Determinant of smallholder farmer labor allocation decisions in Uganda:

"Although there is growing evidence of the increasing role of nonfarm activities in rural livelihoods, there is still relatively little empirical evidence regarding the factors that influence smallholder farmers to diversify into nonfarm activities. This study analyses the factors that influence household labor allocation decisions and demand for farm labor in Uganda. Data were collected from 660 households in three banana-based production zones with divergent production constraints and opportunities. The determinants of demand for hired labor were estimated with the Tobit model. Linear regression was used to estimate reduced-form equations for the time-allocation decisions of household members. Our findings show that household members respond positively to increases in wages, suggesting that they respond to economic incentives. Increased wage rates negatively affect the use of hired labor, but household size has no effect on the use of hired labor, indicating that the economic rationing of labor hiring has more to do with the market wage than family size or composition. Education and road access have positive effects on the amount of time allocated to off-farm activities. Access to off-farm opportunities, however, takes away the most productive labor from farm production. These findings suggest that investment in road infrastructure and education suited to smallholder production needs could help alleviate bottlenecks in labor markets and improve resource allocation between farm and nonfarm sectors." from authors' abstractSmallholder farmers, Labor demand, Non-farm employment, Land management,

Determinant of smallholder farmer labor allocation decisions in Uganda

"Although there is growing evidence of the increasing role of nonfarm activities in rural livelihoods, there is still relatively little empirical evidence regarding the factors that influence smallholder farmers to diversify into nonfarm activities. This study analyses the factors that influence household labor allocation decisions and demand for farm labor in Uganda. Data were collected from 660 households in three banana-based production zones with divergent production constraints and opportunities. The determinants of demand for hired labor were estimated with the Tobit model. Linear regression was used to estimate reduced-form equations for the time-allocation decisions of household members. Our findings show that household members respond positively to increases in wages, suggesting that they respond to economic incentives. Increased wage rates negatively affect the use of hired labor, but household size has no effect on the use of hired labor, indicating that the economic rationing of labor hiring has more to do with the market wage than family size or composition. Education and road access have positive effects on the amount of time allocated to off-farm activities. Access to off-farm opportunities, however, takes away the most productive labor from farm production. These findings suggest that investment in road infrastructure and education suited to smallholder production needs could help alleviate bottlenecks in labor markets and improve resource allocation between farm and nonfarm sectors." --from authors' abstractNon-PRIFPRI1; GRP39EPT

Changing landscapes in Uganda’s seed system: An analysis on policy and performance

In farming, access to improved varieties and quality seed is among the more effective ways of addressing low yields and output. There is ample evidence that the adoption of better seeds and traits contributes significantly to productivity growth in developing-country agriculture (Walker and Alwang, 2015; Evenson and Gollin, 2003). Although neither should not be viewed as a panacea to all problems in agriculture and rural development, many global and national development programs rely heavily on seeds and traits as an entry point for their efforts to enhance productivity.Non-PR1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; IFPRI5; CRP2DSGD; PIM;CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM