Ex post impacts of improved maize varieties on poverty in rural Ethiopia

Abstract

Public agricultural research has been conducted in Africa for decades. While many studies have examined its aggregate impacts, few have investigated how it affects the poor. This paper helps fill this gap by applying a new procedure to explore the ex post impacts of improved maize varieties on poverty in rural Ethiopia. Plot-level yield and cost changes due to adoption are first estimated using instrumental variable and marginal treatment effect techniques where possible heterogeneity is carefully accounted for. A backward derivation procedure is then developed to link treatment effect estimates with an economic surplus model to identify the counterfactual household income that would have existed without improved maize varieties. Poverty impacts are finally estimated by exploiting the differences between observed and counterfactual income distributions. Improved maize varieties have led to a 0.8-1.3 percentage drop of poverty headcount ratio and relative reductions of poverty depth and severity. However, poor producers benefit the least from adoption due to the smallness of their land holdings.JEL classifications: I32, O33, Q16, Q18

Cropping systems diversification, improved seed, manure and inorganic fertilizer adoption by maize producers of eastern Ethiopia

“…Following Byerlee et al (1994), both hybrids and open pollinated varieties whose traits have been enhanced for selected characteristics including drought tolerance, disease resistance, early maturing, increased productivity and quality protein are considered for this study as improved seeds. In Ethiopia, more than 40 improved varieties of maize have been developed and released over the last four decades (Zeng et al 2015). Despite this fact, adoption of improves maize verities by smallholder farmers is very low .…”

“…The direct effects of agricultural technologies include productivity improvements and lower average production costs, which can improve the livelihood of rural households by increasing their income. The role of agricultural technologies in reducing poverty and food insecurity, improving wellbeing and increasing farm income has been widely researched by (Khonje et al 2015;Shiferaw et al 2014;Zeng et al 2015;Asfaw et al 2012;Kassie et al 2011;Becerril and Abdulai;Alene et al 2009;Minten and Barrett 2008). For instance, in 2010 alone, 1.6-2.7% of the rural poor escaped poverty in Ethiopia due to the diffusion of improved maize (Zeng et al 2015).…”

“…In line with this, Dercon et al (2009) indicated that farmers can increase maize production by 60% via adopting improved seeds in combination with best practices on a quarter of the current crop area in Ethiopia. Zeng et al (2015) also estimated the yield advantage of improved maize that is 48-63% over local maize types.…”

The Impact of improved maize varieties on farm productivity and wellbeing: evidence from the East Hararghe Zone of Ethiopia

“…Nevertheless, the adoption rates of agricultural technologies in Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular, remains quite low (Feleke and Zegeye 2006;Abebe et al 2013;Jayne and Rashid 2013;Pamuk, Bulte, and Adekunle 2014;Abate et al 2016;Wainaina, Tongruksawattana, and Qaim 2016). For instance, in Ethiopia, though more than 40 improved varieties of maize have been developed and released over the last four decades (Zeng et al 2015), the adoption of improved maize varieties is very low (Jaleta, Kassie, and Marenya 2015). It is thus critical to examine the constraints and incentives influencing the adoption of agricultural technologies, and to measure their impact on smallholders' agricultural productivity and wellbeing.…”

The impact of agricultural cooperatives membership on the wellbeing of smallholder farmers: empirical evidence from eastern Ethiopia

“…Cooperatives can also provide credit services to member farmers that ease production constraints (Tefera et al 2016). This improvement in agricultural productivity is important for enhancing farmer livelihood, reducing rural poverty, and increasing food security (Shiferaw et al 2014;Zeng et al 2015;Asfaw et al 2012;Kassie et al 2011;Becerril and Abdulai 2010;Alene et al 2009;Minten and Barrett 2008;Evenson and Gollin 2003).…”