21112 research outputs found
Sort by
Food system transitions in Vietnam: The case of pork and vegetable networks
No full textVietnamese food systems have experienced a transition process since the late 1980s Đổi mới reforms. This paper examines the historical and ongoing transitions of pork and vegetable networks, using the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), the Multi-Pattern Approach (MPA) and insights from food systems research. Our findings show that there was a shift from collective and self-subsistent farming to commercial small-scale farming in the late 1980s, and a rapid institutionalisation of smallholders and wet markets in the early 1990s. We argue that the current slow transition of the smallholder food regime towards improved food safety and standardisation has been locked in by the strong alignments of actors, practices and cultural values that support small-scale, fragmented production and distribution. The study suggests that those practices, values, and the needs and interests of smallholder producers and food consumers should be carefully considered when implementing transition agendas toward food safety, security, and sustainability.PRIFPRI3; ISI; CRP4; Capacity Strengthening; DCA; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for allNutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH); Food and Nutrition PolicyCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH
Synergies and trade-offs between agricultural export promotion and food security: Evidence from African economies
No full textSeveral countries across the developing world have designed and implemented agricultural export incentives. However, little is known about the effects of these policies on various aspects of domestic food security. This study utilizes economywide models linked top-down with microsimulation modules to analyze the impacts of increased agricultural export promotion on the four dimensions of food security – availability, access, utilization, and stability – in three structurally food-insecure economies of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. We find that agro-export promotion adversely affects all four aspects of food security in urban areas and at the national level due to significant increases in food prices domestically. However, it generally benefits households in rural areas. The food security effects are stronger in Ethiopia and Kenya. We also find that risks associated with the volatility in international markets and declines in domestic productivity can lead to further deterioration in access to food when countries implement outward-oriented agricultural policiesPRIFPRI3; ISI; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for all; 3 Building Inclusive and Efficient Markets, Trade Systems, and Food Industry; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural EconomiesForesight and Policy Modeling (FPM); Transformation Strategie
Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system
No full textIn India, the production of rice and wheat account for more than 80% of its total agricultural water use. As farming is highly dependent on water availability, rapidly receding water levels require urgent measures to manage withdrawals. We assess policy instruments that can reduce pressures on water resources, while at the same time limiting adverse impacts on water-intensive cereal production systems, land-use changes and economic welfare. To this end, we use a dynamic and integrated partial equilibrium model of agricultural production and its impact on the environment to reflect two options: an increase in energy costs for irrigation water (price-related effects), and alternatively, physical quotas on water withdrawals (quantity-related effects). We conclude that it is possible to increase energy prices for agriculture with minimal impacts on agricultural production, agricultural prices, and trade in cereal crops, and moderately reduce water withdrawals by 2050. We find that the intermediate effects of pricing policies are negative for all indicators as compared to quota policies. However, by 2050, both policies yield similar outcomes for all indicators. Our results offer insights into ways in which these policies drive different mechanisms and trade-offs on important agro-economic indicators, and they offer the choice for water conservation policy decision-making based on other critical factors such as implementation costs.PRIFPRI3; ISI; DCA; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; 5 Strengthening Institutions and GovernanceNatural Resources and Resilience (NRR); Transformation Strategie
Differences in peri-urban and rural farm production decisions amid policy change in Nigeria
No full textPRIFPRI3; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy ProjectDevelopment Strategies and Governance (DSG); Transformation Strategie
Enhancing climate resilience in Nigerian agriculture: Implications for sustainable adaptation and livelihood diversification
No full textKey Highlights:
Changes in temperature, measured in harmful degree days (HDDs), and precipitation have a significant negative impact on agricultural productivity in Nigeria, which highlights the adverse effects of extreme weather on crop yields.
Climate changes affect income sources for farming households. We found that an increase in HDDs reduces households’ income share from crops and nonfarm self-employment, implying threats to household food security for smallholders whose livelihoods depend on subsistence farming and food consumption from own sources.
In response to the risks posed by climate change, farmers adopt changes in crop mixes (for example, reducing the share of land allocated to cereals) and input use decisions (for example, reducing fertilizer use and purchased seeds) as an adaptation strategy. Adaption strategies that lead to low use of yield-enhancing modern inputs could worsen agricultural productivity and household food insecurity. However, we found that farmers in Nigeria respond to extreme climate by switching to drought tolerant root or tuber crops. Such strategies could partially offset the adverse effects of climatic shocks on households’ welfare.
Climate changes negatively impact agricultural productivity for both poor and non-poor households, but the effects are more pronounced among poorer households, according to our heterogenous effects analysis on household’s initial endowments (based on wealth indicators measured in asset and livestock holdings). This implies low adaptive capacity on the part of poor households and thus their high vulnerability to climate-related shocks.
