IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/aareaj/333739.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of conservation tillage on maize yield and input demand: the case of smallholder farmers in north-west Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Tessema, Yohannis Mulu
  • Asafu-Adjaye, John
  • Shiferaw, Bekele

Abstract

This study analyses the economics of conservation tillage (CT) with respect to its effect on maize yield and chemical fertiliser, herbicide, and female and male labour demand. We estimate production and input demand functions using seemingly unrelated regressions on plot-level cross-sectional farm household data collected in the north-west of Ethiopia. A two-step control function is applied to address potential endogeneity bias due to the inclusion of the CT adoption decision as an explanatory variable. Our results show that CT increases maize yield and chemical fertiliser demand. Additionally, the results show that the adoption of CT reduces female and male labour required for crop production. However, this is achieved through the increased use of herbicides, which might have an undesirable health and environmental effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Tessema, Yohannis Mulu & Asafu-Adjaye, John & Shiferaw, Bekele, 2018. "The impact of conservation tillage on maize yield and input demand: the case of smallholder farmers in north-west Ethiopia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 62(4), October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aareaj:333739
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.333739
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/333739/files/ajar12270.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.333739?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer & Jonathan Robinson, 2011. "Nudging Farmers to Use Fertilizer: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Kenya," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2350-2390, October.
    2. Heisey, Paul W. & Norton, George W., 2007. "Fertilizers and other farm chemicals," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, in: Robert Evenson & Prabhu Pingali (ed.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 53, pages 2741-2777, Elsevier.
    3. Teklewold, Hailemariam & Kassie, Menale & Shiferaw, Bekele & Köhlin, Gunnar, 2013. "Cropping system diversification, conservation tillage and modern seed adoption in Ethiopia: Impacts on household income, agrochemical use and demand for labor," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 85-93.
    4. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, M. & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behavior with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explain," CUDARE Working Papers 198579, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    5. J. Scott Shonkwiler & Steven T. Yen, 1999. "Two-Step Estimation of a Censored System of Equations," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(4), pages 972-982.
    6. Tavneet Suri, 2011. "Selection and Comparative Advantage in Technology Adoption," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(1), pages 159-209, January.
    7. Paswel P. Marenya & Christopher B. Barrett, 2009. "State-conditional Fertilizer Yield Response on Western Kenyan Farms," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 991-1006.
    8. Fuglie, Keith O., 1999. "Conservation Tillage And Pesticide Use In The Cornbelt," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 31(1), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Alene, Arega D. & Manyong, V.M. & Omanya, G. & Mignouna, H.D. & Bokanga, M. & Odhiambo, G., 2008. "Smallholder market participation under transactions costs: Maize supply and fertilizer demand in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 318-328, August.
    10. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, Marcel & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(409), pages 1400-1417, November.
    11. Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2015. "Control Function Methods in Applied Econometrics," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(2), pages 420-445.
    12. Marita Laukkanen & Céline Nauges, 2011. "Environmental and Production Cost Impacts of No-till in Finland: Estimates from Observed Behavior," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 87(3), pages 508-527.
    13. Megan Sheahan & Christopher B. Barrett & Casey Goldvale, 2017. "Human health and pesticide use in Sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(S1), pages 27-41, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, Thomas S., 2012. "What is the Scope for Increased Fertilizer Use in Kenya?," Food Security International Development Working Papers 135283, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    2. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, T.S., 2013. "Are Kenyan farmers under-utilizing fertilizer? Implications for input intensification strategies and research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 39-52.
    3. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, Thomas S., 2012. "Are Farmers Under-Utilizing Fertilizer? Evidence from Kenya," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126739, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Kopper, Sarah A., 2018. "Agricultural labor markets and fertilizer demand: Intensification is not a single factor problem for non-separable households," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274184, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Melkani, Aakanksha & Mason, Nicole & Mather, David & Chisanga, Brian & Jayne, Thom, 2021. "Smallholder Market Participation and Choice of Marketing Channel in the Presence of Liquidity Constraints: Evidence from Zambian Maize Markets," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315273, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Momanyi, Denis & Lagat, Prof. Job K. & Ayuya, Dr. Oscar I., 2016. "Analysis of the Marketing Behaviour of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables among Smallholder Farmers in Nyamira County, Kenya," MPRA Paper 69202, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Jan 2016.
    7. Hayatullah Ahmadzai, 2018. "Factor market participation and tests for separability in Afghanistan," Discussion Papers 2018-10, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    8. Olwande, John & Smale, Melinda & Mathenge, Mary K. & Place, Frank & Mithöfer, Dagmar, 2015. "Agricultural marketing by smallholders in Kenya: A comparison of maize, kale and dairy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 22-32.
    9. Abebayehu Girma Geffersa & Frank W. Agbola & Amir Mahmood, 2022. "Improved maize adoption and impacts on farm household welfare: Evidence from rural Ethiopia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(4), pages 860-886, October.
    10. Wondimagegn Tesfaye & Garrick Blalock & Nyasha Tirivayi, 2021. "Climate‐Smart Innovations and Rural Poverty in Ethiopia: Exploring Impacts and Pathways," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(3), pages 878-899, May.
    11. Kamel Louhichi & Umed Temursho & Liesbeth Colen & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2019. "Upscaling the productivity performance of the Agricultural Commercialization Cluster Initiative in Ethiopia [Élargissement des performance de productivité de l'Initiative des grappes de Commerciali," Working Papers hal-02790390, HAL.
    12. Mekdim D. Regassa & Mohammed B. Degnet & Mequanint B. Melesse, 2023. "Access to credit and heterogeneous effects on agricultural technology adoption: Evidence from large rural surveys in Ethiopia," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 71(2), pages 231-253, June.
    13. Marenya, Paswel P. & Gebremariam, Gebrelibanos & Jaleta, Moti & Rahut, Dil B., 2020. "Sustainable intensification among smallholder maize farmers in Ethiopia: Adoption and impacts under rainfall and unobserved heterogeneity," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Goundan, Anatole & Faye, Amy & Henning, Christian H. C. A. & Collins-Sowah, Peron A., 2020. "Investing in risky inputs in Senegal: Implications for farm profit and food production," Working Papers of Agricultural Policy WP2020-07, University of Kiel, Department of Agricultural Economics, Chair of Agricultural Policy.
    15. Sibbir Ahmad & Melinda Smale & Veronique Theriault & Eugenie Maiga, 2023. "Input subsidies and crop diversity on family farms in Burkina Faso," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(1), pages 237-254, February.
    16. Kopper, Sarah A. & Jayne, Thomas S., 2019. "Market access, agro-ecological conditions, and Boserupian agricultural intensification patterns in Kenya: Implications for agricultural programs and research," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    17. Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda, 2012. "Targeted Subsidies and Private Market Participation: An Assessment of Fertilizer Demand in Nigeria:," IFPRI discussion papers 1194, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Awudu Abdulai, 2023. "Information acquisition and the adoption of improved crop varieties," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(4), pages 1049-1062, August.
    19. Rob Kuijpers & Johan Swinnen, 2016. "Value Chains and Technology Transfer to Agriculture in Developing and Emerging Economies," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1403-1418.
    20. Yazeed Abdul Mumin & Awudu Abdulai, 2022. "Social networks, adoption of improved variety and household welfare: evidence from Ghana," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 49(1), pages 1-32.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crop Production/Industries;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:aareaj:333739. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaresea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.