Improve Household Welfare Research Articles

Policies and Markets for Non-Timber Tree Products

Markets for non-timber tree products (NTTPs) are widely viewed with great promise because of their potential for achieving a range of development objectives. Markets can, of course, be influenced by policy, but in order to do so, market information is needed to better inform the policy process. There has been increasing concern that few market studies have been adequate for doing so. There has been ambivalence at the policy level because these markets are highly diverse and difficult to characterize, and because governments tend to view NTTP markets as a threat to the conservation and management of forests and woodlands. Perhaps most importantly, however, there has been a failure to link the design of market studies with the potential for policy change. We argue in this paper that policies per se can be used to influence the operation of these markets, and that good market research should be more carefully designed to reflect explicit policy objectives. Policies toward the operation of NTTP markets have generally been designed to meet one or more of three objectives: to bring about the conservation of tropical forests and woodlands, to improve household welfare, or to support economic growth and development at the regional and national levels. These objectives are not necessarily compatible with each other. The link between market information and the development of policies toward the operation of NTTP markets poses considerable challenges for market research. Increasingly, market researchers must be brought into the policymaking process. In particular, market analysts must be encouraged to continually stretch their conceptual framework, to expand the ways of collecting relevant data, to broaden their use of analytical methods, and to consider more carefully the links between markets, the environment, household production, and household welfare.

From our perspective: developing printed extension materials with cocoa farmers in Ghana

Farmers' lack of access to technical information constitutes a major obstacle to improving cocoa productivity in West and Central Africa. Recent debates on cocoa extension pay little attention to the potentially important role of printed extension materials for promoting cocoa integrated crop and pest management (ICPM) and encouraging farmer experimentation. A key issue concerns how to design such materials to meet farmers' needs. Typically, printed agricultural extension materials are developed by technical experts with little input from farmers, the end users. Materials developed in this way are often incomprehensible or confusing to farmers as they tend to contain too much information and use culturally inappropriate symbols and complex language. This paper describes a process involving Ghanaian cocoa farmers, communications and extension specialists to develop an illustrated booklet on cocoa integrated crop and pest management. The case study shows that farmers can make significant contributions to designing printed extension materials by bringing their own perspectives to the sequencing and design of the materials, highlighting details and showing illustrators the most effective ways to convey messages in a non-written way (using body language, colour etc.). As a result of farmers' involvement, the illustrations in the booklet are presented in a story context and sequence, and use a cause and effect approach to communicating ideas. Farmers' input also ensured that the illustrations provide a holistic presentation of cocoa farming by highlighting the linkage between application of technologies and improved household welfare. The paper concludes by offering guidelines on best practices for involving farmers in extension material development.

ASSESSMENT OF ABORIGINAL SMALLHOLDER SOILS FOR RUBBER GROWTH IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

This study assesses an array of physiochemical soil properties from a sample of rubber smallholdings managed by a group of Orang Asli(original people) in northwest Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysian smallholders in general face significantly lower productivity levels than the large rubber estates and plantations (Malaysian Rubber Board, 2002). Among smallholders, Orang Asli households generate the lowest rubber yields, earn the lowest non-rubber income, and are most threatened by land scarcity (RISDA, 2003). Furthermore, little is known about the soils of these smallholdings since most rubber-related soil surveys focus on estates and experiment stations (Pushparajah & Amin, 1977). An understanding of the morphological and physiochemical soil properties of Orang Asli rubber fields is a crucial step toward the efficient allocation of government resources that aim to enhance productivity, promote sustainable agriculture, and improve household welfare. The objectives of this project were to (1) determine the predominant physiochemical characteristics of these soils, (2) evaluate them with an established rubber suitability classification system, (3) group soils according to region, geomorphic position, and estimated soil series in order to make generalizations about soil limitations for certain soil types, and (4) offer methods by which to mitigate the effects of these limitations. We find that there is a great deal of heterogeneity within our sample with regard to both soil type and limitation. The most common physical limitations were related to flooding, uprooting, soil texture, and slope. Almost all soils were severely depleted in organic nutrients and base cations. Overall, these limitations were correctable via drainage, terracing, or establishment of a cover crop. It is recommended that any application of chemical fertilizer take soil type into account. (Soil Science 2005;170:1034-1049)

Land degradation, drought and food security in a less‐favoured area in the Ethiopian highlands: a bio‐economic model with market imperfections

