Output Market Research Articles

Strategic decision-making of competitive manufacturers: Assessing the role of product substitutability in energy performance contracting

Maximizing benefits through optimized strategic decisions is a crucial concern in Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) arrangements among competing manufacturers, yet this area remains underexplored. This paper develops a model to examine EPC cooperation between two manufacturers producing substitutable products in a duopoly market. By applying game theory, the study investigates the strategic decision-making processes of these manufacturers, with a particular focus on product substitutability. The analysis of equilibrium outcomes reveals that when both manufacturers engage in EPC, total market output increases. Although EPC results in lower prices, it enhances overall consumer surplus due to the price reduction. Additionally, EPC contributes to a decrease in total energy consumption as the cost of energy-saving service rises. The study find that as product substitutability increases, the sharing ratio determined by the client in the EPC arrangement gradually decreases. Concurrently, the level of energy-saving service provided by the Energy Service Company (ESCO) increases. However, when the cost coefficient of energy-saving retrofitting services is relatively high and the sharing ratio falls within a certain range, the service level initially decreases before rising again. This research offers novel insights into the impact of product substitutability on EPC engagements between two competing manufacturers, providing valuable perspectives on strategic decision-making within a competitive market environment.

Debunking the One-size-fits-all Approach: Synergistic and Trade-off Effects of Collective Action on Household Food Security Among the Smallholder Farmers in Central Kenya

Collective action is important in ameliorating the negative externalities in agriculture to promote household food security (HFS). This study explored the effects of efficiency and livelihood collective action initiatives (CAIs) on HFS along the pathways of production and income. The efficiency CAIs pursue efficiency-enhancing collective activities including input sourcing and output marketing. The livelihood CAIs engage in household livelihood and resilience enhancing collective activities such as provision of credit and informal insurance, pooling savings and acquisition of assets. A multinomial endogenous treatment effects (METE) model and an ordered probit model were employed on cross-sectional data drawn from 532 households from Murang’a County in central Kenya. The results revealed significant differences in HFS between the efficiency and livelihood CAIs. The differences were accounted for by the variations in household and organizational characteristics that determine the capacity to leverage HFS benefits along the pathways of production and income. Both efficiency and livelihood CAIs showed a positive significant effect on HFS through production. The results further showed that income positively influenced HFS among the livelihood members contrary to efficiency CAIs that showed negative HFS effects. The HFS across the combined pathways of income and production was lower for the efficiency CAIs than the livelihood CAIs. This was mainly due to the trade-off income effects exhibited by the former and the synergies accrued from income and production on the latter. The findings suggest that the overall performance of both efficiency and livelihood CAIs in leveraging HFS from joint income and production remains tentative. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all collective action promotional policy and program design approaches for improved HFS outcomes are inadequate. The study suggests a portfolio of context-specific collective action policies and interventions that match the differences between the efficiency and livelihood CAIs and their links to HFS. The policies would confer potential synergies, spillover effects and complementarities in strengthening the synergies while mitigating the trade-offs along the income and production pathways between the efficiency and livelihood CAIs. There is a need to enhance access to information, extension and advisory services and ICT among the members of the livelihood CAIs to improve production. It is important to incentivize the non-farm livelihood-enhancing economic activities among the livelihood members to fill the household food gaps arising from low production. It is also important to establish collective action funds and micro-credit schemes with affordable interest rates. This would help to tap the opportunities for credit sourcing and pooling savings among the livelihood members while promoting collective input sourcing and output marketing among the efficiency CAIs.

Analysing Market Integration and Causality of Oilseed Crops: Key Insights and Challenges in Major Tamil Nadu Markets and Interstate Regions of India

Oilseed crops like Sesame and Groundnut experience significant price fluctuations due to factors like seasonal production patterns, their perishable nature, and risk involved in production and marketing of output. The farmers are further complicated by a lack of information about market conditions, including the timing of arrivals and prices. Market integration, which helps stabilize prices and improve the efficiency of the marketing system. This study focuses on analysing the market integration of major oilseed crops— Sesame, and Groundnut in India from January 2013 to January 2024. Johansen's cointegration test and Granger Causality test were applied to examine how prices in different markets are influence one another. The stationarity of the prices tested using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test. The results confirmed that the prices are cointegrated, showing a strong interdependence between them. The analysis also revealed causal relationships between regions, such as bidirectional causality in the case of Sesame and Groundnut. The findings underscore the importance of further research to address production challenges, improve technical methods, and develop informed policies to manage the issues faced by oilseed crop growing farmers. This will help overcome obstacles in production and ensure a more efficient marketing system.

