Contract-farming in Staple Food Chains: The Case of Rice in Benin. (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maertens, Miet; Vande Velde, Katrien
• Is Part Of: World development. Volume 95(2017)
• Page Start: 73
• Page End: 87
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: contract-farming -- staple food supply chains -- Rice -- Africa -- Benin; Economic history -- 1990- -- Periodicals; Economic assistance -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 330.9
• DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.02.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-750X

Abstract

Highlights: Contract-farming in staple food chains in developing countries. Rice contract-farming in Benin. Positive effects on income, rice production, intensification, and commercialization. Contract-farming as way to strengthen the domestic rice value chain. Abstract: In this paper, we analyze the impact of smallholder participation in a contract-farming scheme in the rice sector in Benin. We use data from a cross-sectional farm-household survey and different propensity score matching estimations to reveal how participation in a contract-farming scheme affects smallholder rice production. We find that contract-farming results in expansion of the rice area, intensification of rice production, increased commercialization of rice, and higher farm-gate prices, and ultimately contributes to rice output growth and increased income. Our findings imply that contract-farming can contribute to upgrading the rice supply chain and the development of the rice sector in Benin. Promoting and supporting the spread of contract-farming schemes in the sector might be an effective way to contribute to reaching the government goals of expanding rice production to become self-sufficient and improving rice quality to compete with imported rice. While there is a large empirical literature on contract-farming in high-value and commodity export sectors, studies on contract-farming in staple food sectors are very scarce. Our results document that contract-farming for staple food crops can be sustainable and benefit smallholder farmers; which is against theoretical expectations that contracting for staple food crops is not feasible because of contract-enforcement problems that stem from a low value of produce, low storage and transport costs, and a larger number of buyers in the chain. Our study contributes to understanding the role that contract-farming might play in the much needed upgrading of domestic and staple food crop sectors in developing countries.