The role of non-farm activities in the rural economy

A research paper on the non-farm economic activities in the marginalized rural economy.This paper draws upon recent research, to delineate the non-farm rural economy; its magnitude, its anatomy, and how it changes over time. We present evidence that non-farm activities not only make a major welfare contribution with respect to equity and income-smoothing, but that many of these activities add more to gross domestic product (GDP) than the substitute goods and services supplied by technically-advanced capital intensive producers. Finally, we argue that the sector is no more or less passive than any other sector in the economy, and that it can make substantial contributions to agricultural growth.The research supporting the preparation the proceedings papers was financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau of Science and Technology; Bureau for Africa; and the Southern Africa Regional Programme; under a Food Security in Africa cooperative agreement

Drug concentrations in post-mortem femoral blood compared with therapeutic concentrations in plasma

Peer reviewe

Surveys of Informal Sector Enterprises - Some Measurement Issues

The informal sector represents an important part of the economy and the labor market in many countries, especially developing countries. Measurements of the informal sector are of intrinsic interest in their own right and contribute toward exhaustive measures of gross domestic product (GDP). Considering that the informal sector provides employment for income creation to a large number of poor and contributes significantly to the GDP of many developing countries, collecting statistics through surveys for accurate measurement of output, net surplus, and value added is critical for national accountants, other users, and for researchers working on policy-related issues. As most of the informal sector enterprises do not maintain business accounts, the survey responses depend highly on the recall by the respondent and the skills of the interviewer. Thus, a very important aspect of the surveys of informal sector enterprises is the design of the survey questionnaire and the details to be captured in data collection in order to accurately measure the characteristics of these enterprises. The details sought in the survey questionnaire have implications on the accuracy of data and hence in the measurement of expenditure, receipts, profits, and gross value added (GVA) of these enterprises. In this paper we examine the differences in the measures of: (i) profits of an enterprise derived from a detailed set of questions on incomes and expenses, versus profits obtained through a single direct question; and (ii) GVA obtained using the production approach as the difference of output and intermediate consumption from a detailed set of questions on incomes and expenses, versus GVA using the income approach by asking a few questions on factor incomes, and a single direct question on profits. We use data from the 56th round survey of unorganized manufacturing conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization of India during the period July 2000–June 2001. We also examine if the differences vary with the characteristics of the enterprises, and suggest further empirical research to develop suitable tools for providing accurate measurements of informal sector enterprises

Employment dynamics in the rural nonfarm sector in Ethiopia Do the poor have time on their side?

We study rural employment transitions in Ethiopia between farming and both low- and high-return nonfarm employment. We find that initial asset holdings and access to saving and credit are important factors for transition into high-return rural nonfarm employment and that households’ participation in high-return rural nonfarm activities is robust to their experience of health shocks. However, shocks that affect their wealth or liquidity may trigger descents into low-return nonfarm employment. On the other hand, shocks that reduce agricultural income motivate transitions into high-return rural nonfarm employment

Business constraints and growth potential of micro and small manufacturing enterprises in Uganda

Ugandan micro and small enterprises (MSEs) still perform poorly. Studies associating poor performance of manufacturers with lack of finance and low investment ignore micro enterprises. Those focusing on MSEs are either exploratory in nature or employ a descriptive analysis, which cannot show the extent to which business constraints explain the performance of MSEs. Thus, this paper tries to examine the extent to which the growth of MSEs is associated with business constraints while controlling for owners’ attributes and firms’ characteristics. The results reveal that MSEs’ growth potential is negatively associated with limited access to productive resources (finance and business development services), high taxes and lack of market access

Coping Strategies in Post-War Rural Mozambique

This paper analyses post-war coping strategies by farm households in developing countries. The analysis is based on a portfolio model of activity choices in war-affected rural Sub- Saharan Africa. A case study using farm household survey data estimates the determinants of agricultural coping strategies in post-war Mozambique. Post-war coping strategies differ from pre- and mid-crisis coping strategies. War-affected households are forced to adopt very risky coping strategies that re-enforce their vulnerability. Households choose between market and non-market forms of exchange and even consider exiting markets entirely. Post-war reconstruction policy should focus on re-capitalizing households, providing public goods and establishing markets