AbstractThis paper presents a bio‐economic model of Andit Tid, a severely degraded crop‐livestock farming system with high population density and good market access in the highlands of Ethiopia. Land degradation, population growth, stagnant technology, and drought threaten food security in the area. Drought or weather risk appears to have increased in recent years. The bio‐economic model is used to analyse the combined effects of land degradation, population growth, market imperfections and increased risk of drought on household production, welfare and food security. We find that the indirect effects of drought on household welfare through the impact on crop and livestock prices are larger than the direct production effects of drought. Provision and adoption of credit for fertiliser, although risky in itself, may lead to increased grain production and improved household welfare and food security. Provision of credit may have a negative effect on conservation incentives but this effect may be mitigated by linking a conservation requirement to the provision of credit for fertiliser.

Land degradation, drought and food security in a less-favoured area in the Ethiopian highlands: a bio-economic model with market imperfections

This paper presents a bio-economic model of Andit Tid, a severely degraded crop–livestock farming system with high population density and good market access in the highlands of Ethiopia. Land degradation, population growth, stagnant technology, and drought threaten food security in the area. Drought or weather risk appears to have increased in recent years. The bio-economic model is used to analyse the combined effects of land degradation, population growth, market imperfections and increased risk of drought on household production, welfare and food security. We find that the indirect effects of drought on household welfare through the impact on crop and livestock prices are larger than the direct production effects of drought. Provision and adoption of credit for fertiliser, although risky in itself, may lead to increased grain production and improved household welfare and food security. Provision of credit may have a negative effect on conservation incentives but this effect may be mitigated by linking a conservation requirement to the provision of credit for fertiliser.

Who gets the goods? A general equilibrium perspective on food aid in Mozambique

We employ a computable general equilibrium approach to examine the effects of alternative food aid distribution schemes for drought-response food aid to Mozambique. Alternative schemes have very distinct impacts on household welfare and prices. Compared with monetization of food aid by government, direct distribution to households (by population shares) strongly benefits rural households. Even assuming that government cannot target food aid strictly at drought-stricken rural people, our results indicate that, when improving household welfare is the primary goal of the food aid, direct distribution of food aid to households is preferred.

Impacts of intensive dairy production on smallholder farm women in coastal Kenya

Welfare impacts of an intensive dairy technology package on women and their families are investigated on 32 smallholder crop-livestock farms in the sub-humid zone off Kilifi District, Coast Province, Kenya. Farms were stratified according to male or female extension contact. A female enumerator interviewed the wife or female head of household on each farm regarding her present and past household responsibilities and the affects of the intensive dairy enterprise on these duties and upon the welfare of the household. On three-quarters of the male contact farms, dairy operators were women. Across all farms, women performed half of all dairy-related activities, but only on female contact farms did income from the dairy enterprise accrue to women in proportion to their labor input. The equitable return of benefits to labor corresponded with better dairy unit performance on female contact farms, where women also indicated greater access to and autonomy over household resources and decision-making. Irrespective of extension contact, there was broad consensus among the women interviewed that intensive dairying has led to improved household welfare, primarily through increased household income and milk consumption. There was also wide agreement, however, that these gains have been achieved at the expense of more work for women. Women on female contact farms were observed spending dairy income on food for the household and childrens' schooling more often than their counterparts on male contact farms. Based on these and other findings, the study concludes that gender of the extension contact, dairy operator and farm owner were determinants of the intra-household impacts of intensive dairying on the smallholder farms in this study. Recommendations for design and delivery of livestock technologies for crop-based farming systems, with special emphasis on how to minimize negative impact on vulnerable household members, are inferred from study findings.

FOOD SECURITY IN KWAZULU: RESULTS OF A HOUSEHOLD‐BASED PROGRAMMING MODEL

A mathematical programming model of rural KwaZulu, excluding three northern districts, was developed to simulate agricultural production in regions of high and low cropping potential. This model aggregates enterprise levels predicted for four representative households of which two are in the high‐potential region and two in the low‐potential region.Several economic scenarios are simulated with the model to predict, inter alia, responses to changes in cereal prices, input subsidies, changes in off‐farm employment and a rental market for crop land. Long‐run food supply response is estimated to be inelastic with respect to changes in product and input prices. Higher food prices harm the majority of rural households. Lower input prices have little impact on household welfare. Conversely, it is predicted that a rental market for arable land could have a large positive impact on crop production and would improve household welfare.

The Evolution of Property Rights: A Study of the American West

The Evolution of Property Rights: A Study of the American West