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Does subsidizing legume seeds improve farm productivity and nutrition in Malawi?

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  • Khonje, Makaiko G.
  • Nyondo, Christone
  • Mangisoni, Julius H.
  • Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob
  • Burke, William J.
  • Chadza, William
  • Muyanga, Milu

Abstract

Over the last two decades, most African governments have been implementing agricultural input subsidy programs (ISPs) aimed at increasing crop yields, and incomes, and reducing hunger, nutritional insecurity, and poverty. Although ISPs are popular policy interventions, it remains unknown whether they improve the productivity of nutrient-dense crops such as legumes, dietary quality, and child or adolescent nutrition. We address this gap by testing the hypothesis that subsidizing legume seeds (SLS) improves farm productivity, dietary quality, and child or adolescent nutrition. To do this, we use decade-long nationally representative panel data from Malawi and panel regression models with an instrumental variable approach to address endogeneity. We found that SLS increases area planted with legume crops, groundnut yield, gross value of crop production, along with production and consumption (dietary) diversity, calories, and micronutrient—vitamin A and zinc—consumption. We further found that SLS is positively correlated with child or adolescent weight-for-age Z-score but not height-for-age Z-score. These novel findings emphasize that SLS could be among the key policy interventions to address malnutrition in the Malawian small farm sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Khonje, Makaiko G. & Nyondo, Christone & Mangisoni, Julius H. & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob & Burke, William J. & Chadza, William & Muyanga, Milu, 2022. "Does subsidizing legume seeds improve farm productivity and nutrition in Malawi?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:113:y:2022:i:c:s0306919222000847
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102308
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    2. Azomahou, Théophile T. & Boucekkine, Raouf & Kazianga, Harounan & Korir, Mark & Ndung'u, Njuguna, 2022. "Guest Editors’ Introduction: The role of policy in reducing malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    3. Deping Ye & Shangsong Zhen & Wei Wang & Yunqiang Liu, 2023. "Spatial double dividend from China’s main grain-producing areas policy: total factor productivity and the net carbon effect," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Wanglin Ma & Sanghyun Hong & W. Robert Reed & Jianhua Duan & Phong Luu, 2023. "Yield effects of agricultural cooperative membership in developing countries: A meta‐analysis," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(3), pages 761-780, September.
    5. Jiexi Shen & Zhanguo Zhu & Matin Qaim & Shenggen Fan & Xu Tian, 2023. "E‐commerce improves dietary quality of rural households in China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(S1), pages 1495-1511, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Input subsidies; Farm productivity; Dietary diversity; Micronutrient consumption; Child nutrition; Malawi;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • Q28 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy

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