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Trade and Poverty in Rural Africa: Role of Nutrition, Population Dynamics, and Farm Productivity

This research explores how African farmers respond to shocks, the impact of nutrition and population dynamics on poverty, and the role of farm productivity in rural Africa. It emphasizes the need for increased investment in agriculture, particularly in research and development (R&D), to improve food-crop productivity and address undernutrition. The challenges faced by African farmers and potential solutions are discussed, including new funding mechanisms to encourage innovation and adoption of successful food-crop techniques.

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Trade and Poverty in Rural Africa: Role of Nutrition, Population Dynamics, and Farm Productivity

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  1. Trade and Poverty in Rural AfricaThe role of nutrition, population dynamics, and farm productivityWilliam A. MastersPurdue Universitywww.agecon.purdue.edu/staff/mastersWoodrow Wilson Center -- April 15, 2005

  2. How do African farmers respond to shocks? • physical capital • livestock • soils! • human capital • nutrition • children • social capital • networks (as opposed to markets) • conflict (as opposed to cooperation)

  3. Investment rates depend on bothprices and productivity

  4. Consumption levels have fallen to be among the world’s lowest Data and projections on childhood underweight, 1995-2015

  5. Undernutrition is the developing world’s leading cause of ill-health Attribution of disease burden to major risk factors (estimates for high-mortality developing countries, 2000)

  6. The rural poor are particularly undernourished Stunting by residence and wealth Source: FAO (2004), The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2004. Rome, FAO.

  7. Poverty is closely linked to institutions and social capital

  8. Food-crop output has been a key difference between Africa and Asia

  9. More and more Africans have no choice but to be farmers

  10. …and Africa’s fertility transition is unusually slow

  11. To raise food-crop productivity, Africa has a lot of catch-up to do

  12. The pace of farm productivity growth is driven by new-variety adoption

  13. …and new varieties come from public R&D investment

  14. R&D levels vary across countries but have not grown over time

  15. R&D has varied but high payoffs Estimated return to agricultural research and extension (%/year) Source: Alston, J.M., M.C. Marra, P.G. Pardey, and TJ Wyatt. 2000. "Research returns redux: A meta-analysis of the returns to agricultural R&D." Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 44(2): 185-215.

  16. …and sustaining sufficient public investment has been difficult!

  17. New funding mechanismsmay be helpful • The value of successful food-crop techniques spreads widely among low-income people • Private firms can’t recover costs • Donors have difficulty contracting for appropriate R&D or dissemination efforts • …but welfare gains can be measured, so donors could pay innovators after adoption • payments can be proportional to gains • innovators can choose what data to submit • secretariat can spot-check and certify accuracy

  18. Conclusions • To facilitate trade for the poorest people, local food-crop productivity must rise • To improve nutrition, health and schooling • To free resources for other things • African farmers face unusual obstacles • Including much less of the public R&D needed to generate appropriate new varieties • Donors can and do fund R&D programs directly, but contracting is difficult • A proposd way to facilitate investment is at: www.earth.columbia.edu/cgsd/prizes • .

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