Supply and Demand for Livestock Credit in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons for Designing New Credit Schemes

Based on analysis of credit supply in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, it is shown that public credit institutions do not have sufficient funds to meet the demand for livestock credit and cannot mobilize savings from their clients or other commercial sources for one reason or another. In addition, available credit does not reach those who need it the most and with whom it could have the greatest impact due to the application of inappropriate screening procedures and criteria to determine creditworthiness. The analysis of demand based on borrowing and nonborrowing sample households using improved dairy technology, it is shown that not all borrowers borrowed due to liquidity constraint while some borrowers and some nonborrowers had liquidity constraint but did not have access to adequate credit. Logistic regression analysis show that sex and education of the household head, training in dairy, prevalence of outstanding loan and the number of improved cattle on the farm had significant influence on both borrowing and liquidity status of a household, though the degree and direction of influence were not always the same in each study country. Based on the findings it is suggested that combining public and commercial finance could solve the problem of inadequate credit supply while inventory finance to community level input suppliers and service providers might help in getting credit to worthy and needy smallholders at lower cost than providing credit to smallholders directly.     

Financial reform and credit extension in Lesotho

The study on which this article is based was concerned with establishing whether the lending behaviour of Lesotho's commercial banks in relation to the private sector has changed following the reforms that have been implemented since 1980. The influence of macroeconomic variables on agricultural credit and on private sector lending provided through the existing commercial banks during the period 1980 to 1993 was examined. The results showed a high and significant association between total credit extension and the general performance of the economy. Macroeconomic variables such as returns on financial securities in Lesotho and bonds in the Republic of South Africa, bank discount rates and the interest rates on saving deposits applicable in Lesotho had a key effect on the extension of credit by commercial banks to the private sector. The study concluded that credit extension activities in Lesotho during the study period were sensitive to the macroeconomic environment.     

Enhancing small,medium and micro enterprise development: Exploring selective interventions by the Lesotho government

Through a survey conducted among 219 businesses in Lesotho, this paper reports small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) owners' and managers' perceptions of strategies implemented by the government to enhance SMME development, as well as identify shortcomings, if any. It was ascertained that although there are a number of initiatives – inter alia, the creation of a ‘one-stop shop’ to simplify the procedures required for registering an enterprise – the respondents perceive that operating informally is the alternate solution, the consequence being possible loss of taxes by the government which impacts on economic growth. It also became evident that access to finance is still a hurdle to SMME establishment in Lesotho. SMMEs also find taxes too high and are therefore compelled to declare false turnover figures, to avoid being taxed or to pay minimum taxes. The findings of this research could assist SMMEs since there will be greater awareness of the initiatives by the Lesotho government to develop the sector.     

REGIONAL FINANCIAL INTEGRATION IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA – AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF ITS EFFECTS ON FINANCIAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT

This article examines the effects of political agreements on regional financial integration (RFI) on financial market development and access to and cost of finance in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Our results suggest that RFI positively affects financial development – measured very broadly as ratio of liquid liabilities to gross domestic product (GDP) – when combined with a sufficient level of institutional quality. If institutional quality is below a threshold level, RFI apparently has negative effects on financial development. However, we cannot find any significant effects of RFI on the ratio of private credit to GDP or on the efficiency of the banking sector. Regarding the effects of RFI on access to and costs of finance of enterprises in SSA, our results are mixed. We can find no significant effect of RFI on access to finance for all firms in the aggregate, but the results indicate that RFI actually impedes small firms' access to finance. Furthermore, there is a significant positive influence of foreign bank involvement on the severity of the credit constraint for small enterprises, while we do not find such an influence for large enterprises. These results provide some support for the foreign bank barrier hypothesis in the context of RFI.     

Access to agricultural extension,credit and markets among small‐scale farmers in southern Zambia

This article used survey data to determine the extent to which small‐scale farm households in the Choma district of Zambia's southern province have access to agricultural extension services, credit and markets. The findings show that the majority of the sample households had access to extension and credit services. They also showed that the resource base or wealth of the households — as manifested by farm size, livestock ownership and human capital or management capacity (the household head's training in agriculture) — is a significant factor when accounting for differential access to extension and credit. On the other hand, study findings suggest that farm households are facing problems with marketing their produce under the liberalised agricultural marketing system. Based on these findings, the article discusses recommendations for providing solutions to some of the problems affecting small‐scale farmers in accessing production services.     

Access to Finance,Financial Development and Firm Ability to Export: Experience from Asia–Pacific Countries

With particular reference to Asia–Pacific countries, the present study examines how access to finance and financial development affects firms’ ability to enter export markets. Using firm‐level data from the World Bank Enterprises Survey, we found that access to finance plays a significant role in improving firms’ ability to export. In addition, development of the financial sector fosters export market entry. Among the financial development indicators, reach of the banking sector variable is most prominent. The present study suggests that improvements in access to finance and financial development (increases in the reach of the banking sector) enable firms operating away from capital or major cities to enter export markets easily. The present study supports policy intervention to strengthen access to the financial sector, which would encourage firms to export, and to facilitate export market entry for remotely located firms.     

