IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/wpaper/halshs-00993393.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Test of Separability of Consumption and Production Decisions of Farm Households in Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Christophe Muller

    (GREQAM - Groupement de Recherche en Économie Quantitative d'Aix-Marseille - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In this paper, we test and reject the separability of production and consumption decisions of agricultural households in Ethiopia, using data from a rural household survey conducted in 1994 and an estimated labour demand equation. We also elicit socio-demographic and asset variables that are positively linked with agricultural labour demands. These results reflect the limited development of fully organised labour markets in rural Ethiopia. They also imply that purely market-driven agricultural policies, e.g., price subsidies or taxes, may have only limited or perverse impacts, and should be complemented by policies directly affecting household decisions, such as food aid, technology transfer, free supply of fertilizers, etc.

Suggested Citation

  • Christophe Muller, 2014. "A Test of Separability of Consumption and Production Decisions of Farm Households in Ethiopia," Working Papers halshs-00993393, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00993393
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00993393
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00993393/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dercon, Stefan & Christiaensen, Luc, 2011. "Consumption risk, technology adoption and poverty traps: Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 159-173, November.
    2. Barrett, Christopher B., 1996. "On price risk and the inverse farm size-productivity relationship," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 193-215, December.
    3. Benjamin, Dwayne, 1992. "Household Composition, Labor Markets, and Labor Demand: Testing for Separation in Agricultural Household Models," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 287-322, March.
    4. Behrman, Jere R. & Foster, Andrew D. & Rosenzweig, Mark R., 1997. "The dynamics of agricultural production and the calorie-income relationship: Evidence from Pakistan," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 187-207, March.
    5. Marcel Fafchamps & Agnes R. Quisumbing, 1999. "Human Capital, Productivity, and Labor Allocation in Rural Pakistan," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(2), pages 369-406.
    6. Vakis, Renos & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & de Janvry, Alain & Cafiero, Carlo, 2004. "Testing for Separability in Household Models with Heterogeneous Behavior: A Mixture Model Approach," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt4hs3g5dj, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    7. Michael Kevane, 1996. "Agrarian Structure and Agricultural Practice: Typology and Application to Western Sudan," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(1), pages 236-245.
    8. Hanan G. Jacoby, 1993. "Shadow Wages and Peasant Family Labour Supply: An Econometric Application to the Peruvian Sierra," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 60(4), pages 903-921.
    9. Mani, Subha & Hoddinott, John & Strauss, John, 2012. "Long-term impact of investments in early schooling — Empirical evidence from rural Ethiopia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 292-299.
    10. Croppenstedt, Andre & Muller, Christophe, 2000. "The Impact of Farmers' Health and Nutritional Status on Their Productivity and Efficiency: Evidence from Ethiopia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(3), pages 475-502, April.
    11. Pelletier, David L. & Deneke, Kassahun & Kidane, Yemane & Haile, Beyenne & Negussie, Fikre, 1995. "The food-first bias and nutrition policy: lessons from Ethiopia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 279-298, August.
    12. Lopez, Ramon E., 1984. "Estimating labor supply and production decisions of self-employed farm producers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 61-82.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Christophe Muller & Nouréini Sayouti, 2019. "How Do Agro-Pastoral Policies Affect the Dietary Intake of Agro-Pastoralists? Evidence from Niger," AMSE Working Papers 1917, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France, revised Apr 2020.
    2. repec:hal:cdiwps:halshs-02532955 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Mayéko Léon, 2020. "Hunger and the Issue of Agricultural Productivity in Congo," Journal of Agricultural Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 8(2), pages 306-322, June.
    4. Allen, James E., 2018. "Are agricultural markets more developed around cities? Testing for urban heterogeneity in separability in Tanzania," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 199-212.
    5. Touhami Abdelkhalek & Fouzia Ejjanoui, 2015. "Tests De Séparabilité dans les Decisioins des Menages Agricoles: Cas du Maroc," Working Papers 955, Economic Research Forum, revised Oct 2015.

