Contrary to conventional wisdom that equates rural economies with agriculture, rural residents in developing countries often rely heavily on activities other than farming for their income. Indeed, nonfarm work accounts for between one-third and one-half of rural incomes in the developing world....

"Food safety standards that developed countries impose on developing-country exports have sometimes created a barrier to market access. But in Latin America today, the standards set by supermarkets in the region affect local producers far more than do those imposed by developed countries. Latin...

Most of the poor in the developing countries are smallholder farmers. Improving their productivity is essential for reducing poverty. Despite small landholdings, a high degree of land fragmentation, and rising labor costs, agricultural production in China has steadily increased. If one treats...

This article estimates the effect of a fertilizer voucher program on farmer participation in the private fertilizer market in Nigeria. Using a double-hurdle model (to address corner solution challenges with estimating input demand) and a control function approach (to account for the endogeneity...

This paper explores the efficiency of a targeted fertilizer subsidy program administered differently in two Nigerian states in 2009. An important dimension along which the otherwise similar programs differed was the fertilizer distribution strategy. Fertilizer distribution among program...

Improved farm technologies in Ethiopia display high levels of promise and low rates of adoption. This article studies the impact of social networks on technology adoption focusing on social learning through networks based on physical proximity and those based on intentional relationships....

Inorganic fertilizer use across Sub-Saharan Africa is generally considered to be low. Yet, this belief is predicated on the assumption that it is profitable to use rates higher than currently observed. However, there is little rigorous empirical evidence to support this notion. Using a...