Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Grain Markets in Developing Countries: A Vital Resource
Speaker
Professor Craig McIntosh
Coordinator
Steve Clarey
Grain markets in the developing world are a vital
resource. They provide the core source of income for
rural households, are the core source of nutrition for
consumers and are the most important conduits to
food security in a changing climate. This lecture will
present the results of a large-scale randomized trial
that introduced a new phone-based market trading
platform helping to connect farmers with new
buyers, allowing them to potentially avoid paying
large profits to middlemen. The platform is used
mostly by traders not farmers. Use of the platform
does not change average prices, but it does result in
substantial new trading activity and a convergence
of prices between surplus and deficit areas. The talk
will conclude with a discussion of how to think about
using markets to improve food security in Africa in
the coming decades.
resource. They provide the core source of income for
rural households, are the core source of nutrition for
consumers and are the most important conduits to
food security in a changing climate. This lecture will
present the results of a large-scale randomized trial
that introduced a new phone-based market trading
platform helping to connect farmers with new
buyers, allowing them to potentially avoid paying
large profits to middlemen. The platform is used
mostly by traders not farmers. Use of the platform
does not change average prices, but it does result in
substantial new trading activity and a convergence
of prices between surplus and deficit areas. The talk
will conclude with a discussion of how to think about
using markets to improve food security in Africa in
the coming decades.
Speaker Bio
Craig McIntosh is a Professor of
Economics at the UC San Diego’s School of
Global Policy and Strategy and is the co-director
of the Policy Design and Evaluation Lab. He is a
development economist whose work focuses on
program evaluation. He received his M.A. and
Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.
Economics at the UC San Diego’s School of
Global Policy and Strategy and is the co-director
of the Policy Design and Evaluation Lab. He is a
development economist whose work focuses on
program evaluation. He received his M.A. and
Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.
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