Bundled contracts and technological diffusion: Evidence from the Brazilian soybean boom

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Depaula, Guilherme
• 署名单位: Iowa State University; Iowa State University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103163
• 发表日期: 2023
• 关键词: Contract farming; technological change; Economic development; Soybean; Biological nitrogen fixation; BRAZIL

摘要

Technological change in the 1970s and 1980s made it possible to grow soybeans in the remote Brazilian Savanna. However, multiple constraints typical of a developing region prevented many ranchers from adopting soybeans. Following the macroeconomic reforms that opened up the market in Brazil, international traders introduced a new farmer-trader contract that bundled technology, finance, inputs, and market access. The analysis of a novel panel dataset with farm-level census data reveals that this bundled contract led to rapid technological diffusion, agricultural expansion, and a 10-fold increase in agricultural productivity by enabling the conversion of marginal land into commercial soybean plantations.