Towards collective business action and cross-sector collaboration in responsible competitiveness clusters in southern Africa

Responsible competitiveness clusters are cross-sector collaboration initiatives focused on identifying and acting upon synergies between sustainable development and economic competitiveness objectives. By means of three case studies in southern Africa this paper investigates the incentives, opportunities and challenges encountered in the emergence of such clusters. The first case study focuses on a regional response to the development challenges encountered in a South African mining area, the second describes efforts to make the Malawian agriculture sector more inclusive and competitive and the third discusses options for enhancing the competitiveness of the Lesotho textile sector. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of international trade networks, the institutional framework, public sector support and internal governance processes as key factors influencing the initial level of success of these initiatives.     

Farm households' participation in rural non-farm employment in post-war Rwanda: Drivers and policy implications

Despite the post-war government's unprecedented efforts to stimulate growth of the rural non-farm (RNF) sector in Rwanda, evidence suggests that participation in this sector remains low compared with other developing and transition economies. This study investigates the micro and meso-level factors defining farm household's capacity and incentives to participate in RNF employment in the post-war Rwanda. Based on the household's time allocation theory, this study employs household survey data collected in Gisagara District in a double-hurdle regression. The results reveal that female-headedness, labour availability, education, social networks, access to finance and rural towns increase the probability of participating in RNF activities, whereas for participating households, the time allocated to RNF activities tends to decrease with age, land productivity, distance to market and dispersed settlements. The article concludes with key implications for rural development policies such as basic education and umudugudu settlements.     

Effects of farm credit access on agricultural commercialization in Ghana: Empirical evidence from the northern Savannah ecological zone

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how farmers' access to credit affects agricultural commercialization in the northern Savannah ecological zone of Ghana. The study uses data from the Ghana Feed the Future baseline survey involving a total sample of 2,962 farm households. The study employs endogenous switching regression for ordered outcomes to account for endogeneity and self‐selection bias in the decision to access credit. The results from the estimations revealed that education, age, nonfarm business equipment, multiple crop production, and group membership are the variables influencing farmers' access to credit. Agricultural commercialization is determined by gender, age, marital status, household size, farm size, nonfarm business equipment, means of transport, group membership, assets index, multiple crop production, and location. In terms of causal effect, the results show that credit access stimulates higher commercialization. Thus policies that enhance farmers' access to credit are more likely to be successful in getting them to commercialize.     

Income Strategies Among Rural Households in Mexico: The Role of Off-farm Activities

Off-farm activities generate on average more than half of farm households' incomes in the Mexican ejido sector. Participation in these activities helps reduce poverty and contributes to greater equality in the distribution of income. This paper analyzes the determinants of access to off-farm sources of income across households. We find that education plays a major role in accessing better remunerated nonagricultural employment. Adults of indigenous ethnic origin suffer from an educational lag and have less access to off-farm nonagricultural employment than non-indigenous adults at identical educational levels. The regional availability of off-farm employment strongly affects participation. In addition, women are differentially limited by distance to urban centers in their ability to gain off-farm employment.     

Constraints in Access to and Demand for Rural Credit: Evidence from Uganda

Abstract: Like in most developing countries, Uganda's financial sector is largely underdeveloped and concentrated in urban areas, leaving the majority of the agricultural producers in the rural population with no access. However, agriculture forms a significant part of the lives of the rural households, who constitute about 85 per cent of the population. This study uses the Uganda household surveys conducted in 1992/93 and 1999/2000 to shed some light on access to, and the characteristics of demand for credit among the rural population. We employ the probit, tobit and multinomial logit model estimations and we analyse demand for credit and find that Uganda's credit market is highly segmented. The rural peasant producers are largely served by relatives/friends and self‐help credit associations and their loan applications are less likely to succeed, and of those that do, smaller loans are granted. The educated and the young are more likely to demand credit while women are less likely to, and to apply for smaller loans. Therefore, while government's agricultural modernization policy considers credit as an important input to its success and as the government plans to roll out the ‘wealth‐for‐all’ programme, more needs to be done to get credit to the sector and to ensure that it can be usefully utilized. Programmes to promote skills and vocational training to enhance production and training in appropriate use of credit are also needed.     

Part-Time Farmers in Russia: Phenomenon and Social Functions Based on the Example of the Republic of Bashkortostan

This article describes and analyses a relatively new phenomenon that has not yet been discussed in the scientific literature. Part-time farmers emerged in Russian agriculture more than 15 years ago and still exist in this sector in Russia. The article considers the issues of how they came into being; their roles and social functions; their strengths, weaknesses, and specialization; and reasonable measures to use the advantages of this type of farm. The analysis is based on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan.     

