Suchergebnisse

The attitudes of farmers towards risks influence their decision to invest into farming. Understanding the factors that influence these attitudes is important for crop development. This paper uses a combination of Ridge and Tobit regression analyses to determine the factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Preliminary categorization of a cross-sectional sample of 348 farmers show that 8.91% are risk preferers, 48.56% are risk averters while the remaining 42.53% are risk neutral farmers. Risk aversion among the sampled farming households was found to be influenced by socioeconomic factors (e.g. age of household head, household size) and farm specific variables (e.g. proportion of income from maize, non-farm income). Probability and elasticity estimates from further Tobit analysis revealed that an improvement on the variables considered can actually reduce high risk aversion. The key socioeconomic and farm specific variables that have direct bearing on the farmers' risk attitudes, as revealed in this study, indicate the important and crucial role that extension could play in sensitizing both the research, donor agencies, government and the famers on the need to target particular areas of the farm families' needs. Since the major issues raised here impinge on the farmers' financial status, enterprise diversification which can guarantee the security of the farmers' immediate financial future is a key element in planning at regular farming seasons and intervals. This will in effect, result in increased maize productivity. The findings in this study have policy implications for crop development programmes. ; Peer Review

Open Access Journal ; Résumé Facteurs socio-économiques et accès au crédit des petits producteurs de manioc dans le sud-ouest du Nigeria L'accès au crédit est un facteur important pour l'augmentation de la productivité agricole. Le modèle " Tobit" a été utilisé pour évaluer les facteurs qui influencent l'intensité de l'accès au crédit des petits producteurs de manioc du sud-Ouest du Nigeria. Les données primaires utilisées ont été collectées, auprès de 856 ménages, lors d'une enquête conduite par l'International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) en 2011. Les résultats du modèle empirique Tobit indiquent que seules sept des 11 variables sont statistiquement liées à l'intensité de l'accès au crédit. Cependant, seules les variables cheptel, production totale de manioc, valeur monétaire des actifs productifs du ménage et taille du ménage ont une influence positive et statistiquement différente de zéro sur l'intensité de l'accès au crédit. L'augmentation de ces variables permettrait d'augmenter le montant du crédit auquel un agriculteur pourrait avoir accès. Les politiques qui mèneront à l'amélioration de la diversification par l'élevage, l'augmentation de la production de manioc et l'accumulation d'actifs des agriculteurs sont recommandées pour cette région. Abstract Access to credit is an important factor in the attainment of agricultural productivity increase. We adopted a Tobit model to assess the factors that influence the intensity of rural smallholder cassava farmers' access to credit in Southwest Nigeria, using primary data collected from 856 rural households by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in 2011. The results of the empirical Tobit model indicate that seven out of the 11 variables included in the model are statistically related to the intensity of access to credit. However, only total livestock unit, cassava output, monetary value of the households' productive assets and household size are positively and statistically significant. This implies that increase in output, diversification of households' income sources into livestock production and accumulation of assets are important variables that have the potential to enhance farmers' access to larger amounts of credit. Therefore, policies that will lead to improve farmers' outputs and/or increase diversification and assets accumulation are recommended for this region. ; Peer Review

In Africa, there have been successes in cassava research in terms of the development of production technologies, particularly improved varieties with high yield potential. The study addresses the question of whether and to what extent adoption of improved cassava varieties has led to rural poverty reduction in four African countries, namely Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Data for the study come from a household survey conducted in the above-mentioned countries through a multinational-CGIAR support to agricultural research for development of strategic crops (SARD-SC) project in Africa. Given the observational nature of the data, a parametric approach (endogenous switching regression model) is applied. The results indicate that the model detects selectivity bias. Accounting for the bias, we fi nd that adoption of cassava technology has resulted in an approximately 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate. Given an adoption rate of 34 per cent and a 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate, an estimated 24,309 households (equivalent to 194,469 individuals) have managed to move out of poverty in these four countries as a result of adoption of the technology. We also fi nd that adoption of the technology has benefi tted non-poor and female-headed households, relative to poor and male-headed households. The results present important evidence in favour of promoting cassava technology in a targeted fashion as part of an effective poverty reduction and sustained agricultural growth strategy in Africa. Considering the large realised and even more pronounced potential impacts of the adoption of cassava technology on poverty reduction, it is vital that regional and global development organisations should continue supporting the existing cassava improvement programme to sustain the technology development efforts in the continent.

