Seed certification and maize, rice and cowpea productivity in Nigeria: An insight based on nationally representative farm household data and seed company location data

Despite the potential importance of seed quality to agricultural productivity growth, many governments in sub-Saharan Africa lack the capacity to expand quality assurance systems even where there is expressed interest. This study aims to evidence the value of quality assurance systems with an analysis of efforts to produce and distribute certified seed in Nigeria. We assess the associations between quantities of certified seeds produced and spatial variations in production locations proxied by headquarter locations of seed companies producing certified seeds, on the one hand, with spatial variations in the use of certified seed, yields, and output at the farm level, on the other hand. Our analysis covers three crops that are important to food security in Nigeria: maize, rice, and cowpea. Our analysis integrates information on seed quantities produced and locations of seed companies with nationally representative panel data from a survey of farm households and spatially explicit rainfall and temperature data. We find a positive relationship between certified seed production in proximity to farm households and farm-level use of certified seeds, yields, and output, although this effect is diminishing at the margin. These diminishing marginal effects may be partly due to two factors. First, the yield gains from certified seeds tend to vary considerably within each state, suggesting that either quality issues persist in the seed supply chain or farmers are not using complementary inputs or appropriate management techniques when using quality seed. Second, it may be that as certified seed becomes more available to farmers, its use spreads from higher-return farms to lower-return farms, thereby diminishing the gains on the extensive margin. Although more rigorous assessments of causal effects and cost-effectiveness are needed to validate these findings, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that there are diminishing returns to seed quality assurance. Policymakers, regulators, and seed providers may benefit from identifying optimal, crop-specific target quantities or rates for certified seed production rather than aiming for certification of all seed produced in a market

What are the social impacts of land use restrictions on local communities? Empirical evidence from Costa Rica

Global efforts to reduce deforestation rely heavily on protected areas and land use restrictions. The effect of these restrictions on local communities is currently the subject of heated debate among conservation and development experts. Measuring the social impacts of protected areas is difficult because the effects cannot be isolated from other factors, given the nonrandom placement of protection. We address this problem by applying a quasi-experimental approach to establish the counterfactual (“what would have been the socioeconomic outcome if a protected area had not been established?”). We use matching methods to measure the impacts of pre-1980 protected areas in Costa Rica on socioeconomic outcomes in 2000. In 2000, neighboring communities near protected areas were substantially poorer than average. However, after controlling for pre-protection characteristics associated with both protection and economic growth, the results indicate that poverty declined as a result of protection. Although the statistical significance of this decline is moderately sensitive to potential hidden bias, the results emphatically do not support a hypothesis that ecosystem protection, on average, exacerbates poverty. In contrast, conventional empirical methods implied erroneously that protection had negative social impacts, suggesting that failure to control for confounding factors or baselines can lead to substantially inaccurate estimates

MARKET SEGMENTATION STRATEGIES AND SEED PURCHASING DECISIONS AMONG SMALLHOLDERS: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM KENYA

Efforts to increase agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa require innovative approaches to improve smallholder access to new technologies. One increasingly popular approach is the use of market segmentation schemes to target smallholders with subsidized inputs. This paper presents results from an evaluation of the impact of a discount voucher scheme designed to encourage the purchase of improved maize seed by smallholders in two districts in Kenya. The study uses a randomized experiment to rigorously establish the counterfactual, i.e., ―what would have happened in the absence of the scheme?‖ Findings suggest that while the scheme generated a significant displacement effect, higher discounts on the price of seed did have a positive impact on seed purchases. The findings are relevant to government and corporate decision-makers interested in disseminating genetically modified crops to smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa through the use of discount vouchers tied to humanitarian use exemptions and royalty-free licenses

Consulting the stakeholders on pro-poor market segmentation of maize seed in Africa

