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Relative preferences for soil conservation incentives among smallholder farmers: evidence from Malawi

By: Contributor(s): Material type: ArticleArticlePublication details: 2014ISSN:
  • 1467-8276 (Revista en electrónico)
  • 0002-9092
Subject(s): In: American Journal of Agricultural EconomicsSummary: This paper uses framed choice experiments to examine the preferences of smallholder farmers in Malawi regarding alternative policy-based incentives to adopt conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and increase yields. The policy incentives offered in the choice experiments included an ideal index-based crop insurance contract, an index insurance contract with basis risk, cash payments, and fertilizer subsidies. Prior to implementing the choice experiments, the farmers participated in a workshop utilizing small group-based dynamic learning games that demonstrated how index-based crop insurance contracts function. The choice experiment results indicate that most farmers preferred cash payments to index insurance contracts, even when the insurance contracts offered substantially higher expected returns. Further, more risk averse farmers were more likely to prefer cash payments than less risk averse and risk loving farmers.
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Article CIMMYT Knowledge Center: John Woolston Library CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection CIS-7608 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available
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In press

Peer-review: Yes - Open Access: Yes|http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&ISSN=0002-9092

This paper uses framed choice experiments to examine the preferences of smallholder farmers in Malawi regarding alternative policy-based incentives to adopt conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and increase yields. The policy incentives offered in the choice experiments included an ideal index-based crop insurance contract, an index insurance contract with basis risk, cash payments, and fertilizer subsidies. Prior to implementing the choice experiments, the farmers participated in a workshop utilizing small group-based dynamic learning games that demonstrated how index-based crop insurance contracts function. The choice experiment results indicate that most farmers preferred cash payments to index insurance contracts, even when the insurance contracts offered substantially higher expected returns. Further, more risk averse farmers were more likely to prefer cash payments than less risk averse and risk loving farmers.

Maize CRP FP1 - Sustainable intensification of maize-based farming systems

Socioeconomics Program

English

Oxford University Press|CIMMYT Informa No. 1908

I1705822

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection


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