Farm Productivity and Market Structure : Evidence from Cotton Reforms in Zambia

This paper investigates the impacts of cotton marketing reforms on farm productivity, a key element for poverty alleviation, in rural Zambia. The reforms comprised the elimination of the Zambian cotton marketing board that was in place since 1977. Following liberalization, the sector adopted an outgrower scheme, whereby firms provided extension services to farmers and sold inputs on loans that were repaid at the time of harvest. There are two distinctive phases of the reforms: a failure of the outgrower scheme, and a subsequent period of success of the scheme. The authors' findings indicate that the reforms led to interesting dynamics in cotton farming. During the phase of failure, farmers were pushed back into subsistence and productivity in cotton declined. With the improvement of the outgrower scheme of later years, farmers devoted larger shares of land to cash crops, and farm productivity significantly increased.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Brambilla, Irene, Porto, Guido G.
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2006-05
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES, AGRICULTURAL INPUTS, AGRICULTURAL LIBERALIZATION, AGRICULTURAL MARKETING, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, AGRICULTURE, ALTERNATIVE CROPS, ANIMALS, AVERAGE PRODUCTIVITY, BEANS, BENCHMARK, CASH CROPS, CHOICE OF CROPS, COMMODITY, COTTON, COTTON CROP, COTTON MARKETING, COTTON PRICES, COTTON PRODUCTION, COTTON SECTOR, COTTON SEEDS, COTTON YIELDS, CREDIT MARKETS, CROP, CROP HUSBANDRY, CROPPING, CULTIVATION, DEREGULATION, ECONOMICS, EQUIPMENT, EXCESS DEMAND, EXPORT CROPS, EXTENSION SERVICES, EXTERNALITIES, FAMILY FARMS, FARM, FARM ASSETS, FARM INCOME, FARM PRODUCTIVITY, FARM SIZE, FARM-GATE, FARMER, FARMER PARTICIPATION, FARMERS, FARMING, FARMS, FERTILIZERS, FIXED COSTS, FOOD CROP, FOOD CROPS, FOOD MARKETS, FOOD NEEDS, FOOD PRICES, FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD SECURITY, GDP, GENDER, GINNERIES, GROUNDNUTS, HOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHICS, HOUSEHOLD HEAD, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSING, HUMAN CAPITAL, IRRIGATION, LACK OF CREDIT, LAND QUALITY, LAND SIZE, LAND TENURE, LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, LIVESTOCK, LIVING CONDITIONS, MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION, MAIZE, MAIZE PRODUCTION, MILLET, MONOPOLIES, MONOPOLY, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY RATE, OUTGROWER SCHEMES, PESTICIDE, POST HARVEST, PRODUCE, PRODUCTION COSTS, PRODUCTION FUNCTION, PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS, PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES, PURCHASE PRICE, REGRESSION ANALYSIS, RETURNS TO SCALE, RISK AVERSION, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL POVERTY, SEEDS, SMALL FARMS, SMALLHOLDERS, SOCIAL CAPITAL, SORGHUM, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, SUBSISTENCE, SUNFLOWER, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TEXTILES, TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY, VALUE ADDED, WEALTH,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/05/6759729/farm-productivity-market-structure-evidence-cotton-reforms-zambia http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8686
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