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The contributions of scale-appropriate farm mechanization to hunger and poverty reduction: Evidence from smallholder systems in Nepal

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Title The contributions of scale-appropriate farm mechanization to hunger and poverty reduction: Evidence from smallholder systems in Nepal
 
Creator Paudel, Gokul P.
Gartaula, Hom
Rahut, Dil Bahadur
Justice, Scott
Krupnik, Timothy J.
McDonald, Andrew J.
 
Subject sustainable development goals
agricultural productivity
household food security
poverty
smallholders
 
Description Purpose: This study examines the adoption drivers of scale-appropriate mechanization in Nepal's maize-based farming systems. The authors also assess the contribution of scale-appropriate mechanization to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of zero hunger (SDG2) and no poverty (SDG1). Design/methodology/approach: Propensity score matching (PSM) and doubly robust inverse probability-weighted regression adjusted (IPWRA) methods were applied to estimate the effects of mini-tiller adoption. These methods control the biases that arise from observed heterogeneities between mini-tillers users and nonusers. Findings: he study findings show that farm size, labor shortages, draft animal scarcity, market proximity, household assets and household heads' educational level influence the adoption of mechanization in Nepal. Mechanized farms exhibited enhanced maize productivity, profits and household food self-sufficiency. Reduced depth and severity of poverty were also observed. Nevertheless, these effects were not uniform; very small farms (≤0.41 ha) facing acute labor shortages benefited the most. Research limitations/implications: The study results suggest that policymakers in developing nations like Nepal may wish to expand their emphasis on scale-appropriate mechanization to improve farm productivity and household food security, reduce poverty and contribute to the SDGs. Originality/value This first-of-its-kind study establishes the causal effects between scale-appropriate farm mechanization and SDG1 (no poverty) and SDG2 (zero hunger) in a developing nation.
 
Date 2023-02-28
2023-01-24T19:12:35Z
2023-01-24T19:12:35Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Paudel, G.P., Gartaula, H., Rahut, D.B., Justice, S.E., Krupnik, T.J. and McDonald, A.J. 2023. The contributions of scale-appropriate farm mechanization to hunger and poverty reduction: Evidence from smallholder systems in Nepal. Journal of Economics and Development 25(1):37-61. https://hdl.handle.net/10883/22461
2632-5330
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/128122
https://hdl.handle.net/10883/22461
https://doi.org/10.1108/JED-10-2022-0201
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format application/pdf
 
Publisher Emerald
 
Source Journal of Economics and Development