Financial development, exporting and firm heterogeneity in Chile

Using plant-level data from the manufacturing sector of Chile for the period 1990–2000, this paper examines the effect of financial development on the probability of exporting at the plant level, with a special focus on the heterogeneous responses of plants with different characteristics. The main results are that an improvement in financial development increases the probability of exporting of more productive plants and those with foreign ownership operating in manufacturing sectors that are more dependent on external finance. Our estimates also show that financial development does not appear to improve the probability of exporting for relatively smaller and younger plants. This result suggests that, at least for the case of exporting in Chile, smaller and younger plants are not necessarily more likely to benefit than larger and older plants from improvements in access to credit.     

Consumer Credit Risk Management in an Emerging Market： The Case of China

I. Introduction By any measure, China is now the world hottest economy, with an astonishing annual real GDP growth rate of 9 percent from 1991 to 2003 and with the world’s largest population of nearly 1.3 billion people. As one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies,Consumer Credit Risk Management in China87 ?2006 The Authors Journal compilation ?2006 Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences there are tremendous opportunities for glo…     

科学发展观指导农村信用社抗风险研究

农村信用社作为最基层的金融机构已经成为农村金融的主力军,关系着我们新农村建设的进程。本文在科学发展观的指导下,探索研究制约农村信用社发展,影响其抗风险能力的金融风险形成的机理及原因,并就如何提高农信社的抗风险能力提出了建议和指导。     

Non‐farm employment and incomes in rural Cambodia

Rural households in Cambodia derive income from various sources. On average, non‐farm income accounts for more than 60 per cent of total household income. However, the average masks the substantial heterogeneity of non‐farm employment. We account for this heterogeneity and find significant differences in non‐farm participation and incomes across segments of the income distribution. The poor and the less well‐educated participate less in the non‐farm sector, and when they do work in the non‐farm sector, they work in low‐paid jobs and earn lower incomes. Accounting for endogeneity and sample selection issues, we conduct an empirical enquiry of the determinants of participation in non‐farm activities and of non‐farm incomes. As expected, we find that education plays a major role in accessing more remunerative non‐farm employment. Interestingly, we do not find evidence that women, ethnic minorities, or the land‐poor are disadvantaged in access to the non‐farm sector. Geographical location plays a role in access to and income from non‐farm employment, indicating the importance of local context.     

基于XGboost模型的农业供应链金融信用风险测度研究

随着近年来农业供应链金融的发展,如何测度和控制农业供应链金融企业的信用风险变得愈加重要。选取76家农业上市企业为研究样本,选取了企业基本情况、盈利能力、营运能力、资金周转能力4个一级指标以及14个二级指标构建农业行业上市公司信用风险评估指标体系,对比分析XGboost模型和Logistic模型的信用风险评估结果。实践表明,两个模型都具有良好的预测能力,XGboost模型在性能和预测精度上略优于logistic模型。     

GLOBAL MARKETS,FARMERS AND THE STATE: SUSTAINING PROFITS IN THE INDONESIAN COCOA SECTOR

The rapid expansion of cocoa farming among Sulawesi smallholders since 1980 has transformed the island into a hub within the global cocoa industry. It hosts a number of multinational trading firms and has an expanding grinding sector. In recent years, however, the cocoa sector has been struck by severe pest, disease and quality problems, which are undermining the long-term sustainability of one of Eastern Indonesia's most important rural industries. Some form of intervention is needed if the cocoa industry is to avoid steady decline. This paper examines the role of informal institutions, cocoa multinationals and government in attempts to maintain farm profits in Sulawesi.     

农产品营销创新方式与营销绩效的关系研究

在全球金融危机逐渐曼延的市场背景下,农产品企业的营销创新尤显重要,文章在文献综述的基础上将营销创新划分为渐进式营销创新、以技术为基础的变革型营销创新、以市场为基础的变革型营销创新三种营销创新方式,并将营销创新的前置变量市场导向划分为市场驱动导向和驱动市场导向,将这些变量与营销绩效一起构建了营销创新理论模型,并以国内191家农产品企业为样本,对模型进行实证检验。研究发现：两种变革型营销创新方式对营销绩效有显著的正向影响,而渐进式营销创新对营销绩效的影响不显著,变革型营销创新在驱动市场导向与营销绩效之间具有重要的中介效应,为二者间关系提供了新的解释。     

浅析“三农”背景下我国农民职业教育的发展

“三农”问题是我国全面小康社会建设的重点和难点，解决“三农”问题的根本在于“治贫”和“治愈”，而“治贫”仍然重在“治愈”。本文首先分析了大力发展农民职业教育，提高农民素质对于解决“三农”问题的重要意义；在此基础上，结合“三农”问题的实际和我国农民职业教育发展中存在的问题，给出了进一步完善农民职业教育的科学对策。