Frederick O. Boadu

Household adoption of soil-improving practices and food insecurity in Ghana

BackgroundThe persistent problem of poor agricultural practices and technology use leads to food insecurity for some farmers in Ghana. Studies show that the adoption of improved agricultural practices and technology may help stabilize production and lessen food insecurity. This study addresses the link between food insecurity and the adoption of soil-improving practices. To address this link, the objectives of this study are to examine factors associated with the adoption of soil-improving practices by Ghanaian farmers and how this adoption impacts the probability of increased food security. Using survey data, two logit models are estimated to determine 1) the likelihood of adopting soil-improving practices including how food security may influence adoption and 2) the relationship between technology adoption and food security.ResultsIn the adoption model, being a food secure household, the use of insecticides and seasonal lease land tenure increase the probability of adopting such soil-improving practices. Farming on better soil decreases the probability of adopting soil-improving practices. Higher incomes along with the use of chemical fertilizers, farming on better soil, and the use of commercial seeds increase the probability of the household being food secure. The results on fertilizer, soil, and seeds are most likely associated with increased production. The use of insecticides (which may be an indicator of an insect infestation) lowers the probability of being food secure. Household characteristics such as income, age, education level, and household size are not significant in influencing the adoption decision or improving household food security.ConclusionsThe results lend support to a need to fine-tune the fertilizer subsidy policy implemented by the Government of Ghana. The government needs to consider that the use of fertilizer may have conflicting influences on adoption of soil-improving practices and food security. Improved seed research and distribution would improve the households’ food security. Inferences also suggest that it is important to consider land contract markets in policy decisions.

Global Demand for U.S. Environmental Goods and Services

This paper reports import demand elasticities for environmental goods and services (EGS) for the world in aggregate and for six world regions. The paper involves a pooled cross-section and time-series estimation procedure and makes per capita demand for EGS a function of economic, political, and structural factors. The results show that per capita incomes, exchange rates, political and economic freedoms, and debt affect the demand for EGS. The results also show that demand for EGS is tied to the particular environmental problem facing a particular region. Exporters of EGS need to disaggregate world markets to better target products.

Food Safety Regulation

Food quantity and quality have emerged as major public policy issues in sub-Saharan Africa because of the effect on human health and lost productivity. Economists discuss food safety in the context of market failure and externalities. The consumption of some foods may lead to the incidence of disease, the cost of which would be borne by the rest of society in the form of lost work days and productivity. Food safety is promoted using tort and regulatory standards. The two approaches in developing standards in food systems are a liability orientation, that is, a system based in tort (this approach is based in private law), and a second approach based in regulation based on statute (this is based in public law). Food safety regulation is also influenced by the precautionary principle. Plaintiffs in food safety actions have relied on traditional tort theories such as negligence and strict liability.

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE U.S.-MEXICO FREE TRADE AGREEMENT: ANALYSIS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL FAST TRACK VOTE

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the strategic forces shaping U.S.-Mexico trade relationships and the possibilities of extending the trade agreement to the rest of the Americas. The paper concludes that constituency interests, party loyalty, the proportion of a states population of Hispanic origin, and the influence of textile-related employment in the state were significant explanatory factors in the Congressional Fast Track vote that occurred in May of 1991.

Chapter 13 – Wildlife Resources

Wildlife populations are declining in sub-Saharan Africa. Poor specification of property rights to land leads to market failure and a divergence between social and private costs. Market failure leads to destruction of wildlife habitats as explained by the concept of tragedy of the commons, and to excessive harvesting of species through hunting and bush meat export. The policy concern pertaining to wildlife is extinction. Economists have used market and non-market valuation approaches, including estimates of existence values to quantify the benefits and costs associated with wildlife conservation policies and programs. The Safe Minimum Standards and Precautionary Principles have been used in wildlife policy design to account for risk and uncertainty. Private individuals have been prosecuted for poaching and illegal wildlife exports. Plaintiffs in most wildlife cases are advocacy and volunteer groups, and the defendants have often been a governmental agency responsible for enforcing the wildlife laws of a country.

Transboundary Water Resources and Wetlands

Transboundary river basins cover 60% of Africa, so countries share water as co-riparians under a treaty or convention. Given the erratic rainfall patterns and the effects of climate change, countries will face challenges in meeting future water needs for domestic, industrial, power, and irrigation uses. Commonalities in international arrangements to control transboundary water resources include joint management , water share rules , equity , environmental sustainability , benefit-sharing, data and information sharing . Game theoretic approaches have been used to explain nations’ behavior in transboundary water resource sharing. Countries seek a relational outcome in transboundary water negotiations and have established River Basin Organizations to achieve the coordination objective. Another topic of international concern is wetlands and their beneficial use as a source of income and ecological preservation. Private parties who have attempted to build on land declared as a wetland have faced court action.

What Is Agricultural Law

This chapter introduces the subject matter of agricultural law and the process of seeking redress before a court in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The sources of laws in SSA are discussed and some of the problems facing the courts, including court costs, case delays, and access to court are also explored. The complex interaction between customary laws and the received common law from England is also discussed. The law and economics evidence is of a central concept in the dispute resolution process. Cases from several SSA countries are used to illustrate how courts have explained the role of evidence in the dispute resolution process.

Chapter 14 – Water Resources

The law and economics of water resources in sub-Saharan Africa is complicated because water is found from different sources, has different uses, is subject to different quality standards, and may be supplied by different entities with different organizational structures. A dual-pricing policy to water distribution is one approach to balance urban and agricultural needs for water. All countries vest ownership of public water in the head of state, and control of water resources in a Minister of State. Public water requires a permit for withdrawal. Utility boards or commissions set user fees, issue permits for water use, and define priority in water allocation. Rural water is controlled by communities based on community rules and norms. Irrigation water pricing is based on cost-recovery principles to make water affordable for farmers. Few water-related cases brought before courts have raised issues about water contract specification and rate-setting by governing public utilities.

Trademarks and Patents

The development and application of science and technology need an enabling regulatory environment that protects intellectual property rights (IPR) to encourage research and inventions. Patents and trademarks are examples of approaches to protecting inventions. Sub-Saharan African countries operate under both international, regional, and domestic IPR regimes. For example, the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (“Plant Treaty”) approved in 2001 announced an important principle under the Plant Treaty, the Farmers’ Rights under which farmers are recognized as the guardians and holders of traditional knowledge and stewards of agricultural biodiversity. The Plant Treaty allows farmers to share benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. There are only a few court cases involving IPR violation. Most of the cases deal with the situation where an importer attempts to register a product in the domestic market as their own trademark.

Agricultural Production and Share Contracts

Sharecropping is a common agricultural practice in sub-Saharan Africa. There are variations of sharecropping contracts but generally the arrangement requires a tenant to produce and share output with a landowner who provides the land and, in some cases, some inputs while the tenant provides labor. Natural risks such as pests, weather, and rainfall and transaction costs associated with bargaining play an important role in designing sharecropping arrangements since both the landowner and tenant seek to maximize returns to their participation. The cases reported show how courts are bringing the customary share contract regime to reflect modern realities. The courts are also recognizing the unequal bargaining power between tenants and landowner and are delivering decisions that seem to correct the unequal bargaining power.