Worldwide, cell phones are used by 5.4 billion people. They are becoming increasingly prevalent in the rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), providing smallholder farmers with access to agricultural markets.
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The prices of agricultural commodities have increased on international markets since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 and spiked after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022.
Production and marketing of fresh produce provides opportunities for small holder farmers in low- and middle-income economies to engage and benefit from high-value markets and value chains.
Limited access to reliable financial instruments makes it difficult for rural households to manage daily cash flows. Selling goods through cooperatives can improve savings, but cooperative income is not easily accessible when facing an emergency.
Kenya is potentially very vulnerable to sharp increases in the prices of key staple grains such as maize and wheat, both because these are important in diets and because Kenya depends on im ports of these products.
Kenya experienced significant economic development in the 2009 to 2019 period. Gross domestic product (GDP)—an indicator of the economy’s size—expanded by an annual average of 5 percent (KNBS 2022).
Summing the parts: How does “bundling” affect willingness-to-pay for seeds and insurance in a sample of Kenyan farmers?
Agricultural households, particularly those operating in rainfed systems in low income countries, are vul nerable to a variety of climate and market risks that pose serious threats to their well-being.
Control over future payouts and willingness to pay for insurance: Experimental evidence from Kenyan farmers
Much of the early attention to the Russia-Ukraine conflict’s food security impacts has been concentrated on countries highly dependent on wheat imports from the Black Sea region.
Consumer demand for milk and the informal dairy sector amidst COVID-19 in Nairobi, Kenya
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had large negative effects on countries’ economies and individual well-being throughout the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
This analysis is composed of two parts. The evolving structure of Kenya’s agrifood system (AFS) and its contribution to national development is assessed using a series of Social Accounting Matrixes (SAMs) for Kenya for the period 2009–2019.
We investigate the effect of a modest food safety premium on semisubsistence farmers' investment in a food safety technology.
Gendered barriers and opportunities in Kenya's informal dairy sector: Enhancing gender-equity in urban markets
Informal milk trading in peri-urban Nairobi plays a key role in supporting both livelihoods and nutrition, particularly among poor households. Gender dynamics affect who is involved in and benefits from milk trading.
The optimal design of informal contracts in agricultural value chains depends on when farmers prefer to be paid for their output.
Regulatory options to improve seed systems for vegetatively propagated crops in developing countries
In many developing countries, smallholder farmers cultivating vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) have limited access to quality planting material. This constraint can limit both the yield of and returns on VPC cultivation.
Unlike physical losses, deterioration of food safety can be difficult to observe. In low- and middle- income countries, much of the food supply is never tested for safety hazards.
Many developing-country farmers cultivating vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs)—crops such as cassava, potato, sweetpotato, and yam—face constrained access to quality planting material.
Can markets support smallholder adoption of a food safety technology? Aflasafe in Kenya
In this paper, we test the impact of a simulated market premium for food safety, and of bundling rainfall insurance with an aflatoxin-reducing technology (Aflasafe KE01), on smallholder farmers’ adoption of this technology.
Intertemporal choice and income regularity: Non-fungibility in a lab-in-the-field experiment
Motivated by evidence of mental accounting, this paper tests whether the choice of when to be paid depends on the income type.
Unsafe food is a major cause of disease in developing countries, accounting for an estimated 2 million deaths per year globally and comprising a burden of illness comparable to that of malaria or tuberculosis (WHO, 2015).