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This study used cross sectional data from the government of Malawi’s Farm Income Diversification Programme (FIDP) to examine the impact of FIDP on household welfare. Total annual household income, food security, and the wealth status of households were used as measures of household welfare. A propensity score matching procedure was used to make statistically valid comparisons between the welfare of households which participated and did not participate in FIDP. The results show that households which participated in FIDP had higher incomes and their food security status improved more than among similar households which did not participate in the program. The results further reveal that FIDP improved the wealth of participating households compared to their counterparts who did not participate. Those FIDP participating households engaged in livestock production, in particular, experienced considerable growth of income, which suggests that livestock enterprises coupled with income from crops could be an important pathway for improving the wellbeing of households in Malawi.
This study analyzed the determinants of crop diversification as well as the factors influencing the extent of crop diversification by smallholder farmers in Southern province. The study used secondary data from the Central Statistical Office of Zambia. Results from a double-hurdle model analysis indicates that landholding size, fertilizer quantity, distance to market, and the type of tillage mechanism adopted have a strong influence on whether a farmer practices crop diversification. Our findings have important implications for policies that are designed to enhance crop diversification. In particular, our results suggest the need for government to consider undertaking policies that will enhance farmers access to and control over land, that will provide farmers with improved access to agricultural imple-ments like ploughs, and that will bring trading markets closer to farmers.
A cloth bag containing ten copies of the title.