IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/midasp/290062.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Economic Analysis Of On-Farm Trials: A Review Of Approaches And Implications For Research Program Design

Author

Listed:
  • Boughton, Duncan
  • Crawford, Eric
  • Krause, Mark
  • Henry de Frahan, Bruno

Abstract

Farming systems research has set itself the ambitious goal of developing technologies that are widely adopted by resource poor farmers. This goal has generally proved to be far more elusive than originally hoped. The problem does not lie with the principles of farming systems research (i.e., research that is farmer oriented, interdisiciplinary and employs a systems perspective). Part of the problem, particularly for Sahelian countries, is the lack of technologies "on the shelf" to offer farmers. Part of the problem, also,is inadequately developed markets for credit, inputs and products. Even when due allowance has been made for these constraints, however, farming systems research has not yielded its full potential. The reason is simple - farming systems research is hard to do (Herdt, 1987). It is physically hard, and it is intellectually hard. Conventional research tools are not well adapted to farmer participatory research. Communication, with farmers and with other disciplines, is a struggle. As a result, every farming systems research team (and every team member) must engage in a learning process through which the necessary expertise and mutual understanding can be developed. The goal of this paper is to make a contribution to this learning process, in the Senegalese context. The subject matter is the economic analysis of on-farm trials. What can be learned from such analysis that is useful to farming systems or commodity-oriented research teams? How should it be done and what practical advances in method have taken place recently? What data are required and how should they be collected? Although the subject matter is economic analysis, the paper is addressed to team members from all disciplines. Like new technology, the information gained from economic analysis is only useful if it is adopted, i.e., incorporated into the design of further experimental work or the formulation of farmer recommendations. This can only be achieved if the objectives, concepts and methods of economic analysis are understood and accepted by all team members.

Suggested Citation

  • Boughton, Duncan & Crawford, Eric & Krause, Mark & Henry de Frahan, Bruno, "undated". "Economic Analysis Of On-Farm Trials: A Review Of Approaches And Implications For Research Program Design," Staff Paper Series 290062, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:midasp:290062
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.290062
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/290062/files/boughton_crawford_etal_SP90-78.with_cover.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.290062?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher L. Delgado & John McIntire, 1982. "Constraints on Oxen Cultivation in the Sahel," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 64(2), pages 188-196.
    2. M. A. Krause & R. R. Deuson & T. G. Baker & P. V. Preckel & J. Lowenberg-DeBoer & K. C. Reddy & K. Maliki, 1990. "Risk Sharing versus Low-Cost Credit Systems for International Development," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 72(4), pages 911-922.
    3. Eric W. Crawford & Robert A. Milligan, 1982. "A Multi-Year, Stochastic, Farm Simulation Model for Northern Nigeria: An Experimental Design Approach," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 64(4), pages 728-737.
    4. Douglas Barnett & Brian Blake & Bruce A. McCarl, 1982. "Goal Programming via Multidimensional Scaling Applied to Senegalese Subsistence Farms," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 64(4), pages 720-727.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. McCarl, Bruce A., 1984. "Model Validation: An Overview with some Emphasis on Risk Models," Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 52(03), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Fleming, Euan M. & Hardaker, J. Brian, 1993. "Micro-Level Approaches to Analysing Rural Development Problems," Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 61(02), pages 1-14, August.
    3. Timothy J. Lowe & Paul V. Preckel, 2004. "Decision Technologies for Agribusiness Problems: A Brief Review of Selected Literature and a Call for Research," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 6(3), pages 201-208.
    4. Brandao, Elizabeth Santos & McCarl, Bruce A. & Schuh, G. Edward, 1984. "Predicting The Impact Of New Cropping Practices Upon Subsistence Farming: A Farm Level Analysis In Brazil," Western Journal of Agricultural Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 9(2), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Baidu-Forson, J. & Renard, C., 1996. "Comparing productivity of millet-based cropping systems in unstable environments of the Sahel: possibilities and challenges," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 85-95.
    6. Lien, Gudbrand & Hardaker, J. Brian & Asseldonk, Marcel A.P.M. van & Richardson, James W., 2009. "Risk programming and sparse data: how to get more reliable results," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(1-2), pages 42-48, June.
    7. Stelios Rozakis & Alexandra Sintori & Konstantinos Tsiboukas, 2009. "Utility-derived Supply Function of Sheep Milk: The Case of Etoloakarnania, Greece," Working Papers 2009-11, Agricultural University of Athens, Department Of Agricultural Economics.
    8. Zenebe Gebreegziabher & Kooten, G. Cornelis van, 2016. "Single versus Multiple Objective(s) Decision Making: An Application to Subsistence Farms in Northern Ethiopia," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 24(2), August.
    9. McCarl, Bruce A. & Apland, Jeffrey, 1986. "Validation Of Linear Programming Models," Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 18(2), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Arriaza Balmón, Manuel & Gomez-Limon, Jose Antonio, 2002. "Comparative Performance of Selected Mathematical Programming Models," 2002 International Congress, August 28-31, 2002, Zaragoza, Spain 24792, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Skold, Melvin D., 1987. "Agricultural Price Policies, Policy Goals, and Methods of Estimating Costs of Production," 1987 Occasional Paper Series No. 4 197533, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Hayashi, Kiyotada, 2000. "Multicriteria analysis for agricultural resource management: A critical survey and future perspectives," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 486-500, April.
    13. Arriaza, M. & Gomez-Limon, J. A., 2003. "Comparative performance of selected mathematical programming models," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 77(2), pages 155-171, August.
    14. Baidu-Forson, J. & Waliyar, F. & Ntare, B. R., 1997. "Farmer preferences for socioeconomic and technical interventions in groundnut production system in Niger: Conjoint and ordered probit analyses," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 463-476, August.
    15. Jabbar, M. A. & Ehui, S. K. & Von Kaufmann, R., 2002. "Supply and Demand for Livestock Credit in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons for Designing New Credit Schemes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1029-1042, June.
    16. Marsh, Sally P. & MacAulay, T. Gordon & Van Hung, Pham (ed.), 2006. "Agricultural Development and Land Policy in Vietnam," Monographs, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, number 114071.
    17. Rehman, Tahir & Romero, Carlos, 1987. "Multiobjective and Goal Programming Techniques for Solving Agricultural Planning Problems," 1987 Occasional Paper Series No. 4 197536, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Staal, Steven J. & Davis, Carlton George, 1992. "Effects of Resource Constraints on the Production Systems and Earnings Potential of Small Farm Households in the West Province of Cameroon," Farm and Business - The Journal of the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society, Caribbean Agro-Economic Society, vol. 1(2), pages 1-32, September.
    19. Gudbrand Lien & J. Hardaker & Marcel Asseldonk & James Richardson, 2011. "Risk programming analysis with imperfect information," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 311-323, October.
    20. McCarl, Bruce A., 1992. "Mathematical Programming For Resource Policy Appraisal Under Multiple Objectives," Working Papers 11888, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Training Project.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:midasp:290062. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/damsuus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.