Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia

In many Sub-Saharan countries, farmers cannot meet the growing urban demand for higher quality products, leading to increasing dependency on imports. While the literature has focused on production-side constraints to enhancing smallholder farmers’ output quality, there is scarce evidence of market-s...

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Autor principal: Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140858
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author Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
author_browse Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
author_facet Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
author_sort Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In many Sub-Saharan countries, farmers cannot meet the growing urban demand for higher quality products, leading to increasing dependency on imports. While the literature has focused on production-side constraints to enhancing smallholder farmers’ output quality, there is scarce evidence of market-side constraints. Using a unique sample of 60 wheat markets in Ethiopia, I examine the relationship between the price obtained by farmers and the quality supplied. Using objective and precise measures of observable (impurity content) and unobservable (flour extraction rate and moisture level) quality attributes, no evidence was found of a strong correlation between the two, suggesting that observable attributes cannot serve as proxies for unobservable ones. Transaction prices further reflect this, indicating that, markets only reward quality attributes that are observable at no cost. However, these results hide cross-market heterogeneity. Observable quality attributes are better rewarded in larger and more competitive markets, while unobservable attributes are rewarded in the presence of grain millers and/or farmer cooperatives on the market site. Both regression and machine learning approaches support these findings.
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spelling CGSpace1408582025-12-02T21:02:52Z Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy models crops quality agriculture smallholders markets wheat rural areas prices In many Sub-Saharan countries, farmers cannot meet the growing urban demand for higher quality products, leading to increasing dependency on imports. While the literature has focused on production-side constraints to enhancing smallholder farmers’ output quality, there is scarce evidence of market-side constraints. Using a unique sample of 60 wheat markets in Ethiopia, I examine the relationship between the price obtained by farmers and the quality supplied. Using objective and precise measures of observable (impurity content) and unobservable (flour extraction rate and moisture level) quality attributes, no evidence was found of a strong correlation between the two, suggesting that observable attributes cannot serve as proxies for unobservable ones. Transaction prices further reflect this, indicating that, markets only reward quality attributes that are observable at no cost. However, these results hide cross-market heterogeneity. Observable quality attributes are better rewarded in larger and more competitive markets, while unobservable attributes are rewarded in the presence of grain millers and/or farmer cooperatives on the market site. Both regression and machine learning approaches support these findings. 2022-02-09 2024-04-12T13:36:46Z 2024-04-12T13:36:46Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140858 en https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab018 https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aax033 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy. 2022. Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2101. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134984.
spellingShingle models
crops
quality
agriculture
smallholders
markets
wheat
rural areas
prices
Do Nascimento Miguel, Jérémy
Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title_full Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title_fullStr Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title_short Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia
title_sort return to quality in rural agricultural markets evidence from wheat markets in ethiopia
topic models
crops
quality
agriculture
smallholders
markets
wheat
rural areas
prices
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140858
work_keys_str_mv AT donascimentomigueljeremy returntoqualityinruralagriculturalmarketsevidencefromwheatmarketsinethiopia