The adoption non-adoption dichotomy: Why do smallholder producers dis-adopt improved chicken breeds?

Adopting agricultural technologies is crucial to improve productivity and livelihoods in developing countries. While much research has focused on adoption decisions, understanding dis-adoption, when farmers stop using technology, is equally important. Studies on agricultural technology adoption often treat dis-adopters (those who initially adopted but later discontinued to use) and never-adopters (those who never adopted) as the same, using binary models to analyze farmers' decisions.

Willingness to pay for sheep traits and their heterogeneous effects on prices: Evidence from primary livestock markets in Ethiopia.

We test the hypothesis whether levels of key traits of sheep heterogeneously affect market prices of sheep in a rural setting. Feasible generalized least squares and (un)conditional quantile regression estimations were made on a dataset of 1153 sheep transactions in two primary small ruminant markets in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The empirical results show that animal traits affect the observed prices of sheep differently, but only partly explain the sheep price differences.

Would a simple attention-reminder in discrete choice experiments affect heuristics, preferences, and willingness to pay for livestock market facilities?

This study addresses the question whether an 'attention reminder' in discrete choice experiments (DCE) affects preferences, willingness to pay (WTP), and attribute non-attendance (ANA). We report on an experiment which elicited preferences for livestock market facilities from 960 randomly selected farm households in Ethiopia. Basic diagnostic comparisons of the estimations showed that taste parameters are significantly different and the WTP values of two (out of eight) facilities are different between before and after the reminder.

Welfare Impact of Community-Based Veterinary and Breeding Services on Small Ruminant Keepers.

Improved breeding practices and participatory health services have been designed and implemented by a partnership between national and international institutions in various parts of Ethiopia since 2014. Based on a panel data of two waves, we have estimated the impact of these interventions on small ruminant fertility, offtake, return per head of animal, and gross income per adult equivalent. Different specifications of the difference-in-differences model revealed that access to small ruminant health services has increased offtake, return per head of sheep/goat, and gross income per adult equivalent.

Preference and willingness to pay for small ruminant market facilities - Discrete choice experiment data.

The data described in this brief were collected in 2018 as part of a national study to elicit preferences and estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for small ruminant market facilities in Ethiopia. We employed multistage sampling method to identify respondents. First, Menz Gishe area was selected from North Shewa administrative zone for its high small ruminant population.

Modeling Preference and Willingness to Pay for Drought Tolerance (DT) in Maize in Rural Zimbabwe.

Maize plays a leading role in the food security of millions in southern Africa, yet it is highly vulnerable to the moisture stress brought about by the erratic rainfall patterns that characterize weather systems in the area. Developing and making drought-tolerant maize varieties available to farmers in the region has thus long been a key goal on the regional development agenda. Farm-level adoption of these varieties, however, depends on local perceptions of the value they add, along with willingness to pay (WTP) for it.

Characteristics of maize cultivars in Africa: How modern are they and how many do smallholder farmers grow?

Background: Maize is the most important cereal and most widely cultivated staple that plays a key role in the food security of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although some countries have achieved significant gains in maize productivity, the SSA average yields are far below what could be obtained with improved cultivars under good crop management. Low cultivar turnover is one among many contributing factors to low maize yields in SSA.