The Productivity Trap in Kenya's Highland Agriculture: A Bilevel Programming Analysis of Credit and Wage Constraints

Much of the less developed world faces the problems of feeding an ever increasing population. Improved agricultural productivity is the key to improved food security and economic returns in these regions. Much of the necessary improvement in productivity is a function of improved factors of production, such as operating capital (credit) and labor allocation. It has been observed that access to credit by the small farms is limited by their ability to offer collateral. Generally, large farms are thought to make more profitable use of productive assets than small farms and hence the inclination for commercial banks and other financial institutions to restrict access to large farms only. This phenomenon can be seen as a major weakness in attempts to improve agricultural production in less developed world. Another weak point in this direction is that of government setting of farm minimum wages which tends to cause labor to be unproductively allocated.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural Economics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Yabann, Wilson Kimutai

Contributors dc:contributor

• Onal, Hayri

• Economics, Agricultural

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9305738

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72175