Suggested policy recommendations include interventions to incentivize adoption of climate-resilient agriculture, targeted pro-poor interventions such as low-cost financing options for improving smallholders’ access to climate-proof agricultural inputs and technologies, and policy measures to reduce the inequality of access to livelihood capital, such as land and other productive assets.Non-PRIFPRI1; NSSP; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy ProjectDevelopment Strategies and Governance (DSG); Transformation Strategie
Democratizing messaging? The role of ICTs in agriculture extension
No full textInformation and communications technology (ICT) in low- and middle-income countries has changed significantly over the past seven decades, starting with radio and newspapers and transforming almost daily with the rise of smartphones and mobile Internet. While ICT is an integral part of agricultural extension, little is known about how extension has been influenced by these changes in ICT. A systematic review of 133 papers focused on countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa found that changes in ICT have enabled a shift from linear dis semination and “one-way communication” to co-innovation and farmer-to-farmer learning, with the potential for increased democratization of agricultural extension. This note summarizes these findings.Non-PRIFPRI1; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; G Cross-cutting gender theme; CRP2; Reaching Smallholder WomenNatural Resources and Resilience (NRR); Transformation Strategies; PIMCGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM
Financial access of midstream agricultural firms in Africa: Evidence from the LSMS-ISA and World Bank enterprise surveys
No full textThe midstream of agricultural value chains are rapidly changing in response to shifting domestic and international demand. While the performance of this segment may have important implications for the entire sector, evidence on midstream actors and their financial needs remain thin. We use data from both the Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture and the World Bank Enterprise Survey from seven African countries to identify these agricultural midstream firms and assess their access to formal credit, comparing them to other, non-agricultural midstream firms. We find that the identified agricultural midstream firms are larger and more productive than their non-agricultural midstream counterparts and are less likely to report barriers to accessing credit, though overall access levels remain low. Among agricultural midstream firms, those owned or managed by women are more likely to report barriers to accessing credit. Taken together, these findings help build our understanding about the financial needs of micro-, small-, and medium-size enterprises in the agricultural midstream.Non-PRIFPRI1; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; Digital Financial Services AdoptionMTI
Nigeria: Impacts of the Ukraine and global crises on poverty and food security
No full textGlobal food, fuel, and fertilizer prices have risen rapidly in recent months, driven in large part by the fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia. Other factors, such as export bans, have also contributed to rising prices. Palm oil and wheat prices increased by 56 and 100 percent in real terms, respectively, between June 2021 and April 2022, with most of the in-crease occurring since February (Figure 1). Wide variation exists across products, with real maize prices increasing by only 11 percent and rice prices declining by 13 percent. The price of crude oil and natural gas has also risen substantially, while the weighted average price of fertilizer has dou-bled. With these changes in global prices, many developing countries and their development part-ners are concerned about the implications for economic stability, food security, and poverty.Non-PRIFPRI1; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; NSSP; RIAPADSG
Tanzania: Impacts of the Ukraine and global crises on poverty and food security
No full textGlobal food, fuel, and fertilizer prices have risen rapidly in recent months, driven in large part by the fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia. Other factors, such as export bans, have also contributed to rising prices. Palm oil and wheat prices increased by 56 and 100 percent in real terms, respectively, between June 2021 and April 2022, with most of the in-crease occurring since February (Figure 1).Non-PRIFPRI1; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; RIAPADSG
Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
No full textIrrigation is increasingly promoted in Africa south of the Sahara, but the benefit streams of small-scale irrigation in Mali remain largely unknown. This study collected detailed quantitative data of irrigators and non-irrigators in two regions of Mali: Mopti, which is in the Sahelian zone, and Sikasso, the southernmost region of the country, which receives more rainfall. Econometric results show that the irrigation suitability, female household headship, proximity to markets and market participation increase the propensity to irrigate. The results suggest that small-scale irrigation investments have the potential to benefit women farmers directly. We used Two-Stage Weighted treatment effects multivariate regression to identify the impact of irrigation on selected outcomes. The impact assessment results show that crop income and diversification, market participation, employment, and dietary quality were substantially higher in irrigated farms compared to non-irrigated farms. Likewise, irrigating households had higher food security and higher dietary diversity. The results show that irrigation is a key entry point for combatting climate variability and change. However, the low adoption levels of improved water-lifting technologies are a major challenge. Limited promotion of solar and motorized pumps has contributed to the low adoption of these improved water-lifting technologies. A less profitable option, lifting water with a rope-and-bucket system, remains the most common water-lifting technology in the study areas. We find that investing in effective advisory services that target agricultural water management could increase uptake of more profitable irrigation technologies.Non-PRIFPRI1; DCA; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; Feed the Future Initiative; Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Small-Scale IrrigationEPT