I am an economist with the Social Protection team of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). I work on research aimed at the generation of evidence and knowledge for policy support in the areas of soical protection and agriculture. In particular, my work has focused on econometric program evaluation of cash transfer interventions in Sub Saharan Africa and cuts through topics related to labor as well as commodity markets. I am also involved in study design and survey implementation. Previously, I have worked as a Quantitative Analyst at the Modelling and Strategies desk of Poste Vita Spa and as an Economist at the Research Department of Confindustria. I hold a PhD in Empirical Economics and Econometrics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Session I - Agriculture and Rural Development - 26/10/2017 10:00 - 11:30

Risk-Related Effects of Cash Transfers on Modern Inputs Demand

Risk avoidance in the face of incomplete insurance and credit markets pushes households, especially poorer ones, to opt for less risky technologies, giving up at the same time the possibility for higher returns and trapping themselves in persistent poverty. This paper focuses on the role of Unconditional Cash Transfer in helping smallholder overcome risk-induced poverty traps by reducing their degree of risk aversion and inducing greater investments in yield increasing modern inputs. We use data from a Randomized Controlled Trial collected for the evaluation of the Child Grant Program (CGP) - Zambia's flagship social protection cash transfer program. We employ a moments-based method to estimate farmers’ risk attitudes from revealed preferences through production decisions. We also estimate the impact of cash transfers on modern input demand by simultaneous equations methods. We find that the program significantly contributes to helping farmers breaking the poverty cycle by tapering risk aversion and pushing towards higher-risk higher-returns production choices.

Other speakers in this session

Pierre Marion (IFAD)
A systematic review of the impact of agricultural research of farmers welfare

Vincenzo Salvucci (United Nations University)
Effects of Food Price Shocks on Child Malnutrition: the Mozambican Experience 2008/2009