Overview

Programs of training and time-limited subsidization of inputs or capital are often pursued to overcome barriers to farmers’ technology adoption. How successful is this model in achieving sustainable long-term adoption of improved agricultural technologies, especially after these programs cease? Do farmers continue to make necessary complimentary investments to sustain the usage of these technologies? This study proposes field studies of short- and long-term impacts of two innovative agricultural development programs based on this model that target smallholder, mainly women farmers. Drip irrigation is a heralded food security solution, but there is a dearth of rigorous impact evaluation. In Senegal, we run a randomized evaluation of impacts of cooperative management on a program promoting usage of drip irrigation for improved vegetable production. In Uganda we research impacts of subsidies and training in a program promoting fertilizer and improved seeds use, with a randomized control trial of program scale-back (reverse-RCT), facilitating sustainability research. In both projects, this research links field research to national policy analysis, working closely with Economic Policy Research Center (Uganda), and Consortium pour Recherche Economique et Sociale (Senegal), in conjunction with the Brookings Institution Africa Growth Initiative. Thus, the project contributes to models for connecting field research to rural sector policymaking.