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Browsing by Author "Bertelsen, Michael K."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Agricultural research in Senegal: Economic surplus evaluation of the adoption of variety La Fleur 11 by peanut farmers
    Soufi, Widad (Virginia Tech, 2001-06-04)
    Peanut production has been decreasing in Senegal over the past decades for historical, political, economic and environmental reasons. One of the solutions proposed by recent Senegalese administrations is to increase production through agricultural research and the development of peanut varieties that are adapted to the environmental constraints in Senegal. The last variety developed is La Fleur 11, which is very drought tolerant. The purpose of the study is to assess the economic impact of research on La Fleur 11 on the Senegalese economy through an ex-ante evaluation of the net social benefits from the adoption of this new variety. In order to fulfill this objective, an economic surplus analysis is conducted within the framework of a partial equilibrium model. Results indicate that the net social benefits from the adoption of La Fleur 11 are positive. Assuming that all peanut supply is sold to SONACOS at a producer base price and that research evaluation is conducted at the farm-level, Consumers (SONACOS) are the main beneficiaries from research. Their benefits are on average 6 times producers' (farmers). The research-induced increase in the government cost of the subsidy represents 84 percent on average of consumers' and producers' benefits; the research-induced increase in net social welfare represents 16 percent on average of consumers' and producers' benefits. The internal rate of return averages around 43 percent. When peanut markets are disaggregated, research benefits consumers (SONACOS) 3 times more than producers (farmers) at the farm level. Most of producers' benefits come from farm household consumption (47 percent of total farm-level benefits) and most of consumers' benefits come from the official seed market. At the SONACOS-level where peanut oil and cakes are exported, research benefits producers (SONACOS) only; consumers (rest of the world) do not benefit from research at this level. The IRR is more likely to be about 42 percent. This study suggests that future investments in agricultural research in Senegal can result in a positive economic impact provided that other actions are undertaken regarding extension, credit, and input distribution in order to enhance adoption and take advantage of the yield potential of the new peanut varieties. Also, this study provides a procedure of research evaluation for future use in Senegal and West Africa.
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    Assessing Factors Affecting Adoption of Agricultural Technologies: The Case of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Kumi District, Eastern Uganda
    Bonabana-Wabbi, Jackline (Virginia Tech, 2002-11-18)
    Improper pesticide use on crops causes adverse effects on humans, livestock, crops and the environment. Integrated pest management practices emphasize minimal use of pesticides in controlling pests, and their adoption by farmers can reduce the use of pesticides and their adverse impacts. The introduction of IPM CRSP activities in Uganda to institutionalize IPM methods focused on priority crops in the country. This study analyzed adoption of eight IPM technologies on cowpea, sorghum and groundnuts. Low levels of adoption (<25%) were found with five of these technologies while three technologies had high adoption levels (>75%). Results indicate that farmers' participation in on-farm trial demonstrations, accessing agricultural knowledge through researchers, and prior participation in pest training were associated with increased adoption of most IPM practices. Size of farmer's land holdings did not affect IPM adoption suggesting that IPM technologies are mostly scale neutral, implying that IPM dissemination may take place regardless of farmer's scale of operation. Farmers' perception of harmful effects of chemicals did not influence farmers' decisions in regard to IPM technology adoption despite their high knowledge of this issue, suggesting that these farmers did not consider environmental and health impacts important factors when choosing farming practices. Farmers' managerial capabilities were not important in explaining cowpea IPM technology adoption.
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    Farm-Household Analysis of Policies Affecting Groundnut Production in Senegal
    Akobundu, Eberechukwu Jr. (Virginia Tech, 1997-08-29)
    Since Senegal's independence in 1960, groundnuts (peanuts) have been the dominant agricultural export crop. Currently, groundnut output levels are on the decline and no clear reason for the downward trend has been found. Privatization efforts are underway as the government explores ways to breathe some life into the ailing sector, particularly as it relates to groundnut production. The 50 percent currency devaluation of 1994 constituted a major exogenous shock to the sector. Much research has been done about the macro-level impact of the changes that are taking place. However, little work has been done recently (i.e. since the devaluation) at the micro-level. This work addressed this lack by studying the micro-level dynamics of groundnut production. Elasticities were generated and used in the analysis of policy impacts on production. The own-price elasticity of supply groundnut indicated that supply response should be positive following an increase in producer price. The increase in producer prices following the devaluation did not occasion the expected supply response. Possible reasons for this failure were explored. It is hoped that the information revealed will complement the store of information on production in the Groundnut Basin that is already available. Thus, the present work will prove useful to public and private researchers and policy makers seeking to increase their understanding of the sector.
