A farmer's uncertainty preferences can play a large role in how he makes production decisions on the farm. We attempt to understand how farmers' household characteristics as well as past harvest shocks affect uncertainty preferences of maize farmers in southern Mexico. By using a series of...

Kazakhstan and Germany have different development levels of the agricultural sectors. One of the explanations for this fact might be the different investment behavior of farmers in the two countries. We experimentally analyze whether the investment behavior of farmers is consistent with the...

This paper analyses the influencing factors of farmers' use of price hedging instruments (PHIs) based upon a discrete choice experiment with German grain farmers. A mixed logit model is used to determine whether farmers' choices of PHIs against cash sales are influenced by their price...

This paper shows how agent-based stochastic approaches can provide a complementary and more flexible approach to study investment incentives and price dynamics in a real options framework. We particularly study the case of two-stage production chains in which one sector produces an intermediate...

In the absence of formal financial markets many poor households rely on the mutual exchange of transfers within informal risk sharing networks to protect themselves against adverse events. In this paper we present a model that explains the impact of formal insurance on informal risk sharing and,...

Mobile internet is considered one of the most important developments in information and communication technology due to its considerable effect on both the economy and our daily lives. Furthermore, mobile internet is an essential tool for overcoming the rural–urban digital divide. With respect...

Olive oil yields fluctuate strongly due to their dependence on sufficient precipitation. An interesting option to hedge the yield risk in olive cultivation could be satellite-based weather index insurance. Therefore, we implement index insurance as a hedging alternative for non-irrigated olive...

This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and farmers' awareness of digital credit in rural Madagascar. We apply questions that demonstrate individuals' understanding of the four fundamental concepts for financial decision making: numeracy, interest compounding,...

Financial institutions still neglect to address agricultural clients. The main reasons for that are their perception that farmers bear higher risks than non-farmers and that their loan products are inadequate to accommodate the needs of agricultural entrepreneurs. As a result, many farmers still...

To date, studies dealing with the impact assessment of changing irrigation policies predominately rely on normative rational choice models that are subject to rather restrictive assumptions such as profit-maximizing behavior. However, there is increasing evidence that decision makers pursue...