Impacts of Institutional Arrangements on the Profitability and Profit Efficiency of Organic Rice in Thailand

This study assesses the performance of organic small farmers in Thailand under different institutional arrangements and over time. It was found that while organic farmers were significantly more profitable and profit efficient than conventional farmers, the level of profitability varies under different intermediaries. Farmers organized by NGOs on degraded marginal land showed a pattern of increasing profit and profit efficiency over time, after the transition period. On the other hand, farmers organized by a private sector firm on newly opened forest land exhibited a pattern of stable profit and increasing yields over time. The results showed that farmers under non-profit NGOs received the highest level of profit, followed by farmers under the private firm and finally the for-profit NGO. These findings suggest that while organic agriculture can increase the economic performance of small farmers, institutional arrangement is an important factor in realizing the broader benefits of organic agriculture for poverty reduction

Profitability of Organic Agriculture in a Transition Economy: the Case of Organic Contract Rice Farming in Lao PDR

Poverty is prevalent among smallholder farmers in transition economies where market failures prevail and where the capacity of the public sector is limited. This study assesses the potential of organic contract farming as a private sector institutional arrangement to reduce rural poverty. Contract farming appears to facilitate market linkages for smallholder farmers to produce organic rice for export markets while providing necessary technical supports. Using an endogenous switching regression model to assess the profitability of organic contract farms and conventional farms in Lao PDR, it was found that organic farmers under contract earn significantly higher profit than conventional farms. The findings also showed that organic contract farming tends to provide the greatest increase in income to farmers with below average performance. These findings suggest that contract farming can be an effective mechanism to facilitate the development of organic agriculture and an effective tool to improve the profitability and raise incomes of small farmers, thereby reducing poverty in rural areas with limited market development

The Effectiveness of Contract Farming for Raising Income of Smallholder Farmers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a Systematic Review

Contract farming is used by an increasing number of firms as a preferred modality to source products from smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries. Quality requirements of consumers, economies of scale in production or land ownership rights are common incentives for firms to offer contractual arrangements to farmers. Prices and access to key technology, key inputs or support services are the main incentives for farmers to enter into these contracts. There is great heterogeneity in contract farming, with differences in contracts, farmers, products, buyers, and institutional environments. The last decade shows a rapid increase in studies that use quasi-experimental research designs to assess the effects of specific empirical instances of contract farming on smallholders. The objective of this systematic review was to distill generalised inferences from this rapidly growing body of evidence. The review synthesised the studies in order to answer two questions: 1: What is known about the effect size of contract farming on income and food security of smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries? 2: Under which enabling or limiting conditions are contract farming arrangements effective for improving income and food security of smallholders

Transport Infrastructure and Poverty Infrastructure

The main issues surrounding this concern and provides a range of policy, regulatory, and institutional measures that could help strengthen the impact of transport infrastructure on poverty reduction are summarized.institutional measures, policy, transport, infrastructure, gender dimensions, poverty reduction, investment, income, India, Thailand, rural, savings, developing countries

Can Ethical Trade Certification Contribute to the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals? A Review of Organic and Fair-trade Certification

The growth of ethical consumerism in developed countries has led to increased imports of environmentally and socially certified products produced by the poor in developing countries, which could potentially contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Among these, organic products and fair-trade products are among the rapidly growing “ethical trade” products. This market development trend utilizes certification systems that ensure the impartiality of assessing products produced in developing countries.This paper assesses how the conditions under organic certification and fair-trade certification directly and indirectly contribute to the achievement of the MDG targets.[ADBI WP NO. 115]millenium development goals; ethical trade; fair trade; consumerism; synthetic chemicals; holistic production management system; export; participatory guarantee system; certification; IFOAM; regional and national standard; JAS; EEC; USNOP; ecosystem management; habitat conservation; energy; soil fertility; water management; social justice; techinical support; Fair trade Labelling Organisations; generic producer; recommendations

Microfinance and the Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan: Impact Assessment Using Propensity Score Matching

Using data from a survey of clients of a microfinance bank, Khushhali Bank, in 2005, the study revisited the survey data and found that despite the Bank’s strict poverty-targeting program used in client selection and despite the survey’s design to address the selectivity bias, the selectivity bias indeed still existed in the sampled households. Propensity Score-Matching Methods (PSM) are used to address the selectivity bias. [DP 104].hunger, economic activities, microfinance, MDGs, poverty, Pakistan, millennium development goals, banks, policies, selectivity bias, Borrowers,

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through Organic Agriculture: Empowering Poor Women to Build the Future

The paper outlines the positive contributions of organic agriculture in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It draws upon empirical evidence from a series of studies financed by the Asian Development Bank Institute in 2005–2006 showing the benefits of organic agricultural practices and contract farming of organic agriculture products in selected Asian countries. The case studies showed that organic agriculture helped lead these countries toward the path of achieving their respective development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015. The positive impacts of organic agriculture on health, incomes, and the environment are facilitated by its own well defined standards and market-based certification systems which ensure premium prices for organic producers. This has helped achieve high consumer awareness of its benefits and increased consumer demand both in developed and developing countries. Most importantly, organic agriculture fosters gender equality as it creates meaningful work (diverse tasks). It offers economic opportunities (low costs); promotes health (no synthetic chemicals); encourages biodiversity and traditional knowledge (retention of traditional seeds and farming practices); and ensures equitable work standards (equal wages and opportunities). This is particularly true for farmers, especially women, in small farming communities. Beyond 2015, the commitment of governments to fight for a sustainable and poverty-free world continues in the SDGs. This makes organic agriculture a crucial development strategy in the SDGs era.ADB_Achieving_Sustainable_Development_Goals_through_Organic_Agriculture.pdf: 219 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

The Costs of Achieving the Millennium Development Goals through Adopting Organic Agriculture

This paper provides estimates of the costs of organic agriculture (OA) programs, and sets them in the context of the costs of attaining the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It analyzes the costs of OA programs in four case studies: Wanzai, PRC; Wuyuan, PRC; Kandy, Sri Lanka; and Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. [Working paper no: 193]. URL:[http://www.adbi.org/files/2010.02.09.wp193.cost.mdg.organic.agriculture.pdf].MDGs, organic agriculture, United Nations, Millennium Development goals, Sri Lanka, Thailand, education, health, environment, PRC, household, poverty, gender disparity, maternal health, child mortality, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability, development, primary education, children schooling

The Costs of Achieving the Millennium Development Goals through Adopting Organic Agriculture

This paper provides estimates of the costs of organic agriculture (OA) programs, and sets them in the context of the costs of attaining the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It analyzes the costs of OA programs in four case studies: Wanzai, PRC; Wuyuan, PRC; Kandy, Sri Lanka; and Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. The results show considerable variation across the case studies, suggesting that there is no clear structure to the costs of adopting OA. Costs do depend on the efficiency with which the OA adoption programs are run. The lowest cost programs were more than ten times less expensive than the highest cost ones. A further analysis of the gains resulting from OA adoption reveals that the costs per person taken out of poverty was much lower than the World Bank's estimates, based on income growth in general or based on the detailed costs of meeting some of the more quantifiable MDGs (e.g., education, health, and environment).organic agriculture un mdg; millennium development goals organic; organic agriculture asia mdg