Is a Training Program Sufficient to Improve the Smallholder Farmers’ Productivity in Africa? Empirical Evidence from a Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center in Tanzania

George Mgendi, Shiping Mao and Fangbin Qiao
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George Mgendi: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shiping Mao: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-23

Abstract: The article aims to analyze the effect of training programs on the yield of smallholder farmers. The empirical analysis employed a sample of data collected from a rice farming household in the Mvomero district of Tanzania. The results indicate that the yield outcome among trained and non-trained farmers with water access for irrigation was significantly more than double; however, the yield difference between trained and non-trained farmers was insignificant in non-irrigated plots. Our findings have policy implications for agricultural development in developing countries where training programs alone may not be a panacea for smallholder farmers’ productivity improvement. Therefore, respective governments, policymakers, and other agricultural stakeholders, should consider both farm and non-farm factors altogether, which may increase agricultural training effectiveness to address the challenges of low yields.

Keywords: China-Africa cooperation; agricultural program; agricultural training; technology adoption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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