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Relaxing multiple agricultural productivity constraints at scale

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: No single constraint can explain the stagnant agricultural productivity growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Most interventions that relax individual barriers to productivity have delivered disappointing results. We evaluate an at-scale program that targets several productivity constraints with a bundled intervention, using a randomized controlled trial in western Kenya. Program participation increases maize yields by 26%, total maize output by 24%, and profits by 18%. While we cannot directly test whether the program’s success is due to its bundled nature, we find patterns in the data that are consistent with this hypothesis. • The One Acre Fund program raises Kenyan farmers’ maize yields by 26%, total maize output by 24%, and profits by 18%. • Results indicate that simultaneously relaxing multiple constraints to agricultural productivity is effective. • We find no evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity across different types of farmers. • Monte Carlo simulations reveal that the benefits outweigh the costs, accounting for a range of donor subsidy values.

Source: Journal of Development Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103409

Authors: Joshua W. Deutschmann, Maya Duru, Kim Siegal, Emilia Tjernström

Institutions: University of Chicago, General Services Administration, Monash University

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, Decent work and economic growth, No poverty

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,190