Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar

Urbanization and violent conflict have been two global trends gaining more and more momentum in recent years. This has important implications for agricultural development, which unfortunately are still not well understood. Urban proximity is generally associated with agricultural intensification and...

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Autores principales: Steinhübel, Linda, Minten, Bart
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140305
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author Steinhübel, Linda
Minten, Bart
author_browse Minten, Bart
Steinhübel, Linda
author_facet Steinhübel, Linda
Minten, Bart
author_sort Steinhübel, Linda
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Urbanization and violent conflict have been two global trends gaining more and more momentum in recent years. This has important implications for agricultural development, which unfortunately are still not well understood. Urban proximity is generally associated with agricultural intensification and improved market participation, while farming systems in remote areas are characterized by larger shares of subsistence production. Such differences along the remoteness gradient likely also play a role in how conflict exposure affects agricultural production. That is, we must assume that the effect of conflict on agricultural development is location-dependent—a fact that is generally neglected in empirical analysis. We address this gap by drawing from a unique nationally representative data set of 2,292 paddy farmers in Myanmar and estimating the effect of conflict exposure and travel times on agricultural production during the monsoon season of 2021. By applying multivariate additive models, we allow for nonlinear and interacted effects of conflict exposure and urban proximity, thereby explicitly exploring spatial variation in the effect of conflict exposure. We find strong positive effects of urban proximity on paddy rice intensification and sales, while conflict exposure has disproportionately negative effects in direct proximity to urban centers and very remote areas. For agricultural development—and smallholder incomes in general—this means that productive areas, on the one hand, and the poorest areas of the country, on the other hand, are especially affected by conflict.
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spelling CGSpace1403052025-12-08T10:11:39Z Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar Steinhübel, Linda Minten, Bart income agricultural production rice urbanization rice fields smallholders market access agricultural development conflicts Urbanization and violent conflict have been two global trends gaining more and more momentum in recent years. This has important implications for agricultural development, which unfortunately are still not well understood. Urban proximity is generally associated with agricultural intensification and improved market participation, while farming systems in remote areas are characterized by larger shares of subsistence production. Such differences along the remoteness gradient likely also play a role in how conflict exposure affects agricultural production. That is, we must assume that the effect of conflict on agricultural development is location-dependent—a fact that is generally neglected in empirical analysis. We address this gap by drawing from a unique nationally representative data set of 2,292 paddy farmers in Myanmar and estimating the effect of conflict exposure and travel times on agricultural production during the monsoon season of 2021. By applying multivariate additive models, we allow for nonlinear and interacted effects of conflict exposure and urban proximity, thereby explicitly exploring spatial variation in the effect of conflict exposure. We find strong positive effects of urban proximity on paddy rice intensification and sales, while conflict exposure has disproportionately negative effects in direct proximity to urban centers and very remote areas. For agricultural development—and smallholder incomes in general—this means that productive areas, on the one hand, and the poorest areas of the country, on the other hand, are especially affected by conflict. 2023-07-05 2024-03-14T12:09:16Z 2024-03-14T12:09:16Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140305 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Steinhübel, Linda; and Minten, Bart. 2023. Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar. Myanmar SSP Working Paper 39. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136807.
spellingShingle income
agricultural production
rice
urbanization
rice fields
smallholders
market access
agricultural development
conflicts
Steinhübel, Linda
Minten, Bart
Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title_full Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title_fullStr Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title_full_unstemmed Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title_short Urban proximity, conflict, and agricultural development: Evidence from Myanmar
title_sort urban proximity conflict and agricultural development evidence from myanmar
topic income
agricultural production
rice
urbanization
rice fields
smallholders
market access
agricultural development
conflicts
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140305
work_keys_str_mv AT steinhubellinda urbanproximityconflictandagriculturaldevelopmentevidencefrommyanmar
AT mintenbart urbanproximityconflictandagriculturaldevelopmentevidencefrommyanmar