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Measurement of competitiveness in smallholder livestock systems and emerging policy advocacy: An application to Botswana

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  • Bahta, Sirak
  • Malope, Patrick

Abstract

Farm level cross sectional data of 556 randomly selected livestock producers were used to investigate the competitiveness of smallholder beef farmers in Botswana. The results show the presence of inefficiency, with about 74% of the variation in actual profit from maximum profit (profit frontier) between farms mainly arising from differences in farmers’ practices rather than random variability. Further the mean profit efficiency level of 0.58 suggests that there is a substantial scope to improve beef profitability in Botswana. Significant profit efficiency drivers include, among others, education, distance to market, herd size, access to information and access to income from crop production. Considering the importance of livestock sector for wealth creation and poverty eradication in the rural areas where poverty is more pronounced, there is a need for appropriate development strategies and policies directed towards addressing these factors. In particular there is need to invest in market infrastructure in order to improve market access, hence profit efficiency of smallholder livestock farmers.

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  • Bahta, Sirak & Malope, Patrick, 2014. "Measurement of competitiveness in smallholder livestock systems and emerging policy advocacy: An application to Botswana," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 408-417.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:49:y:2014:i:p2:p:408-417
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.10.006
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    2. Enahoro, Dolapo & Sircely, Jason & Boone, Randall B. & Oloo, Stephen & Komarek, Adam M. & Bahta, Sirak & Herrero, Mario & Rich, Karl M., 2021. "Feed biomass production may not be sufficient to support emerging livestock demand: Model projections to 2050 in Southern Africa," SocArXiv qmdrt, Center for Open Science.
    3. Little, Peter D. & Debsu, Dejene Negassa & Tiki, Waktole, 2014. "How pastoralists perceive and respond to market opportunities: The case of the Horn of Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 389-397.
    4. Msangi, Siwa & Enahoro, Dolapo & Herrero, Mario & Magnan, Nicholas & Havlik, Petr & Notenbaert, An & Nelgen, Signe, 2014. "Integrating livestock feeds and production systems into agricultural multi-market models: The example of IMPACT," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 365-377.
    5. Sirak Bahta & Amos Omore & Darek Baker & Iheanacho Okike & Berhanu Gebremedhin & Francis Wanyoike, 0. "An Analysis of Technical Efficiency in the Presence of Developments Toward Commercialization: Evidence from Tanzania’s Milk Producers," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 0, pages 1-24.
    6. van Wijk, Mark T., 2014. "From global economic modelling to household level analyses of food security and sustainability: How big is the gap and can we bridge it?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 378-388.
    7. Amuakwa-Mensah, F. & Chube, B. & Surry, Y. & Bahta, S., 2018. "Production risk and technical (in)efficiency amongst smallholder livestock farmers in Botswana: An exploratory investigation," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277276, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. van der Lee, Jan & Oosting, Simon & Klerkx, Laurens & Opinya, Felix & Bebe, Bockline Omedo, 2020. "Effects of proximity to markets on dairy farming intensity and market participation in Kenya and Ethiopia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    9. Sirak Bahta & Amos Omore & Darek Baker & Iheanacho Okike & Berhanu Gebremedhin & Francis Wanyoike, 2021. "An Analysis of Technical Efficiency in the Presence of Developments Toward Commercialization: Evidence from Tanzania’s Milk Producers," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 502-525, June.
    10. Temoso, Omphile & Villano, Renato & Hadley, David, 2016. "Evaluating the productivity gap between commercial and traditional beef production systems in Botswana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 30-39.
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    12. Evans Ngenoh & Barnabas K. Kurgat & Hillary K. Bett & Sindu W. Kebede & Wolfgang Bokelmann, 2019. "Determinants of the competitiveness of smallholder African indigenous vegetable farmers in high-value agro-food chains in Kenya: A multivariate probit regression analysis," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-17, December.
    13. Bahta, Sirak & Baker, Derek & Malope, Patrick & Katijuongua, Hikuepi, 2015. "A metafronteir analysis of determinants of technical efficiency in beef farm types: an application to Botswana," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211194, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Baker, Derek & Enahoro, Dolapo, 2014. "Policy analysis and advocacy for livestock-based development: The gap between household-level analysis and higher-level models," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 361-364.
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    17. Dizyee, Kanar & Baker, Derek & Rich, Karl M., 2017. "A quantitative value chain analysis of policy options for the beef sector in Botswana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 13-24.

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