Women's access to and control of land is an important, even crucial issue because of its relation to and implications for food production and food security in the region. Women in rural Africa often do not own the land they are working. The land generally is registered as belonging to their husbands, who then pass it on to their sons, at least to those who remain in the rural area of origin.

It is generally recognized that Michigan's agricultural base is among the most diversified in the nation. Producing more than fifty varieties of commodities, the industry as a whole contributes more than $15 billion in value added to the state's economy. And in terms of employment, it is estimated that one out of every eight of the state's workers are engaged in agriculturally related activities.

Multicrop farmers must choose variable input levels and land quantity for each crop. Economic researchers to date have analyzed these two decisions separately, either finding the best land use, given crop technologies, or solving for optimal input levels, ignoring the allocation of land. We show that both these approaches lead to suboptimal decision rules under risk aversion.