Premium
Mechanization in land preparation and agricultural intensification: The case of rice farming in the Cote d'Ivoire
Author(s) -
Mano Yukichi,
Takahashi Kazushi,
Otsuka Keijiro
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.29
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1574-0862
pISSN - 0169-5150
DOI - 10.1111/agec.12599
Subject(s) - agriculture , tractor , cote d ivoire , scarcity , underdevelopment , business , renting , agricultural economics , productivity , agroforestry , production (economics) , economics , geography , environmental science , economic growth , engineering , market economy , philosophy , archaeology , automotive engineering , humanities , macroeconomics , civil engineering
It is critically important to intensify farming systems in sub‐Saharan Africa by disseminating improved agronomic practices and increasing the application of modern inputs. One of the region's problems is that proper land preparation is difficult due to the scarcity of draft animals and the underdevelopment of the tractor rental market. Our analysis of rice production in the Cote d'Ivoire reveals that farmers who use tractors in land preparation more intensively apply fertilizer and use more labor to carefully implement proper agronomic practices, thereby raising productivity. Thus, the diffusion of tractors appears to be key to the intensification of rice farming systems in sub‐Saharan Africa.