Veronique Theriault

How Does Gender Affect Sustainable Intensification of Cereal Production in the West African Sahel? Evidence from Burkina Faso

Highlights • We examine gender differentials in technology adoption on individually managed cereal plots.• Female plot managers are less likely to adopt yield-enhancing and soil-restoring strategy sets than male plot managers.• The socio-cultural context and economic attributes of the technology set affect incentives to adopt.• We demonstrate that plot manager characteristics do influence adoption decisions.• Household resources affect male and female plot managers differently.

The Evolution of Institutions in the Malian Cotton Sector: An Application of John R. Commons's Ideas

Applying John R. Commonss institutional economic framework, this paper analyzes the evolution of key institutions in the Malian cotton sector, starting with Malis independence in 1960 to the ongoing market-oriented reforms in the 2000s. In accordance with Commonss economic theory, institutional changes in the Malian cotton sector have led to both intended and unintended consequences, impacting economic performance at the farm, gin, and state levels. This has, in turn, contributed to the emergence of new limiting factors. At present, lack of adequate technical advising, indebtedness, issues related to input access, discordance between farmers and their union leader representatives, unreasonable seed cotton prices, delays in payment, and low cotton yields are the current limiting factors to desired economic performance. Based on these findings, we draw policy recommendations for revitalizing the Malian cotton sector.

Intensification and intrahousehold decisions: Fertilizer adoption in Burkina Faso

Highlights • Intrahousehold bargaining affects the adoption of fertilizer on farms in West Africa.• Overall fertilizer use rates are low for cereals but less so for maize in Burkina Faso.• Family members share agricultural inputs, including fertilizer.• Bargaining does not achieve efficient fertilizer allocations.• Inclusive policy should consider who within the household has access to inputs.

Causes and Consequences of Increasing Herbicide Use in Mali

This paper examines the origins and impact of rapid recent growth of herbicide use in Mali. Primary data come from interviews with herbicide importers and distributors and from a 2014/2015 survey of farm households in Mali’s Sudanian Savanna zone. Results suggest that a series of major supply-side changes are driving growth in Mali’s herbicide markets, most conspicuously a proliferation in the number of sellers and herbicide brands marketed, a shift to low-cost suppliers in China and India, and consequently falling herbicide prices. At the farm level, herbicides cost on average 50 per cent less than hiring weeding labor. Despite low econometric estimates of damage abatement, herbicide adoption rates reach 25 per cent in remote rural zones and 75 per cent in more accessible rural areas. Key factors affecting adoption include spatial variation in herbicide prices and rural wage rates. At current levels, herbicide use reduces peak season rural labor demand by roughly 14 per cent.Cette étude examine l’augmentation rapide de l’utilisation des herbicides au Mali, ses origines et son impact. Les données primaires utilisées dans l’étude proviennent des entretiens auprès des importateurs et distributeurs d’herbicide, et aussi d’une enquête en 2014-2015 auprès des ménages agricoles dans la zone Malienne du Savannah Soudanien. Les résultats indiquent que la croissance du marché des herbicides au Mali est dû à des changements dans l’offre des herbicides, en particulier à une prolifération du nombre de vendeurs et des marques disponibles, au déplacement des sources de herbicides a des fournisseurs bas coût en Inde et en Chine, et à une conséquente chute des prix des herbicides. Au niveau des fermes, l’utilisation des herbicides implique des couts 50% inferieurs à ceux assumés en embauchant des travailleurs pour désherber. En dépit des faibles réductions de dégâts, estimés économétriquement, l’adoption des herbicides touche le 25% dans les zones rurales les plus éloignées, et le 75% dans les zones rurales plus accessibles. Les facteurs-clé affectant l’adoption des herbicides comprennent la variation spatiale du prix des herbicides, et les salaires ruraux. Au niveau actuel des prix et des salaires, l’utilisation des herbicides réduit la demande de travail agricole d’un 20% pendant la haute saison horticole.

Farm family effects of adopting improved and hybrid sorghum seed in the Sudan Savanna of West Africa

Highlights • The first sorghum hybrids based on local germplasm in West Africa yield well on farms.• Intrahousehold status on extended family farms affects adoption of improved seed.• Adoption raises yield, reduces the harvest share consumed and also purchased.• Adoption increases the harvest share sold and dietary diversity.

The Malian fertiliser value chain post-subsidy: an analysis of its structure and performance

ABSTRACT This article examines the structure of the Malian fertiliser value chain and its performance in the context of the national subsidy programme, drawing on a review of the literature, farm household survey, and interviews with fertiliser suppliers. It finds that participants in the subsidy programme use more fertiliser and have significantly higher yields. The number of wholesalers and retailers has risen, but procurement remains concentrated. Poor fertiliser quality is a recurrent problem. The high cost of the programme raises questions regarding its sustainability. Mixed performance reflects the need for better monitoring and evaluation, and transparency in the programme.

Coordinating cereal farmers and buyers: evidence from Mali

The purpose of this paper is to examine how various transaction-cost characteristics influence the choice of vertical coordination (VC) structures (e.g. different contract types) and horizontal coordination (HC) structures (e.g. different farmer organization types) to link smallholder farmers efficiently with buyers. It analyzes the relationship between vertical and horizontal structures, and the economic sustainability of different structure combinations.,The paper develops a conceptual framework to predict coordination structures as a function of transaction-cost characteristics, compares predictions for the Malian cereals market to empirical evidence using 15 case studies, and then analyzes structure combinations.,Asymmetric scale between farmers and buyers; uncertainty in production, prices, policy, and contract enforcement; and quality and quantity debasement lead to selections of structures with high levels of control. Vertical and horizontal structures demonstrate a complementary relationship in certain core coordination roles, while exhibiting substitutability in the provision of other coordination activities. The marketing cooperative and marketing contract pairing is the most prevalent combination.,The conceptual framework is useful for explaining the selection of coordination structures, and can be applied in other contexts to strengthen external validity.,The framework facilitates predictions and explanation of both VC and HC structures, with empirical application on a country and value chains receiving little attention in the literature.

Economic incentives to use fertilizer on maize under differing agro-ecological conditions in Burkina Faso

Increasing agricultural productivity while protecting natural resources depends on proper understanding of farmers’ incentives to use intensification strategies, including fertilizer. Using a large-scale household dataset collected in rural Burkina Faso, we examined how the response of maize yield to fertilizer, and thus the economic incentives for its use, varied according to agro-ecological conditions. We employed a Control Function Approach with Correlated Random Effects in order to test and control for endogeneity of fertilizer use, measuring agro-ecological conditions at several scales. We investigated the profitability of fertilizer use with value-cost ratios. We found that productivity and marginal effects of fertilizer differ significantly according to agro-ecological conditions. Micro-variation appeared to be more critical than the definition of agro-ecological zone. Burkinabe soils are severely degraded and would benefit from greater application of fertilizer. However, at full market prices, fertilizer use was unprofitable. Though it was profitable with subsidized prices, transaction costs diminish the benefits of the subsidy. Profitability of fertilizer use with maize varied across agro-ecological conditions, even for field plots located in the same agro-ecological zone. Our results confirm that policy makers need to be cautious when generalizing across regions or drawing policy recommendations from a single agro-ecological zone because crop responses and economic incentives vary widely.