Suchergebnisse

This paper focuses on smallholder maize production in Malawi by investigating the linkbetween productivity and soil fertility management. Many studies conducted in Malawi indicate declining levels of maize productivity thereby posing food security concerns, since maize is the staple crop for most areas of the country. This analysis focuses on the factors influencing productivity of maize among smallholder farmers, especially given the fears that unfavourable output and input market conditions throughout the 1990s may have compelled smallholder farmers into unsustainable agricultural intensification. Farm-household survey data is thus used to compare the productivity of smallholder maize production under integrated soil fertility (ISFM) and chemical-based soil fertility management. A normalized translog yield response model is estimated by imposing monotonicity and curvature correctness at the sample mean. The results indicate higher maize yield responses for integrated soil fertility management options, after controlling for the intensity of fertilizer application, labour intensity, seed rate, land husbandry practices and policy factors such as market access, extension and credit access. The estimated model is highly consistent with theoretical regularity conditions. Thus, the findings indicate that the use of ISFM increases maize productivity in comparison to the use of inorganic fertilizers. Since most farmers in the maize-based farming systems are crowded out of the agricultural input market and can hardly afford optimal quantities of inorganic fertilizer, enhancement of ISFM provides scope for enhancing maize productivity and food security especially where inorganic fertilizer is highly unaffordable and risky to use. Thus there is need for policy interventions to promote smallholder uptake of ISFM options. Finally areas of policy support in crop output and input market development, credit access and extension service provision are identified to enhance ISFM uptake in smallholder maize-based farming systems. ; Dieser Beitrag betrachtet die kleinbäuerliche Maisproduktion in Malawi indem die Beziehung zwischen Produktivität und Bodenfertilitätsmanagement untersucht wird. Viele der in Malawi durchgeführten Studien berichten von einer rückläufigen Produktivität des Maisanbaus. Da Mais die zentrale Nahrungsmittelpflanze für die meisten Regionen des Landes ist, führt dies zu Problemen im Hinblick auf die Nahrungsmittelsicherheit. Die nachfolgende Analyse fokussiert daher die Faktoren, welche die Produktivität des kleinbäuerlichen Maisanbaus beeinflussen. Dies geschieht vor dem Hintergrund der unvorteilhaften sektoralen Bedingungen im Verlauf der 90er Jahre, welche bei den Kleinbauern eine Intensivierung der Produktion veranlasst haben könnten. Haushaltsdaten werden genutzt um die Produktivität der kleinbäuerlichen Maisproduktion mit einem integrierten Bodenfertilitätsmanagement (ISFM) und diejenige auf der Basis eines chemikalischen Bodenfertilitätsmanagements zu vergleichen. Es wird ein normalisiertes translog Ertragsmodell geschätzt indem Monotonie- und funktionale Krümmungserfordernisse auferlegt werden. Unter Berücksichtigung der Düngemittel- und der Arbeitsintensität sowie der Aussaatbedingungen, der Bodenbearbeitungspraxis und institutioneller sowie politischer Faktoren zeigen die Resultate höhere Ertragsraten für die Produktion mit integriertem Bodenfertilitätsmanagement. Das Schätzmodell weist eine sehr hohe Konsistenz mit den theoretischen Regularitätsbedingungen auf. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass im Vergleich zu inorganischem Düngemitteleinsatz der Einsatz von ISFM die Produktivität der Maisproduktion erhöht. Da viele der maisproduzierenden Kleinbauern nur schwerlich Zugang zu den traditionellen Inputmärkten haben, könnte die Ausweitung des integrierten Bodenfertilitätsmanagements Raum für eine Steigerung der Produktivität des Maisanbaus und der Nahrungssicherheit geben. Dies gilt insbesondere für Gebiete, in denen inorganische Düngemittel nicht erschwinglich sind und risikoreich in der Anwendung erscheinen. Folglich besteht Bedarf für politische Interventionen, um die Akzeptanz von ISFM unter Kleinbauern zu erhöhen. Schließlich identifiziert die vorliegende Studie Ansatzpunkte für potentielle politische Maßnahmen um die Ausweitung des integrierten Bodenfertilitätsmanagements in kleinbäuerlichen maisbasierten Agrarsystemen nachhaltig zu fördern.

"This paper draws together findings from different elements of a research project examining critical components of pro-poor agricultural growth and of policies that can promote such growth in poor rural economies in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa." ; ISI; IFPRI3; GRP32; Theme 9; GRP3 ; DSGD ; PR

"This paper draws together findings from different elements of a research project examining critical components of pro-poor agricultural growth and of policies that can promote such growth in poor rural economies in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural growth, a critical driver in poverty reducing growth in many poor agrarian economies in the past, faces many difficulties in today's poor rural areas in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these difficulties are endogenous to these areas while others result from broader processes of global change. Active state interventions in 'kick starting' markets in 20th century green revolutions suggest that another major difficulty may be current policies which emphasize the benefits of liberalization and state withdrawal but fail to address critical institutional constraints to market and economic development in poor rural areas. This broad hypothesis was tested in an analysis of the returns (in agricultural growth and poverty reduction) to different government spending in India over the last forty years. The results reject the alternate hypothesis underlying much current policy, that fertilizer and credit subsidies, for example, depressed agricultural growth and poverty reduction in the early stages of agricultural transformation. The results show initially high but then declining impacts from fertilizer subsidies; high benefits from investment in roads, education and agricultural R&D during all periods and varying benefits from credit subsidies over four decades; low impacts from power subsidies; and intermediate impacts from irrigation investments. These findings demand a fundamental reassessment of policies espousing state withdrawal from markets in poor agrarian economies. Given widespread state failure in many poor agrarian economies today, particularly in Africa, new thinking is urgently needed to find alternative ways of 'kick starting' markets -- ways which reduce rent seeking opportunities, promote rather than crowd-out private sector investment, and allow the state to withdraw as economic growth proceeds. -- Authors' Abstract"-- Authors' Abstract ; IFPRI5; GRP3; Theme 9 ; DSGD ; Non-PR ; 114 p.

This paper draws together findings from different elements of a research project examining critical components of pro-poor agricultural growth and of policies that can promote such growth in poor rural economies in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural growth, a critical driver in poverty reducing growth in many poor agrarian economies in the past, faces many difficulties in today's poor rural areas in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these difficulties are endogenous to these areas while others result from broader processes of global change. Active state interventions in 'kick starting' markets in 20th century green revolutions suggest that another major difficulty may be current policies which emphasize the benefits of liberalization and state withdrawal but fail to address critical institutional constraints to market and economic development in poor rural areas. This broad hypothesis was tested in an analysis of the returns (in agricultural growth and poverty reduction) to different government spending in India over the last forty years. The results reject the alternate hypothesis underlying much current policy, that fertilizer and credit subsidies, for example, depressed agricultural growth and poverty reduction in the early stages of agricultural transformation. The results show initially high but then declining impacts from fertilizer subsidies; high benefits from investment in roads, education and agricultural R&D during all periods and varying benefits from credit subsidies over four decades; low impacts from power subsidies; and intermediate impacts from irrigation investments. These findings demand a fundamental reassessment of policies espousing state withdrawal from markets in poor agrarian economies. Given widespread state failure in many poor agrarian economies today, particularly in Africa, new thinking is urgently needed to find alternative ways of 'kick starting' markets -- ways which reduce rent seeking opportunities, promote rather than crowd-out private sector investment, and allow the state to withdraw as economic growth proceeds. -- Authors' Abstract-- Authors' Abstract ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; GRP3; GRP32; Theme 9 ; DSGD