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 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 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 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 Miombo in Transition written by Bruce Morgan Campbell and published by CIFOR. This book was released on 1996-01-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miombo woodlands and their use: overview and key issues. The ecology of miombo woodlands. Population biology of miombo tree. Miombo woodlands in the wider context: macro-economic and inter-sectoral influences. Rural households and miombo woodlands: use, value and management. Trade in woodland products from the miombo region. Managing miombo woodland. Institutional arrangements governing the use and the management of miombo woodlands. Miombo woodlands and rural livelihoods: options and opportunities.
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 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 Women s Empowerment and Nutrition written by Mara van den Bold and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many development programs that aim to alleviate poverty and improve investments in human capital consider womens empowerment a key pathway by which to achieve impact and often target women as their main beneficiaries. Despite this, womens empowerment dimensions are often not rigorously measured and are at times merely assumed. This paper starts by reflecting on the concept and measurement of womens empowerment and then reviews some of the structural interventions that aim to influence underlying gender norms in society and eradicate gender discrimination. It then proceeds to review the evidence of the impact of three types of interventionscash transfer programs, agricultural interventions, and microfinance programson womens empowerment, nutrition, or both. Qualitative evidence on conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs generally points to positive impacts on womens empowerment, although quantitative research findings are more heterogenous. CCT programs produce mixed results on long-term nutritional status, and very limited evidence exists of their impacts on micronutrient status. The little evidence available on unconditional cash transters (UCT) indicates mixed impacts on womens empowerment and positive impacts on nutrition; however, recent reviews comparing CCT and UCT programs have found little difference in terms of their effects on stunting and they have found that conditionality is less important than other factors, such as access to healthcare and child age and sex. Evidence of cash transfer program impacts depending on the gender of the transfer recipient or on the conditionality is also mixed, although CCTs with non-health conditionalities seem to have negative impacts on nutritional status. The impacts of programs based on the gender of the transfer recipient show mixed results, but almost no experimental evidence exists of testing gender-differentiated impacts of a single program. Agricultural interventionsspecifically home gardening and dairy projectsshow mixed impacts on womens empowerment measures such as time, workload, and control over income; but they demonstrate very little impact on nutrition. Implementation modalities are shown to determine differential impacts in terms of empowerment and nutrition outcomes. With regard to the impact of microfinance on womens empowerment, evidence is also mixed, although more recent reviews do not find any impact on womens empowerment. The impact of microfinance on nutritional status is mixed, with no evidence of impact on micronutrient status. Across all three types of programs (cash transfer programs, agricultural interventions, and microfinance programs), very little evidence exists on pathways of impact, and evidence is often biased toward a particular region. The paper ends with a discussion of the findings and remaining evidence gaps and an outline of recommendations for research.
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 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.
Download or read book Delving deeper into the agricultural transformation and youth employment nexus written by Adesugba, Margaret Abiodun and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Youth employment is not an entirely new topic for research and policy. Recent estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2013a) suggest that high and rising unemployment rates among youth remain a key challenge to global development, especially in the developing world. This is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa where about 85 percent of youth (defined by the ILO as all those between the ages of 15 and 24 years) are poor, 70 percent live in rural areas where agriculture is the main source for their income and subsistence, and 11 million youth are expected to enter the labor market every year for the next decade (World Bank 2014). These characteristics of youth in sub-Saharan Africa justify the centrality of the nexus between youth employment and agriculture in formulating development policy on the continent. At the same time, youth unemployment is currently one of the issues receiving attention at the top of the global development agenda.
Download or read book The State of the World s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture presents the first global assessment of biodiversity for food and agriculture worldwide. Biodiversity for food and agriculture is the diversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms at genetic, species and ecosystem levels, present in and around crop, livestock, forest and aquatic production systems. It is essential to the structure, functions and processes of these systems, to livelihoods and food security, and to the supply of a wide range of ecosystem services. It has been managed or influenced by farmers, livestock keepers, forest dwellers, fish farmers and fisherfolk for hundreds of generations. Prepared through a participatory, country-driven process, the report draws on information from 91 country reports to provide a description of the roles and importance of biodiversity for food and agriculture, the drivers of change affecting it and its current status and trends. It describes the state of efforts to promote the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture, including through the development of supporting policies, legal frameworks, institutions and capacities. It concludes with a discussion of needs and challenges in the future management of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The report complements other global assessments prepared under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which have focused on the state of genetic resources within particular sectors of food and agriculture.
Download or read book Growing Greener Cities in Africa written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). This book was released on 2012 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second Global Plan of Action addresses new challenges, such as climate change and food insecurity, as well as novel opportunities, including information, communication and molecular methodologies. It contains 18 priority activities organized in four main groups: In situ conservation and management; Ex situ conservation; Sustainable use; and Building sustainable institutional and human capacities.
