Download or read book Consumer choice of dry common beans in Malawi the case of Lilongwe City written by Phiri, Horace and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considering the potential of grain legumes for reducing hunger and malnutrition, this paper aims at identifying factors shaping demand for and consumption of dry common bean from a consumer’s perspective. Understanding and addressing these factors has potential to increase common bean consumption by enabling breeders to breed common beans with attributes that are preferred by consumers. The study employed a quantitative approach to assess various aspects of household common bean consumption from primary data collected in Lilongwe city. The study results suggest that socio-economic factors such as household size, education, gender, income, and number of children under the age of five years in the household play an important role in a household’s decision to consume common beans and the respective quantities consumed. Various product attributes such as grain size, gravy quality, and cooking time also influenced a household’s decision to consume common beans.
Download or read book Consumer Color Preferences and the Economics of Bean Consumption in Malawi written by Austin Mbamba and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Different dry bean crop varieties with different colors are produced in Malawi. Yet, little is known about the drivers of consumer preferences for the different dry bean varieties grown based on color. Literature shows that consumers link bean color to taste, cooking time, gravy quality and other desirable characteristics. The main objective of this research was to assess factors that determine consumption of different types of dry beans in Malawi based on color to determine preferences for different consumer segments and hence the potential value of these preferences communicated across the dry bean supply chain, to enhance the probability of success for breeders' efforts and the bean value chain's initiatives. The research used survey data that was collected by the Bean Value Chain Research Network in Lilongwe District, Malawi. The sample size of the dataset was 687 households from three different economic strata. The research focused on four dry bean colors: Red, Red Mottled, White and Cream Mottled bean. These were found to be the most prominent colors by sales and stated preference in Malawi. Two econometric approaches were used in the data analysis. A bivariate analysis using Pearson's chi-square was used to test the significance of the association between bean consumption (dependent variable) and household as well as product characteristics explanatory variables. A logit model was run on each of the four color types to assess the extent to which the explanatory variables influence consumer preferences for alternative colors of dry bean products. Results showed that 40.8% of the respondents consumed red beans, 12.6% consumed red mottled, 14.6% consumed White and 32% consumed Cream mottled beans. In terms of demographic characteristics, respondents' marital and employment status as well as household size were found to have no significant influence the consumption of all the four colors. Being educated decreased probability of consuming white and cream mottled beans. Household characteristics were also found to influence preferences for color. For example, households in low and middle-income households were shown to have a lower likelihood of consuming white beans. The characteristics of the beans were also important in influencing preferences. For example, medium grain size beans influenced preference for red beans while fast cooking beans negatively affected the consumption of mottled red beans. The results provide insights for bean breeders in their attempts to contribute to increased producer incomes through a careful response to consumer preferences and not just producer demands for agronomic traits.
Download or read book Bean Production Problems in the Tropics written by Howard F. Schwartz and published by CIAT. This book was released on 1989 with total page 750 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first section reviews trends of bean production and constraints in Latin America and Africa. The second section covers fungal diseases. The third section, bacterial diseases. The fourth section, viral and mycoplasma diseases. The fifth section, insect pests. The last section, other bean production constraints, that is, nutritional disorders, nematodes, seed pathology, and additional problems.
Download or read book Bean Production Problems written by Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical and published by Agribookstore/Winrock. This book was released on 1980 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book West African Agriculture and Climate Change written by Abdulai Jalloh and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of three books in IFPRI's climate change in Africa series, West African Agriculture and Climate Change: A Comprehensive Analysis examines the food security threats facing 11 of the countries that make up West Africa -- Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo -- and explores how climate change will increase the efforts needed to achieve sustainable food security throughout the region. West Africa's population is expected to grow at least through mid-century. The region will also see income growth. Both will put increased pressure on the natural resources needed to produce food, and climate change makes the challenges greater. West Africa is already experiencing rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and increasing extreme events. Without attention to adaptation, the poor will suffer. Through the use of hundreds of scenario maps, models, figures, and detailed analysis, the editors and contributors of West African Agriculture and Climate Change present plausible future scenarios that combine economic and biophysical characteristics to explore the possible consequences for agriculture, food security, and resources management to 2050. They also offer recommendations to national governments and regional economic agencies already dealing with the vulnerabilities of climate change and deviations in environment. Decisionmakers and researchers will find West African Agriculture and Climate Change a vital tool for shaping policy and studying the various and likely consequences of climate change.
