Economic Opportunity Mailing List Archive

["Dick Tinsley" <<address removed>>]

Another issue that I have been requested to bring to these groups is the 
concern for extension and how much is needed.  This gets very much at the issue 
of are the farmers risk aversive or resource limited.

Allow my to give an example.

Lets suppose it is 3 weeks into growing season and you have a panoramic view of 
a smallholder community or production limit. You notice that 20% of the area 
planted in a timely manner consistent with recommendations, the remaining 80% 
remains fallow:

Does this mean:

A.    20% of the farmers have established all their lands, and 80% are delaying 
for a more assured climatic, most of the farmers are risk aversive or

B.    100% of the farmers have established 20% of their lands, the farmers are 
risk takers but constrained by limited resources to manage their lands.

With the fragmented holding common to smallholder communities wouldn't both 
cases look alike?

However, how you would approach improving the community would very much depend 
on which is correct.

In A it would appear that a major extension effort would be needed to reach the 
80% risk aversive of the farmers delaying the production.

In B a continued extension effort would not be very effective as the farmers 
are already understand the technology and willing to take the risks but do not 
have the means to comply on their entire area.  In this case you would need 
some additional diagnosis as to what would be required to expedite the overall 
crop establishment.

Which case is more likely?  Given the decline yield potentials which I am 
certain all farmers are aware of, I would have to consider B the more realistic 
case and the farmers are manditory risk takers but have limited resources to 
manage thier lands.

Any thoughts.

Dick Tinsley