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Expected Product Market Reforms and Technology Adoption by Senegalese Onion Producers
Author(s) -
Bernard Tanguy,
Janvry Alain,
Mbaye Samba,
Sadoulet Elisabeth
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.1093/ajae/aax033
Subject(s) - product (mathematics) , quality (philosophy) , business , point (geometry) , marketing , industrial organization , agricultural economics , economics , mathematics , philosophy , geometry , epistemology
We assess the responsiveness of Senegalese onion producers to their knowledge of expected changes in product market conditions, whereby onions would no longer be sold based on volume but rather on weight and with labeling certifying quality. A village‐level randomized information campaign on the upcoming introduction of these reforms induced significant investments by farmers into quality‐enhancing inputs. Delays in the actual introduction of scales enabled us to rigorously identify positive price effects from these investments. Our results point to the importance of farmers’ expectations regarding the improved functioning of product markets in triggering technology adoption.