Year: 2017
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This paper investigates whether Burkinabe maize farmers’ fertilizer-use decisions are correlated with their risk and time preferences. We conducted a survey and a series of hypothetical experiments on a sample of 1,500 farmers. We ?nd that more patient farmers do use more fertilizer, but it is only because they plant more maize (a fertilizer-intensive crop) rather than because they use more fertilizer per hectare of maize planted. Conversely, we ?nd no statistically signi?cant link between risk aversion and fertilizer use. We use a simple two-period model, which suggests that risk aversion may indeed have an ambiguous effect on fertilizer use.
Institutions: CIRED, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems: social and nutritional sciences, Laboratoire Montpelliérain d’Economie Théorique et Appliquée, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
Language: English
Subfield: General Decision Sciences
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2573008151