Complementary factors in agricultural investment and food security

Nyanzu, Frederick

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129285 Copy

Description

Title

Complementary factors in agricultural investment and food security

Author(s)

Nyanzu, Frederick

Issue Date

2025-05-02

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Baylis, Kathy

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Ando, Amy W

Committee Member(s)

• Janzen, Sarah
• Michelson, Hope

Department of Study

Agr & Consumer Economics

Discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Food security, Ag-investment
• Digital financial services
• Mobile money
• Financial literacy, Women's empowerment
• Credit access
• Ghana

Abstract

This dissertation presents three related papers on innovations in digital technology, financial literacy, and non-market food activities, examining how these interventions enhance the effectiveness of agricultural investment in improving food security. The first two papers, situated within the Ghanaian context, focus on interventions in the digital financial market and financial literacy space, analyzing their impact on agricultural investment and food security. The third paper, focusing on the United States, explores the contribution of non-market food activities to the food system. In the first paper, I investigate the effect of mobile money coverage on agricultural investment. Agricultural investment is positively linked to agricultural productivity, yet declining total factor productivity (TFP) in Sub-Saharan Africa underscores the need for locally tailored financial tools that account for household characteristics, credit access constraints, and the role of digital financial services (DFS) in shaping agricultural investment. Combining a three-wave household panel survey with geospatial data on the rollout of digital financial services (mobile money) in Ghana, I find that mobile money coverage has a large positive impact on agriculture investment, with households located near mobile money cell towers increasing investment in agriculture by 10%. I also find that an increase in agricultural investment is associated with improved household welfare, leading to a 15% increase in crop diversity and a 10% improvement in food security. In the second paper, I examine the impact of financial literacy (FL) and women’s empowerment (WE) training on food security among rural poor households in Ghana using a randomized control trial. The study evaluates three distinct interventions: financial literacy training, women’s empowerment training, and a combined program that includes both. I employ the intent-to-treat (ITT) estimation method to assess the effects of these interventions. The findings indicate that both financial literacy and women’s empowerment training improve food security, with the combined intervention yielding the most substantial impact. I also find that financial inclusion mediates the impact of financial literacy training on food security. These results highlight the potential of integrating women’s empowerment with financial literacy training, combine with access to financial services as an effective policy tool to overcome barriers to household-level food security. In the third paper, I explore the relationship between non-commercial food activities and food security. I use a survey of respondents from 10 cities in the U.S. Midwest and East, where active nature and farmland conservation programs exist and examine demographic differences in food acquisition strategies and whether expanding natural areas for food gathering could benefit vulnerable populations. In a descriptive quantitative analysis, I find that while commercial food sources remain dominant (e.g., 99% use large grocery stores, 82.1% use small food stores, and 61% shop online), about one-third of respondents rely on non-commercial food sources, with food-insecure and low-income individuals being the most dependent. Food-insecure individuals are more likely to fish for food rather than recreation. I find that Black African respondents engage in fishing as a cultural heritage regardless of food security status. Similar patterns emerge in foraging and hunting behaviors, suggesting that nature conservation can play a crucial role in supporting food needs and mitigating food insecurity when designed to provide opportunities for people to gather food.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129285

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Frederick Nyanzu

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