Agricultural Investment and Productivity

Randall Bluffstone is Professor of Economics and Chair of the Department of Economics at Portland State University. Gunnar Kohlin is Associate Professor with the Environmental Economics Unit in the Department of Economics at University of Gothenburg and Director of the Environment for Development Initiative.

• Contents ContributorsPrefaceAcknowledgements1. Agricultural Production in East Africa: Stagnation, Investment and PovertyPart I: Determinants of Sustainable Land Management Investments 2. Stimulating Smallholder Investments in Sustainable Land Management: Overcoming Market, Policy and Institutional Challenges3. The Role of Social Capital in Sustainable Development: An Analysis of Soil Conservation in Rural Kenya4. Tenure Security and Incentives for Sustainable Land Management: A Case Study from Kenya Jane Kabubo-Mariara and Vincent Linderhof Part II: The Effect of Risk on Investments 5. Risk Preferences and Technology Adoption: Case Studies from Ethiopian Highlands6. Fertilizer Use by Smallholder Households in Northern Ethiopia: Does Risk Aversion Matter?7. Crop Biodiversity and the Management of Production Risk on Degraded Lands: Some Evidence from the Highlands of EthiopiaPart III: Returns to Sustainable Land Management Investments 8. Where does investment on Sustainable Land Management Technology Work? Empirical Evidence from the Ethiopian Highlands9. Soil Conservation and Small Scale Food Production in Highland Ethiopia: A Stochastic Metafrontier ApproachPart IV: Public Policies and Sustainable Land Management Investments 10. Policy Instruments to Reduce Downstream Externalities of Soil Erosion and Surface Run-Off11. Incentives for Sustainable Land Management in East African Countries12. Conclusions and Key Lessons

'Improving the productivity and sustainability of agriculture in Africa is one of the pressing challenges of the 21st century. Bluffstone and Köhlin have assembled an authoritative volume of readings on this topic from some of the leading global experts. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the complex problem of agricultural development in Africa.' -Edward B. Barbier, John S. Bugas Professor of Economics, University of Wyoming 'Stagnant yields, spikes in food prices, and a changing climate have pushed agriculture to the forefront of development concerns. This book provides a masterly microeconomic analysis of what's needed to make farm management more sustainable in Africa, the continent most dependent on agriculture.' -Jeffrey R. Vincent, Clarence F. Korstian Professor of Forest Economics and Management, Duke University 'Undoubtedly we must improve agricultural productivity to reduce widespread and persistent poverty. The sheer lack of agricultural development strategies, however, precludes the implementation of effective policies. This book represents a milestone towards the goal of poverty reduction in East Africa.' -Keijiro Otsuka, Professor of Development Economics, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo