We are pleased to announce that three of our research staff are presenting new research at conferences in Africa this month. What better way to help them prepare than to offer them your feedback! Please join us to for a roundup of their presentations, moderated by Dr. Gyimah-Brempong, IFPRI NSSP Program Leader. During the seminar you will have a chance to learn more about IFPRI's current research on rice, the effect of agriculture on the economy, social networks and technology adoption, and youth unemployment. For the full abstracts, please see below.
Source: IFPRI Nigeria
Date: Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Venue: IFDC Conference Room
IFDC/IFPRI
No 6/Plot 1413 Ogbagi Street
Off Oro-Ago Crescent
Cadastral Zone II
Garki, Abuja
Nigeria
RSVP: Please email u.nischan@cgiar.org by Tuesday, the 16th of July to confirm your attendance.
Abstracts:
An Econometric Analysis of Rice Demand in Nigeria.
Written by Oluyemisi Kuku-Shittu (IFPRI) and Angga Pradesha (IFPRI)
Presented by Oluyemisi Kuku-Shittu (IFPRI)
Nigeria has a rich history of rice production and consumption, as indigenous rice species (local rice) have been grown in Nigeria for over 300 years (Akinbile, 2007). There has been a steady rise in consumption of all cereals in general, and rice in particular over time. While local rice production has been on the increase, it has not been sufficient to meet the total demand for rice. In addition, while most consumers combine imported and local rice in their diets; urban households have a preference for imported rice. As a consequence of these factors, rice imports have soared, leading to an increase in demand for imported rice at an estimated 10.3 percent per annum since the early 1970s due to a variety of factors including rapid urbanization, acceleration in the population growth rate, increase in per capita income, and changes in family occupational structures. (Akpokodje et al., 2001; Akande, 2002).
This study analyzes rice consumption patterns in Nigeria in the context of the consumption of other major food items, as well as conducts an econometric analysis of Nigeria’s rice demand structure. The study compares local and imported rice and also provides elasticity estimates for other major crops and food groups particularly comparable cereals, to place the results in context. This analysis is carried out using household data derived from the Living Standard Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA), which is a national survey on household welfare conducted by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics in partnership with the World Bank.
References
Akande, S.O . 2002. An Overview of the Nigerian Rice Economy, NISER, Ibadan
Akinbile, L .A. 2007. Determinants of productivity level among rice farmers in Ogun State , Nigeria.
In African Crop Science Conference proceedings, 8:1339-1344.
Akpokodje, G., Loncon, F. and Erenstein, O. 2001. Nigeria’s rice economy: state of the art. Paper presented at the NISER/WARDA Nigeria Rice Economy Stakeholders Workshop, Ibadan, 8 – 9 November, 2001. Boake WARDA.
Contribution of Agriculture to Economic Growth in Nigeria
Written by Tolulope Odetola (IFPRI) and Chinonso Etumnu (IFPRI)
Presented by Tolulope Odetola (IFPRI)
This paper investigates the contribution of the agriculture sector to economic growth in Nigeria using the growth accounting framework and time series data from 1960 to 2011. We find that the agriculture sector has contributed positively and consistently to economic growth in Nigeria, reaffirming the sector’s importance in the economy. The contribution of agriculture to economic growth is further affirmed from a causality test which showed that agriculture growth Granger-causes GDP growth, however no reverse relationship was found. The resilient nature of the sector is evident in its ability to recover more quickly than other sectors from shocks resulting from disruptive events e.g. civil war (1967-70) and economic
recession (1981-85) periods. We also find that the crop production subsector contributes the most to agriculture sector growth and that growth in the agriculture sector is overly dependent on growth of the crop production subsector. This indicates the importance of this subsector and probably, lack of attention or investment to the other subsectors. Therefore, increased efforts in developing the livestock, fisheries and forestry subsectors will foster the contributions of agriculture sector to the Nigerian economy.
Social Networks and the adoption of Urea deep placement technology in Nigeria: Information versus behavior change (Knowledge versus adoption)
Written by Oluyemisi Kuku-Shittu (IFPRI) and Lenis Saweda Liverpool-Tasie (Michigan State University)
Presented by Oluyemisi Kuku-Shittu (IFPRI)
Input intensification remains a challenge in Nigeria and yield gaps for major staple crops persist which suggests significant potential for increasing farmer productivity and consequent food security for many poor Nigerians. The challenges associated with input use in Nigeria are complex. They include high transactions costs and consequent profitability issues due to poor input and output markets and limited farmer knowledge about new and potentially
profitable agricultural technologies.
Though anecdotally recognized, the effect of limited farmer knowledge has not been well studied empirically. Faced with limited access to poorly functioning extension systems, farmers in developing countries often rely on other informal sources of information including their social network. In addition to general information about new technologies, farmer networks also provide them with information about profitability of and/or best practices associated with new technologies. The structure of these networks and the extent to which all farmers (particularly the poorest) can participate or access them is significant in the effective dissemination and uptake of innovations. It is also important for government and development practitioners to successfully leverage these alternative sources of information for broader impact. Consequently, this paper analyzes the role of farmer social networks in the spread (of information) and adoption of an innovative technique for the application of fertilizer (Urea) for rice production in Niger State, Nigeria. We pay particular attention to the potentially different roles that networks play in this process. We distinguish between the dissemination of information about the
technology and dissemination of information about the appropriate application of the technology to maximize yields. How farmers become aware of a new
technology and its potential is a related but separate issue from how farmers are encouraged to actually adopt (and successfully use) such a technology. One of the contributions of this study to the technology adoption literature is its distinction between these issues. This distinction is particularly important
for the successful development of programs geared at encouraging farmer adoption of new technologies using their social networks.
Agricultural Transformation and Youth Employment in Africa: Nigerian Case Study
Written by Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong (IFPRI) and Chinonso Etumnu