Determinants of crop yield and profit of family farms: Evidence from the Senegal River Valley

This paper investigates the determinants of crop yield and profit of small family farms in Senegal using both a production and a profit function. The econometric analysis is based on information on agricultural inputs and outputs from 505 agricultural household members of a farmer organization in the Saint Louis region collected in 2009. The analysis of our results indicate that the development of commercialization sectors and agricultural loans would be required prior to increasing agricultural inputs. Our findings also suggest that information on planting technique, soil preparation and management of lands could allow productivity increases, but that an increase in the bargaining power of farmers is required to increase unit prices and consequently their profits.