Agrobiodiversity Conservation Policies: Insights from an Integrated Micro-macro Economic Model in Ethiopia

Elisabetta Gotor (), Carlo Orecchia, Giacomo Pallante, Carlo Fadda and Luca Salvatici
Additional contact information
Elisabetta Gotor: Bioversity International
Carlo Orecchia: Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance
Giacomo Pallante: University of Trento
Carlo Fadda: Bioversity International
Luca Salvatici: Rome Tre University

Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, 2025, vol. 42, issue 1, No 4, 119 pages

Abstract: Abstract National strategies aiming to enhance agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa have traditionally focused on encouraging the adoption of improved modern crop varieties. This approach led to genetic erosion and reduced option value for bioprospecting, an unintended consequence of the decline of locally conserved traditional varieties. Governments are often left with poor guidance to evaluate the costs and benefits of this strategy. In this paper, we propose a methodological framework for assessing agricultural policies based on local agrobiodiversity conservation. In particular, we modify a computable general equilibrium model with trade to account for the land allocated to traditional and improved modern varieties as input for the agricultural sector. As a case study we select the Ethiopian durum wheat. Several sources of data at macro, micro and agronomic levels are adopted to estimate parameters and economic effects. Accounting for climate change and technological projections up to 2050, results of a counterfactual scenario show that when policy-driven breeding programs in specific agroecological niches are implemented, they simultaneously achieves conservation and food production goals. The findings underscore the need for policy interventions aimed at promoting context-specific strategies that consider conservation and production objectives within the broader agricultural landscape.

Keywords: Agricultural productivity; Crop genetic erosion; Computable general equilibrium; Ethiopia; F11; Q15; Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40888-024-00343-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:epolit:v:42:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s40888-024-00343-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/40888

DOI: 10.1007/s40888-024-00343-0

Access Statistics for this article

Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics is currently edited by Alberto Quadrio Curzio

More articles in Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics from Springer, Fondazione Edison
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().