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Constraints on Oxen Cultivation in the Sahel
Author(s) -
Delgado Christopher L.,
McIntire John
Publication year - 1982
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 - 10.2307/1241122
Subject(s) - productivity , cash crop , plough , crop , business , agroforestry , agricultural science , economics , agricultural economics , agronomy , production (economics) , environmental science , biology , economic growth , macroeconomics
Ox‐powered cultivation is common in parts of the Sahel, yet most farmers in the region continue to cultivate manually. Insights from oxen farms in Mali are compared to nonadopters in Upper Volta. Ox‐driven technology in the Sahel may be more labor shifting than labor saving. Linear programming models indicate a prohibitive opportunity cost of extra labor required for team maintenance and use on small, rainfed farms growing traditional millets and sorghums in Upper Volta. Farm simulations suggest that ox plowing increases cash crop acreage, but clearly profitable adoption requires companion innovations to boost labor productivity in peak periods.