Abstract
This paper investigates the consequences of the 2004 locust plague in Mali. We argue that in agricultural economies with a single harvest per year, this type of shock can affect households through two channels: first, a speculative/anticipatory effect that kicks in during the growing season, followed by a local crop failure effect after harvest. We document a substantial impact of the plague on crop price in-flation before the harvest. Regarding health setbacks, children subject only to the speculative/anticipatory effect suffered as much as those exposed to the actual crop failure effect. The latter is more severe for children born in isolated areas.
Keywords
Desert Locust Swarms, Agricultural Shocks, Local Markets, Child Health;
JEL codes
- I15: Health and Economic Development
- O12: Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
- Q12: Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
- Q18: Agricultural Policy • Food Policy
Replaced by
Bruno Conte, Lavinia Piemontese, and Augustin Tapsoba, “The power of markets: Impact of desert locust invasions on child health”, Journal of Health Economics, vol. 87, n. 102712, January 2023.
Reference
Bruno Conte, Lavinia Piemontese, and Augustin Tapsoba, “The Power of Markets: Impact of Desert Locust Invasions on Child Health”, TSE Working Paper, n. 20-1069, January 2020, revised November 2022.
See also
Published in
TSE Working Paper, n. 20-1069, January 2020, revised November 2022