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Estimating the Impact of Crop Diversity on Agricultural Productivity in South Africa

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  • Cecilia Bellora
  • Élodie Blanc
  • Jean-Marc Bourgeon
  • Eric Strobl

Abstract

Crop biodiversity has the potential to enhance resistance to strains due to biotic and abiotic factors and to improve crop production and farm revenues. To investigate the effect of crop biodiversity on crop productivity, we build a probabilistic model based on ecological mechanisms to describe crop survival and productivity according to diversity. From this analytic model, we derive reduced forms that are empirically estimated using detailed field data of South African agriculture combined with satellite derived data. Our results confirm that diversity has a positive and significant impact on crop survival odds. We show the consistency of these results with the underlying ecologic and agricultural mechanisms.

Suggested Citation

  • Cecilia Bellora & Élodie Blanc & Jean-Marc Bourgeon & Eric Strobl, 2017. "Estimating the Impact of Crop Diversity on Agricultural Productivity in South Africa," NBER Working Papers 23496, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:23496
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    Cited by:

    1. Wolfram Schlenker, 2018. "Introduction to "Agricultural Productivity and Producer Behavior"," NBER Chapters, in: Agricultural Productivity and Producer Behavior, pages 1-9, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Eric Strobl, 2022. "Preserving local biodiversity through crop diversification," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(3), pages 1140-1174, May.
    3. Cecilia Bellora & Jean-Marc Bourgeon, 2014. "Agricultural Trade, Biodiversity Effects and Food Price Volatility," Working Papers hal-01052971, HAL.
    4. Cecilia Bellora & Jean-Marc Bourgeon, 2016. "Food trade, Biodiversity Effects and Price Volatility," Working Papers 2016-06, CEPII research center.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics

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