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Growing their own: Unobservable quality and the value of self-provisioning

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  • Hoffmann, Vivian
  • Gatobu, Ken

Abstract

Many important food quality and safety attributes are unobservable at the point of sale, particularly in informal markets with weak reputation effects. Through a framed field experiment conducted in western Kenya, we show that farmers place a large premium on maize they have grown themselves, relative to that available for purchase. Providing information on the origin of maize, and on its taste and safety, reduces this gap. We conclude that information which is unavailable during typical market transactions is important to how consumers value maize, and that imperfect information may contribute to the prevalence of agricultural production for subsistence needs in developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Hoffmann, Vivian & Gatobu, Ken, 2013. "Growing their own: Unobservable quality and the value of self-provisioning," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150004, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea13:150004
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.150004
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    Cited by:

    1. Hoffmann, Vivian & Mutiga, Samuel & Harvey, Jagger & Nelson, Rebecca & Milgroom, Michael, 2013. "Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize in Kenya: Observability and Mitigation Behavior," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 155024, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Demand and Price Analysis; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; International Development;
    All these keywords.

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