Effects of extension service on the uptake of climate-smart sorghum production practices: Insights from drylands of Ethiopia

The promotion of climate-resilient practices (CRPs) requires the development of the capacity of farmers to adopt these practices owing to the knowledge-intensive nature of technologies. Extension services serve as a conduit for facilitating the conceptualization of CRPs and are instrumental in improving the resiliency and mitigation of climate change. We used a social-ecological framework and a multivariate probit model to analyze the drivers of the CRP uptake in moisture-stressed areas in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on extension services. Unlike previous studies that investigated a single technology, we considered a bundle of technologies. We focused on the use of two capital-intensive CRPs (drought-resistant seed and inorganic fertilizer) and four knowledge-intensive CRPs (minimum tillage, farmyard manure, water-saving technology, and crop residue retention). The role of extension services in promoting other CRPs beyond input and capital-intensive technologies was insignificant. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the correlation between extension services and the adoption of other knowledge-intensive natural resource management practices holds irrespective of the proximity to the extension service providers. This finding highlights the need for targeted and tailored interventions that support farmers to address the challenges faced by them in moisture-stressed areas. Accordingly, we propose continuously improving the ability of the extension service providers to promote climate-change adaptation knowledge and practices. This should be accompanied by efforts to strengthen a pluralistic extension system, improve land tenure security, and decrease transaction costs for farmers through output market linkages.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONS FOR THE RESILIENT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN SOUTH PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Agricultural production systems are multidimensional, interlinked, complex and diverse, and need special attention to cope with changing climate, technology and changes in input and output market structure. Climate change is an evident phenomenon that drastically affects the agricultural production system. The developing countries mainly rely on farming activities for the needs of food and Fiber. This study aims to find climate change impacts and economic analysis of proposed adaptations and to formulate a climate-resilient agricultural production system. The primary and secondary data were collected by conducting a well-designed South Punjab survey. The secondary data about historical crop yields, socioeconomic profiles, climate data, and crop simulation results are incorporated into the model. The TOA-MD (Tradeoff analysis multidimensional impact assessment) model was used for the economic analysis. The results showed substantial negative impacts of climate change on farm income. The adaptations regarding climatic variations are present and increase the net farm returns adopted by farming communities, which are projected in public policies. The financial inclusion of the farming community is needed in terms of farm insurance and finance.

Sustainable production and dissemination of genetically improved farmed tilapia seed in smallholder farming systems: A case study from Timor-Leste

