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PDF
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Type:
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Journal Article |
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Author:
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Mandemaker, Menno; Bakker, Martha; Stoorvogel, Jetse |
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Journal:
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Ecology and Society |
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Volume:
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16 |
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Page(s):
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Date:
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2011 |
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URI:
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https://hdl.handle.net/10535/7605
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Sector:
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Agriculture |
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Region:
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Subject(s):
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crops
development
empiricism
agriculture
governance and politics
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Abstract:
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"In this research we studied empirical relationships between agricultural production dynamics
and six quantitative World Bank governance indicators for 173 countries between 1975 and 2007. It is
hypothesized that in countries with lower quality of governance, agricultural production increases are more
likely to be achieved by area expansions than by increases in yields. We distinguished four groups of
countries: those with both area and yield increases; those with increasing yields but decreasing area; those
with decreasing yields but a growing area; and those with both declines in yields and area. We analyzed
differences between these four groups, and also analyzed governance-production relationships within these
groups. On average, quality of governance is low in countries with both area and yield increases and high
in countries with increasing yields but decreasing area. Countries with declining yields were too few in
number to allow for quantitative analyses. The analysis of governance-production relationships within the
four groups suggests that countries with a lower quality of governance are more inclined to achieve
production increases by expanding agricultural area rather than increasing yields. Additional explanatory
value of governance indicators to agricultural production dynamics is generally small, but nevertheless
significant in most cases. Our results suggest that, in order for agricultural production to increase without
excessive expansions of agricultural area, governance issues should be resolved."
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