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Nexus of Cash Crop Production Using Improved Varieties and Household Food Security

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Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of adopting improved sesame varieties on farm household food security using the data collected in 2018 from potential sesame-growing districts in northwestern Ethiopia. Selectivity and endogeneity probleSms were addressed by endogenous switching regression and the propensity score matching approach. Thus, we estimated the influence of technology adoption on different food security indicators. Our findings indicate that the adoption of new sesame varieties significantly reduced the propensity of food insecurity through increased food consumption expenditures, improved nutritional food intake (consumption scores), and the probability of food security of a household. The finding supports that there is a positive relationship between cash crops and food security. Access to improved sesame seeds, a cash liquidity advantage, extension service efficiency, and farmers’ networking have a significant and positive effect on the adoption of improved sesame varieties. Hence, development policies should be established to motivate cash crop seed multipliers and research institutes to satisfy the seed demand, improve extension service efficiency, and support rural farmers’ primary cooperative. The study enriches the current debate on the subject and provides new empirical evidence of the synergy between cash crops and food security.

Résumé

Cette étude évalue l'impact de l'adoption de variétés de sésame améliorées sur la sécurité alimentaire des ménages agricoles à l'aide des données collectées en 2018 dans les districts qui pourraient se mettre à la culture de sésame, au nord-ouest de l'Éthiopie. Les problèmes de sélectivité et d'endogénéité ont été résolus par la régression de commutation endogène et par l'approche d'appariement par score de propension. Ainsi, nous avons pu estimer l'influence de l'adoption de la technologie sur différents indicateurs de sécurité alimentaire. Nos résultats indiquent que l'adoption de nouvelles variétés de sésame a considérablement réduit la propension à l'insécurité alimentaire en augmentant les dépenses de consommation alimentaire, en améliorant l'apport nutritionnel (les scores de consommation) et la probabilité de sécurité alimentaire d'un ménage. Les résultats confirment qu'il existe une relation positive entre les cultures commerciales et la sécurité alimentaire. L'accès à des graines de sésame améliorées, l’avantage d’une trésorerie en espèces, l'efficacité des services de vulgarisation agricole et la mise en réseau des agriculteurs ont un effet significatif et positif sur l'adoption de variétés de sésame améliorées. Par conséquent, des politiques de développement devraient être établies pour motiver les multiplicateurs de semences de cultures commerciales et les instituts de recherche à satisfaire la demande en semences, pour améliorer l'efficacité des services de vulgarisation agricole et pour soutenir la coopérative primaire des agriculteurs ruraux. L'étude vient enrichir le débat actuel sur ce sujet et apporte de nouvelles preuves empiriques de la synergie qui existe entre cultures commerciales et sécurité alimentaire.

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Funding

Funding: The authors acknowledge the research fund sponsorship by “Jiangsu Social Science Association Project, grant number 20SCB-05”, “International Cooperation Project of Nanjing Agricultural University, grant number 2018-EU-18”, “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, grant number KYYJ202010 and SKYC202002”, “the Projects of institute local cooperation of Chinese Academy of Engineering, grant number JS2020ZT12” and “Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Project (PAPD)”.

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  1. Aseres Mamo Eshetie, Eunice Matafwali, Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso, Jie Li and Aijun Liu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. China Center for Food Security Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    Aseres Mamo Eshetie, Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Aijun Liu

  2. Prince G Academy and Consultancy, Kabwe, Zambia

    Eunice Matafwali & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso

  3. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, New York, USA

    Jie Li

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  1. Aseres Mamo Eshetie
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Eshetie, A.M., Matafwali, E., Mwalupaso, G.E. et al. Nexus of Cash Crop Production Using Improved Varieties and Household Food Security. Eur J Dev Res 34, 1803–1830 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00420-1

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