CONTEXTTimor-Leste's National Aquaculture Development Strategy (NADS) 2012–30 aims to achieve an annual aquaculture production of 12,000 tons by 2030 to raise per capita fish consumption from 6.1 kg in 2010 to 15 kg. Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) is identified as the most suitable species under Timor-Leste's existing farming systems and agro-ecological context. It is expected to account for two-thirds of total aquaculture production, requiring over 30 million fingerlings annually, necessitating a strong role of public and private sectors to develop a sustainable hatchery model for producing and supplying high quality GIFT fingerlings to fish farmers on a mass-scale. OBJECTIVEThe major objective was to conceptualize and apply a public-private partnership (PPP) model to produce and disseminate high-quality monosex GIFT seed by public and private hatcheries across Timor-Leste. METHODSModel GIFT hatcheries were established and monitored using a standard protocol developed by the R&D team. Data on total eggs, clutch size, incubation survival rate, swim-up fry, and monosex fry produced were recorded on a weekly basis. The performance of hatcheries was compared using descriptive statistics at a 5% level of significance. Economic analysis was conducted to compare production costs, gross profits, and net profits among hatcheries and nurseries. Enabling conditions and factors for effective PPP were identified. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe WorldFish, in collaboration with Timor-Leste's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, upgraded an existing public hatchery in Gleno, Ermera, introduced GIFT in 2015, and developed it as a GIFT broodstock centre to supply quality brood fry to other hatcheries. To produce monosex seed on a mass-scale, four PPP model GIFT hatcheries were established between 2019 and 2023. Results from a public hatchery and two initially established PPP model hatcheries showed that the hatchery in Parlamento had significantly higher (P < 0.05) monthly production of eggs, swim-up fry, monosex fry, and clutch sizes. On average, over 177,000 monosex fry per month were produced by those three hatcheries. Local service providers (LSPs), self-employed youths who have been recruited and trained to facilitate input supply and output marketing, purchase GIFT fry from the hatcheries, nurse them to fingerling size, and supply them to farmers. To achieve high seed production and supply targets, scaling of PPP model hatcheries, nurseries, and LSPs along with effective training and technical back-up, favourable policies, institutional environments, and governance mechanisms, is necessary. SIGNIFICANCEThe PPP model GIFT hatcheries are scalable across inland farming systems in Timor-Leste and other countries with similar agro-ecological, socio-economic, and climatic contexts.

Determinants of urban agriculture market participation decision and intensity in eastern Ethiopia

Small-scale urban farmers' active involvement in the urban agriculture (UA) output market is one strategy to ease an urban food shortage while sustaining their livelihoods and income. Enhancing market participation and intensity requires identifying the factors that affect UA market participation. Thus, the study aimed to determine the factors influencing UA market participation decisions and intensity in Eastern Ethiopia. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, the study utilized primary data collected from 270 randomly selected urban farmers. The Double Hurdle (DH) Model was used to determine the factors influencing urban farmers' participation and intensity in the UA output market. According to the first stage DH Model results, age, education, occupation, family size, farming experience, UA-related training, dependency ratio, and market information, all had a significant impact on the decision to participate in the UA output market. The second stage DH Model of Truncated regression indicated that the intensity of UA output market participation decision was significantly affected by the education, land size, UA-related training, and market information are all important factors determine the intensity of UA output market participation. Improving the ability to use the land for UA purposes, awareness creation through short-term training, and improving information access are important recommendations to enhance UA output market participation and intensity of participation.

The effects of agricultural output market access interventions on agricultural, socio‐economic, food security, and nutrition outcomes in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

AbstractBackgroundAn estimated two billion people do not have sufficient access to nutritious food, and nearly half are dependent on small‐scale and subsistence farming. Projections show that the global population is not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. With this in mind, development actors are increasingly seeking to better integrate rural farmers into agricultural markets. This synthesis of the literature can help to inform policy decisions to improve outcomes for smallholder farmers in low‐ and middle‐income countries, and to enable the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. This work is the most comprehensive and up‐to‐date review synthesizing evidence from 262 interventions.ObjectivesThe purpose of this systematic review is to appraise and synthesize evidence of the effects of five types of interventions facilitating farmers' access to output markets in low‐ and middle‐income countries. We examine how these effects vary across contexts and subgroups. We also identify evidence on program costs and evidence gaps in the literature.Search MethodsThe search of included studies was based on nine major databases/search engines and 25 institutional websites, using a set of English search terms. We also conducted forward and backward citation tracking of literature, published a public call for papers, and contacted key experts.Selection CriteriaWe included studies on the effects of five types of output market access interventions, focusing on participants residing in low‐ and middle‐income countries: (1) Farm‐to‐market transport infrastructure interventions; (2) Access to output market information interventions; (3) New marketplaces or alternative marketing opportunities interventions; (4) Contract farming interventions; (5) Improved storage infrastructure and technologies interventions. We included published and unpublished studies from 2000 onwards, with experimental and quasi‐experimental study designs focusing on relevant outcomes.Data Collection and AnalysisWe screened 52,366 studies, identifying a total of 439 papers representing 289 unique studies on the effects of 262 interventions in 53 countries. Data extraction and risk of bias assessments were completed by two independent reviewers.Main ResultsAll five types of output market access interventions resulted in small‐to‐moderate positive effects on almost all measures of market participation, agricultural production, and welfare outcomes. These improvements occurred through a reduction in transaction costs, adoption of improved practices, greater farm investment, access to higher prices for farmers, greater volume sold, and increased farm income. Effects vary by intervention type. However, the body of evidence is comprised of a large share of included studies with a high risk of bias. Few studies have information on the cost of interventions, and there are gaps in the available evidence.Authors' ConclusionsOutput market access interventions are effective in reducing transaction costs and addressing market failures, thereby leading to higher income levels. Evidence of effects on food security and nutrition is sparse and has not provided conclusive findings. We also found that multi‐component interventions are not necessarily more effective than single component interventions. The specific needs and dynamics of each context should inform the choice of the intervention and approach. Investments in additional research with low risk of selection bias and confounding effects will improve the evidence base, especially for outcomes that constitute gaps in the literature. For example, the effects on quality of agricultural products and group participation are under‐researched, and we did not find any included studies focusing on North Africa or the Middle East. Collecting and reporting information on interventions' cost‐effectiveness will help decision‐makers to prioritize limited resources.

