@article{Gbegbelegbe:126844,
      recid = {126844},
      author = {Gbegbelegbe, Sika and De Groote, Hugo},
      title = {Spatial and Temporal Maize Price Analysis in East Africa},
      address = {2012},
      number = {1007-2016-79812},
      pages = {26},
      year = {2012},
      abstract = {Maize is the major food crop and an important cash crop in  East Africa, but yields have not increased in the last  years. Maize prices fluctuate heavily both over time,  causing price insecurity which hampers investment  decisions, and over space which, combined with limited  knowledge of that fluctuation, reduces opportunities to  market surplus. 

In this paper, temporal and spatial price  volatility is analyzed, based on monthly maize prices from  various markets in East Africa, including 28 markets in  Kenya. The hypothesis that the market liberalization of the  1990s increased efficiency and decreased volatility in  Kenya is also tested.

Preliminary results for Kenyan  markets show a clear negative trend, indicating that real  maize prices have decreased over time, on average 4% per  year. Major factors in price variation are the differences  between years, although a distinct one-season effect is  demonstrated. Prices are clearly higher in the surplus zone  during the high season, but lower otherwise. The coast has  higher prices in the lower season. 

Generally, it can be  concluded that price volatility has been decreasing over  the years. The liberalization, most likely, has played a  positive effect on this trend.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/126844},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.126844},
}