Dr. Salvatore Di Falco

Professor of Economics

Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) – Université de Genève – Uni Mail

Editor of the European Review of Agricultural Economics

Contact him here.

Abstract:

We study the birth of non farming enterprise in the developing world. We test if such activities are led by skills or are an ex-post income smoothing device for uninsured households. We find that farmers become entrepreneurs in response to negative productivity shocks to farming, while credit constraints do not seem to play a substantial role. Importantly, and consistently with irreversible Acs (2006) investment or learning-by-doing, these reluctant entrepreneurs do not revert to full farming following new positive productivity shocks. These entrepreneurs are typically under performing entrepreneurs while they were above average farmers. This selection might contribute to the understanding of the dual phenomenon of low-productivity units coexisting in developing countries.

Bio:

Salvatore is a Professor of Economics at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He previously held academic positions at the LSE, Imperial College London and University of Kent in UK. His research focuses on the intersection between agricultural and development economics using econometric models. He has analyzed the contribution of natural resources such as biodiversity on agricultural productivity, food security, and weather risk in arid environments. He has also worked extensively on adaptation to climate change. Currently is the editor of the European Review of Agricultural Economics.