Assessment of Agricultural Cooperative Societies on Farm Input Supply in Ekiti State, Nigeria

This research investigated how Agricultural Cooperative Societies in Ekiti State, Nigeria, influenced the supply of farm inputs. The results indicate that most cooperative society members were male, in their working-age years, and had received formal education. These individuals were typically engaged in farming or held civil service jobs and accessed various benefits like employment opportunities, credit, dividends, agricultural inputs, and access to the output market through their cooperative society. The study revealed that 71.1% of farmers belonged to a cooperative society, with 51.1% having a membership duration of 1-5 years. The largest portion of farmers inherited their land (35.6%). Cooperative societies typically consisted of 6 to 10 members, and a substantial 60% of farmers had received formal education. Moreover, 64.4% had access to the output market through their cooperative society. Overall, the research demonstrates that agricultural cooperative societies in Ekiti State play a significant role in enhancing the supply of farm inputs, offering crucial resources and assistance to local farmers.

Teaching production theory through simulation

The authors present a Web application they designed in the R programming language as an experiential learning tool for teaching production theory. The app simulates production decisions where a manager is tasked to find the optimal mixture of inputs through experimentation. Users of the application are instructed to use calculations and intuitions from production theory to improve profitability quickly. The underlying parameters and starting points are randomized to allow for additional practice. Variations of the exercise correspond to cost-minimization and profit-maximization problems with and without market power in the output market. Also, the app provides dynamic, interactive visualizations in 3D in order to assist in a better understanding of standard production theory graphs. The app is located at https://bit.ly/387HsHL.

Impact of COVID-19 on agri-food systems: An assessment of actors along the food value chain in Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria and Mali

