The Canola Oil Industry and EU Trade Integration: A Gravity Model Approach

Recently biodiesel has become more prominent in countries of the European Union (EU). The rapidly increasing domestic production and consumption of biodiesel is accompanied by increasing trade flows. It is questionable if these trade flows are caused mainly by EU regulations concerning trade or concerning the bioenergy sector. A sector-specific analysis taking industry patterns into consideration is necessary to evaluate the impact of these two policy areas on trade flows. A common way to analyze trade flows is the so-called gravity model, which is employed here. Because of zero-inflated trade data, the model is expanded using the Heckman approach and augmented by spatial weights and Anderson & Van Wincoop's controls for multilateral resistance. The obtained results suggest that while the mandatory biofuel blending quota has a positive impact, investment subsidies cannot be shown to have any effect and trade integration might even have a trade inhibiting effect among EU members. The surprising latter result can be explained by an exhausted domestic European market for raw and intermediate materials for biodiesel and proves stable even when controlling for sector specific variables. --canola,biofuel,gravity model,trade integration

Welfare and food security effects of commercializing African indigenous vegetables in Kenya

African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have high nutritional value, forming a potent weapon against the pressing hidden hunger problem in East Africa, but they are not sufficiently adopted as cash crops by Kenyan small-scale farmers to meet the rising demand in the urban areas. This study therefore aims (i) to explore which factors motivate small-scale farmers to specialize in commercial AIV production and (ii) to assess the impact of AIV production on household income and food security. This analysis was based on primary data from 706 rural and peri-urban small-scale vegetable producers in Kenya. Results of a binary choice model showed that education, participation in producer groups, access to market information and irrigation water, as well as distance to the next city influenced the decision to commercialize AIV production. Impact analysis was conducted with binary and continuous propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR). The production of AIVs as cash crops positively influenced the total per capita household income and the food security status of the households

The economics of bioenergy : livelihoods, sustainability and value chains

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Victimization and Fear of Crime in Rural Tanzania

The article presents findings from a crime victims survey which was conducted as a household survey in six Tanzanian villages in the summer of 2016. The results reveal that the villagers have been victimized at a high rate, mostly in relation to the theft of livestock or crops. While 37 percent of the households reported having been victimized during the last 12 months, 71 percent of all incidents were related to theft. Repeated victimization is not a rare case. Fear of theft is widespread and needs to be understood in the context of food security. Furthermore, the article pictures how victims deal with crime events in terms of reporting behavior, conflict mediation, and prevention measures

Nutrient-dense crops for rural and peri-urban smallholders in Kenya-A regional social accounting approach

Kenya ranks among the countries with the highest micronutrient deficiency worldwide. Due to their high micronutrient content, African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) can be a solution to this problem, and urban areas in Kenya have seen a rise in demand for these crops in the previous decade. To fill the gap between supply and demand, programmes to promote AIV production have been implemented in rural and peri-urban areas. However, the effects of increased AIV production on income and food security in the regional economies are not clear. Thus, in this analysis, we first evaluate differences between the livelihoods of household groups with different levels of food security in rural and peri-urban Kenya using a two-step cluster analysis. Then, we generate a regional social accounting matrix (SAM) and calculate the direct and indirect income effects of AIVs and other crops grown in the area using a multiplier analysis. For the analysis, a total of 706 small-scale vegetable producers in four counties in Kenya were interviewed in 2015. Households in rural areas were more food insecure, especially with respect to the utilization and stability dimension of food security. Multiplier analysis showed increased indirect income effects of AIVs in the regional economy compared to those of many cash crops. We suggest further promoting the production of AIVs in rural and peri-urban Kenya

Value chain analysis Methodologies in the context of environment and trade research

This paper gives an overview of different methodologies related to value chain analysis in the context of environment and trade research. Four major fields of methodologies are identified: Accounting of input-output flows, general computable equilibrium models, econometrics, and global commodity chain analysis. Accounting of flows includes different physical (e.g. life cycle assessment) and monetary (e.g. social accounting matrix) accounting frameworks providing the foundation for computable general equilibrium models. Econometric value chain analysis is widespread in the field of impact assessment of value chains. It can be applied to analyze the effects of standards (e.g. food, social, and environmental) as well as transaction costs on the income of households (micro level) or on trade volumes of countries (macro level). Global commodity chain analysis aims to identify and measure the balance of power between the participating actors.Value Chain Analysis, Environment, International Trade, Mapping, Accounting, Econometrics, General Equilibrium Model

Implications of climate-smart strategy adoption by farm households for food security in Tanzania

This paper has been removed at the request of the author

Implications of Smallholder Farm Production Diversity for Household Food Consumption Diversity: Insights from Diverse Agro-Ecological and Market Access Contexts in Rural Tanzania

Owing to persistent challenges of food and nutritional insecurity, recent literature has focused on the role diversity of farm production has on food consumption diversity, particularly for smallholder households. Yet, the relationship between farm production diversity and household food consumption diversity remains complex and empirical evidence is, so far, mixed. The present article assesses this relationship using two districts—Kilosa and Chamwino—with contrasting agro-ecological and market contexts in rural Tanzania. These districts represent the majority of farming systems found in Tanzania as well as in several countries within the region. We used household data and employed descriptive as well as multivariate regression analyses. The results indicated a positive role of farm production diversity for food consumption diversity in the district with relatively harsh climatic and agro-ecological characteristics and poor access to markets. Furthermore, increased farm production diversity was generally associated with seasonal food consumption diversity. However, results suggested a lesser role of farm production diversity in the presence of better agro-ecological and market access characteristics. These findings imply that promoting farm production diversity should consider the existing agro-ecological and market characteristics. In addition, achieving increased food consumption diversity among rural households may require effective market related infrastructure and institutions