Cassava is a major staple that supplies more than 50% of daily energy to more than 200 million persons in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Cassava roots are known to be low in micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Micronutrient deficiencies threaten the lives of millions of poor households and those located in remote rural areas of SSA often not targeted by fortification programmes. This paper presents results from an ex-ante evaluation of nutrition and health benefits of increased vitamin A status of cassava roots through biofortification for at-risk-target-groups using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) approach. Results showed that Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) causes an annual loss of about 553,000 years of healthy life in Nigeria with children constituting more than forty percent. Biofortified cassava would reduce VAD by 4.42%, 11.73%, and 3.14% for children, pregnant women, and lactating women respectively in the pessimistic scenario. Results for the optimistic scenario are 28.79%, 76.39, and 20.45% respectively. The biofortification of cassava roots would result in annual gains of about 33,000 years of healthylife and avert 166 child deaths per year for the pessimistic scenario and about 220,000 years life and 1272 child deaths per year for the optimistic scenario. In economic terms, such a programme would bring gains amounting to about $10 million per year, which Biofortification, DALYs, Economics, Health, corresponds to an internal rate of return (IRR) as high as 92.4% in the pessimistic scenario. Results in the optimistic scenario are about $63 million per year and an IRR of 165.3%. A research and development effort aimed at the biofortification of cassava roots is a powerful strategy in the fight against hidden hunger from micronutrient deficiencies, which African governments at the national and local levels, and international investors should support to improve the standard of living of the people in SSA. ; Peer Review

Nigeria has substantial economic potential in its agricultural sector. However, despite the importance of agriculture in terms of employment creation, its potential for contributing to economic growth is far from being fully exploited. The sector's importance fluctuates with any rise and fall in oil revenue and has remained stagnant over the past ten years. The contribution of the manufacturing sector to the GDP declined over the same period. Inappropriate macroeconomic and sector policies perpetuated by the 15 years of military rule and mismanagement have had a negative impact, not only on agriculture but also on the entire economy. Presently, Nigeria grows more cassava than any other country in the world. Production has been driven primarily by the demand for food for its nearly 130 million inhabitants while very little is used for feed and industry. Estimates indicate that 52% of cassava output is wasted due to inefficiencies in production and processing, 43% is consumed as food while five percent is used as livestock feed. The question remains whether the country could reduce the amount wasted by diversifying utilisation to bring down levels of unemployment and rural poverty and enhance economic growth. Using data from primary and secondary sources, the paper assesses the challenges and opportunities in the development of the cassava sub-sector in Nigeria. At the moment, the country does not seem to have a comparative advantage in cassava exports due to inefficiencies in domestic production. There is a need to encourage product diversification to take advantage of the huge domestic and regional markets. The paper recommends a market-led strategy with an emphasis on agroindustrial development and the mobilization of resources through partnerships to improve domestic efficiency and subsequently tap into regional markets in West and Central Africa. ; Peer Review

This paper evaluates the impact of a cassava research-for-development program on farm level outcomes.The program was implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2001 to 2009. We apply pro-pensity score matching, Rosenbaum bounds on treatment effects, Altonji et al. method of selection onobservables and unobservables and endogenous switching regression to farm survey data collected dur-ing the 2009 cropping season. We use these methods to test whether the R4D program has a statisticallysignificant effect on outcomes of interest and if these are not driven by selection on unobservables. Usingpropensity score matching, we find statistically significant positive effects on household participation incassava markets, adoption of improved varieties and crop management practices and household foodadequacy; and no statistically significant effects on yields and profits. The results show that bias dueto selection on unobservables is not severe enough to invalidate the impact estimates. Bias may stillbe a problem that is present in the analysis. But there is evidence that it is not substantial. Althoughthe program does not have a statistically significant positive effect on yields and profits, the significantprogram effects on market participation, variety adoption, and food adequacy merit further promotionof the program since these positive outcomes tend to be pre-conditions for realizing long-term yieldand profit benefits. ; Peer Review