Education in the Black Diaspora: Perspectives, Challenges, and Prospects

Edited by Kassie Freeman, Ethan Johnson This volume gathers scholars from around the world in a comparative approach to the various educational struggles of people of African descent, advancing the search for solutions and bringing to light new facets of the experiences of black people in the era of globalization. About the Editors Kassie Freeman currently serves as the third System Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the Southern University System and A & M College System and Professor of Education. Ethan Johnson is an assistant professor in the Black Studies Department at Portland State University

Does fertilizer use respond to rainfall variability? Panel data evidence from Ethiopia

In this article, we use farmers' actual experiences with changes in rainfall levels and their responses to these changes to assess whether patterns of fertilizer use are responsive to changes in rainfall patterns. Using panel data from the Central Highlands of Ethiopia matched with corresponding village-level rainfall data, the results show that the intensity of current year's fertilizer use is positively associated with higher rainfall levels experienced in the previous year. Rainfall variability, on the other hand, impacts fertilizer use decisions negatively, implying that variability raises the risks and uncertainty associated with fertilizer use. Abundant rainfall in the previous year could depict relaxed liquidity constraints and increased affordability of fertilizer, which makes rainfall availability critical in severely credit-constrained environments. In light of similar existing literature, the major contribution of the study is that it uses panel data to explicitly examine farmers' responses to actual weather changes and variability. © 2010 International Association of Agricultural Economists