Why do some farmers earn more than others? Scholars have worked to explain the large observed differences in economic outcomes across firms, households, and industries. In developing countries, where small farmers often face limited access to agricultural markets, their agricultural revenues can vary dramatically within the same region, even after accounting for differences in capital […]
Author Archive | Tisorn Songsermsawas, Kathy Baylis and Hope Michelson
Small Farmer Fertilizer Subsidies and Child Health — Evidence from Malawi
In a previous post I wrote about the potential significance of new “smart subsidies” for agricultural inputs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia, Tanzania, and Malawi have initiated such programs to help populations of small farmers acquire mineral fertilizer and hybrid seed at a lower cost. One key objective is to increase staple cereal yields from these […]
“You Quit??” – Small Farmer Contracting and the Importance of Dropout
Over the past 20 years, international trade liberalization and various reforms have dismantled many government controls on agricultural markets in the developing world, opening new commercial spheres for farm products and new marketing choices for farmers in the Global South[1]. One class of these opportunities is linked to the modernization and expansion of agricultural value […]
Crushing on Cash
Cash is the new international development darling — lauded by researchers and practitioners as the new standard for foreign aid. Delivering cash to individuals rather than aid in-kind (such as cows, building materials, training), has gained increasing prominence in the past 15 years. It shows promise as a means to increase the efficiency and effectiveness […]
Policy brief – food aid and small farmer subsidies
Governments and international aid agencies are transforming how food aid is procured and disbursed in the developing world. Agencies including the World Food Program now source some food aid within the region where it will be disbursed (for example, purchasing maize in Uganda for disbursal in other parts of East Africa). The 2014 Farm Bill […]