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    The Groundnut Market in Senegal: Examination of Price and Policy Changes
    Gray, James Katon (Virginia Tech, 2002-06-10)
    The Government of Senegal is attempting to liberalize the groundnut market. In the past, this market was highly regulated with government-set producer prices, groundnut oil processing mills owned by parastatals, and requirements that all groundnuts be sold to these quasi-governmental organizations. In recent years, these rules are being relaxed, and farmers are allowed to sell groundnuts on the open market. However, farmers continue to sell most of their groundnuts, as before, to the mills. This study attempts to shed light on the effects of this market liberalization. First, an attempt is made to provide estimates of the farmers' short-run output supply and input demand responses to price changes. A quadratic profit function model is estimated using data collected for the current study and a similar dataset collected by Akobundu [1997]. Second, a quadratic programming model is used to examine the effects of eliminating pan-territorial prices. Results indicate that the elimination of the pan-territorial price system will have an overall benefit to Senegalese society. However, as expected, groundnut producers in areas remote from the groundnut oil processing mills would face lower prices. The effects on producers and consumers in the major producing regions, however, were found to be minimal. Finally, the dissertation provides an extensive description of the economic activities of small-scale farm households in Senegal's Groundnut Basin. Differences between males and females and between household heads and other males in the household are also examined. Although females are not as involved in groundnut production, they do not seem to face discrimination in either the official or the open market. The description of the situation facing small-scale farmers provided in this dissertation is not encouraging. The quantity and timing of the rains in the Groundnut Basin add an unwelcome uncertainty to farming. Increases in population are adding pressure to the environment and are placing heavy demands on wood and grazing lands. Only eight percent of the farmers had groundnut seed multiplication ratios less than one, and sixty-seven percent had ratios less than five. The dissertation also indicates that farmers are not producing enough to feed their families. Fewer than twelve percent of the households produce a caloric surplus. Sixty percent produced less than fifty percent of their caloric needs. The study indicates that farmers are not earning enough from agricultural production to take care of normal expenses throughout the year. Thus, when combined with uncertain rains and a worsening environment, the farmers have little margin of safety. Therefore, any government policies affecting groundnut production in particular or agricultural production in general should take into account the situation already facing the farmers.
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    Health and Environmental Benefits of Reduced Pesticide Use in Uganda: An Experimental Economics Analysis
    Bonabana-Wabbi, Jackline (Virginia Tech, 2007-12-20)
    Two experimental procedures are employed to value both health and environmental benefits from reducing pesticides in Uganda. The first experiment, an incentive compatible auction involves subjects with incomplete information placing bids to avoid consuming potentially contaminated groundnuts/water in a framed field experimental procedure. Three experimental treatments (information, proxy good, and group treatments) are used. Subjects are endowed with a monetary amount (starting capital) equivalent to half the country's per capita daily income (in small denominations). Two hundred and fifty seven respondents were involved in a total of 35 experimental sessions in Kampala and Iganga districts. Tobit model results indicate that subjects place significant positive values to avoid ill health outcomes, although these values vary by region, by treatment and by socio-economic characteristics. Gender differences were important in explaining bidding behavior, with male respondents in both study areas bidding higher to avoid ill health outcomes than females. Consistent with a priori expectation, rural population's average willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid ill health outcomes was lower (by 11.4 percent) than the urban population's WTP possibly reflecting the poverty level in the rural areas and how it translates into reduced regard for health and environmental improvements. Tests of hypotheses suggest (i) providing brief information to subjects just prior to the valuation exercise does not influence bid behavior, (ii) subjects are indifferent to the source of contamination: WTP to avoid health outcomes from potentially contaminated water and groundnuts are not significantly different, and (iii) the classical tendency to free-ride in public goods provision was observed, and this phenomenon was more pronounced in the urban than the rural area. The second experimental procedure involved 132 urban respondents making repeated choices from a set of scenarios described by attributes of water quality, an environmental good. Water quality is represented by profiles of water safety levels at varying costs. Analysis using the conditional (fixed effects) logit showed that urban subjects highly discount unsafe drinking water, and were willing to pay less for safe agricultural water, a result not unexpected considering that the urban population is not directly involved in agricultural activities and thus does not value agricultural water quality as much as drinking water quality. Results also showed that subjects' utility increased with the cost of a water sample (inconsistent with a downward sloping demand curve), suggesting perhaps that they perceived higher costs to be associated with higher water quality. Some theoretically inconsistent results were obtained with choice experiments.
