Do Beliefs About Agricultural Inputs Counterfeiting Correspond With Actual Rates Of Counterfeiting

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Do beliefs about agricultural inputs counterfeiting correspond with actual rates of counterfeiting?

Author : Ashour, Maha, Billings, Lucy,Gilligan, Daniel,Hoel, Jessica B.,Karachiwalla, Naureen
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2016-08-26
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Do beliefs about agricultural inputs counterfeiting correspond with actual rates of counterfeiting? by Ashour, Maha, Billings, Lucy,Gilligan, Daniel,Hoel, Jessica B.,Karachiwalla, Naureen Pdf

Adoption of productivity- and income-enhancing agricultural technologies is conspicuously low in Africa south of the Sahara. Farmers’ beliefs regarding the authenticity of agricultural inputs are important for explaining technology adoption: if farmers do not believe that inputs are genuine, they are unlikely to invest in them. The degree of alignment between beliefs about and actual counterfeiting can help explain both the social costs of the “lemons” problem, and low rates of adoption. This is the first paper to explore whether farmer beliefs regarding counterfeiting align with actual rates of counterfeiting, and we do so across a very large geographic area serving tens of thousands of farmers in Uganda using a more precise measure of counterfeiting than many previous studies. We examine the relationship between beliefs and counterfeiting using quantitative measures of farmer beliefs regarding the authenticity of herbicide in their local market as well as a large random sample of laboratory-tested herbicide samples to measure counterfeiting rates in local markets. We report evidence of considerable counterfeiting of herbicides in local markets, with nearly one in three bottles containing less than 75 percent of the labeled concentration of active ingredient. We find evidence that farmers’ beliefs regarding the extent of counterfeiting of herbicide are significantly associated with measures of the actual prevalence of counterfeiting in local markets. These results indicate that farmers are at least partly informed about the “market for lemons” problem in local input markets. However, the results also suggest that although better informed farmers imply a lower social cost of counterfeiting, the high rate of counterfeiting and the relative accuracy of farmer information contributes to low adoption of agricultural inputs in Africa.

Improving trust and reciprocity in agricultural input markets: A lab-in-the-field experiment in Bangladesh

Author : de Brauw, Alan,Kramer, Berber
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 49 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2022-06-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Improving trust and reciprocity in agricultural input markets: A lab-in-the-field experiment in Bangladesh by de Brauw, Alan,Kramer, Berber Pdf

Adoption of high-quality yet more expensive agricultural inputs remains low, in part because most inputs are experience goods: before purchase, buyers observe only price—not quality—providing sellers with opportunities to cheat on quality. Our lab-in-the-field experiment in Bangladesh replicates markets for such inputs, with input retailers (sellers) choosing price and quality, and farmers (buyers) choosing from which seller to purchase inputs. We analyze market behavior, including buyers’ trust and sellers’ reciprocity, and study the effects of buyer-driven accreditation and loyalty rewards for accredited sellers of high-quality products. Trust and reciprocity remain low: Sellers provide mostly low-quality products, and buyers reveal low demand for more expensive, high-quality inputs. Accrediting sellers when their buyers are satisfied leads to higher input quality and more repeat purchases, but only when combined with loyalty rewards, because buyers’ quality signals are weak and do not incentivize sellers to change their behavior. We conclude that small incentives are effective at improving seller behavior, but this behavior change does not necessarily enhance quality signals and farmer welfare.

Impacts of CAADP on Africa’s Agricultural-led Development

Author : Benin, Samuel
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-02
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Impacts of CAADP on Africa’s Agricultural-led Development by Benin, Samuel Pdf

This paper uses panel data on 46 African countries from 2001 to 2014 to estimate the impacts of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), an agriculture-led integrated framework of development priorities in Africa, on agricultural expenditure and productivity, income, and nutrition. A difference-in-difference treatment-effects model (based on when a CAADP compact is signed and the level of CAADP implementation reached) and different estimation methods and model specifications are used. The results show that CAADP has had a positive impact on agricultural value-added and land and labor productivity. The impact on agriculture expenditure is generally negative, suggesting that there is a substitution effect between the government’s own funding and external sources of funding for the sector. The estimated impact on income and nutrition is generally insignificant. There are some puzzling results from the interaction between specific period of compact signing and level of implementation reached. Implications for maintaining the positive impacts, as well as for further research to understand the puzzling results, are discussed.

What drives input subsidy policy reform?

