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The impact of coffee price changes on rural households in Uganda

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  • Maurizio Bussolo
  • Olivier Godart
  • Jann Lay
  • Rainer Thiele

Abstract

Employing household survey data covering the periods 1992–1993, 1995–1996, and 1999–2000, this article shows for the case of Uganda that a coffee market liberalization followed by a price boom was associated with substantial reductions in poverty, which could even be sustained when prices went down again. Coffee is not planted by the richest farmers and the gains from higher coffee prices accrued to poorer and richer coffee farmers alike. Nor were poorer farmers hurt disproportionately when prices fell. In addition, we find strong spillovers from coffee production to other agriculture, which tends to favor the poor, and to nonagricultural activities. These multiplier effects are concentrated in coffee regions. In an economic environment characterized by a booming agricultural sector, coffee farmers were able to accommodate the negative price shock, in particular through agricultural diversification. General agricultural growth also cushioned possible negative multiplier effects in coffee regions. Overall, the case of coffee in Uganda thus lends support to the view that agricultural trade liberalization is beneficial for the poor.

Suggested Citation

  • Maurizio Bussolo & Olivier Godart & Jann Lay & Rainer Thiele, 2007. "The impact of coffee price changes on rural households in Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 37(2‐3), pages 293-303, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:agecon:v:37:y:2007:i:2-3:p:293-303
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-0862.2007.00275.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Murekezi, Abdoul Karim & Loveridge, Scott, 2009. "Have coffee reforms and coffee supply chains affected farmers' income? The case of coffee growers in Rwanda," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49597, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Spencer Dorsey, 2020. "The opportunity cost of intrastate violence and the out-of-sample validity of commodity price shocks," The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, , vol. 17(3), pages 309-324, July.
    3. Golan, Jennifer & Lay, Jann, 2008. "More coffee, more cigarettes? Coffee market liberalisation, gender, and bargaining in Uganda," Kiel Working Papers 1402, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Maurizio Bussolo & Olivier Godart & Jann Lay & Rainer Thiele, 2007. "The impact of coffee price changes on rural households in Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 37(2‐3), pages 293-303, September.
    5. Marcin Pawel Jarzebski & Abubakari Ahmed & Yaw Agyeman Boafo & Boubacar Siddighi Balde & Linda Chinangwa & Osamu Saito & Graham Maltitz & Alexandros Gasparatos, 2020. "Food security impacts of industrial crop production in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the impact mechanisms," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 105-135, February.
    6. Lay, Jann & Golan, Jennifer, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Market Liberalisation from a Gender Perspective: Evidence from Uganda," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Frankfurt a.M. 2009 20, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    7. Green, Erik & Hillbom, Ellen & Lindgren, Mattias, 2011. "Principal Trends and Debates in African Agricultural Development," MPRA Paper 92547, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Mekasha, Tseday J. & Molla, Kiflu G. & Tarp, Finn & Aikaeli, Jehovaness, 2022. "Commodity price fluctuations and child malnutrition," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    9. Aksoy , M. Ataman & Isik-Dikmelik, Aylin, 2008. "Are low food prices pro-poor ? net food buyers and sellers in low-income countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4642, The World Bank.
    10. Ishengoma, Esther K. & Kappel, Robert, 2008. "Business Constraints and Growth Potential of Micro and Small Manufacturing Enterprises in Uganda," GIGA Working Papers 78, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    11. Ghoshray, Atanu, 2021. "Are coffee farmers worse off in the long run?," 95th Annual Conference, March 29-30, 2021, Warwick, UK (Hybrid) 311084, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    12. Llambí, Cecilia & Laens, Silvia & Perera, Marcelo & Ferrando, Mery, 2008. "Assessing the impact of the 2007 Tax Reform on poverty and inequality in Uruguay," Conference papers 331810, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    13. Abdoul Murekezi & Songqing Jin & Scott Loveridge, 2014. "Have coffee producers benefited from the new domestic cherry market? Evidence using panel data from Rwanda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(4), pages 489-500, July.
    14. Fjelde, Hanne, 2015. "Farming or Fighting? Agricultural Price Shocks and Civil War in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 525-534.

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