  • The Sciences and Art of Adaptive Management: Innovating for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management
    Moore, K. M. (ed.) (Ankeny, IA: Soil and Water Conservation Society, 2009)
    In this book, various authors describe their expertise and each explains a different aspect of adaptive management. This collective work offers a detailed breakdown of the nested landscape system, related case studies, and successful solutions for land management practices.
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    Supply response and the land conversion process in the rural-urban fringe
    Bertelsen, Michael K. (Virginia Tech, 1978-07-05)
    The objective of this research was to investigate the nature of landowner supply-response behavior as it related to the land conversion process in the rural-urban fringe. Emphasis was placed on the derivation of the farmer's dynamic supply-response curve of agricultural land for urban uses since the nature of this curve has important implications for land-use policy alternatives in fringe areas. It was argued that the aggregate land market approach to land use policy analysis in the rural-urban fringe is generally inappropriate for practical and theoretical reasons. Consequently, a disaggregated micro model based on the proprietary land unit was developed to explain the land conversion process. The theoretical model is composed of three cost and two demand components. The interaction of these components results in a dynamic supply-response curve of agricultural land for urban uses which is discontinuous over a wide range for many classes of landowners. The theoretical model was tested through discriminant analyses of data collected from a study area where there exists heavy urban demand for agricultural land. The data included information on landowners over time, physical characteristics of the tracts of land, transfer information and· various demand variables. Results of the empirical analyses provided support for the hypotheses incorporated into the theoretical model. Specifically, empirical evidence was found to support the hypotheses that (1) individual farmers' supply response curves are discontinuous over a wide range, (2) farmers' fixed capital investment is a primary cause of the discontinuity, (3) farmers with less fixed capital investment will generally have more elastic supply-response curves which are discontinous over a smaller range, and (4) speculators' supply-response curves will generally be highly elastic and continuous. Various implications of the theoretical model for land-use policy analysis and land-use patterns in the rural-urban fringe are discussed. Particular attention was given to an analysis of Virginia's use-value assessment program based on the theoretical model. It was found that such a program will not "save" agriculture in fringe areas but will raise land price and subsidize speculative activities. Such a program might be more successful in achieving its stated goals if it were implemented in areas on the outlying edge of the rural-urban fringe.
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    Two Papers Evaluating the Economic Impact of Agricultural Innovation
    Nguema, Abigail M. (Virginia Tech, 2011-09-22)
    While extensive research has been carried out to examine the yield growth brought about by innovations in agricultural technology, not enough work has been done to document the economic impacts of these innovations on areas besides yields and income. This study presents two papers which contribute to our understanding of the health and environmental impacts of agricultural innovation, "Expected economic benefits of meeting nutritional needs through biofortified cassava in Nigeria and Kenya," and "Projected farm-level impacts on income of conservation agriculture in the Andean Region." The first paper is motivated by the public health consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which affect more than two billion people worldwide and can lead to increased incidence of illness, disability, and mortality. Through the use of the disability adjusted life years concept (DALYs), economic surplus analysis, and benefit-cost analysis, the authors determine the economic impact of a staple crop biofortification project. The study finds that biofortified cassava in Nigeria and Kenya is a cost effective means of reducing health problems associated with vitamin A and iron deficiency. The second paper considers the significant livelihood challenges faced by rural communities in the Andes, including poverty, food insecurity, and natural resource constraints. Through the development and implementation of a linear programming model, the study analyzes the economic impact of a conservation agriculture project in central Ecuador, and finds that certain experimental cropping activities designed to decrease soil degradation may contribute to increased incomes for farm households.