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PurposeThis study aims to assess the effects of microfinance institution (MFI) services on the productivity of family farms in Cameroon, in the region of Mbam and Kim. It will be a question, therefore, of determining the level and determiners of the outputs of family farms, in particular those concerned by the cultures of cocoa, beneficiaries of the agricultural services of MFIs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the Blinder (1973) and Oaxaca (1973) model of decomposition of the productivity differential between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of agricultural credits on a sample of 130 cocoa farming households and four MFIs of the same area between 2008 and 2011.FindingsThe yield gap between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of agricultural credits is estimated at 0.19 tons per hectare. This gap is explained positively by the financial aid variable, the farm size variable, which is significant in the explanation of the beneficiaries' level of returns and the constant term. On the other hand, all the socio-economic variables of the farmers contribute to reduce this gap of productivity.Research limitations/implicationsThis financial assistance from CVECA is essential to increase agricultural yields because it helps to cancel out some structural barriers. However, as this improvement in yields is only possible for large farms, the services of the MFIs would rather favor extensification policies. Nevertheless, the study results are limited by the negative effects of the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers on these yields, the study having been revealed without any selectivity bias.Originality/valueThis study seeks to reverse the trend that in rural areas, MFIs are financing agriculture to increase extensification rather than enhancing intensification in sub-Saharan Africa by challenging the role of MFI services in intensification.

PurposeDoes MFIs agricultural credit influence the determinants of the efficiency of SFF which are socio-economic factors of the farmers but also agricultural endowments of family farms? This paper aims to study the contribution of MFI services on improving the technical efficiency of SFFs in Cameroon.Design/methodology/approachThe stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model permits the estimation of the technical efficiency indicators for beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries of agricultural credits on a sample of 130 cocoa farming households and four MFIs of the same area between 2008 and 2011. The censored tobit model is used to assess the determinants of technical efficiency.FindingsThe results show that the SFF beneficiaries of agricultural credit have an average technical efficiency of 0.68 inferior to that of nonbeneficiaries (0.72) as expected. They are, respectively, at 0.32 and 0.28 of their full productive capacities. The results of the censored Tobit model show that socioeconomic characteristics of the producer such as age and gender explain negatively, while experience explains positively the technical efficiency of SFFs.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough without any selectivity bias, this study indicates the essential character of the socioeconomic factors in the amplification of the role of the MFIs credit on the efficiency of SFFs.Practical implicationsStrategies to improve the efficiency of SFFs require an increase in MFI credits, primarily targeting young, experienced and female farmers.Originality/valueThis study examines the efficiency of SFFs by highlighting the interaction between the socio-economic factors of farmers and the credit of MFIs. It also points to the problem of monitoring the implementation of agricultural financing.

The income elasticity of food expenditures versus income elasticity of calories intake controversy marked all the literatures of the 1980 and 1990 decennaries at the subject of fight against foods insecurity.Food insecurity phenomena are recurrent in northern Cameroon. Public policies for ameliorating the level of nutrition of undernourished and vulnerable households consisted to distribution cereals. Without any theoretical and empirical basis, all redistribution policies are budgetary costly and can generate unwished or negative effects and be with limited impact.The aim of this study is to situate the Cameroonian specificities in the income elasticity controversy and to propose the optimal canal of transmission of policies effects. The utilization of raw data of ECAM96 in a retrospective study place income elasticity of food expenditures at the interval [0.21, 1.54] and income elasticity of calories intake in [0.39, 0.59] for households.The income elasticity of food expenditures channel is optimal. The increase of real income however have to be oriented on food prices for exclusive consumption of target households for to channel policy effects and to avoid negative effects on social sectors (health, education).

Le rationnement de crédit par les taux d'intérêt constitue l'une des techniques de gestion des risques en relation avec les asymétries d'information précontractuelles. Ce mécanisme, lorsqu'il est pratiqué par les banques conventionnelles, conduit le marché de crédit à des équilibres sous-optimaux générant de la sélection adverse (Stiglitz & Weiss, 1981). En effet, le rationnement de crédit par le taux d'intérêt aboutit à l'éviction des firmes les moins risquées et induit par conséquent l'augmentation du risque moyen du marché du crédit, la diminution de la rentabilité des banques et une réduction de production réelle. L'objectif de cet article est d'analyser la pratique du mécanisme de rationnement de crédit par les banques islamiques. Contrairement au cas des banques conventionnelles. Cette pratique permettrait aux banques islamiques de réduire les asymétries d'information précontractuelles et de relever le niveau de rentabilité du secteur bancaire.