Food security in Africa was impacted as a result of supply chain disruptions and government lockdowns brought on by the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With participation from important actors in the agricultural value chain, the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) assessed the effect of COVID-19 on agri-food system in Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda. Farmers, agro-processors, private service providers, off-takers and merchants, input dealers, and Ministry of Agriculture Extension service personnel are among the value chain actors that took part in the study. The survey, which was held from April 13 to April 16, 2020, used semi-structured tools and questionnaires aimed at the different stakeholders. The study used a cluster sample technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, which included frequency counts, percentages, rank correlation, and categorical regression. Based on the severity of the lockdowns associated to COVID-19, the survey found that the outcomes differed by country. The analysis shows a negative association between e-extension and education during the COVID-19 epidemic, but a high and positive correlation (p &lt; 0.01) between extension services and postharvest services, as well as credit availability. Factors such as transportation, labor availability, price fluctuations, output market activity, loan availability, and food and nutrition security were significantly and positively correlated with COVID-19 awareness. Additionally, the respondents indicated that price changes were favourably correlated with labour availability and transportation, and that farming activities were significantly and positively correlated with food and nutrition security, labour availability, and the output market. According to the perspective data collected in every country during the COVID-19 epidemic, postharvest services, agricultural input activities, and food and nutrition security all heavily relied on extension services, with postharvest services having a negative correlation with extension services. The results of the analysis show that COVID-19 impacted several variables that are associated with extension services across the four countries. For instance, the R2 value of the relationship between value chain variables and extension service delivery across Mali (0.485), Nigeria (0.621), Ethiopia (0.426), Uganda (0.529), and the combined countries (0.511) indicates that the variation of the dependent variables can account for 48.5% of the variation in the values of the independent variable (extension service delivery) in Mali, 62.1% in Nigeria, 42.6% in Ethiopia, 52.9% in Uganda, and 51.1% in the combined countries. Farmers' access to agricultural labour, credit services, inputs for agriculture, and output markets was restricted by the ban on travel and social gatherings. Smallholder farmers should employ digital solutions more to strengthen the agricultural value chain's actors' resilience against potential pandemics or conflicts, according to the study's implications for extension services. This will reduce the requirement for extensive personal touch and travel in the delivery of extension services. The study also highlights how crucial it is for extension services to show tangible outcomes and benefits in order to increase farming communities' and value chain actors' resilience in any difficult circumstances. Key words: COVID-19, food systems, extension services, value chain actors, output markets

Saga on Rural Development in Karbi Anglong, Assam: An Understanding from Gandhian Perspective

Agriculture makes a significant economic contribution to Karbi Anglong in a number of ways, including by providing food for the region's expanding population, sufficient raw materials for a burgeoning industrial sector, a significant source of employment, and a market for the industrial sector's output, among other things. In this paper, it is stated that the agricultural sector has a solid rural foundation, making it associated with rural development and the foundation of agriculture and agricultural development in Karbi Anglong, without which all attempts at agricultural development will be fruitless. It notes that in Karbis society, agriculture is still primarily conventional and is owned by smallholders and pastoralists. Neglecting agriculture has led to a mass exodus of rural inhabitants, which has led to a qualitative and quantitative decline in the population of the rural area and made it less and less intriguing for socioeconomic investment. It comes to the realisation that elevated agricultural growth and development in Karbi Anglong depend substantially on rural development. Therefore, in this study, an effort has been made to highlight the economy and the factors that influence its dependency. Gandhi, a national political figure, mostly relied on populist activism and their economic advancement via the superfluous growth of cottage and small-scale enterprises. It makes an effort to study the Gandhian model of development and assess its applicability in the current setting.

Effect of socio-economic and institutional factors on common bean commercialization among smallholder farmers in Chepalungu sub-county, Bomet County, Kenya

Smallholder common bean commercialization is a critical factor for rural development as it provides a pathway for improving productivity, food security and alleviating poverty. However, common bean sector is dominated by subsistence farming which is not economically efficient as the level of commercialization is low at 0.4. Therefore, the study intended to determine the effect of socio-economic and institutional factors on common bean commercialization in Chepalungu sub-county, Bomet county. The study utilized cluster sampling procedure to obtain a sample size of 313 and data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Tobit regression model were utilized to analyze the data through SPSS version 29 and Stata version 15 software. The average level of common bean commercialization was 0.39 indicating a low level of input and output market participation. The model showed that market distance and access to extension services were significant at 1% and positively influenced common bean commercialization among smallholder farmers while marketing experience and total land size were significant at 5% and positively influenced common bean commercialization. Age was significant at 1% and negatively influenced common bean commercialization. Strategies need to be developed to improve farmers’ market participation in input and output markets based on these variables. Youth need to be involved more on common bean production and marketing and the county government can provide training and extension services to farmers to increase level of productivity and commercialization.

