Journal of development and agricultural economics 

About: Journal of development and agricultural economics is an academic journal published by Academic Journals. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Agriculture & Poverty. It has an ISSN identifier of 2006-9774. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 505 publications have been published receiving 6319 citations.

Women entrepreneurship in Asian developing countries: Their development and main constraints

Abstract: With limited data and information, this paper aims to examine recent developments of women entrepreneurship in Asian developing countries. This issue is currently very important since it is part of ongoing national efforts to alleviate poverty in developing countries in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Greater opportunities for women to become entrepreneurs (or to have better income paid jobs) will help much in poverty reduction. .Methodologically, this study is based on data analysis and a review of recent key literature. This paper focuses only on women entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises. The findings of this study show three main important facts. First, SMEs are of overwhelming importance in the region, as they account, on average per country, for more than 95% of all firms in all sectors. Second, the representation of women entrepreneurs is still relatively low which can be attributed to factors such as low level of education, lack of capital, and cultural or religious constraints. Third, most of women entrepreneurs in SMEs are from the category of “forced” entrepreneurs seeking for better family incomes. This suggests that when women are better educated and have better paid employment opportunities increase for women, the participation of women as entrepreneurs in SMEs may decline. Key words: SMEs, women entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, gender, Asian developing countries.

Comparison of Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) in selection of an asymmetric price relationship

Abstract: Information criteria provide an attractive basis for model selection. However, little is understood about their relative performance in asymmetric price transmission modelling framework. To explore this issue, this research evaluated the performance of the two commonly used model selection criteria, Akaike information criteria (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC) in discriminating between asymmetric price transmission models under various conditions. Monte Carlo experimentation indicated that the performance of the different model selection criteria are affected by the size of the data, the level of asymmetry and the amount of noise in the model used in the application. The Bayesian information criterion is consistent and outperforms AIC in selecting the suitable asymmetric price relationship in large samples. Key words: Model selection, Akaike’s information criteria (AIC), Bayesian information criteria (BIC), asymmetry, Monte Carlo.

Determinants of household saving: Case study of smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs and teachers in rural areas of Kenya

Abstract: The adoption of liberalization measures in Kenya culminated in a rise and spread of interest rates in the financial sector. The saving rate has however remained low. Most studies have not been conclusive on factors influencing savings in developing countries. This study adopted a microeconomic approach in investigating the factors that influence savings among households of teachers, entrepreneurs and farmers in rural parts of Nakuru District. The sample composed of 359 teachers, entrepreneurs and farmers was selected through multistage sampling technique from seven rural administrative divisions of the district. Through application of least squares method the main finding was that household saving is determined by: the type of occupation, household income, age and gender of household head, level of education, dependency ratio, service charge, transport costs and credit access. The study is valuable to decision makers in financial institutions, economists and other policy makers. Generally, decision and policy makers in private, government and international institutions concerned with finance and development need to consider the effects of the above factors when making decisions concerning saving. Key words: Saving, income, dependency ratio, rural, Kenya.

Agricultural technology adoption, seed access constraints and commercialization in Ethiopia

Abstract: This article examines the driving forces behind farmers’ decisions to adopt agricultural technologies and the causal impact of adoption on farmers’ integration into output market using data obtained from a random cross-section sample of 700 farmers in Ethiopia. We estimate a Double-Hurdle model to analyze the determinants of the intensity of technology adoption conditional on overcoming seed access constraints. We estimate the impact of technology adoption on farmers’ integration into output market by utilizing treatment effect model, regression based on propensity score as well as matching techniques to account for heterogeneity in the adoption decision, and for unobservable characteristics of farmers and their farm. Results show that knowledge of existing varieties, perception about the attributes of improved varieties, household wealth (livestock and land) and availability of active labor force are major determinants for adoption of improved technologies. Our results suggest that the adoption of improved agricultural technologies has a significant positive impact on farmers’ integration into output market and the findings are consistent across the three models suggesting the robustness of the results. This confirms the potential direct role of technology adoption on market participation among rural households, as higher productivity from improved technology translates into higher output market integration.

Assessing the evidence of climate variability in the northern part of Ethiopia

Abstract: In semi-arid highlands of northern Ethiopia, episodes of droughts of varying severity and duration occur. The occurrence of these droughts is associated mainly with the seasonal rainfall variability. This study attempts to investigate the temporal and spatial variability of climate parameters, particularly rainfall and temperature for the period 1954-2008. Standardized rainfall anomaly was used to examine the temporal characteristics of climate variability and determine the prevalence of droughts. Analysis of variance was also employed to establish significant differences in rainfall characteristics amongst different in-situ stations. The baseline climate data from each station was also spatially interpolated using ordinary kriging technique. The temporal analysis indicated an overall slight decrease in rainfall and an overall increase in the mean annual minimum and maximum temperatures over the study period. The analysis further revealed that the average annual minimum temperature over the region has been increasing by about 0.72oC every ten years while average annual maximum temperature has been increasing by about 0.36oC per decade. This shows that the northern part of Ethiopia is warming faster than the national average of 0.25oC per decade. It is also observed that the average annual minimum temperature is increasing faster than average annual maximum temperature, which is an indication of warming nights over the years.