Author : Resnick, Danielle,Mason, Nicole, M.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2016-11-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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What drives input subsidy policy reform? by Resnick, Danielle,Mason, Nicole, M. Pdf

When and why do suboptimal agricultural policies persist despite technical evidence highlighting alternatives? And what explains episodes of reform after prolonged periods of policy inertia? This paper addresses these questions by applying the Kaleidoscope Model for agricultural and food security policy change to the specific case of agricultural input policy in Zambia. Since 2002, the Farmer Input Support Program (formerly the Fertilizer Support Program) has been a cornerstone of Zambia’s agricultural policy. Over the years, however, many researchers have highlighted weaknesses in the program and proposed other options. Based on semistructured interviews with key stakeholders and intensive process tracing using media, donor, parliamentary, and research reports, this paper examines how the program initially began in 2002 and during subsequent periods of reform in 2009 and 2015. Based on the findings here, periods of reform for input support programs are most likely when there is a confluence of multiple factors. These include the emergence of a window of opportunity in the form of either a focusing event (for example, a food crisis) or an institutional shift (for example, a new president or new ruling party) that coincides with broad stakeholder support for empirically grounded alternatives, available material resources, and sustained commitment from politically important policy makers.

Using cognitive interviewing to improve the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index survey instruments

Author : Malapit, Hazel J.,Sproule, Kathryn,Kovarik, Chiara
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2016-10-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Using cognitive interviewing to improve the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index survey instruments by Malapit, Hazel J.,Sproule, Kathryn,Kovarik, Chiara Pdf

This paper describes the cognitive interviews undertaken in Bangladesh and Uganda in 2014 as part of the second round of pilots intended to refine the original version of the Women’s Empowerment in Agricultural Index (WEAI). The WEAI is a survey-based tool that assesses gendered empowerment in agriculture. Baseline data were collected in 19 countries following the WEAI’s launch in 2012, but implementers reported a number of problems, such as confusion among both respondents and enumerators regarding the meaning of abstract concepts in the autonomy sub-module and difficulties recalling the sequence and duration of activities in the time-use sub-module. In our cognitive interviews, we asked detailed follow-up questions such as, “Did you think this question was difficult, and if so, why?” and “Can you explain this term to me in your own words?” The results revealed potential problems with the survey questions and informed the revision of the WEAI, now called the Abbreviated WEAI (or A-WEAI), which has less potential for response errors.

New modalities for managing drought risk in rainfed agriculture

Author : Ward, Patrick S.,Makhija, Simrin
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-05
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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New modalities for managing drought risk in rainfed agriculture by Ward, Patrick S.,Makhija, Simrin Pdf

In this paper we explore the potential for a new approach to managing drought risk among rainfed rice producers in Odisha, India. Droughts have historically been a serious constraint to agricultural production in rainfed agricultural systems, with droughts resulting in significant reductions in both yields and cultivated area, in turn leading to significant impacts on rural livelihoods and food security. Scientists and policy makers have proposed various strategies for managing risks, with limited success. In this study we consider two such strategies, specifically drought-tolerant rice and weather index insurance. While neither drought-tolerant cultivars nor weather index insurance products are perfect solutions for adequately managing drought risk in and of themselves, there is scope to exploit the benefits of each and bundle them into a complementary risk management product, specifically through proper index calibration and an optimized insurance design. In this study, we explore preferences for such a complementary risk management product using discrete choice experiments in Odisha, India. We are able to estimate the added value that farmers perceive in the bundled product above and beyond the value associated with each of the independent products. We also show that valuations are sensitive to the basis risk implied by the insurance product, with farmers less enthusiastic about risk management products that leave significant risks uninsured.

Adoption of food safety measures among Nepalese milk producers

Author : Kumar, Anjani,Thapa, Ganesh,Joshi, Pramod Kumar,Roy, Devesh
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 52 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2016-09-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Adoption of food safety measures among Nepalese milk producers by Kumar, Anjani,Thapa, Ganesh,Joshi, Pramod Kumar,Roy, Devesh Pdf

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.

Implications of Slowing Growth in Emerging Market Economies for Hunger and Poverty in Rural Areas of Developing Countries

Author : Laborde Debucquet, David,Martin, Will
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 58 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2016-09-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Implications of Slowing Growth in Emerging Market Economies for Hunger and Poverty in Rural Areas of Developing Countries by Laborde Debucquet, David,Martin, Will Pdf

