ISSN 2329-9797
Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (10), pp. 001-007, October, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Determinants of land rental markets: Theory and econometric evidence from rural Rwanda
Claude Bizimana
Department of Applied Statistics, Faculty of Economics, Social Sciences and Management, National University of Rwanda, P. O. Box 117, Butare, Rwanda. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: (+250) 530330. Fax: (+250) 530210.
Accepted 15 May, 2019
Abstract
Land market developments and household access to land through land rental markets are important, especially at the stage where land reform is taking place in Rwanda. Determinants of land rental markets in rural Rwanda, assessed according to household and land market characteristics as well as transaction costs constraints, were studied based on a survey of 251 household farms from the Southern Province during 2006 to 2007. Around 22% of the households surveyed did not participate in the rental markets, while 43% rented in land and 35% rented out land. Results from a Tobit regression analysis indicated that, households often combine buying and renting of land to adjust their land holding to the optimal farm size. Land rental markets reallocate land between households with different management abilities and allow a consolidation of land use, as land ownership in Rwanda is very fragmented. Land specific issues such as transaction costs, rural credit and labor constraints impeding access of households to land were evident in the data. Policies should be implemented to improve the functioning of other rural markets, in order to allow the rental markets to contribute to further efficiency improvements and poverty reduction in rural areas.
Key words: Land market, management ability, transaction cost, efficiency, productivity.
Claude Bizimana
Page: 1 - 7
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1091Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (10), pp. 001-009, October, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Determinants of non-farm activities participation decisions of farm households in Burkina Faso
Pam Zahonogo
Department of Economics, University Ouaga II, Burkina Faso, 03 BP 7164 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +226 70 26 81 13 or +226 78 24 11 24. Fax: +226 50 31 55 49.
Accepted 26 March, 2019
Abstract
The aim of the study is to address the issue of non farm activities participation decisions of rural households in Burkina Faso. The analysis is based on a multinomial Logit model using data collected over the 1999 to 2004 period from four agro-ecological zones: the Sudanese zone, the Sahelian zone, the north-Guinean zone and the south-Guinean zone. The results indicate that the contribution of non-farm activities to household income was significant in the rural area irrespective of the zone considered and households combined several strategies for diversifying sources of household income, which vary with zones. In the Sahelian-Sudanese zone, the number of working people in the household, the income from farming, the age of the head of the household, his/her level of education, the technology used in production and rainfall were found to be the factors that significantly influenced the participation in non farm activities. In the Guinean-zone, the variables that significantly influenced participation are production technology, farm income, rainfall, the number of working people in the household, the level of education of the head of the household and his/her age.
Key words: Non-farm activities, rural households, multinomial Logit model, Burkina Faso.
Pam Zahonogo
Page: 1 - 9
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1090Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (9), pp. 001-009, September, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
An analysis of allocative efficiency of shea butter processing methods in the northern region of Ghana
Haruna Issahaku1*, Al-hassan Ramatu2 and Daniel B. Sarpong2
1Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Box 520, Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana.
2Department of Agric. Economics and Agribusiness, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana Legon, Ghana.
Accepted 26 March, 2019
Abstract
This study estimated and compared the allocative efficiencies of the traditional, improved shea butter processing technology (ISBPT) and the bridge press (BP) methods of shea butter processing. Data were collected from 110 shea butter processors. Allocative efficiency estimates were obtained using the marginal product approach. The allocative efficiency indices for labour indicate that while labour input is over utilised in the traditional method, it is under utilised in the ISBPT and BP methods. The allocative efficiency indices for capital, show that capital input is over utilised in the traditional and ISBPT methods though the extent of over utilization is greater for the ISBPT method. Processors require training to build their entrepreneurship capacities to ensure their resource use efficiency.
Key words: Allocative efficiency, constraints labour, capital, marginal value product.
Al-hassan Ramatu and Daniel B. Sarpong, Haruna Issahaku*
Page: 1 - 9
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1089Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (9), pp. 001-008, September, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Analysis of poverty and its covariates among smallholder farmers in the Eastern Hararghe highlands of Ethiopi
Ayalneh Bogale
School of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Haramaya University Ethiopia. E-mail: [email protected].
Accepted 26 March, 2019
Abstract
This paper analyses the extent and determinants of rural household poverty in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia. The study examines 216 households using a household consumption expenditure approach. The study was particularly interested in the effects of location-specific and institutional factors (networks) in determining the probability of being poor. The findings suggest that poverty is location-specific, depends on access to irrigated land (not land per se) and access to non-farm income. Results also indicate that household wellbeing is negatively affected by household size, and positively affected by age of household head. Involvement in governance, social and production related networks are also found to be strongly associated with the probability of a household being poor.
Key words: Rural poverty, ordered probit, institutional factors, Eastern Hararghe, Ethiopia.
Ayalneh Bogale
Page: 1 - 8
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1088Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 001-007, August, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Microfinance, inequality and vulnerability: Empirical analysis from Central African countries
Gérard Tchouassi
Department of Economics, University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon and LEFI, University of Lyon 2, 14 Avenue Berthelot, France. E-mail: [email protected].
Accepted 11 March, 2019
Abstract
This study examines the relationship of microfinance, inequality and vulnerability by providing a cross-country empirical study of 11 developing countries in Central Africa. Microfinance plays an important role in the financial market in many African countries. Although microfinance is expected to significantly affect macro variables, we lack enough empirical research on impact analysis at the macro level, such as the effect of microfinance on inequality and vulnerability. Results indicate that the number of microfinance institutions has a negative impact on the Gini index in Central Africa countries. When the microfinance institutions in the country become dense, inequalities decrease.
Key words: Microfinance, inequality, vulnerability, cross-country analysis.
Gérard Tchouassi
Page: 1 - 7
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1087Research Article
International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 001-012, August, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Methodological guidelines for tracking public agricultural expenditure with illustrations from Zambia
J. Govereh1, P. Chilonda2*, E. Malawo3, T. S. Jayne1 and L. Rugube4
1Food Security Research Project, Lusaka, Zambia.
2International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Southern Africa Office; 141 Cresswell Street,
Private Bag X813, Silverton 0127, Pretoria, South Africa.
3Policy and Planning Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Lusaka, Zambia.
4University of Pretoria, Post Graduate School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Accepted 12 March, 2019
Abstract
The signing of the Maputo Declaration in 2003 by African Union member states requiring them to allocate 10% of national budget to agriculture, necessitates a framework or system that tracks how much is being spent, where it is being spent, what it is being spent on and for whom, and how it has changed over time in relation to the set targets. This paper provides such a framework and illustrates its use using data from Zambia. It provides a concept and practical information to facilitate tracking of national public expenditure on agriculture. Data on public expenditure on agriculture are available from government budgetary records. Knowledge of the public agricultural system is argued to be an essential first step in tracking expenditures. The paper identified actors, functions of actors and relationships among actors within the public agricultural system. An additional proposed tool is a set of classifications of expenditures on agriculture enable grouping of different expenditures into policy-relevant dimensions. Documentation of all procedures and decisions made will help analysts employing similar measurements conduct comparisons over time and across boundaries and set the stage for sharing ideas and experiences, which eventually improve the standards of measuring public expenditure on agriculture.
Key words: Methodological guidelines, public spending, tracking, Zambia.
P. Chilonda*, T. S. Jayne and L. Rugube, E. Malawo, J. Govereh
Page: 1 - 12
https://doi.org/10.46882/IJAEE/1086