The study examines the determinants of improved agricultural technologies adoption in Uganda, using a nationally representative panel data set of 1,600 farming households, collected by the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics in 2005/6 and 2009/10. Two agricultural technologies—improved seeds and...

This study provides empirical evidence on the effects of production risk on smallholder farmers’ adoption of farm technology, using plot-level data collected from two semi-arid districts in Kenya, Machakos and Taita Taveta. Using Mundlak’s approach (1978), the study found that...

This article empirically assesses the effect of unobserved transaction costs for Nigerian farmers when investing in irrigation pumps. The unobserved stochastic threshold (UST) model popularly used in labor economics literature is applied, and is compared with two models, the Tobit and the...

Rural households in sub-Saharan Africa face many risks and are therefore often vulnerable to poverty. Income diversification has been proposed as a potentially effective strategy to mitigate their risks. This paper explores how portfolio decisions of fishery-dependent households in Cameroon...

This paper examines the relationship between agricultural development, vulnerability to shocks and the risk management practices of small farmers in developing countries. Economic thinking on technology adoption has long been influenced by a model of a rational but risk-averse farmer....

Agriculture has multiple functions to fulfill for the development of the sub-Saharan Africa countries. It should be a source of growth and an instrument for poverty reduction and contribute to the provision of environmental services. Yet it is still used far below its potential, with gains in...

In a number of sub-Saharan African countries, farm input subsidies are currently implemented in order to stimulate farm-level fertiliser application, enhance food security, improve household income and alleviate poverty. In this paper, a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and the Foster,...

If agricultural markets do not work well in sub-Saharan Africa, it will be inconceivable to increase crop yields, as this requires the increased application of purchased inputs and the marketing of increased output. This study therefore investigates whether and to what extent rice markets...

Aflatoxin contamination in maize and maize products is a major problem in Kenya, especially in the lower eastern part, where crop losses and human fatalities have been reported. Using a pre-tested questionnaire, 480 households were surveyed in the area, which has been identified as a...

The study uses the flexible accelerator model to examine determinants of the level and growth of investment in machinery and equipment for a sample of tea-processing firms in Uganda. Using a dynamic panel data model, we find that, in the long run, the level of investment in machinery and...