Economics of Managing Crop Diversity On-farm, Edilegnaw Wale, Adam G Drucker and Kerstin K Zander, 9781849712224

The Economics of Managing Crop Diversity On-farm

Case studies from the Genetic Resources Policy Initiative

Edited by:
Edilegnaw Wale		University of KwaZulu-Natal
Adam G Drucker		Bioversity International
Kerstin K Zander		Charles Darwin University

144 pages, 234 x 156 mm
Publisher: Earthscan from Routledge

Paperback - 2011
ISBN: 9781849712224 - AU $ 72.00

The purpose of this book is to assess a variety of economic issues as they relate to agro-biodiversity in a range of countries and show how addressing these issues can assist in agro-biodiversity policy-making. These are illustrated using empirical data from some of the countries which are part of the Genetic Resources Policy Initiative (Ethiopia, Nepal and Zambia) and applying the relevant economic methods of regression analysis, choice experiments, hedonic pricing, contingent ranking, contingent valuation and farm business income analysis.

The authors discuss the economics of managing crop diversity on-farm in the context of crop variety attribute preferences, farmers' perception of agro-biodiversity loss, and value addition and marketing of the products of traditional crop varieties. The case studies include detailed analysis of rice, maize and groundnut crop varieties and diversity. The results are shown to be relevant not only to GRPI countries but also potentially to other countries concerned with the sustainable utilization of these resources. Overall, they illustrate clearly how genetic resources issues can be integrated into development interventions to address potential policy trade-offs.

Preface
List of Contributors

Part I: Setting the Scene
1. Introduction: Setting the Scene for GRPI Economics

Part II: Variety Trait Preferences and On-Farm Conservation Policy
2. Economic Analysis of Ethiopian Farmers' Preferences for Crop Variety Attributes: A Choice Experiment Approach
3. Valuation of Rice Diversity in Nepal: A Trait-based Approach
4. Farmers' Perceptions on Replacement and Loss of Traditional Crop Varieties: Examples from Ethiopia and Implications

Part III: Market Value Chains, Commercialization and On-farm Conservation Policy
5. Consumers' Attribute Preferences and Traders' Challenges Affecting the Use of Local Maize and Groundnut Varieties in Lusaka: Implications for Crop Diversity Policy
6. Commercialization and Market Linkages for Promoting the Use of Local Rice Varieties: A Nepalese Case Study

Part IV: Conclusions and Outlook
7. Findings, Conclusions, Implications and Outlook
Index

Edilegnaw Wale is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Adam G. Drucker is a Senior Economist at Bioversity International, Rome, Italy.

Kerstin K. Zander is a Research Fellow in the School for Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.

Related Titles

Precision Agriculture for Grain Production Systems

Controlling Invertebrate Pests in Agriculture