We analyse the impact of intensity of tillage on wheat productivity and risk exposure using panel household-plot level data from Ethiopia. In order to control for selection bias, we estimate a flexible moment-based production function using an endogenous switching regression treatment effects model. We find that tillage has a complementary impact on productivity and risk exposure. As the intensity of tillage increases, productivity increases and farmers’ exposure to risk declines. Our results suggest that smallholder farmers use tillage as an ex-ante risk management strategy.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a web-based Rift Valley fever (RVF) Early Warning Decision Support Tool (RVF DST), which integrates near real-time RVF risk maps with geospatial data, historical and current RVF disease events from EMPRES Global Animal Disease Information System (EMPRES-i) and expert knowledge on RVF eco-epidemiology.
The purpose of this report is to present the findings from a study on the Economic Empowerment of Women through Resilient Agriculture Supply Chains: A Geospatial and temporal Analysis in Southwestern Bangladesh.
El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar ex-ante el efecto de un sistema de concesión de infraestructura pública sobre el costo directo de producción agrícola en una zona objeto de mejoramiento del riego. La metodología consideró la aplicación de una encuesta a potenciales beneficiarios, que recoja datos sobre su percepción, disposición a pagar y planes productivos en un nuevo escenario para el riego, contrastándolos con el impacto en el margen bruto resultante del consumo eventual de agua.
The development of effective agricultural monitoring networks is essential to track, anticipate and manage changes in the social, economic and environmental aspects of agriculture. The authors welcome the perspective of Lindenmayer and Likens (J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 1559) as published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring on their earlier paper, “Monitoring the World's Agriculture” (Sachs et al., Nature, 2010, 466, 558–560).
Grants for agricultural innovation are common but grant funds specifically targeted to smallholder farmers remain relatively rare. Nevertheless, they are receiving increasing recognition as a promising venue for agricultural innovation. They stimulate smallholders to experiment with improved practices, to become proactive and to engage with research and extension providers. The systematic review covered three modalities of disbursing these grants to smallholder farmers and their organisations: vouchers, competitive grants and farmer-led innovation support funds.
Fairtrade certification has recently gained in importance for various export crops produced in developing countries. One of Fairtrade's main objectives is to improve the social conditions of smallholder farmers. Previous research showed that Fairtrade has positive effects on farmers' sales prices and incomes in many situations. However, more detailed analysis of the effects on food security and other dimensions of household living standard is rare.
Smallholder farmers in developing countries often suffer from high risk and limited market access. Contract farming may improve the situation under certain conditions. Several studies analyzed effects of contracts on smallholder productivity and income with mixed results. Most existing studies focused on one particular contract scheme. Contract characteristics rarely differ within one scheme, so little is known about how different contract characteristics may influence the benefits for smallholders.
En el marco del desarrollo del proyecto internacional Diseminación del Fitomejoramiento Participativo en Cuba, programa para fortalecer la Innovación Agropecuaria Local (PIAL) III Fase, y como parte de las herramientas de monitoreo y evaluación se elaboró una metodología para evaluar la influencia del contexto local sobre los impactos del proyecto. Se presentó la metodología y sus resultados, estimando el desempeño del año 2013, valorado en 42 municipios donde se implementó el proyecto, se evalúo el efecto del contexto socioeconómico y las medidas a delimitar para disminuir al mínimo los e
Este trabajo tiene como objetivos evaluar las actividades de extensionismo en las estrategias Plan Puebla y MasAgro a través de elementos como: comunicación y participación de los actores; difusión de las tecnologías propuestas para la producción de maíz; aplicación de la tecnología y sus efectos económicos; y elementos culturales incorporados a las tecnologías. Todo ello como evidencia de un proceso que permita identificar aprendizajes e implementar acciones para que los pequeños productores logren incrementar los rendimientos de maíz, sus ingresos y mejorar sus condiciones de vida.