Rainfall variability and food crop portfolio choice: evidence from Ethiopia

Bezabih, M. and Di Falco , S. (2012) Rainfall variability and food crop portfolio choice: evidence from Ethiopia. Food Security . pp. 1-11.

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Abstract

This paper concerns the patterns of food crop choice in a multicropping setting, in which production risk considerations and rainfall uncertainty are likely to be critical factors. The analysis employed plot level panel data from Ethiopia, combined with 30 year meteorological data corresponding to the survey villages used to construct seasonal and yearly rainfall variability. Using the single index approach, the riskiness of crop portfolio was constructed at a household level, taking into account the multicropping nature of the farming system. The combined riskiness of crops grown at a household level responded negatively to annual rainfall variability, with seasonal rainfall variability having a less consistent impact. Farmers are, therefore, more likely to select less risky crop portfolios even when intercrop interactions are taken into account

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Crop choice . Risk index . Ethiopia . Annual and seasonal rainfall variability
Author Affiliation: University of Sussex, Mantell Building, Falmer, Brighton,University of Geneva, Uni Mail, Bd du Pont d’Arve 40, Switzerland, 1211, Switzerland , London School of Economics, Houghton , UK
Subjects: Atmosperic Science > Climatology
Plant Production
Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User: Mr. SanatKumar Behera
Date Deposited: 27 Oct 2012 13:33
Last Modified: 27 Oct 2012 13:33
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12571-012-0219-7
URI: http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/8549

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