Farm households' preference for cash-based compensation versus livelihood-enhancing programs: A choice experiment to inform avian flu compensation policy in Nigeria

In this paper we attempt to bridge the resilience school of thought and incentive compatibility in livestock disease control policies through a pilot choice experiment study conducted on 104 farm households in the Nasarawa state of Nigeria. The aim of this study was to shed light on farm households' valuation of various compensation plan attributes and trade-offs among these attributes. In the experiment presented here, compensation plan was defined broadly to include not just the traditional attributes, such as the number of days it takes to receive the payment, the compensation rate, and the method of payment, but also more diverse interventions, such as training in biosecurity measures and access to bank loans, which are expected to have longer-term impacts on households' livelihood outcomes. We analyzed the data using various discrete choice models, the best-fitting of which was the random parameter (or mixed) logit model with interactions, which enabled us to capture both unobserved and observed heterogeneity in farm households' preferences for the compensation plan attributes. The results reveal that overall, study households preferred compensation plans that made payment in fewer days, provided facilitated credit access, and offered biosecurity training. Households with better-educated heads and those with lower income levels valued compensation plans that provided credit access and biosecurity training the most. These findings are expected to inform the design of efficient, effective, equitable, and targeted compensation policies, which could not only reduce the livestock disease risk but also improve the resilience of poor farm households' livelihoods against future poultry-related or other idiosyncratic shocks.avian flu, choice experiment method, compensation scheme, conditional logit model, livestock disease, random parameter logit model,

Investigating the relationship between income, health and biomass consumption: a panel data analysis

The inverted-U shaped relationship between environment and economic growth has been well established in the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) literature for several local air pollutants, such as suspended particulate matter. Very few studies, however, tested the EKC relationship for biomass consumption. About 2.5 billion people in developing nations depend on biomass fuels for household cooking and lighting. Most of these people are located in the rural areas and have lower income levels than national averages. Biomass fuels, although more easily accessible, are less efficient than other fuel types, and they cause adverse health impacts due to indoor air pollution. Within the households that use biomass fuels, women and children bear most of the health costs. This study employs panel data from 132 countries, from 1971 to 2004, in order to fulfil two aims: First, to test whether or not there is an EKC type relationship between biomass consumption and economic growth. Second, to investigate the impact of biomass consumption on household health, measured by life expectancy and infant mortality. We find a true EKC for biomass consumption with the turning – point occurring at a very low level of income per capita (US $119). After the turning point, it is hypothesised that countries switch to more efficient and less polluting fuel, and hence climb up on the ‘energy ladder’. Further panel data analysis reveals that biomass consumption (negatively) and income level (positively) affects the health status of a country. The results of the cross-sectional data analysis reveal whether or not an EKC type relationship can be found depends on the year of data and econometrics technique utilised. We find that panel data fixed effect estimation method is superior to the cross-sectional data ordinary least square method in establishing the EKC type relationship for biomass consumption. The results of the panel data analysis reported in this study reveal that developing countries cannot wait for economic growth to take place to reach the turning point as a policy solution. The problem of biomass consumption should be tackled at early stages of economic growth since the health benefits brought about by economic growth can be negated by adverse health effect of biomass use. We therefore recommend that developing countries should focus on economic policies on an energy limb to alternative sources of energy, such as solar thermal energy. Such policies would not only eliminate the negative impacts of biomass consumption on health, but also enable prevention of reliance on intermediate fuels such as fossil fuel, which have been found leading to global climate change

Investigating the relationship between income, health and biomass consumption: a panel data analysis

