Impact of Improved Farm Technologies on Yields: The Case of Improved Maize Varieties and Inorganic Fertilizer in Kenya

Wilfred Nyangena and Ogada Maurice Juma

RFF Working Paper Series from Resources for the Future

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of package adoption of inorganic fertilizers and improved maize seed varieties on yield among smallholder households in Kenya. We used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences approach combined with propensity score matching to control for both time-invariant and unobservable household heterogeneity. Our findings show that inorganic fertilizers and improved maize varieties significantly increase maize yields when adopted as a package, rather than as individual elements. The impact is greater at the lower end of the yield distribution than at the upper end. A positive effect of partial adoption is experienced only in the lower quartile of yield distribution. The policy implication is that complementary agricultural technologies should be promoted as a package, and should target households and areas experiencing low yields.

Keywords: technology adoption; yield; difference-in-differences; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-02-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-agr and nep-ger
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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