Agricultural Economics

Based on a survey of 243 soybean farmers in Paraná, Brazil, this study examines factors associated with self-reported harvest losses. It focuses on the principal–agent relationship between farmers and combine operators: operators may have incentives to finish jobs quickly, while slower operation and proper machine adjustment can reduce losses. Farmers identify operator training as an important factor. Reported harvest loss is 1.5 percentage points higher when a third party harvests the crop than when farmers harvest themselves. Higher farmer education is associated with lower loss, while larger planted areas are associated with greater loss. The findings indicate that the identity and incentives of the person harvesting matter and suggest that training, contracts, and other arrangements aligning operator and farmer incentives could help limit losses.

Using survey interviews with 205 soybean farmers in Western Paraná, Brazil, this study investigates which household and farm characteristics are associated with plans to transfer a farm to the next generation. About 64% of respondents expected to pass on their business. Traditional gender norms shape those plans: households without sons were substantially less likely to expect succession, while larger farms were more likely to have a family successor. Farmers with college education were less likely to plan a transfer to their children, and participation in subsidized-credit programs aimed at smallholders was associated with a greater likelihood of succession. The findings suggest that credit programs and succession planning may help sustain family agriculture, while gendered expectations and declining fertility pose challenges.

This study examines the relationship between land-tenure security and nine types of agricultural investment in Peru’s Highlands, using agricultural census data and a simultaneous-equations approach to account for the possibility that tenure security and investment affect one another. Tenure security is positively associated with five investment types, although the estimated effects are smaller than the institutional argument for titling might suggest. For two investments, the estimated relationship is negative, consistent with customary practices serving as effective forms of land management. The findings suggest that land-titling programs can support rural development, but are not sufficient on their own and should complement functioning local institutions. Education, training, and gender equality also matter for rural development.