Determinants of farmers’ choice for agricultural output marketing channels of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): an empirical evidence from north-western Himalayan region

Determinants of farmers’ choice for agricultural output marketing channels of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): an empirical evidence from north-western Himalayan region

Marketing performance and factors influencing farmers choice for agricultural output marketing channels: the case of garden pea (Pisum sativum) in India

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and farmers play significant role in sustaining the sector. However, farmers face several challenges such as poor market access and limited access to market information which adversely affect their marketing performance. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the marketing performance and factors influencing farmers choice for agricultural output marketing channels in garden pea in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The study utilized primary data collected through structured questionnaires administered via the interview method to a sample size of 400 farmers selected through a multistage stratified random sampling technique. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and acharya approach to study the marketing performance. Further, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to determine the factors that influence farmers marketing choice of marketing channels. Additionally, the constraints experienced by farmers during marketing were investigated using garret ranking. The study revealed that farmers who sold their pea directly to consumer had higher marketing performance than those who sold through market intermediaries such as local traders, commission agents and wholesalers. Further, the results indicated that farm income, farm experience, distance to the market and market information were significant determinants of farmers choice for marketing channels. Whereas, lack of market consultancy, high commission chargers and poor transportation were the major constraints faced by farmers during marketing of pea. The findings of this study highlight the need for policymakers to develop and implement interventions that enhance farmers marketing skill, facilitate access to markets, improve negotiation power which can lead to higher incomes for farmers, improve their livelihoods, better quality produce for consumers and a more efficient and sustainable food system.

Determinants of Participation in Contract Farming among Smallholder Sorghum Farmers in Bondo Sub-County

Aims: This paper analyzed the socioeconomic and institution factors influencing participation in sorghum contract farming by smallholder farmers in Bondo, siaya county, Kenya. The study results are anticipated to encourage smallholder farmers to participate in sorghum commercialization rather than producing for subsistence. Study Design: The study applied quantitative research design to determine factors that influences participation in sorghum contract farming by smallholder farmers. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Bondo Siaya county Kenya. Targeted group were smallholder farmers producing sorghum either as contracted or non-contracted. The data was collected on sorghum production during 2020/2021 production year. Methodology: A multistage sampling technique was used to sample 135 non-contracted and 105 contracted smallholder sorghum farmers for the study. The data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire which was pretest prior to actual data collection. Data collected was analyzed using t-statistics and chi-squire for the descriptive statistics. While econometric analysis applied logistic regression model to determine factors influencing smallholder farmers’ participation in sorghum contract farming. Results: Findings revealed that post-primary education level (\(\beta\) = 0.215; P = 0.04) , age (\(\beta\) = 0.005; P = 0.00) , gender (\(\beta\) = 0.144; P = 0.02) , number of active household members (\(\beta\) = 0.090; P = 0.03) , group membership(\(\beta\) = 0.188; P = 0.00) , distance to the nearest main road in walking minutes (\(\beta\) = 0.021; P = 0.00) , ownership of bicycle (\(\beta\) = 0.210; P = 0.00) and ownership of oxen (\(\beta\) = 0.238; P = 0.00) positively influence participation in sorghum contract farming. In contrarily, distance to the nearest extension agent office negatively influence participation in sorghum contract farming (\(\beta\) = 0.004; P = 0.01) . Conclusion: The results suggest the need to increase access to extension services, implement policies for empowering women and youths to engage in contract farming, sensitize farmers to form groups to enhance working collectively to acquire input and output market. National and county governments should invest in physical infrastructure, such as roads, to improve access to agricultural information on new interventions.

Nexus Between Fiscal Policy Mechanism and Stock Market Output in a Growing Economy

Abstract Fiscal policy methods are critical to a country’s economic stability. However, when fiscal policy changes occur, all economic sectors react either favorably or adversely. The stock market is not spared from this reaction because it is likewise an important aspect of the economy. From 1998 through 2020, the inquiry looks at the link between fiscal policy mechanisms and stock market performance. The Levin, Lin, and Chu test is used to determine data stationarity. At zero latency, all factors remain constant. Other screening tools employed indicate that all datasets and models utilized in this work are of satisfactory quality. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) is a statistical method used to investigate the link between fiscal policy plans and stock market results. Correlation coefficients quantify the strength of a link between two variables. The study’s findings indicate that fiscal measures such as tax income, domestic borrowing, government capital, and regular expenditure have a substantial and extremely strong positive relationship with Nigerian stock market returns. The study also indicates that foreign borrowing is harmful to Nigeria’s stock market advancement. Other data indicate that foreign borrowing has a modest to very weak link with other fiscal policy methods when compared to the outcomes of the other instruments. As a result, the report recommends increased tax income collection and a significant reduction in the country’s foreign debt.