Over the past 25 years, economic growth rates in many developing countries have outpaced those in industrialized countries, and per capita incomes of these two groups of countries have started to converge. Growth in developing countries contributed to a dramatic drop—from 37 percent to 13 percent—in the global extreme poverty rate between 1990 and 201. However, the global economic outlook has deteriorated recently. This paper examines the impact of the actual and projected slowdown in the world economy since 2012 on the poor and on the potential for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It builds on the changes between 2012 and late 2015 in the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook projections to provide the basic slowdown scenario. It then uses a global model to assess the impacts of lower rates of productivity growth and consequent lower savings and investment on key price and income variables. The productivity shocks are passed directly to the production activities included in household microsimulation models for almost 300,000 households. These households are also affected by the modeled changes in prices and wages. Simulations allow us to assess the impacts of the slowdown on the real household incomes of the poor, and hence on the poverty rate. The results suggest that the poorest countries will see the greatest slowdown in poverty reduction, with over 5 percent of their population projected to remain below the poverty line. Overall 38 million fewer people will leave extreme poverty compared to earlier projections. Farm households are at particular risk in middle-income countries, with over 1.5 percent more of the farming population potentially not escaping extreme poverty in these countries. By 2030, average extreme poverty in rural areas is now projected to be about 7.5 percent, rather than 7.1 percent. While substantial poverty reduction is still expected between now and 2030, a strong focus on policies for poverty reduction will be vital to achieving the first SDG goal of eliminating poverty.

Export competition issues after Nairobi

Author : Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio,Hepburn, Jonathon
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 28 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2016-09-16
Category : Law
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Export competition issues after Nairobi by Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio,Hepburn, Jonathon Pdf

This paper reviews, from the perspective of developing countries, the recent agreement reached at the 10th WTO Ministerial at Nairobi related to export competition, including exports subsidies, food aid, export credits and guarantees, and state trading enterprises (STEs). The legal and economic aspects of the agreement are examined, and the relevance of banning agricultural export subsidies are noted. This eliminates some of the worst-case scenarios, if agricultural world prices continue to soften and the important margin of export subsidies still allowed under the WTO framework was to be used. But given the relatively longer transition period for some relevant products before export subsidies are completely banned, the paper argues for continued monitoring of the potential use of this instrument. The paper also discusses the other components of export competition, looking into the legal and economic aspects. Some suggestions about continuous work on transparency and monitoring of current practices, and further disciplines are also presented.

Making pulses affordable again

Author : Joshi, Pramod Kumar,Kishore, Avinash,Roy, Devesh
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 24 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Making pulses affordable again by Joshi, Pramod Kumar,Kishore, Avinash,Roy, Devesh Pdf

Rising prices and declining consumption of pulses cause concern in terms of both nutrition and food inflation in India. This paper outlines policy strategies to increase the availability of pulses at affordable prices in India and also points out limitations of some of the most common recommendations for achieving these objectives. There seems to be no option but to increase domestic production of pulses in India. The global supply of pulses is limited compared with India’s needs, and sizable imports by India are bound to increase world prices. Domestic production of pulses in India is most likely piecewise inelastic, meaning that small price increases do not translate into a significant supply response. Because farmers face both production and marketing risks, they increase pulse area and intensify production only when there is a large increase in expected prices that covers the risk premium. Droughts, too, are a major risk for pulses. Access to one or two protective irrigations during the growing season can possibly lead to sizable increases in pulse production and reduce the production risk. The har khet ko paani (assured irrigation) initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) program should give priority to pulse-producing areas. The minimum support price (MSP) for pulses, without direct government procurement, helps traders more than farmers because it acts as a focal point for tacit collusion among traders. Farmers will benefit from the MSP only if it is raised substantially from its current levels. The increase in farmgate prices due to a higher MSP will not necessarily lead to an increase in the retail price of pulses because much of the wedge between farmgate prices and consumer prices is traders’ margin. Including subsidized pulses in public distribution systems can save households some money, but it has only a small effect on total consumption of pulses and almost no effect on total protein intake. We suggest, as more potent solutions, investing in research and extension for pulses, aggregating pulse growers into farmer producer organizations, and paying pulse growers or pulse-growing areas for the ecosystem services offered by pulses.

Will China’s demographic transition exacerbate its income inequality?

Author : Wang, Xinxin,Chen, Kevin Z.,Robinson, Sherman,Huang, Zuhui
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Will China’s demographic transition exacerbate its income inequality? by Wang, Xinxin,Chen, Kevin Z.,Robinson, Sherman,Huang, Zuhui Pdf

Demographic transition due to population aging is an emerging trend throughout the developing world, and it is especially acute in China, which has undergone demographic transition more rapidly than have most industrial economies. This paper quantifies the distributional effects in the context of demographic transition using an integrated recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model with top-down behavioral microsimulation. The results of the poverty and inequality index indicate that population aging has a negative impact on the reduction of poverty while its impact is positive with regard to equality. In addition, elderly rural households are experiencing the most serious poverty, and their inequality problems compared with other household groups and within group inequality worsens with demographic transition. These findings not only advance the previous literature but also deserve particular attention from Chinese policy makers.

