly after the intervention. The quantity of maize sold by traders as well as the selling prices for maize and soy-bean also increased significantly, although this may be due to factors other than the intervention. The study concludes that provision of price information alone is not enough to facilitate small farmers’ and traders’ use of structured markets. Greater effort is needed to sensitize farmers and traders on the quality and quantity requirements as well as the operations of structured markets.

Author : Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 63 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2019-08-21
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Structure, conduct and performance of maize markets in Malawi by Ochieng, Dennis O.,Botha, Rosemary,Baulch, Bob Pdf

Seasonal analysis of the structure, conduct, and performance (SCP) of markets for staple crops has received relatively little attention in food policy analysis yet it has important implications for food and nutrition security. This study employs a mixed methods approach to analyze the SCP of maize markets in Malawi in the 2018/19 main harvest and lean seasons. We interviewed 749 traders from 74 markets across 8 districts, held 28 focus group discussions (FGD) with a total of 480 farmers and analyzed daily and weekly price data from 13 regional markets. The structure of maize markets was explored by examining marketing channels, barriers to entry and the competitiveness of different tiers of the marketing chain. Inequality in sales revenues, switches in trader types between seasons, quality and weights standardization, and the behavior of traders were used to examine market conduct. Performance was assessed by examining traders’ costs and margins, and the spatial and temporal integration of maize markets. We find that Malawi’s maize market is pyramidal in structure and highly competitive at lower tiers of trade but ‘oligopolistic’ at higher tiers. The market channels vary across seasons with switches between trader types and instances of rural-urban trade reversals. There is considerable inequality of sales revenues among traders of similar capacities, and a widespread lack of structured trading despite existing institutions. A high ratio of marketing costs to revenue suggests marketing inefficiencies. Malawi maize prices were highly seasonal and more volatile than neighboring countries. In contrast to previous studies, our findings show weak spatial integration of markets and slow price adjustments to long-run equilibrium values even among short-distance market pairs. The study highlights five pathways to improving Malawi’s maize marketing system: (1) increased policy predictability to promote private-sector investment; (2) institutionalization of quality grades and standardization of weights and measures; (3) increased commercialization of smallholder maize production; (4) investment in enabling infrastructure; and (5) the promotion of structured trading.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 634 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9251055335

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Trade Reforms and Food Security by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

The links between trade-related policy reforms and food security is of key concern to many developing countries. This publication sets out the findings of 15 country case studies from Cameroon, Chile, China, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. The coverage includes countries at different stages of development with the main focus on low-income countries that are likely to be at greater risk of food insecurity. The studies examine the impact of trade-related policy reforms on agricultural prices, production and trade, and the consequences for food security issues for each country.

Author : Jean-Claude Bolay,Silvia Hostettler,Eileen Hazboun
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 303 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2013-08-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319006390

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Technologies for Sustainable Development by Jean-Claude Bolay,Silvia Hostettler,Eileen Hazboun Pdf

Whilst scientific research can be crucial in guiding innovation and development throughout the world, it can be too detached from real world applications, particularly in developing and emerging countries. Technologies for Sustainable Development brings together the best 20 papers from the 2012 Conference of the EPFL-UNESCO Chair in Technologies for Development with the aim to explore and discuss ways to link scientific research with development practices to assist practitioners and reply directly to social needs. In order for technologies to be adopted it is not sufficient that they are low cost and affordable but also socially, culturally and environmentally accepted by the intended users. Technologies for Sustainable Development aims to explore and answer the following three questions: • What is an appropriate technology? • How can we ensure a sustainable, integrated development? • What are the conditions for co-creation and transfer of such technologies? Focusing on the importance of improving working relationships between stakeholders; researchers and decision-makers; between scientists and industrial sectors; between academics and the population; Technologies for Sustainable Development opens a dialogue necessary to create and implement the best solutions adapted to social demands.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)
Page : 68 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2024-05-17
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Structure and Functioning of Chickpea Markets in Ethiopia: Evidence Based on Analyses of Value Chains Linking Smallholders and Markets by Anonim Pdf

Author : Maumbe, Blessing M.
Publisher : IGI Global
Page : 342 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2009-09-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781605668215

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E-Agriculture and E-Government for Global Policy Development: Implications and Future Directions by Maumbe, Blessing M. Pdf

"This book provides critical research and knowledge on electronic cultivation and political development experiences from around the world"--Provided by publisher.

Author : Hiroyuki Takeshima
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Sensitivity of welfare effects estimated by equilibrium displacement model: A biological productivity growth for semisubsistence crops in Sub-Sahara African market with high transaction costs by Hiroyuki Takeshima Pdf

This paper discusses the application of the equilibrium displacement model (EDM) to estimate ex-ante the welfare effects of biological productivity growth for semi-subsistence crop and its impact on poverty reduction. The conventionally used EDM is compared with an alternative EDM that reflects more realistic assumptions for African semi-subsistence crops, such as the shape and shift of supply curve, significant margins due to high transportation costs between farmgate and consumption market, as well as between different consumption markets, and the degree of precisions of estimated structural parameters. The application to the dataset for Benin cassava farmers provides an example that the conventional EDM may significantly overestimate the total welfare gains, and may also lead to very different interpretation of how pro-poor the technology is.