Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana

The quality of agricultural products can affect both farm incomes and the healthfulness of farm families’ diets. However, many quality attributes are difficult to observe, making it difficult for farmers to learn how to improve the quality of their crops. Lack of premium pass-through and the cost of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Magnan, Nicholas, Hoffmann, Vivian, Garrido, Gissele, Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi, Opoku, Nelson
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142685
_version_ 1855531482066452480
author Magnan, Nicholas
Hoffmann, Vivian
Garrido, Gissele
Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi
Opoku, Nelson
author_browse Garrido, Gissele
Hoffmann, Vivian
Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi
Magnan, Nicholas
Opoku, Nelson
author_facet Magnan, Nicholas
Hoffmann, Vivian
Garrido, Gissele
Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi
Opoku, Nelson
author_sort Magnan, Nicholas
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The quality of agricultural products can affect both farm incomes and the healthfulness of farm families’ diets. However, many quality attributes are difficult to observe, making it difficult for farmers to learn how to improve the quality of their crops. Lack of premium pass-through and the cost of quality-enhancing inputs are additional barriers to improving output quality. In this paper, we examine the relative importance of each of these barriers to smallholder adoption of technologies for reducing aflatoxin, a common food safety hazard. We conduct a randomized controlled trial in northern Ghana over the course of two seasons to test how three interventions affect adoption of practices that reduce aflatoxin risk as well as aflatoxin levels in groundnuts: (1) training on aflatoxin and its prevention, (2) distribution of free drying sheets, and (3) a price premium for groundnuts that comply with aflatoxin regulations. We find that training farmers substantially improves post-harvest practices. Drying sheet distribution and, to a lesser extent, the premium price offer lead to further improvements, including crowding-in of non-subsidized practices. We find substantial corresponding decreases in aflatoxin levels from drying sheet provision in the study region with high background aflatoxin levels. Impacts are stronger for households with higher aflatoxin at baseline, more members, and young children.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace142685
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1426852025-02-24T06:48:46Z Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana Magnan, Nicholas Hoffmann, Vivian Garrido, Gissele Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi Opoku, Nelson technology adoption food quality health technology capacity development food safety markets aflatoxins incentives information The quality of agricultural products can affect both farm incomes and the healthfulness of farm families’ diets. However, many quality attributes are difficult to observe, making it difficult for farmers to learn how to improve the quality of their crops. Lack of premium pass-through and the cost of quality-enhancing inputs are additional barriers to improving output quality. In this paper, we examine the relative importance of each of these barriers to smallholder adoption of technologies for reducing aflatoxin, a common food safety hazard. We conduct a randomized controlled trial in northern Ghana over the course of two seasons to test how three interventions affect adoption of practices that reduce aflatoxin risk as well as aflatoxin levels in groundnuts: (1) training on aflatoxin and its prevention, (2) distribution of free drying sheets, and (3) a price premium for groundnuts that comply with aflatoxin regulations. We find that training farmers substantially improves post-harvest practices. Drying sheet distribution and, to a lesser extent, the premium price offer lead to further improvements, including crowding-in of non-subsidized practices. We find substantial corresponding decreases in aflatoxin levels from drying sheet provision in the study region with high background aflatoxin levels. Impacts are stronger for households with higher aflatoxin at baseline, more members, and young children. 2021-06-01 2024-05-22T12:10:52Z 2024-05-22T12:10:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142685 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133451 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147240 https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12093 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2019.03.001 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133583 https://shop.bdspublishing.com/checkout/Store/bds/Detail/WorkGroup/3-190-55939 Open Access Elsevier Magnan, Nicholas; Hoffmann, Vivian; Garrido, Gissele; Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi; and Opoku, Nelson. 2021. Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana. Journal of Development Economics 151(June 2021): 102620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2020.102620
spellingShingle technology adoption
food quality
health
technology
capacity development
food safety
markets
aflatoxins
incentives
information
Magnan, Nicholas
Hoffmann, Vivian
Garrido, Gissele
Kanyam, Daniel Akwasi
Opoku, Nelson
Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title_full Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title_fullStr Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title_short Information, technology, and market rewards: Incentivizing aflatoxin control in Ghana
title_sort information technology and market rewards incentivizing aflatoxin control in ghana
topic technology adoption
food quality
health
technology
capacity development
food safety
markets
aflatoxins
incentives
information
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142685
work_keys_str_mv AT magnannicholas informationtechnologyandmarketrewardsincentivizingaflatoxincontrolinghana
AT hoffmannvivian informationtechnologyandmarketrewardsincentivizingaflatoxincontrolinghana
AT garridogissele informationtechnologyandmarketrewardsincentivizingaflatoxincontrolinghana
AT kanyamdanielakwasi informationtechnologyandmarketrewardsincentivizingaflatoxincontrolinghana
AT opokunelson informationtechnologyandmarketrewardsincentivizingaflatoxincontrolinghana