A study on the innovation efficiency of high-tech listed companies in China - Analysis based on three-stage DEA with Malmquist index

In order to adapt to the changing market environment, enterprises need to continuously conduct innovative R&amp;D activities, and innovation efficiency has become a key factor for high-tech enterprises to capture the market. This paper uses a three-stage DEA model and the Malmquist index to measure and analyze the technical efficiency of 60 high-tech enterprises in China from 2013-2021. The findings show that environmental factors have a significant impact on the technical efficiency of enterprises, pure technical efficiency is underestimated and scale efficiency is overestimated, and scale efficiency should be improved by expanding production scale; high-tech enterprises face contradictions between scale efficiency and technical efficiency, and policies drive the technical level to improve, but the comprehensive technical efficiency does not grow. Technological innovation during the epidemic has improved the technical level and utilization efficiency, but the comprehensive technical efficiency still declined. This paper is of great significance in assessing the efficiency of high-tech enterprises between technological inputs and market output, helping them to identify room for improvement and enhance innovation efficiency and competitiveness.

Drivers of crop commercialization in central and southern Oromia, Ethiopia

More than 95% of crop production in Ethiopia comes from smallholder farmers operating on a farm size of less than 2 hectares. This implies that agriculture is dominantly operated by smallholders nationally. Agricultural commercialization is believed to improve farmers’ livelihoods; hence, commercializing agriculture in Ethiopia means contributing to the smallholder farmer’s welfare. To do so, a study of participation and level of commercialization and their determinant factors is vital. Hence, this study was initiated to evaluate crop output commercialization status and its determinants in rural Ethiopia. Heckman’s two-step model was employed for the analysis. The mean commercialization index (CI) for the sample was 43.40% while 26% and 35% of households were commercially oriented and subsistent farmers respectively. The decision to participate in crop output marketing was affected by age, market distance, and instrument for the level of farm mechanization negatively. In contrast, it was affected positively by livestock size (TLU), being in mid-highland agroecology, ownership of equines, amount of annual income, and access to market information. The intensity of commercialization was positively affected by annual income, access to market information, and number of oxen; while it was negatively affected by operational land, level of crop diversification, and market distance significantly. Improving the resource endowment, and minimizing transaction costs by improving access to market centers, market information, and means of transportation can further enhance commercialization. Improving access to farm mechanization and enhancing productivity in highland areas are also issues that shall get policy and development practitioners’ focus.

The irrigated wheat initiative of Ethiopia: a new paradigm emulating Asia’s green revolution in Africa

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to assess and document the experience of the successful irrigated wheat initiative in Ethiopia, identify potential limitations, and suggest alternative options that contribute towards the sustainability of the program. In the past decades, Ethiopia has initiated several projects to ensure food and wheat security but did not achieve the anticipated impact as planned. In 2019, however, the current government of Ethiopia put in place structural, economic, and sectorial reforms, with wheat chosen as a strategic commodity for food security, raw material for the agroindustry, import substitution that transits to export, and job creation along the value chain. With a total of 2.6 million ha of land cultivated under both rain-fed and irrigated systems, followed by a record amount of wheat harvest (8.2 million tons) in 2022, Ethiopia achieved a wheat self-sufficiency ratio of 100% and more than 1 million tons of surplus for export, indicating that the new irrigated wheat initiative of Ethiopia has been found transformational and is becoming a game changer. Moreover, modest case scenario projections revealed that Ethiopia will become a net exporter of wheat by 2023, indicating that the country is achieving not only wheat security but also championing the possibility of replicating Asia’s Green Revolution in Africa. Yet, the sustainability of the current initiative relies on an efficient water management system, private sector engagement, sustainable input supply, well-established input and output marketing systems, and leadership commitment at all levels.