The braconid larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes Cameron was introduced from Asia into East and Southern African region starting in 1993 to control the invasive exotic maize stemborer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). A quasi-experiment was constructed using farmers that applied...

National food security in Malawi depends on improving the performance of maize markets. Ensuring that grain is consistently available at tolerable prices is crucial for consumers’ food security. At the same time, surplus producing farmers need to receive farm-gate prices consistently above...

Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is the major food and cash crop. Vulnerability analysis was conducted on a sample of 802 households in eight districts of Nyanza and Western provinces. Farmers perceived Striga as the major cause of...

There is widespread consensus that agricultural technology has an important role to play for poverty reduction and sustainable development. There is less consensus, however, about the types of technologies that are best suited for smallholder farmers in Africa. While some consider natural...

In Sub-Sahara Africa, adoption rates of improved crop varieties remain relatively low, which is partly due to farmers’ limited access to information. In smallholder settings, information often spreads through informal networks. Better understanding of such networks could potentially help to...

In Kenya, trade policy reforms in the cereals sector were initiated as a key componentof the economy-wide structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) during the mid 1980s.The SAPs were later strengthened and made irreversible by Kenya’s commitments atthe multilateral trade negotiations. However,...

Deficiencies of micronutrients such as vitamin A are widespread, expecially in Africa.Biofortified crops such as maize, bred for high levels of provitamin A might offer a solution, butthese crops are often bright orange, and African maize consumers prefer white. To estimate theconsumers interest...

Paper accepted for presentation at the 27th Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), Beijing China, August 16-22, 2009, (Ref 690)

The current food crisis all over the globe has necessitated alternative policy actions byvarious stakeholders in almost all countries of the world. Consequently, efforts are focusedon increased investment in agricultural research and development. The study evaluatesimpact of technological...

Paper accepted for presentation at the 27th Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), Beijing China, August 16-22, 2009, (Ref 690)