The inverted-U shaped relationship between environment and economic growth has been well established in the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) literature for several local air pollutants, such as suspended particulate matter. Very few studies, however, tested the EKC relationship for biomass consumption. About 2.5 billion people in developing nations depend on biomass fuels for household cooking and lighting. Most of these people are located in the rural areas and have lower income levels than national averages. Biomass fuels, although more easily accessible, are less efficient than other fuel types, and they cause adverse health impacts due to indoor air pollution. Within the households that use biomass fuels, women and children bear most of the health costs. This study employs panel data from 132 countries, from 1971 to 2004, in order to fulfil two aims: First, to test whether or not there is an EKC type relationship between biomass consumption and economic growth. Second, to investigate the impact of biomass consumption on household health, measured by life expectancy and infant mortality. We find a true EKC for biomass consumption with the turning – point occurring at a very low level of income per capita (US $119). After the turning point, it is hypothesised that countries switch to more efficient and less polluting fuel, and hence climb up on the ‘energy ladder’. Further panel data analysis reveals that biomass consumption (negatively) and income level (positively) affects the health status of a country. The results of the cross-sectional data analysis reveal whether or not an EKC type relationship can be found depends on the year of data and econometrics technique utilised. We find that panel data fixed effect estimation method is superior to the cross-sectional data ordinary least square method in establishing the EKC type relationship for biomass consumption. The results of the panel data analysis reported in this study reveal that developing countries cannot wait for economic growth to take place to reach the turning point as a policy solution. The problem of biomass consumption should be tackled at early stages of economic growth since the health benefits brought about by economic growth can be negated by adverse health effect of biomass use. We therefore recommend that developing countries should focus on economic policies on an energy limb to alternative sources of energy, such as solar thermal energy. Such policies would not only eliminate the negative impacts of biomass consumption on health, but also enable prevention of reliance on intermediate fuels such as fossil fuel, which have been found leading to global climate change

Building livelihood resilience: a case study of factors affecting farm households’ adoption of coping and adaptive strategies in rural Nigeria

Recent research on social and ecological resilience has recognised the importance of identifying opportunities in adversities, providing a wealth of theoretical knowledge; but empirical evidence remains a major gap not only for sustainability debates but also for focusing development objectives. The aim of this paper is to identify aspect of rural livelihoods that assists in sustaining households’ coping and adaptive capacities during a crisis, thus attempting to diagnose which element of a livelihood has potential for maximising livelihood resilience and minimising vulnerabilities. This paper takes an example of how a society reorganises under a process of novel change by examining households’ coping and risk management strategies in response to shock and stress created by avian influenza (H5N1) outbreaks in rural Nigeria. Using a multivariate probit model accounting for complementarities and substitution effects, the paper shows the significance of social capital, market access, communal insurance and ex ante biosecurity investment in influencing responses and in strengthening coping capacities; and argues that these elements may also have potential for maintaining livelihood resilience in the rural area

Design factors influencing willingness-to-pay estimates in the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism and the non-hypothetical choice experiment: a case of biofortified maize in Zambia

Two of the experimental methods used to estimate willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for a non‐market good, the Becker‐DeGroot‐Marschak (BDM) mechanism and the non‐hypothetical choice experiment (nHCE) often lead to significantly different WTP estimates, complicating the choice between the methods. In Zambia the same group of researchers used both techniques to evaluate WTP for orange maize, which provides more vitamin A than other varieties. This provided an opportunity to analyse the sources of the difference. In the BDM experiment, one group of respondents was provided with more training opportunities than the other, and made higher bids. Accounting for lexicographic behaviour in the nHCE reduced the estimated WTP. These two design factors together resulted in a decrease in the WTP difference for orange maize (1,279–632 ZMK) although the difference remains statistically significant. More training was also shown to eliminate the effects of different orders in which maize varieties were presented.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/147795522021-02-01hj2019Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

Assessing the adoption of high iron bean varieties and their impact on iron intakes and other livelihood outcomes in Rwanda: Listing Exercise Report