Market segmentation, while popular in the pharmaceutical industry, is rarely used in agricultural technology dissemination, where beneficiary targeting is preferred. Market segmentation, while easy and cheap, tends to generate leakages, while beneficiary targeting, is typically associated with high administrative costs and distortionary effects. To achieve a better understanding of the potential for using market segmentation to improve the adoption of agricultural technology, a consultation was organized in Kenya in May and June 2008 with stakeholders from the seed sector, NGOs, Ministry of Agriculture, agro-dealers and researchers. The consultation included individual visits to 9 stakeholders, a formal meeting with 39 stakeholders, and a formal questionnaire filled in by 18 respondents. Results indicate that indirect identification of the poor is difficult, since poor and non-poor live in the same areas and use the same technologies. The consultations show that several organizations in Kenya, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and seed companies, supply reduced-cost inputs to the poor, and they commonly use direct identification of the poor. The costs of such exercises seem to be high, but no data are available on costs or the accuracy of the identification. There seems is no experience with tiered pricing, although stakeholders generally find it interesting. Most stakeholders showed an interest in experimenting with pro-poor market segmentation for maize seed. The two main market segmentation strategies that are viable are direct targeting, which is likely to be expensive but with limited leakage, and tiered pricing, which is likely to be a lot cheaper but with higher leakage, and which would need a control mechanism to avoid beneficiaries coming back for a second tier. To compare the costs and the benefits of both methods, as well as of different implementation options, a pilot study is needed. The main product of such a study should be maize seed at reduced prices (between 20% and 50%), up to a given quantity per farmer, provided at a discount (between 2 and 15 kg/household). The main tool would be cash vouchers, to be distributed by an independent agency based on direct identification of the target group, or the tiered pricing system, where each farmer receives vouchers for a specified amount. The agro-dealers will redeem their vouchers at an independent financial institution

Park Location Affects Forest Protection: Land Characteristics Cause Differences in Park Impacts across Costa Rica

To support conservation planning, we ask whether a park's impact on deforestation rates varies with observable land characteristics that planners could use to prioritize sites. Using matching methods to address bias from non-random location, we find deforestation impacts vary greatly due to park lands' characteristics. Avoided deforestation is greater if parks are closer to the capital city, in sites closer to national roads, and on lower slopes. In allocating scarce conservation resources, policy makers may consider many factors such as the ecosystem services provided by a site and the costs of acquiring the site. Pfaff and Sanchez 2004 claim impact can rise with a focus upon threatened land, all else equal. We provide empirical support in the context of Costa Rica's renowned park system. This insight, alongside information on eco-services and land costs, should guide investments.

Crop Nitrogen and Phosphorus Utilization following Application of Slurry from Swine Fed Traditional or Low Phytate Corn Diets

Field application of swine (Sus scrofa) slurry provides essential nutrients for crop production. The N to P ratio for slurry is lower than needed by most crops resulting in P accumulation when applied at N rates required for crop growth. Low phytate corn (Zea mays L.) (LPC) contains similar amounts of total P but less phytate P than traditional corn (TC) resulting in improved P bioavailability and reduced P excretion by monogastric animals. While manure from swine-fed LPC diets has a higher N to P ratio than that from TC diets, field studies comparing crop utilization of nutrients from LPC manure have not been conducted. A field study was conducted to compare N and P utilization by no-tillage rainfed sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] receiving three annual surface applications of nutrients (inorganic fertilizer, LPC slurry, and TC slurry) and by irrigated corn receiving one incorporated application of nutrients. Sorghum grain and total dry matter N utilization exhibited a year by treatment interaction but total dry matter N utilization was similar for both manure types in all years (61.2 ± 2.6% for TC and 53.8 ± 2.6% for LPC). Grain P utilization was similar for inorganic fertilizer and manure but differed among years (44.4 ± 7.0% in 1999, 25.1 ± 1.4% in 2000, and 57.0 ± 2.2% in 2001). Corn grain N and P utilization did not diff er among nutrient sources in the year of application (50.7 ± 2.4% for N and 40.4 ± 3.0 for P) and increased little in the year following application (62.2 ± 3.0% for N and 50.2 ± 4.5% for P). Crop N and P utilization from LPC manure and TC manure was similar and nutrient guidelines developed for TC swine slurry should also apply for LPC slurry