    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. Béatrice D'HOMBRES & Jean-Louis ARCAND, 2006. "Testing for Separation in Agricultural Household Models and Unobservable Household-Specific Effects," Working Papers 200632, CERDI.
    2. Allen, James E., 2018. "Are agricultural markets more developed around cities? Testing for urban heterogeneity in separability in Tanzania," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 199-212.
    3. Touhami Abdelkhalek & Fouzia Ejjanoui, 2015. "Tests De Séparabilité dans les Decisioins des Menages Agricoles: Cas du Maroc," Working Papers 955, Economic Research Forum, revised Oct 2015.
    4. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2859-2939 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Hayatullah Ahmadzai, 2018. "Factor market participation and tests for separability in Afghanistan," Discussion Papers 2018-10, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    6. Ayala Wineman & Thomas S. Jayne, 2021. "Factor Market Activity and the Inverse Farm Size-Productivity Relationship in Tanzania," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 443-464, March.
    7. Thomas Barré, 2010. "Overemployment, Underemployment and the opportunity cost of time," Working Papers halshs-00452809, HAL.
    8. Rizov, Marian & Swinnen, Johan F.M., 2004. "Human capital, market imperfections, and labor reallocation in transition," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 745-774, December.
    9. Mardochée Ngandu Mulotwa & Christian Mabi & Isaac Kalonda & Séraphin Mvudi, 2018. "Labor Demand and Farm Household Welfare Under Non-separability in South Kivu (DRC) [Demande du travail agricole et bien-être des ménages agricoles sous non-séparabilité au Sud-Kivu (RD Congo)]," Working Papers hal-01845493, HAL.
    10. Chang, Yang-Ming & Huang, Biing-Wen & Chen, Yun-Ju, 2012. "Labor supply, income, and welfare of the farm household," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 427-437.
    11. Blaise Waly BASSE & Amadou Abdoulaye FALL, 2023. "Allocation de la main-d’œuvre dans les exploitations rizicoles au Sénégal," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 57, pages 49-61.
    12. Wang, Xiaobing & Herzfeld, Thomas & Glauben, Thomas, 2007. "Labor allocation in transition: Evidence from Chinese rural households," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 287-308.
    13. Bagamba, Fredrick & Burger, Kees & Kuyvenhoven, Arie, 2007. "Determinants of smallholder farmer labour allocation decisions in Uganda," 106th Seminar, October 25-27, 2007, Montpellier, France 7920, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Jia, Lili, 2012. "Land fragmentation and off-farm labor supply in China," Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Transition Economies, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), volume 66, number 66.
    15. Thottappilly, Anna, 2021. "Identifying the Income Effect on Nutrition for Agricultural Households: Separability of Production and Consumption," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315335, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Lofgren, Hans & Robinson, Sherman, 1999. "To trade or not to trade: non-separable farm household models in partial and general equilibrium," TMD discussion papers 37, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Dillon, Brian & Barrett, Christopher B., 2017. "Agricultural factor markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: An updated view with formal tests for market failure," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 64-77.
    18. Dimitris Christopoulos & Margarita Genius & Vangelis Tzouvelekas, 2021. "Farm and non-farm labor decisions and household efficiency," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 15-31, August.
    19. Bowlus, Audra J. & Sicular, Terry, 2003. "Moving toward markets? Labor allocation in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 561-583, August.
    20. Laszlo, Sonia, 2008. "Education, Labor Supply, and Market Development in Rural Peru," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 2421-2439, November.
    21. repec:hal:journl:dumas-00802135 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Kamau, Mercy W. & Burger, Kees & Giller, Ken E., 2007. "Labour allocative efficiency and factors influencing farm households interaction with the labour market," 106th Seminar, October 25-27, 2007, Montpellier, France 7947, European Association of Agricultural Economists.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    agricultural household; separability; Ethiopia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:hal:wpaper:halshs-00993393. 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: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    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.