Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality

Individuals often make decisions considering both private returns and welfare impacts on others. Food safety decisions by smallholder agricultural producers exemplify this choice, particularly in low-income countries where farmers often consume some of the food crops they produce and sell or donate...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Abate, Gashaw T., Bernard, Tanguy, Deutschmann, Joshua, Fall, Fatou
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175569
_version_ 1855538957082689536
author Abate, Gashaw T.
Bernard, Tanguy
Deutschmann, Joshua
Fall, Fatou
author_browse Abate, Gashaw T.
Bernard, Tanguy
Deutschmann, Joshua
Fall, Fatou
author_facet Abate, Gashaw T.
Bernard, Tanguy
Deutschmann, Joshua
Fall, Fatou
author_sort Abate, Gashaw T.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Individuals often make decisions considering both private returns and welfare impacts on others. Food safety decisions by smallholder agricultural producers exemplify this choice, particularly in low-income countries where farmers often consume some of the food crops they produce and sell or donate the rest. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment with peanuts producers in Senegal to study the decision to invest in food safety information, exogenously varying the degree of private returns (monetary or health-wise) and welfare impacts on others. Producers are willing to pay real money for food safety information even absent the potential for private returns, but willingness to pay increases with the potential for private returns. A randomized information treatment significantly increases willingness to pay in all scenarios. Our results shed light on the complex interplay between altruism and economic decisions in the presence of externalities, and point to the potential of timely and targeted information to address food safety issues.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace175569
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1755692025-12-02T21:02:52Z Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality Abate, Gashaw T. Bernard, Tanguy Deutschmann, Joshua Fall, Fatou food safety health groundnuts aflatoxins smallholders returns Individuals often make decisions considering both private returns and welfare impacts on others. Food safety decisions by smallholder agricultural producers exemplify this choice, particularly in low-income countries where farmers often consume some of the food crops they produce and sell or donate the rest. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment with peanuts producers in Senegal to study the decision to invest in food safety information, exogenously varying the degree of private returns (monetary or health-wise) and welfare impacts on others. Producers are willing to pay real money for food safety information even absent the potential for private returns, but willingness to pay increases with the potential for private returns. A randomized information treatment significantly increases willingness to pay in all scenarios. Our results shed light on the complex interplay between altruism and economic decisions in the presence of externalities, and point to the potential of timely and targeted information to address food safety issues. 2025-07-07 2025-07-09T17:46:35Z 2025-07-09T17:46:35Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175569 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142320 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142685 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115329 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/109390 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Abate, Gashaw T.; Bernard, Tanguy; Deutschmann, Joshua; and Fall, Fatou. 2025. Does others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2346. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175569
spellingShingle food safety
health
groundnuts
aflatoxins
smallholders
returns
Abate, Gashaw T.
Bernard, Tanguy
Deutschmann, Joshua
Fall, Fatou
Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title_full Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title_fullStr Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title_full_unstemmed Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title_short Do others’ health count for peanuts? Health, market returns, and pro-sociality
title_sort do others health count for peanuts health market returns and pro sociality
topic food safety
health
groundnuts
aflatoxins
smallholders
returns
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175569
work_keys_str_mv AT abategashawt doothershealthcountforpeanutshealthmarketreturnsandprosociality
AT bernardtanguy doothershealthcountforpeanutshealthmarketreturnsandprosociality
AT deutschmannjoshua doothershealthcountforpeanutshealthmarketreturnsandprosociality
AT fallfatou doothershealthcountforpeanutshealthmarketreturnsandprosociality