Intervention designs for perceived improved access to farm productivity- enhancing resources in the drylands : case study of Kenya

In Kenya's dryland districts, gaps in access to productivity-enhancing resources are disconcertingly wide despite the growing number of external interventions. This research paper evaluates five past interventions to identify resource access gaps and effective designs replicable in the region. The study used cross-sectional data collected from sampled participants in each of the interventions. A two-stage regression model was used to assess the perceived effectiveness of the interventions. Results of the analysis showed that access to productivity-enhancing resources particularly irrigation, quality seeds, fertilizers and markets was patchy and low. Furthermore, access was significantly high where complementary resources could be found in a single intervention. Conclusively, resource planning should be an integral part of every intervention. Towards this end, irrigation and markets for credit and produce are critical. Moreover, use of the participatory intervention design is recommended in order to foster identification of complementary resources, which are relevant for specific socio-economic and natural contexts

Technical efficiency of water use and its determinants, study at smallscale irrigation schemes in North-West Province, South Africa

This paper analyses the efficiency with which water is used in small-scale irrigation schemes in North-West Province in South Africa and studies its determinants. In the study area, small-scale irrigation schemes play an important role in rural development, but the increasing pressure on water resources and the approaching introduction of water charges raise the concern for more efficient water use. With the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques used to compute farm-level technical efficiency measures and sub-vector efficiencies for water use, it was shown that under Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) and Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) specification, substantial technical inefficiencies, of 49% and 16% respectively, exist among farmers. The sub-vector efficiencies for water proved to be even lower, indicating that if farmers became more efficient using the technology currently available, it would be possible to reallocate a fraction of the irrigation water to other water demands without threatening the role of small-scale irrigation. In a second step, Tobit regression techniques were used to examine the relationship between sub-vector efficiency for water and various farm/farmers characteristics. Farm size, landownership, fragmentation, the type of irrigation scheme, crop choice and the irrigation methods applied showed a significant impact on the sub-vector efficiency for water. Such information is valuable for extension services and policy makers since it can help to guide policies towards increased efficiency

The farm decision role of price information from commodity exchanges: an ex-ante evaluation using quasi-rational price expectations in Ethiopia

Farmers use different information to predict future returns upon which they base current decisions. In designing information systems, knowledge about the information set used by farmers is relevant to have insight into the necessary information that should be made available for farmers. Using quasirational forecasting regression analysis to represent producer price expectation formation, the usefulness of disseminating real time information about the central wholesale prices discovered by the Ethiopian commodity exchange was tested. The results showed that the information about central wholesale prices can help farmers to make unbiased price forecasts. Effective dissemination of real time price information discovered through the Ethiopian commodity exchange was fully supported by the empirical insights from this study

Gum arabic production and marketing in Senegal: interlocked transactions and supply chain implications

Interlocked relationships are characterised by traders’ supply of inputs and cash to producers on credit, to be reimbursed at sale time based on pre-defined prices which are often lower than the prevailing market price. The study analyses determinants of choice for interlocking in the gum arabic sector in Senegal and the effect of interlocking on gum production and market participation; gum arabic is a natural exudates of Acacia Senegal trees that grow in the semi-arid lands of Africa. Data from 422 gum producers in Northern and Eastern regions of Senegal are used. About 45percent of respondents are involved into interlocking with village shop-owners or mobile traders. Interlocking has a negative effect on prices received by gum collectors. However, in the absence of effective credit markets, interlocking positively influences market participation and production as found through a two-step Heckman selection model by the provision of market assurance and safety for emergencies.interlocking, contracts, semi-arid lands, market participation, gum arabic, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,

ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF WATER CHARGE INTRODUCTION AT SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN NORTH WEST PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

In South Africa water law has recently changed, adopting the principle of water as an economic good, thus levying charges on its use. For small-scale irrigators this is an important change, because currently their water use is entirely subsidized. In the coming years, subsidies will gradually decrease and an essential expected benefit of this policy change is that water use efficiency will rise, leading to reduced consumption and possible reallocation of the water saved. The exact impact of the water pricing policy on the irrigation water use or on the farmers' production system is however unclear. This study introduces a new methodology, based on data envelopment analysis, that allows estimating the effects on the agricultural production process and water demand of introducing or raising a water price. It is revealed that a large majority of the farmers does not adjust water use. Production costs however were shown to increase significantly.Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Going micro: Analysing SAM multipliers for the dairy chain on Reunion Island

This poster presents a study on the multiplier effects in the dairy chain on Reunion Island. This Indian Ocean island is one of the French overseas departments. However, it struggles with similar problems as the developing areas in its neighbourhood, high levels of unemployment especially being a major concern. The agricultural sector justifies the state support it receives by stressing its role in the creation of employment and economic activity. Our focus is on the dairy sector of the Island, which is relatively recent and highly organized. Local milk production has increased over the years and our aim is to calculate the economywide impact of this trend. We use a social accounting matrix with disaggregated accounts for the dairy sector to calculate the impact of changes in this sector.Dairy, SAM, La Reunion, Livestock Production/Industries,

Do coffee cooperatives benefit farmers? : an exploration of heterogeneous impact of coffee cooperative membership in Southwest Ethiopia

Smallholder farmers' participation in agricultural cooperatives is often promoted as a promising strategy for overcoming market imperfections and to increase farmers' productivity and income. In recognition of this potential, in recent years, Ethiopia has shown renewed interest in promoting cooperatives. However, there is lack of empirical evidence of the impact that cooperatives have on farmers' performance in Ethiopia. Using a matching technique, we evaluate the impact of coffee cooperatives on the performance of their member households in terms of income and coffee production. We use data from coffee farmers in south-west Ethiopia. The overall results suggest that members of cooperatives are not faring much better than non-members. The treatment effects we measured were not statistically significant from zero. Yet, the aggregate figures mask differences between cooperatives and amongst individual cooperative members. Average treatment effects on members differ between cooperatives, in general older members, those who have benefitted from more education and those with larger coffee plantations seem to benefit more from membership. Our analysis sheds light on the heterogeneity in the impact that membership of a cooperative can have: this differs by cooperative and by members within cooperatives, a finding that has important policy implications

Influence of interlocked transactions on gum arabic production and marketing in Senegal

Interlocked relationships are characterised by traders’ supply of inputs and cash to producers on credit, to be reimbursed at sale time based on a pre-defined price which is often lower than the prevailing market price. The study analyses determinants of choice of interlocking in the gum sector in Senegal and the effect of interlocking on market participation and gum production. Data from 422 gum producers in Northern and Eastern regions of Senegal are used. About 41% of respondents are involved into interlocking with village shop-owners or mobile traders. Interlocking positively influences market participation and production as found through a Heckman selection model.Marketing,