Agroforestry,attitude towards risk and nutrient availability: a case study of south Indian farming systems |
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Authors: | S C Babu B Rajasekaran |
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Institution: | (1) Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program, Cornell University, 18435-4401 Ithaca, NY, USA;(2) C/O UNICEF, Lilongwe-3, P.O. Box 30375, Malawi;(3) Centre for Indigenous Knowledge in Agriculture and Rural Development, Iowa State University, 50011 Ames, IA, USA |
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Abstract: | Introduction of two systems of agroforestry to the farmers portfolio is evaluated for their changes in cropping pattern, input
use, income generation, farmers attitude towards risk and nutrient availability. Two different types of farmers are studied
under both irrigated and dryland farming systems. Farm survey data collected from south Indian villages have been used with
a mean-variance framework to identify the risk aversion levels of farmers. The results indicate that the risk-taking preferences
of farmers should be given consideration in evaluating the impact of agroforestry systems. Among the two agroforestry systems
analyzed, the one with drumstick is shown to increase the risk of crop production while the one with leucaena reduces the
risk and enables farmers to invest in more risky cash crops. The impact of agroforestry on crop allocation, input use and
income differs due to the differences in resource availability of farmers. The influence of agroforestry on nutrient availability
of the farm households also differs based on the components of agroforestry, orientation of farming and the nature of farming
systems. It is argued that design of agroforestry systems should consider differences in resource constraints in farming systems
and risk attitudes of farmers towards their allocation decisions and that such considerations would largely enhance the successful
adoption of agroforestry in developing countries. |
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Keywords: | mathematical programming portfolio theory quadratic programming mean-variance analysis risk attitudes nutritional availability economics farming systems south India |
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