Framework to assess performance and impact of pluralistic agricultural extension systems

Author : Faure, Guy,Davis, Kristin E.,Ragasa, Catherine,Franzel, Steven,Babu, Suresh Chandra
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2016-11-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Framework to assess performance and impact of pluralistic agricultural extension systems by Faure, Guy,Davis, Kristin E.,Ragasa, Catherine,Franzel, Steven,Babu, Suresh Chandra Pdf

Extension and advisory services (EAS) are well recognized as a key factor in contributing to agricultural productivity and growth. However, rigorous evaluation of EAS approaches and assessment of complex national or subnational pluralistic EAS systems are rare. This working paper examines the literature on experiential and empirical insights and explores methods to assess complex pluralistic EAS systems. The authors present conceptual thinking on innovation systems and EAS, and review the IFPRI “best-fit” framework. This framework remains relevant because it is based on a holistic perspective with an impact pathway orientation. The paper aims to operationalize and improve the best-fit framework to guide the evaluation of complex EAS systems. The authors draw on and summarize existing literature to illustrate methods and tools used to analyze each component of the framework. The review pays close attention to the literature and methods for assessing the diversity of service providers and their various delivery tools and learning approaches. The discussion also pays close attention to the interaction of each component and how it affects the performance and impact of EAS from a systems perspective. This paper adds key points and considerations on how to operationalize the best-fit framework to carry out evaluations of pluralistic EAS.

Comparing apples to apples

Author : Nin-Pratt, Alejandro
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2016-09-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Comparing apples to apples by Nin-Pratt, Alejandro Pdf

It has been apparent for more than a century that future economic progress in agriculture will be driven by the invention and application of new technologies resulting from expenditure in research and development (R&D) by governments and private firms. Nevertheless, it is conventional wisdom in the economic development literature that there is a significant underinvestment in agricultural R&D in developing countries. Evidence supporting this belief is provided, first by a vast literature showing returns on R&D expenditure to be so high as to justify levels of investment in multiples of those actually found, and second, from available data showing low research effort in developing countries as measured by the intensity ratio (IR), that is, the percentage of agricultural gross domestic product invested in agricultural R&D (excluding the for-profit private sector). This paper argues that the IR is an inadequate indicator to measure and compare the research efforts of a diverse group of countries and proposes an alternative index that allows meaningful comparisons between countries. The proposed index can be used to identify potential under-investors, determine intensity gaps, and quantify the R&D investment needed to close these gaps by comparing countries with similar characteristics. Results obtained using the new R&D intensity indicator with a sample of 88 countries show that the investment effort in developing countries is much higher than the one observed using the conventional IR measure. The new measure finds that countries like China, India, Brazil, and Kenya have similar levels of R&D intensity to those in the United States. To close the R&D intensity gap measured by the new index, developing countries will need to invest US$7.1 billion on top of the $21.4 billion invested on average during 2008–2011, an increase of 33 percent of total actual investment.

Have Chinese firms become smaller? If so, why?

Author : Yang, Qiming,Zhang, Xiaobo,Zhu, Wu
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 36 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-23
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Have Chinese firms become smaller? If so, why? by Yang, Qiming,Zhang, Xiaobo,Zhu, Wu Pdf

Normally as an economy develops, firm sizes increase. However, as measured by the employment rate, the firm size in China declined from 2004 to 2008. In this paper, we develop a structural dynamic model with heterogeneous workers to study the relative contributions of three factors to declining firm size: rising real wages, implementation of minimum wages, and the introduction of a new national labor contract law. While rising wages make a sizeable contribution, we find that the new labor law plays a dominant role in solving the puzzle. In comparison, the impact of minimum wages is more muted.

Limits to green revolution in rice in Africa

Author : Ragasa, Catherine,Chapoto, Anthony
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2016-09-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Limits to green revolution in rice in Africa by Ragasa, Catherine,Chapoto, Anthony Pdf

This paper examines closely the constraints in productivity improvements and evaluates available rice technologies looking at the heterogeneity of irrigated and rainfed ecologies in 10 regions in Ghana. Employing yield response models, profitability analysis, and adoption models, results show various practices contribute to yield improvements in irrigated and rainfed systems including chemical fertilizer use, use of certified seed of improved varieties, transplanting, bunding, leveling, use of a sawah system, seed priming, and row planting. Evidence also shows that extension services on rice production are limited and that intensifying extension services can contribute to increases in rice yield.