The Impact of Agricultural Technical Assistance: Evidence from Guyana

Maja Schling, Rodrigo Ysaac Chang Huaita and Gonzalo Rondinone

No 14831, IDB Publications (Working Papers) from Inter-American Development Bank

Abstract: This paper provides one of the first quasi-experimental evaluations of a climate-resilient agricultural intervention in Guyana and the wider Caribbean. We isolate and examine the empirical impact of the targeted technical assistance (TA) component delivered under the Sustainable Agricultural Development Program (SADP) on smallholder productivity and resource management. Using a balanced panel of 802 agricultural households surveyed in 2022 and 2025 and employing a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach combined with Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW), the study estimates the programs effects on agricultural outcomes and sustainable practices. The results show no measurable effect on the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices or environmental sustainability indicators, nor on the gross value of overall crop or livestock production during the evaluation period. We find some evidence of higher cassava yields, although this result is based on a small subsample and is not reflected in increased production values. Overall, the evidence suggests limited program impacts during the evaluation period. These findings contribute to the limited evidence base on agricultural technology adoption and rural extension services in the Caribbean. The study highlights the distinction between crop-specific productivity gains and broader changes in production systems and resource management, which may require longer time horizons to become observable.

Keywords: Technology adoption; agricultural extension; difference-in-differences; smallholder productivity; Climate resilience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q12 Q16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-11
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:idb:brikps:14831

DOI: 10.18235/0014592

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