An impact assessment (IA) study was conducted in Rwanda in 2015 Season B in order to establish the adoption rates of HIB varieties among rural bean producing and to generate useful information on delivery and breeding efforts by analyzing the facilitating/hindering factors to adoption and diffusion of HIB varieties. A nationally representative listing exercise preceded the main household survey for the impact assessment. The listing exercise was conducted across 120 rural villages in 29 provinces of Rwanda and was administered to a total of 19,575 households. The aims of the listing exercise were to determine the adoption rate of High Iron Beans (HIBs) and to inform second-stage sampling for the main impact assessment survey that was to follow. This report presents results from the listing exercise

Developing country consumers’ acceptance of biofortified foods: a synthesis

The success of biofortified staple crops depends on whether they are accepted and consumed by target populations. In the past 8 years, several studies were undertaken to understand consumers’ acceptance of foods made with biofortified staple crops. Consumer acceptance is measured in terms of their sensory evaluation and economic valuation of biofortified varieties vis-à-vis conventional ones. These studies apply expert sensory panel and hedonic trait analyses methods adopted from food sciences literature, as well as various preference elicitation methods (including experimental auctions, revealed choice experiments, and stated choice experiments) adopted from experimental economics literature. These studies also test the impact of various levers on consumers’ evaluation and valuation for biofortified foods. These levers include (i) nutrition information and the media through which such information is conveyed; (ii) the length and content of nutrition information; (iii) different branding options; (iv) the nature (national or international) of the branding/certification agency that is endorsing the biofortified staple food; and (v) the nature (national or international) of the agency that is delivering the biofortified staple food. This paper brings together evidence on consumer acceptance of biofortified crops on 5 crops across 7 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The results of these studies are expected to aid in the development of biofortified crops that consumers like, as well as in the development of appropriate marketing and consumer awareness or information campaigns to encourage the switch in consumption from traditional staples to biofortified ones

Value of nutrition: A synthesis of willingness to pay studies for biofortified foods

PRIFPRI4; HarvestPlus; CRP4HarvestPlus; A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

Demand-pull creation, public officer’s endorsement, and consumer willingness-to-pay for nutritious iron beans in rural and urban Rwanda

Several studies have suggested demand-pull creation in urban areas as a strategy to drive the adoption of novel agricultural products in rural areas. However, questions remain about whether urban consumers have preferences that are similar to those of rural smallholder producers who produce what they consume. This paper compares urban and rural consumers’ preferences for novel agricultural products by using the case of biofortified iron beans in Rwanda; tests the effects of two marketing levers in field experiments using the Becker-DeGroot-Marshak mechanism; and examines the effect of a public officer’s endorsement on consumer demand for iron beans, along with, and the impact of, information length to inform the design of cost-effective marketing strategies for iron beans. The study results show that with or without information on the nutritional benefits of iron beans, rural and urban consumers have similar preferences for one of the two varieties of iron beans tested, which suggests an avenue for demand-pull creation in the urban area. However, the length of the information and a public officer’s endorsement have no significant effect on consumer demand for iron beans. This paper suggests that providing cogent information on the nutritional benefits could alone be effective in branding and marketing iron beans.Non-PRIFPRI1; HarvestPlus; CRP4HarvestPlus; A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

Will farmers intend to cultivate Provitamin A genetically modified (GM) cassava in Nigeria? Evidence from a k-means segmentation analysis of beliefs and attitudes

Analysis of market segments within a population remains critical to agricultural systems and policy processes for targeting new innovations. Patterns in attitudes and intentions toward cultivating Provitamin A GM cassava are examined through the use of a combination of behavioural theory and k-means cluster analysis method, investigating the interrelationship among various behavioural antecedents. Using a state-level sample of smallholder cassava farmers in Nigeria, this paper identifies three distinct classes of attitude and intention denoted as low opposition, medium opposition and high opposition farmers. It was estimated that only 25% of the surveyed population of farmers was highly opposed to cultivating Provitamin A GM cassava.PRIFPRI3; HarvestPlus; CRP4; ISI; B Promoting healthy food systems; Capacity StrengtheningHarvestPlus; A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH