Food Stamps and Food Spending: An Engel Function Approach

Estimation of Food Stamp Program (FSP) effects has been complicated by self-selection and by a contradiction between observed spending patterns and the economic theory of consumer choice. We developed a modified version of the traditional theory, in which participant households may be partly extramarginal even if they have some cash spending on at-home food. Using Current Population Survey (CPS) data for 2001–2005, we estimated Engel functions for at-home and away-from-home food spending for FSP participants and nonparticipants. Compared to nonparticipants with the same level of total income, participants had higher at-home food spending and lower away-from-home food spending.     

Coupon Redemption and Its Effect on Household Cheese Purchases

By endogenizing unit value and coupon redemption, we estimate U.S. household cheese purchase, quality choice, and coupon redemption equations simultaneously. Zero purchases and missing values on coupons and unit values are taken into account in the model to correct for selectivity bias. Correlations among the three equations are found to be significant. Empirical findings show that high-quality choice significantly decreases cheese purchases, while cheese coupon usage significantly increases purchases. We find that higher income households select higher quality cheese, while larger households choose lower quality cheese. For coupon redemption, we find that African-American and Hispanic households redeem less, while Asian households have no significant difference compared to Caucasian households.     

The Impact of Generic Advertising on U.S. Household Cheese Purchases: A Censored Autocorrelated Regression Approach

The impacts of generic cheese advertising on U.S. household cheese purchases are examined via the use of a unique household panel. Modest gains in overall at-home cheese purchases from generic cheese advertising appear to be largely the result of strong gains in purchases of natural cheese rather than processed cheese. Results indicate that relatively larger gains in household cheese purchases from generic advertising may be realized by targeting infrequent purchasers to increase purchase frequencies, rather than by targeting households in general to increase their conditional purchase levels.     

Food Stamp Program Participation and Food Insecurity: An Instrumental Variables Approach

The relationship between Food Stamp Program (FSP) participation and household food insecurity (FI) is investigated using data from the 1996–1997 National Food Stamp Program Survey. Endogeneity of FSP participation is accommodated with an instrumental variables approach. In contrast to other findings reported in the literature, results suggest participation in the FSP reduces the severity of FI. Sociodemographic variables play important roles in FSP participation and FI. Underreporting of FSP participation and limited observations of food-insecure households in previous studies may have also been factors.     

Food Demand in Mexico: An Application of the Amemiya-Tobin Approach to the Estimation of a Censored Food System

The modeling of micro-level food demand patterns requires not only allowing for household heterogeneity, but also addressing the problem of censoring. In this article, we present a variation of the Amemiya-Tobin framework for estimating a censored demand system that allows for household heterogeneity. The unique aspect of our approach is the use of a procedure that ensures the adding up of both latent and observed expenditure shares and also imposes expenditure share nonnegativity. This system is applied to an analysis of food demand based on a random sample of urban Mexican households.     

Household Food Demand in Burkina Faso: Implications for Food Policy

Chronic food production deficits since the early 1970s have prompted policymakers of Burkina Faso to emphasize technological research with the goal of increasing the production of the most-consumed locally-grown cereals: sorghum, millet and maize. Meanwhile, urban consumers have been developing preferences for rice and wheat, cereals that are primarily imported. This study estimates demand relationships among food items in Ouagadougou, Burkina. The results of the estimation suggest that prices, income, household composition, education, marital status and urbanization were jointly important in explaining household expenditure allocations. Both local and imported cereal consumption responded positively to an income increase. However, incremental income changes would lead to relatively greater consumption of locally produced cereals by low-income households whereas high-income households would consume relatively more wheat and rice. The household model is then used to demonstrate its relevance in addressing food policy issues, by forecasting the levels of urban grain demand under alternative income and demographic scenarios. With increased production due to advances in technology, the urban demand levels do not exhaust the rural surplus of local cereals, but deficits persist in the rice-wheat sector. The results underscore the importance of technological research since Burkina could become self-sufficient in at least the production of sorghum, millet and maize.     

我国贫困农村家庭食物安全状况及影响因素的实证研究

本文在深入分析食物安全、家庭食物安全内涵的基础上，利用12个国家挟贫重点县的农户调查资料，通过构建指标体系对我国贫困农村的家庭食物安全水平和程度进行衡量和评价，并对其影响因素进行了分析，结果表明：近20多年来，我国贫困农村地区的家庭食物安全水平不断提高，食物安全广度不断扩大，但是食物安全深度却出现下降；食物获得能力对家庭食物安全具有显著的正影响，提高贫困农村地区居民的收入水平和家庭粮食自给能力有助于降低家庭的食物不安全发生概率；食物可获得性对家庭食物安全具有非常显著的正影响，市场方便度越高，实现家庭食物安全的概率越高；家庭规模和家庭结构对家庭食物安全具有显著影响，随着家庭规模、家庭结构复杂程度和家庭温饱负担程度的提高，农户面临的食物不安全风险的概率也在增加。     

Household Food Consumption in a Developing Economy:

The primary objective of this paper is to describe household rice consumption patterns in Nigeria with evidence from Imo State, determine the nature, magnitude and direction of income, price and cross price elasticities of demand, and examine the factors influencing household rice consumption. A budget survey of 50 randomly selected rural and urban households in Imo State, Nigeria, interviewed. The survey was repeated for 14 months between November 1984 and January 1986, providing the data used for analysis. There were significant differences between urban and rural household per capita daily rice consumption. Income (expenditure) elasticity of demand was greater than unity, and decreased, as expected, from low to high income groups. Household income was the most important determinant of food consumption. The implications of these findings for food and international trade policy are discussed.     

实际价格、粮食可获性与农业生产决策——基于农户模型的分析框架和实证检验

按照市场一价定律的逻辑,所有生产者和消费者在市场上面临同一个价格并据此作出生产或消费决策。然而,农产品生产者和消费者的双重身份却导致农户在同一个农产品市场上得到或付出不同的价格,其差异主要取决于运销成本。因此,影响农户生产或消费决策的是其实际获得或付出的价格而非统一的市场价格。此外,出于对粮食安全的追求,农户所在地区的...     

A System Comparison Approach to Distinguish Two Nonseparable and Nonnested Agricultural Household Models

This study distinguishes two nonseparable agricultural household models for a self-employed farm household. One assumes heterogeneity of farm and nonfarm labor and a competitive market for nonfarm labor. The other assumes homogeneity of the two types of labor and a restricted market for nonfarm labor. We compare demand systems that are derived from them, which have different dependent variables and different numbers of equations. We apply a Cox-type test to compare these complicated nonnested systems. Results show clearly that the former is better for Japanese rice-farming households. Comparison of price elasticities for those models verifies the importance of that test.     

Relating Consumer Willingness-to-Pay for Food Safety to Risk Tolerance: An Experimental Approach

This study investigates the role of risk tolerance in shaping Canadian consumers' willingness-to-pay for food safety risk reductions. Non-hypothetical experimental auctions were used to elicit consumer valuations of food safety improvement. To identify the relationship between food safety concern and risk-reduction valuations, individual risk-perception scores are constructed based on questionnaire responses. Results show willingness-to-pay for improved food safety tends to decrease as individuals become more risk tolerant. Differences in bids across naïve and informed rounds of bidding tend to become smaller with risk tolerance for individuals who initially overestimated the food safety risk.     

Farm Business and Household Expenditure Patterns and Local Communities: Evidence from a National Farm Survey

Farm operators are an integral part of some rural economies. The businesses they operate support jobs and purchase goods and services from local implement and input suppliers. Farm household spending on food, furniture and appliances, trucks and automobiles, and a range of consumer goods also supports local jobs and retail businesses. Based on the 2004 Agricultural Resource Management Survey, the linkages between farm household and business expenditures and communities are explored. Farms in urban areas purchase household goods in markets closest to the farmstead, but traveled further to purchase farm business items. The opposite pattern was observed in rural locations.     

Canadian Industry And Food Production in Developing Countries —An Approach

Some form of assistance for Canadian firms engaged in agribusiness to invest in developing countries should be an important element in any government aid program. This paper discusses why investment of this nature would provide new opportunities for expansion in markets requiring commercial development, as well as a base for expansion in the future, as the economic potential of the developing country is realized and as gains are made in its national output and in the welfare of its inhabitants. New processing facilities would assist the developing country to increase its food production capability, stimulate employment and better the living standards of its people by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. L'inDUSTRIE CANADIENNE ET LA PRODUCTION ALIMENTAIRE DANS LES PAYS SOUS-DÉVELOPPÉS Ce document nous fait part d'une opportunité qu'aurait un programme gouvernemental positif d'encourager des entreprises canadiennes engagÉes dans la production alimentaire, dans l'approvisionnement agricole, ou dans des industries connexes, d'investir dans des pays sous-développés. De tels investissements fourniraient à ces entreprises de nouvelles occasions pour s'agrandir à l'intérieur de marchés présentement prêts pour le développement commercial. Ceci procurerait une base d'expansion constante dans l'avenir, à mesure que le potentiel économique d'un pays sous-développé se réalise et que les gains s'accumulent dans sa production nationale et dans le bien-être de ses habitants. De nouvelles usines alimentaires et des entreprises approvisionnant l'agriculture assisteraient ce pays sous-développéà augmenter sa capacité de production d'aliments, à stimuler l'emploi, et à améliorer le niveau de vie de son peuple en apaisant sa faim et sa sousalimentation. Un marché pour l'exportation canadienne des produits et des services surgirait lorsque ce pays sous-développé atteindrait un niveau plus élevé de développement économique, et une demands accrue de produits et de capitaux deviendrait évidente avec une augmentation du revenu per capita et une accumulation du fond de réserve pour le commerce extérieur.     

National and Regional Household Demand for Meat, Poultry and Seafood: A Complete Systems Approach

Brown and Heien's S₁-branch system was employed to investigate national and regional demand patterns for meat, poultry, and seafood in the United States. Meal, poultry, and seafood purchases were very sensitive to own-price changes, changes in total expenditure, and changes in household size, and were less sensitive to cross-price changes, regional differences, and differences in degree of urbanization. The estimates of parameters and elasticities in the S₁-branch system were reasonable on a priori grounds, the goodness-of-fit was exceptional, and, using independent samples, the predictive performance of the demand system was particularly notable.
Le système à branches de type S₁ de Brown et Helen a été employe dans le but d'étudier les types de demandes au niveau national et regional en ce qui concerne la viande. la volaille et les fruits de mer aux Etats- Unis. Les achats de viande, de volaille et de fruits de mer etaieni tres sensibles à des changements de leurspropresprix, à des changements des dépenses totales ainsi qu 'à des variations de la taille des menages. Ils étaieni moins sensibles aux changements des prix croisés, aux differences regionales et aux differences du degré d'urbanisation. Les estimations des paramètres et des élasticités dans le système à branches du type S₁étaieni a priori raisonnable, la qualitéétait exceptionnelle et en utilisant des échantillons indépendants, la performance prophétique du système de demande était particulièrement notable.     

粮食安全体系中对外直接投资手段的探析

针对中国粮食安全体系中对外直接投资手段的应用进行探讨,通过实例和具体数据,从国内和国际方面对使用对外直接投资手段的可行性进行论证,并从法律体系的完善、加强与东道国联系、建立国际化信息平台和金融避险等方面提出建议,指出随着全球化日益深化,各国在粮食问题上的相互依赖使世界各国在粮食安全问题上必须合作。中国有必要通过对外直接投资,加强国际间农业合作,促进国家粮食安全体系的稳健发展。     

Understanding Differences in Self-Reported Expenditures between Household Scanner Data and Diary Survey Data: A Comparison of Homescan and Consumer Expenditure Survey

Household scanner data contain rich information on household demographics and transactions in actual markets over a long time period. To more fully understand the characteristics of these data, we conducted an analysis to determine whether household expenditures in the Nielsen Homescan panel are similar to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey. We found that many differences in reported expenditures across the two datasets can be explained by such household demographics as female head, income, and household size, for example. The largest degrees of discrepancies across datasets occur for food categories containing more random-weight foods without universal product codes.     

Measurement Error in Recall Surveys and the Relationship between Household Size and Food Demand

Variation in household survey design and implementation is used to obtain evidence of nonrandom measurement error in recall surveys of household expenditure. These surveys, which are used especially in developing countries, appear to have measurement errors in food expenditures and in food budget shares that are correlated with household size. These correlated errors may be part of the explanation for a puzzling pattern of falling food demand with rising household size in poorer countries.