Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe least developed agrarian countries often face an ironic situation where well‐intentioned foreign aid adversely influences their economies. This study explores the unintended consequences of official development assistance (ODA) from donor countries on agricultural exports from recipient countries by appreciating their domestic exchange rates. Motivated by the fact that ODA accounts for a larger share of their total GDP, we first examine whether ODA inflows increase the real effective exchange rate of the recipient country. Leveraging data from 47 countries over the period 2001–2018, we find that ODA inflows lead to real exchange rate appreciation, particularly in recipient countries with floating exchange rate regimes that are more susceptible to exchange rate fluctuations. Moreover, our results reveal that ODA inflows decrease agricultural exports in low‐income agrarian economies adopting floating exchange rate regimes. By taking a unique perspective of ODA as an inflow of foreign capital, this study highlights the importance of understanding the exchange rate regime and agricultural trade of the agrarian economy when providing international aid.

AbstractContract farming, wherein a processor contracts out the production of an agricultural commodity to a grower, is the first step toward more vertically coordinated—and thus more modern—agricultural value chains. As such, in principle contract farming is a necessary condition for the structural transformation of developing economies to occur. Yet contract farming is far from monolithic, and the institution takes on a variety of forms. In this article, we describe how the institution of contract farming varies in cross‐sectional data covering 1,200 households across six regions of Madagascar, half of which are growers in contract farming agreements covering a dozen different crops. In this setting, participation in contract farming has been associated with increases in income, improvements in food security, and reductions in income variability. Given those presumed effects in this setting of participation in contract farming, we then look at the correlates in our data of participation in contract farming. as well as one's willingness to pay to participate in contract farming as a grower in an attempt to better target policies aimed at encouraging participation in contract farming.

Nudging to Health: Promoting Health Nudges at Your Food
Pantry is a multi-pronged initiative designed for food pantry staff, directors, and
volunteers committed to offering healthier choices to their clients. Participants
receive the education, tools, resources, and technical assistance to make changes that
will encourage healthful food selection among clients.