From the ground up: Impacts of a pro-poor community-driven development project in Nigeria

Agricultural development projects, Economic development, Poverty,

From the ground up: Impacts of a pro-poor community-driven development project in Nigeria

"The community-driven development (CDD) approach has become increasingly popular because of its potential to develop projects that are sustainable, are responsive to local priorities, empower local communities, and more effectively target poor and vulnerable groups. The purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of Fadama II, which is a CDD project and the largest agricultural project in Nigeria. This study used propensity score matching (PSM) to select 1728 comparable project beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The study also used double difference methods to compare the impact indicators. Our results show that Fadama II project succeeded in targeting the poor and women farmers in its productive asset acquisition component. Participation in the project also increased the income of beneficiaries by about 60 percent, which is well above the targeted increase of only 20 percent in the six year period of the project. Regarding rural infrastructure investments, we found that the Fadama II project had positive near-term impacts on beneficiaries' access to markets and transportation costs, although the study revealed surprising effects on beneficiaries' commercial behavior and statistically insignificant impacts on nonfarm activities. We also observed that Fadama II increased the demand for postharvest handling technologies but did not have a significant impact on the demand for financial management and market information. Fadama II reduced the demand for soil fertility management technologies. The decline likely reflects the project's focus on providing postproduction advisory services and suggests the need for the project to increase its support for soil fertility management and thus limit the potential for land degradation resulting from increased agricultural productivity. Overall, the Fadama II project has achieved its goal of increasing the incomes of the beneficiaries in the first year of its operation. The project has also succeeded in targeting the poor and vulnerable in its productive-asset component, even though that did not appear to increase significantly short-term household incomes among the poorest asset tercile. The unique feature that could have contributed to the significant impact of the project in a short time is its broad-based approach, which addresses the major constraints limiting the success of CDD projects that address only one or two constraints. This has implications on planning poverty reduction efforts in low-income countries. Given that the poor face numerous constraints, a CDD project that simultaneously addresses many constraints will likely build synergies that will lead to larger impacts than will a project that addresses only one or two constraints. This suggests the need for the government and donors to pool resources and initiate multipronged CDD projects rather than many isolated projects." from Author's AbstractCommunity driven development, Poverty reduction, Propensity score matching, Difference-in-difference, Fadama,

Rational price expectations and structural change in the US broiler industry

The study broadly investigates the econometric implications of the rational price expectations hypothesis with three alternative formulations of the U.S. broiler market model, each of which was already biologically restricted in terms of the structural equations describing broiler supply. Each of the three alternative structural models reflects a different assumption about the nature of vertical integration in the broiler industry;Each model was estimated in its restricted and unrestricted form. Resulting estimates of regression coefficients were, in most cases, consistent with economic theory predictions and statistically significant. The elasticities of response of the various broiler production activities with respect to broiler feed cost and expected broiler price variables decline in value as the broiler slaughter period approaches. In a dynamic sense, this is interpreted to mean that the closer firms are to the broiler marketing period, the less time is available for adjusting to changes in the variables affecting their decisions;Reduced forms of the broiler supply equations in the alternative structural models were also evaluated using non-nested test procedures. Finally, the broiler sector was evaluated for structural change using time-varying parameter regressions. On the basis of the results obtained from the tests of rationality restrictions, non-nested evaluations of the models and the trend behavior of the simulated time-varying weights, the following conclusions were drawn. First, there are no strong indications that firms in the U.S. broiler industry overwhelmingly fully integrate all the broiler production activities. What appears to happen is that firms vertically integrate varying numbers of the broiler production activities in the industry. Second, provided that the information requirements are met, rational expectations hypothesis offers a promising approach to the modeling of agricultural commodity systems even when the relevant planning (expectations) horizons are longer than the current period.</p

A review

This paper reviews the constraints hindering growth of agricultural productivity in Nigeria by providing an overview of the policy environment that affects agricultural productivity, establishing how the policy environment affects productivity improvement, and proposing lessons relevant for future research and policymaking to promote productivity growth in NigeriaNon-PRIFPRI1; GRP32; NSSPDSG

