Farm Size Distribution, Weather Shocks, and Agricultural Productivity

We study how weather shocks affect the farm-size distribution and agricultural productivity. Using survey data from several developing countries, we document new empirical patterns in farm-size dynamics and the effect of weather shocks. Drawing on unique administrative data from Colombia with land-transaction records, census-based farm sizes, and household surveys on consumption and investment, we show that shocks intensify land market activity and increase the number of small farms, reducing average farm size within regions. We calibrate a heterogeneous-agent model that endogenizes the farm-size distribution and use it to study mechanisms and the dynamic effects of weather shocks and climate change.