A translog stochastic cost frontier is estimated to calculate cost efficiency index (CEI) of 203 Kenyan and Ugandan maize producers using survey data from 2003. Results show a mean CEI of 1.95, with greater inefficiency among farms in Kenya of medium-large size. Key sources of inefficiency are...

Using nationwide longitudinal household survey data from rural Kenya (1997–2004) and Zambia (2001–2004), we estimate probit models to identify the socio-economic correlates of disease-related mortality of individuals between the ages of 15 and 59. We compare these results with the rural...

Based on the findings of this study, the following actions are proposed for consideration by the Government of Kenya: 1. Raise public investment in maize seed breeding and agronomic research to make it possible for improvements in smallholder crop productivity. Based on research evaluating the...

A new wave of “market smart” modern input subsidy schemes has emerged in sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade with the promise of increasing input use and grain yields while building or complementing private sector efforts. We study the extent to which geographic and household level...

Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties rich in beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A are one of the least expensive sources of dietary vitamin A in Sub-Saharan Africa, where most sweetpotato is consumed as boiled or steamed roots. One major question is how its use can be expanded among...

Replaced with revised version of paper 10/04/07.

Replaced with revised version of paper 11/01/06.

The purpose of this study is to assess the costs of maize production in Kenya and Uganda, starting from the fact that there is no single “cost of production” for maize. Cost of production varies according to region, the type of technology package employed, farmers’ management practices,...

Campaigns to prevent the spread of HIV require accurate knowledge of the characteristics of those most likely to contract the disease. Studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1980s generally found a positive correlation between socioeconomic characteristics such as education, income,...