Constraints to increasing agricultural productivity in Nigeria

Agriculture is the principal source of food and livelihood in Nigeria, and employs nearly three-quarters of the nation's work force. Over the past two decades, agricultural yields have stayed the same or declined. Although there has been a recent rise in agricultural productivity, it is derived more from expanded planting areas for staple crops than from yield increases. Increasing and sustaining agricultural productivity should be a critical component of programs that seek to reduce poverty and attain food security in Nigeria. This brief presents sector-wide and commodity-specific constraints to increasing agricultural productivity in Nigeria.--Authors' AbstractNon-PRIFPRI1; NSSPEPTD; DSG

Insect-resistant cowpea in Nigeria: An ex ante economic assessment of a crop improvement initiative

Since oil prices’ decline in 2014, agriculture has received renewed interest in Nigeria as a key sector for achieving sustainable growth and generating foreign exchange. One of the identified obstacles to achieving these goals is the need to improve agricultural productivity. Cowpea is one of the priority crops identified for productivity improvement. Currently cowpea yields are below 900 kg/ha, but it has been shown that with the right technology, these yields could potentially double. One of the main biotic constraints for cowpea is the infestation of the insect pod borer (Maruca Vitrata). No conventional variety has been developed to resist this pest, but with the use of biotechnology and the sustained collaboration of national and international partners over many years, there is now a genetically modified pod-borer-resistant (or more generally insect-resistant) cowpea. This paper estimates the potential economic benefits of adopting this new technology and the cost that Nigeria will incur if this adoption is delayed. The analysis is conducted using an economic surplus partial equilibrium model run with the newly developed DREAMpy software, data drawn from the Nigeria General Household Survey 2015–2016, estimations using these data, and other local sources. The estimations show that if the insect-resistant cowpea is planted in 2020, the net present-value benefits for producers and consumers would be around US$350 million, 70 percent of which would be accrued by producers. The distribution of benefits by region show that Sudan-Sahel will accrue the most benefits, given the relative concentration of cowpea in this region and the estimated higher adoption rates and yield changes. Almost half of producers’ total benefit will go to large producers, who represent only 20 percent of all cowpea producers, while small producers, representing half of all cowpea producers, will receive 24 percent of the benefit. Additionally, the analysis shows that a five-year regulatory delay will decrease the estimated benefits by around 35 percent. While Nigeria already has in place a competent biosafety system that will most likely ensure that these regulatory delays will not materialize, these estimations highlight the importance of having an evidence-based, efficient, predictable, and transparent regulatory system to ensure that the expected economic benefits are realized.Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP2; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; PBS; DCAEPTD; PIMCGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM

IMPACTS OF COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ON INCOME AND ASSET ACQUISITION IN AFRICA: THE CASE OF NIGERIA

This study evaluates the impacts of a community-driven development (CDD) project on household income and acquisition of productive assets in Nigeria. Using panel data and difference-in-differences and propensity score matching approaches, the study finds that the project succeeded in targeting the poor and women farmers in its productive asset acquisition component. Participation in the project also increased the income of beneficiaries by about 60%, which is well above the targeted increase of only 20% in the 6-year period of the project. However, sustainability of this dramatic achievement is uncertain since the project did not involve rural credit services. The large cash transfer through its productive asset acquisition component is also unsustainable

Analyzing Drivers of Food Crop Productivity in Nigeria

Enhanced agricultural productivity is the key issue being presently discussed by agricultural stakeholders as being imperative to the attainment of food security, reducing the present high rate of unemployment and the diversification of Nigeria’s economy from being oil dependent. This study therefore attempts to isolate factors that drive agricultural crop productivity in Nigeria. The study made use of panel data from 36 states and Federal Capital territory between 1995 and 2006. Livestock, Fisheries and forestry data were not readily available and therefore not analyzed in this report. The econometric model used in this paper is a panel data model that takes into consideration OLS random and fixed effects as well as GLS with fixed state effect models. The results indicate that increase in agricultural crop production in Nigeria is based on land expansion. The share of the female labour is positively associated with productivity suggesting higher productivity of the female labour. The results confirm the important role that female farmers play in food production and ensuring food security. Fertilizer use was positively associated with productivity but the association was not significant. The non-significant impact of fertilizer on crop productivity might be due to inadequate use of fertilizer, while the positive association is an indication that it is a yield enhancing technology.The results of the models with year dummies show that crop area has a slightly negative and significant association with value of production. The finding of this paper makes it imperative to suggest the need for adoption of technologies that will bring about productivity gains in crop production through less of land expansion practices. It is also recommended that farmers’ capacity in terms of right quantity use of fertilizer should be enhanced, while female farmers’ participation in crop production should be encouraged