This dissertation contains three essays at the interface of agricultural and development economics. The motivation for this lies in the fact that various studies have shown the agricultural sector to be the main income source for the majority of the global poor and it will hence have to play a...

Supposed portfolio benefits of commodities and the increased availability of commodity linked investment products such as index funds contribute to a financialization of agricultural commodity markets. The parallel increase in price levels and short-term volatility for almost all major...