THE VALUE OF QUALITY CERTIFICATION FOR INFANT FOODS: RESULTS FROM A MARKET EXPERIMENT IN MALI

This paper uses an experimental-economics technique to measure the potential impact of introducing quality certification to the market for infant foods in Mali, where malnutrition is widespread. We find that certification could substantially lower food costs, generating net economic benefits on the order of US$20 per infant, per year.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Metafrontier Analysis of Technology Gap and Productivity Difference in African Agriculture

Agricultural productivity in Africa from 1971 to 2000 is examined using the recently developed metafrontier function technique, for the purpose of studying differences in efficiency and technology gap across different regions of the continent. The results support the view that technology gap plays an important part in explaining the ability of agricultural sectors in one region to compete with agricultural sectors in different regions in Africa. The study has also evidenced that average technical efficiency score of the agricultural sector has been almost stable over time, while a marginal decrease of the productivity potential over the 30 years period was observed.Agricultural productivity; Data Envelopment Analysis; Metafrontier function; Efficiency; Technology gap; Africa

Les perspectives de l’ITT : positionner les think tanks pour qu’ils puissent influencer les débats politiques

English version available in IDRC Digital LibraryBill and Melinda Gates FoundationUK Department for International Development (DFID)William and Flora Hewlett FoundationNorwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD

Metafrontier Analysis of Technology Gap and Productivity Difference in African Agriculture

Agricultural productivity in Africa from 1971 to 2000 is examined using the recently developed metafrontier function technique, for the purpose of studying differences in efficiency and technology gap across different regions of the continent. The results support the view that technology gap plays an important part in explaining the ability of agricultural sectors in one region to compete with agricultural sectors in different regions in Africa. The study has also evidenced that average technical efficiency score of the agricultural sector has been almost stable over time, while a marginal decrease of the productivity potential over the 30 years period was observed

Determinants of adoption and intensity of use of balanced nutrient management systems technologies in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

As part of a major effort to address soil fertility decline in West Africa, a project on Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) has since 2000 been implemented in the northern Guinea savanna (NGS) of Nigeria. The project has tested and promoted two major technology packages, including a combined application of inorganic fertilizer and manure (BNMS-manure) and a soybean/maize rotation practice referred to as BNMS-rotation. This study employed Tobit model to examine factors that influence the adoption and intensity of utilization of BNMS technologies in the NGS of Nigeria. Results showed that less than 10% of the sample households adopted at least one of the two components of the technology package by the end of 2002. However, by 2005 the adoption of BNMS-rotation had reached 40% while that of BNMS-manure had reached 48%. A number of factors such as access to credit, farmers’ perception of the state of land degradation, and assets ownership were found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-manure while off-farm income was found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-rotation. Extension services and farmer-to-farmer technology diffusion channels were the major means of transfer of BNMS technologies.Adoption, BNMS-manure, BNMS-rotation, Northern Guinea Savanna (NGS)., Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Quality certification for locally produced complementary foods in Mali

This dissertation evaluates the impact of quality certification on the demand for locally-produced infant foods. To avoid stunting or wasting, most children aged 6–24 months need to complement breastmilk with processed foods having higher energy density than adult foods. Donors have subsidized the production and distribution of such complementary foods in Mali and elsewhere, but on the open market these products fail to attract consumers. Almost all complementary foods are either produced at home, or sold under heavily-advertised brand names. The dissertation posits that consumers may avoid “generic” complementary foods because they cannot observe their content, and tests the hypothesis that independent quality certification can partially substitute for brand advertising at much lower cost. To test whether certification would be cost-effective, we introduce an innovative experimental-market survey to elicit consumers\u27 willingness to pay for quality certified products. Consumers\u27 mean willingness-to-pay for certification was 455 FCFA (approximately US$0.70) per package of 400 g. of certified local product. The marginal cost of certification is estimated to be between 77 and 125 FCFA per package. The estimated total economic surplus gain from introducing certification could range between US$0.95 to US$2.5 million per year. Statistical analysis provides evidence that willingness to pay for quality assurance exceeds the estimated cost of certification for almost all households, and rises with consumers\u27 education and income level. The data and results presented here suggest that there would be very large gains from introducing quality certification to the market for complementary foods. A legal and institutional analysis suggests how a self-financing quality certification system would work in Mali. Further research towards implementation is needed, so that private-sector provision of low-cost complementary foods can emerge and supplement other elements of national child-nutrition and anti-poverty policies such as maternal education, and the provision of primary health care

Welfare Gains from Quality Certification of Infant Foods: Results from a Market Experiment in Mali

In low-income countries, malnutrition is often most sever among infants of six to twenty-four months. They need higher-density foods than the family diet, but density is a credence attribute. We hypothesize that the premium now paid for heavily advertised brands reflects demand for quality assurance, which could be provided at lower cost to competing firms through third-party certification. We use a new market experiment to find that mothers' average willingness-to-pay for certification is about $1.75/kg, for four times its cost, so that total economic-surplus gains from introducing certification to Mali would be on the order of$1 million annually.asymmetric information, child nutrition, complementary foods

THE VALUE OF QUALITY CERTIFICATION FOR INFANT FOODS: RESULTS FROM A MARKET EXPERIMENT IN MALI

This paper uses an experimental-economics technique to measure the potential impact of introducing quality certification to the market for infant foods in Mali, where malnutrition is widespread. We find that certification could substantially lower food costs, generating net economic benefits on the order of US$20 per infant, per year