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Land market distortions and aggregate agricultural productivity: Evidence from Guatemala

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  • Britos, Braulio
  • Hernandez, Manuel A.
  • Robles, Miguel
  • Trupkin, Danilo R.

Abstract

Farm size and land allocation are important factors in explaining lagging agricultural productivity in developing countries. This paper examines the effect of land market imperfections on land allocation across farmers and aggregate agricultural productivity. We develop a theoretical framework to model the optimal size distribution of farms and assess to what extent market imperfections can explain non-optimal land allocation and output in-efficiency. We measure these distortions for the case of Guatemala using agricultural census microdata. We find that due to land market imperfections aggregate output is 19% below its efficient level for both maize and beans and 31% below for coffee, which are three major crops produced nationwide. The regions with higher distortions show a higher dispersion in land prices and less active rental markets. We also find that the degree of land market distortions across locations co-variate with road accessibility and ethnicity and, in a lower extent, with education.

Suggested Citation

  • Britos, Braulio & Hernandez, Manuel A. & Robles, Miguel & Trupkin, Danilo R., 2020. "Land market distortions and aggregate agricultural productivity: Evidence from Guatemala," IFPRI discussion papers 1969, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1969
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    3. Tretiak, Anton & Moskalenko, Anatolii & Tretiak, Valentina & Moskalenko, Valentyna & Tretiak, Nataliia, 2022. "Agricultural land turnover in Ukraine: state, features and problems," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 8(3), September.
    4. Li, Nicholas, 2023. "In-kind transfers, marketization costs and household specialization: Evidence from Indian farmers," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    5. Danny Cyra Yangchen & Mingyong Hong & Qisong Yang, 2022. "The Effect of Farmland Transfer on the Technical Efficiency of Farm Households in China: An Empirical Result of External Environmental Factors," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    6. Zhuo Wenjun, 2023. "Circulation Expectations, Farmer Trust, and Farmers’ Contract Choice Behavior," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-15, August.
    7. Baomin Cui & Lingling Tang & Jianxu Liu & Songsak Sriboonchitta, 2023. "How Does Land Transfer Impact the Household Labor Productivity in China? Empirical Evidence from Survey Data in Shandong," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-24, April.
    8. Ting Du & Chao Li & Zhaolin Wang, 2023. "Spatial Differentiation and Influencing Mechanisms of Farmland Transfer Rents in Mountainous Areas: Evidence from Chongqing and Its Surrounding Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, March.
    9. Zhou, Di & Hu, Yanning & Xie, Dongchun & Sun, Qiong, 2023. "Land resource mismatch and energy efficiency: Evidence from 243 cities in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    GUATEMALA; LATIN AMERICA; CENTRAL AMERICA; NORTH AMERICA; land markets; agricultural productivity; maize; beans; Coffea; coffee; crop production; land market distortions; output inefficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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