Abstract
Agricultural commercialization as a mechanism to alleviate rural poverty raises concerns about small land-holders, non-adopters, and inequity in the distribution of benefits within transforming economies. Farm gross margins were calculated to assess the economic status and impact of cash cropping on the economic well-being of agrarian households in the Mid-hills of Nepal. On an individual crop basis, tomatoes and potatoes were the most profitable. On a per farm basis, 50 of the households with positive farm gross margins grew at least one vegetable crop, while only 25 of households with negative farm gross margins included vegetable crops in their rotation. Farmers have been hesitant to produce primarily for the market given the rudimentary infrastructure and high variability in prices. Farmers reported selling more crops, but when corrected for inflation, gross revenues declined over time. The costs and benefits of developing markets have been unevenly distributed with small holders unable to capitalize on market opportunities, and wealthier farmers engaging in input intensive cash cropping. Farms growing vegetables had an average gross margin of US$137 per year compared to US$12 per year for farms growing only staple crops. However, the area under production is small, and while vegetable production is likely to continue increasing, sensitivity analysis and scenarios suggest high variability and limited short-term impact on poverty alleviation.
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Sandra Brown is a Senior Research Associate jointly appointed to the Institute for Resources and Environment, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and the Communities and Watersheds Program at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia. Her research interests are in gender and equity issues in natural resource management, and linking biophysical and socio-economic research approaches. Sandra works extensively in watershed management both within Canada and internationally. She has worked extensively in the Himalayan and Andean Mountains including current projects in Nepal, China, Bhutan, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Sandra is co-author of numerous multimedia CD-ROMs including: Gender and Resources in the Middle Mountains of Nepal, Integrated Watershed Management, and Water in International Development. She has developed and delivered numerous educational programs including courses on gender and natural resources, watershed management, and innovative technologies in teaching and research. George Kennedy is an Associate Professor in Food and Resource Economics and the Director of International Programs in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada. His research interests are in agricultural development and internationalizing higher education. Within this capacity, George is the UBC coordinator for the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture. In 2002, he won the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada Award for Excellence in Internationalization for the Global Resource Systems Program in the category “Broadening the Student Experience.”
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Brown, S., Kennedy, G. A case study of cash cropping in Nepal: Poverty alleviation or inequity?. Agric Hum Values 22, 105–116 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-004-7234-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-004-7234-z