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The inverse relationship between farm size and productivity in rural Rwanda

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  • Ansoms, An
  • Verdoodt, Ann
  • Van Ranst, Eric

Abstract

The Rwandan government has recently adopted new agricultural and land policies that strive to increase productivity in the agricultural sector though land consolidation and concentration, and through the promotion of regional crop specialisation and monocropping. This paper, however, identifies the strong inverse relationship between farm size and land productivity under the current land management system; also when taking into account farm fragmentation, crop diversification, frequency of multicropping and household size. In addition, it concludes that increased farm fragmentation, higher frequency of multicropping, and more crop diversification do not necessarily have a significant negative impact upon productivity, on the contrary. The paper reflects upon the implications of Rwanda’s agrarian and land policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ansoms, An & Verdoodt, Ann & Van Ranst, Eric, 2008. "The inverse relationship between farm size and productivity in rural Rwanda," IOB Discussion Papers 2008.09, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    • Handle: RePEc:iob:dpaper:2008009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ehrlich, Isaac & Lui, Francis, 1997. "The problem of population and growth: A review of the literature from Malthus to contemporary models of endogenous population and endogenous growth," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 205-242, January.
    2. World Bank, 2008. "World Development Indicators 2008," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11855.
    3. Andre, Catherine & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 1998. "Land relations under unbearable stress: Rwanda caught in the Malthusian trap," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 1-47, January.
    4. World Bank, 2008. "World Development Indicators 2008," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 28241.
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    Cited by:

    1. Klapwijk, C.J. & Bucagu, C. & van Wijk, M.T. & Udo, H.M.J. & Vanlauwe, B. & Munyanziza, E. & Giller, K.E., 2014. "The ‘One cow per poor family’ programme: Current and potential fodder availability within smallholder farming systems in southwest Rwanda," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 11-22.
    2. Solomon Bizuayehu Wassie & Gashaw Tadesse Abate & Tanguy Bernard, 2019. "Revisiting farm size-productivity relationship: New empirical evidence from Ethiopia," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 180-199, April.
    3. Klasen, Stephan & Reimers, Malte, 2017. "Looking at Pro-Poor Growth from an Agricultural Perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 147-168.
    4. DJOKOTO, Justice G. & BADU-PRAH, Charlotte & GIDIGLO, Ferguson K. & SROFENYOH, Francis Y. & AGYEI-HENAKU, Kofi Aaron A-O. & AFRANE ARTHUR, Akua A., 2022. "Farm Size And Efficiency Nexus: Evidence From A Meta-Regression," Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (RAAE), Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, vol. 25(1), March.
    5. An Ansoms & Donatella Rostagno, 2012. "Rwanda's Vision 2020 halfway through: what the eye does not see," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(133), pages 427-450, September.
    6. Mikhail Miklyaev & Glenn Jenkins & David Shobowale, 2020. "Sustainability of Agricultural Crop Policies in Rwanda: An Integrated Cost–Benefit Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, December.

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