Income and Nutritional Effects of the Commercialization of Agriculture in Southwestern Kenya

摘要

The study evaluates the effects of a shift from production of maize, a staple food crop, to sugarcane, a cash crop, in South Nyanza, Kenya. The study shows that farmers under contract to the South Nyanza Sugar Factory were able to boost their incomes substantially without affecting the nutritional status of household members because the additional labor supplied by the factory enabled them to plant larger areas. However, the remarkable gains in income did not lead to better health or nutritional status.