Relaxing multiple agricultural productivity constraints at scale

Joshua W. Deutschmann, Maya Duru, Kim Siegal and Emilia Tjernström

Journal of Development Economics, 2025, vol. 174, issue C

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.

Keywords: Agriculture; Extension; Productivity; Randomized controlled trial; Cost–benefit analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:174:y:2025:i:c:s0304387824001585

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103409

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