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Browsing by Author "Katovich, Erik"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Capital, Scale, and Risk Constraints to Vegetable Adoption among Smallhold Farmers in Nepal
    (2015) Katovich, Erik;
    Nepal’s agricultural productivity has stagnated in recent decades, resulting in widespread malnutrition, poverty, and civil conflict. In response, government and donor institutions have promoted high-input, high-return vegetable crops to increase earnings and productivity among smallhold farmers. This study examines the constraints limiting widespread adoption of these crops in the Mid-Western Development Region (MWDR) of Nepal. I first draw upon the technology adoption literature to generate predictions regarding potential capital, scale, and risk constraints to farmers’ vegetable adoption, and then develop Logit, Probit, OLS, and Ordered Probit regression models to measure the effects of these constraints on a sample of farmers from the MWDR. The sample is drawn from a field survey I conducted in Nepal from June to July, 2014. Principal regression results show that farm area, distance to an agricultural supplier, higher caste status, and food insecurity are all significantly negatively associated with vegetable adoption, while farmers’ age, agricultural training, and assets are significantly positively associated with adoption. I conclude that the surprising negative relation between farm size and vegetable adoption is the result of non-functioning labor markets, and that risk aversion is a significant barrier to vegetable adoption. More broadly, I find that vegetables are a relatively equitable instrument for poverty alleviation in Nepal.
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    The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms in Latin America: Policy Implications for Trade, Biosafety, and Development
    (2012-04-18) Katovich, Erik
    This study examines how Latin American countries’ policies toward Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) affect trade. It examines intellectual property rights, biosafety regulations, trade restrictions, food labeling regimes, and trends in public agricultural research investment. We use data from the UN Comtrade database to analyze trade patterns. The aim is to extrapolate future trends that may arise as the GM Revolution continues. Results include an examination of how Brazil’s GM exports are shifting from Europe to China, as well as analysis of how Argentina’s GMO adoption forced GM products upon neighboring states. Furthermore, we find that developing nations often use IPR limitations as an opportunity to borrow technologies in the face of limited innovation capacity, but that these IPR limitations may not dissuade foreign investors as traditionally thought. Finally, using the Balassa Index, we find that Latin America possesses a strong Revealed Comparative Advantage in GM crops compared to the world.