Download or read book Market information and access to structured markets by small farmers and traders Evidence from an action research experiment in central Malawi written by Ochieng, Dennis O. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-03-12 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Small farmers and traders often lack the market information they need to earn the most from their crop sales. This paper analyzes the effects of an action research experiment in central Malawi, in which four groups of smallholder farmers were provided with maize and soybean price information from a local commodity exchange during the 2019 marketing season, while four other groups of smallholder farmers did not receive this information. Using data from a panel survey of 399 farmers and 78 traders conducted before and after the main marketing season and using kernel propensity score matching approach to account for possible differences between the treated and non-treated farmers, we estimate the effects of the intervention on a number of outcome indicators. A before versus after analysis was also employed to evaluate changes in traders’ marketing outcomes. We find positive but statistically insignificant effects on maize and soybean selling prices, sales through structured markets and levels of commercialization after the intervention. We also find a negative and statistically significant effect on the quantity of maize sold by farmers, suggesting paradoxically that providing farmers with price information reduced their sales volumes. The proportion of traders aware of structured markets and their share of sales through structured markets also increased significantly after the intervention. The quantity of maize sold by traders as well as the selling prices for maize and soy-bean also increased significantly, although this may be due to factors other than the intervention. The study concludes that provision of price information alone is not enough to facilitate small farmers’ and traders’ use of structured markets. Greater effort is needed to sensitize farmers and traders on the quality and quantity requirements as well as the operations of structured markets.
Download or read book Changes in food and nutrition security in Malawi written by Iñigo Verduzco-Gallo and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A large proportion of Malawian households are caught in a trap where poverty and food insecurity reinforce one another and where periods of food deficits and severe food crises are frequent occurrences. In recognition of this, the Malawian government has since 2005/06 implemented a large-scale Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), which supplies half of smallholder farmers with sufficient fertilizer and maize seeds to satisfy the maize consumption needs of an average-sized family. While the program boosted maize production and lowered maize prices, thus ensuring increased caloric availability at the household level, its effect on overall food consumption, dietary diversity, micronutrient deficiency, and child nutrition is less clear. This study evaluates household expenditure survey data to measure changes in nutrition outcomes between 2004/05 and 2010/11.
Download or read book A Market Facilitator s Guide to Participatory Agroenterprise Development written by Shaun Ferris and published by Catholic Relief Services. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication is a product of the experiences and lessons learned while implementing agroenterprise projects in eastern and southern Africa. A Market Facilitator's Guide is based on a resource-to-consumption framework, which is the central theme of the "enabling rural innovation" approach for rural development. This approach seeks to empower farmer groups with the necessary skills to make informed decisions for their economic development, based on an analysis of their surroundings, assets and skills. The methodology also aims for outcomes that are equitable, gender focused and participatory.
Download or read book Agricultural Input Subsidies written by Ephraim Chirwa and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013-09-26 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes forward our understanding of agricultural input subsidies in low income countries.
Download or read book The Nigerian Rice Economy written by Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2016-08-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Nigerian Rice Economy the authors assess three options for reducing this dependency - tariffs and other trade policies; increasing domestic rice production; and improving post-harvest rice processing and marketing - and identify improved production and post-harvest activities as the most promising. These options however, will require substantially increased public investments in a variety of areas, including research and development, basic infrastructure (for example, irrigation, feeder roads, and electricity), and rice milling technologies.
Download or read book Globalization of Food Systems in Developing Countries written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2004 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes papers and case studies presented at a FAO workshop held in Rome, Italy from 8 to 10 October 2003
Download or read book Structure conduct and performance of maize markets in Malawi written by Ochieng, Dennis O. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2019-08-21 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seasonal analysis of the structure, conduct, and performance (SCP) of markets for staple crops has received relatively little attention in food policy analysis yet it has important implications for food and nutrition security. This study employs a mixed methods approach to analyze the SCP of maize markets in Malawi in the 2018/19 main harvest and lean seasons. We interviewed 749 traders from 74 markets across 8 districts, held 28 focus group discussions (FGD) with a total of 480 farmers and analyzed daily and weekly price data from 13 regional markets. The structure of maize markets was explored by examining marketing channels, barriers to entry and the competitiveness of different tiers of the marketing chain. Inequality in sales revenues, switches in trader types between seasons, quality and weights standardization, and the behavior of traders were used to examine market conduct. Performance was assessed by examining traders’ costs and margins, and the spatial and temporal integration of maize markets. We find that Malawi’s maize market is pyramidal in structure and highly competitive at lower tiers of trade but ‘oligopolistic’ at higher tiers. The market channels vary across seasons with switches between trader types and instances of rural-urban trade reversals. There is considerable inequality of sales revenues among traders of similar capacities, and a widespread lack of structured trading despite existing institutions. A high ratio of marketing costs to revenue suggests marketing inefficiencies. Malawi maize prices were highly seasonal and more volatile than neighboring countries. In contrast to previous studies, our findings show weak spatial integration of markets and slow price adjustments to long-run equilibrium values even among short-distance market pairs. The study highlights five pathways to improving Malawi’s maize marketing system: (1) increased policy predictability to promote private-sector investment; (2) institutionalization of quality grades and standardization of weights and measures; (3) increased commercialization of smallholder maize production; (4) investment in enabling infrastructure; and (5) the promotion of structured trading.
