Valuation of Soil Conservation Practices in Adwa Woreda, Ethiopia: A Contingent Valuation Study

Soil degradation is one of the most serious environmental problems in the high­lands of Ethiopia. The prevalence of traditional agricultural land use and the absence of appropriate resource management often result in the degradation of natural soil fertility in the country. Thus, in this study we have attempted to investigate the value that the farmers have attached to soil conservation practices and the determinants of willingness to pay for it using a Contingent Valuation Method. In the CVM survey, Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice format with an open ended follow up was used to elicit the households’ willingness to pay. Based on data collected from 218 respondents, probit model was employed to assess the determinants of willingness to pay. The model shows that age, sex, education level, family size, perception, tenure, Total Livestock Units and initial bid were the important variables in determining willingness to pay for soil conservation practices in the study area. Our study also shows that the mean willingness to pay (WTP) estimated from the Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice format was computed at 56.65 person days per household per annum. The respective total aggregate value of soil conservation in the study area (Adwa Woreda) was computed to be 1 373 592 person days per annum, which is equivalent to 16 483 104 Ethiopian Birr. Therefore, if new intervention program for soil conservation is to be implemented, policy makers should consider those factors for better results. In Our study, we found very few protest zeros only (1.8%) which shows CVM is suitable method for valuing non marketed goods in less developing countries like Ethiopia. Keywords: Contingent Valuation Method, Willingness to Pay, Soil Conservation, Double Bounded Dichotomous Choic

A cross-region study: climate change adaptation in Malawi's agro-based systems

Agriculture in Malawi is vulnerable to the impacts of changing climate. Adaptation is identified as one of the options to abate the negative impacts of the changing climate. This study analyzed the factors influencing different climate change adaptation choices by smallholder farmers in Malawi. We sampled 900 farmers from all three regions of Malawi, using the multistage sampling procedure, study piloted in 2012. We analyzed smallholder farmers’ climate change adaptation choices with Multinomial logit regression. Factors that enhance or hinder choice of climate adaptation options include age, gender, household size, land ownership, credit access, climate change training and extension visit. Policy thrust should focus on linking farmers to credit institutions, advocating for labour saving farm technologies and intensification of climate change trainings among smallholder farmers

A Food Demand System Estimation for Rural Malawi: Estimates Using Third Integrated Household Survey Data

In contrast to the myriad of empirical work on food demand in other countries, very few studies have considered zero expenditures on some food groups. Those which have attempted have been based on techniques which result in endogeneity and inefficient estimates which in turn may misinform policy calibration. Improving on methodological flaw of previous studies, the present study censors zero expenditures in the first stage using simulation based maximum likelihood multivariate probit. In the second stage, Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System which allows for a more realistic assumption of curvature in Engels curve is estimated. In turn, food expenditure and price elasticities are derived. In view of the high expenditure elasticities, considering a policy option that would enhance rural consumer income is desirable, since it will result in high consumption thereby providing more incentives for food production