Download or read book Agriculture for improved nutrition Seizing the momentum written by Fan, Shenggen and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2019-02-28 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agriculture's vast potential to improve nutrition is just beginning to be tapped. New ideas, research, and initiatives developed over the past decade have created an opportunity for reimagining and redesigning agricultural and food systems for the benefit of nutrition. To support this transformation, the book reviews the latest findings, results from on-the-ground programs and interventions, and recent policy experiences from countries around the world that are bringing the agriculture and nutrition sectors closer together. Drawing on IFPRI's own work and that of the growing agriculture-nutrition community, this book strengthens the evidence base for, and expands our vision of, how agriculture can contribute to nutrition. Chapters cover an array of issues that link agriculture and nutrition, including food value chains, nutrition-sensitive programs and policies, government policies, and private sector investments. By highlighting both achievements and setbacks, Agriculture for Improved Nutrition seeks to inspire those who want to scale up successes that can transform food systems and improve the nutrition of billions of people.
Download or read book Malawi written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-08-03 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS-II) is a poverty reduction strategy for the period 2006–11, which is aimed at fulfilling Malawi’s future developmental aspiration—Vision 2020. The strategy identifies broad thematic areas and key priority areas to bring about sustained economic growth. A striking feature of this strategy is that the various governmental organizations, private sector, and general public are equal stakeholders. However, successful implementation of MGDS-II will largely depend on sound macroeconomic management and a stable political environment.
Download or read book Secondary towns agricultural prices and intensification Evidence from Ethiopia written by Vandercasteelen, Joachim and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2017-03-01 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urbanization is happening fast in the developing world and especially so in sub-Saharan Africa where growth rates of cities are among the highest in the world. While cities and, in particular, secondary towns, where most of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa resides, affect agricultural practices in their rural hinterlands, this relationship is not well understood. To fill this gap, we develop a conceptual model to analyze how farmers’ proximity to cities of different sizes affects agricultural prices and intensification of farming. We then test these predictions using large-scale survey data from producers of teff, a major staple crop in Ethiopia, relying on unique data on transport costs and road networks and implementing an array of econometric models. We find that agricultural price behavior and intensification is determined by proximity to a city and the type of city. While proximity to cities has a strong positive effect on agricultural output prices and on uptake of modern inputs and yields on farms, the effects on prices and intensification measures are lower for farmers in the rural hinterlands of secondary towns compared to primate cities.
Download or read book The economics of teff Exploring Ethiopia s biggest cash crop Synopsis written by Minten, Bart and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-07-19 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teff is the staple food of Ethiopia and its biggest cash crop. Teff is nutritious and well adapted to the growing conditions in Ethiopia, but little has been invested to improve the crop’s productivity or to expand domestic or international markets. Given high levels of poverty and food insecurity in Ethiopia, coupled with the large dependency on agriculture, agricultural transformation is a critical development goal. Identifying opportunities to improve agricultural performance, and confronting the challenges to doing so, is essential. The Economics of Teff: Exploring Ethiopia’s Biggest Cash Crop examines the potential of teff and offers recommendations on how to increase production and expand markets in order to benefit both farmers and consumers.
Download or read book The Common Bean Genome written by Marcelino Pérez de la Vega and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-12-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides insights into the genetics and the latest advances in genomics research on the common bean, offering a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume crop for food consumption worldwide, as well as a model for legume research, and the availability of the genome sequence has completely changed the paradigm of the ongoing research on the species. Key topics covered include the numerous genetic and genomic resources, available tools, the identified genes and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identified, and there is a particular emphasis on domestication. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the genetics and genomics of the common bean and legumes in general.
