52 research outputs found
Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
No full textClassical innovation adoption models implicitly assume homogenous information flow across farmers, which is often not realistic. As a result, selection bias in adoption parameters may occur. We focus on tissue culture (TC) banana technology that was introduced in Kenya more than 10 years ago. Up till now, adoption rates have remained relatively low. We employ the average treatment effects approach to account for selection bias and extend it by explicitly differentiating between awareness exposure (having heard of a technology) and knowledge exposure (understanding the attributes of a technology). Using a sample of Kenyan banana farmers, we find that estimated adoption parameters differ little when comparing the classical adoption model with one that corrects for heterogeneous awareness exposure. However, parameters differ considerably when accounting for heterogeneous knowledge exposure. This is plausible: while many farmers have heard about TC technology, its successful use requires notable changes in cultivation practices, and proper understanding is not yet very widespread. These results are also important for other technologies that are knowledge-intensive and require considerable adjustments in traditional practices
Yield Effects of Tissue Culture Bananas in Kenya: Accounting for Selection Bias and the Role of Complementary Inputs
No full textWe analyze yield effects of tissue culture (TC) banana technology in the Kenyan small farm sector, using recent survey data and an endogenous switching regression approach. TC banana plantlets, which are free from pests and diseases, have been introduced in East Africa since the late-1990s. While field experiments show significant yield advantages over traditional banana suckers, a rigorous assessment of impacts in farmers' fields is still outstanding. A comparison of mean yield levels between TC adopters and non-adopters in our sample shows no significant difference. However, we find a negative selection bias, indicating that farmers with lower than average yields are more likely to adopt TC. Controlling for this bias results in a positive and significant TC net yield gain of 7%. We also find that TC technology is more knowledgeintensive and more responsive to irrigation than traditional bananas. Simulations show that improving access to irrigation could lift TC productivity gains to above 20%. The analytical approach developed and applied here may also be useful for the evaluation of other knowledgeintensive package technologies and innovations in perennial crops
Impact of tissue culture banana technology on farm household income and food security in Kenya
No full textDeterminants of actual and potential adoption of improved indigenous chicken under asymmetrical exposure conditions in rural Kenya
No full textAdoption and Impact of Improved Cow Breeds on Household Welfare and Child Nutrition Outcomes: Empirical Evidence from Uganda
No full textThere is increasing evidence that improved agricultural technologies benefit smallholder farmers in
sub-Saharan Africa. This evidence is however relatively clearer for innovations in smallholder crop
production systems as compared to innovations in livestock production systems. Moreover, it is
unclear whether the benefits of technology adoption in livestock systems are uniform across small and
relatively large farmers. This study uses a national representative sample of 906 households to
rigorously assess the impact of adoption of improved dairy cow breeds on enterprise-, household-,
and individual child-level nutrition outcomes in Uganda. We find that adopting improved dairy cows
significantly increases milk yield, household’s orientation to milk markets, and food expenditure.
Consequently, adoption substantially reduces household poverty and stunting for children younger
than age five. Considering heterogeneity, we find that adopting households with small farms increase
milk yield, food expenditure and reduce poverty substantially while large farms increase not only ownmilk
consumption and commercialization but also nutrition outcomes of children younger than age
five
Improved dairy cows in Uganda: Pathways to poverty alleviation and improved child nutrition
No full textThe introduction and dissemination of improved dairy cow breeds in Uganda is arguably the most significant step taken to develop a modern and commercial dairy industry in the country over the last two decades. This study uses a nationally representative sample of Ugandan households to rigorously examine the impact of adoption of improved dairy cow breeds on enterprise-, household-, and individual child-level nutrition outcomes. We find that adopting improved dairy cows significantly increases milk productivity, milk commercialization, and food expenditure
A latent class analysis of improved agro-technology use behavior in Uganda: Implications for optimal targeting
No full textThis study uses a large dataset that covers a wide geographical and agricultural scope to describe the use patterns of improved agro-technology in Uganda. Using latent class analysis with data on more than 12,500 households across the four regions of Uganda, we classify farmers based on the package of improved agro-technologies they use. We find that the majority of farmers (61 percent) do not use any improved agricultural practices (the “nonusers”), whereas only 5 percent of farmers belong to the class of “intensified diversifiers,” those using most of the commonly available agro-technologies across crop and livestock enterprises. Using multinomial regression analysis, we show that education of the household head, access to extension messages, and affiliation with social groups are the key factors that drive switching from the nonuser (reference) class to the other three (preferred) classes that use improved agrotechnologies to varying degrees. Results reveal the existence of heterogeneous farmer categories, certainly with different agrotechnology needs, that may have implications for optimal targeting
A Latent Class Analysis of agricultural technology adoption behavior in Uganda: Implications for Optimal Targeting
No full textAgricultural productivity is still lower in Africa. This is largely attributed to the lower than
expected adoption of modern agricultural technologies. Existing on studies are marred by
univariate analyses on single technologies over a limited scope while assuming that the
uniform effects of the explanatory variables across farm households. In this study, we use a
large dataset that typically covers a wider geographical and agricultural scope to describe
modern technology use in Uganda. Using statistical data reduction approaches, we show
distinct classes of farmers based on the package of modern technologies mix used. Overall,
we find that improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizer are the most commonly used crop
technologies while veterinary drugs are the most commonly used technology for livestock
farmers. We also find that the majority of farmers, 61% do not use any modern agricultural
technology and thus consider them as non-adopters. On the other hand, we find only 5% of
farmers belonging to the intensified diversifiers, adopting most of the commonly available
agro technologies across crop and livestock enterprises. Using multinomial regression
analysis, show that education of the household head, access to extension messages and
affiliation to social groups, but with varying intensities, are the key factors that drive
switching from the non-adopter reference class to the other three preferred classes that use
modern agricultural technologies to varying levels
Impact of Tissue Culture Banana Technology on Farm Household Income and Food Security in Kenya
No full textWhile tissue culture (TC) technology for vegetative plant propagation is gradually gaining in importance in Africa, rigorous ex post assessments of welfare effects for smallholder farm households is lacking. Using recent survey data and accounting for self-selection in technology adoption, we analyze the impacts of TC banana technology on household income and food security in Kenya. To assess food security outcomes, we employ the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) – a tool that has not been used for impact assessment before. Estimates of treatment-effects models show that TC banana adoption increases farm and household income by 153% and 50%, respectively. The technology also reduces relative food insecurity in a significant way. These results indicate that TC technology can be welfare enhancing for adopting farm households; its use should be further promoted through upscaling appropriate technology delivery systems.Technology adoption; tissue culture; impact assessment; household income; food security
Does ownership of improved dairy cow breeds improve child nutrition? A pathway analysis for Uganda
No full textThe promotion of livestock production is widely believed to support enhanced diet quality and child nutrition, but the empirical evidence for this causal linkage remains narrow and ambiguous. This study examines whether adoption of improved dairy cow breeds is linked to farm-level outcomes that translate into household-level benefits including improved child nutrition outcomes in Uganda. Using nationwide data from Uganda’s National Panel Survey, propensity score matching is used to create an unbiased counterfactual, based on observed characteristics, to assess the net impacts of improved dairy cow adoption. All estimates were tested for robustness and sensitivity to variations in observable and unobservable confounders. Results based on the matched samples showed that households adopting improved dairy cows significantly increased milk yield—by over 200% on average. This resulted in higher milk sales and milk intakes, demonstrating the potential of this agricultural technology to both integrate households into modern value chains and increase households’ access to animal source foods. Use of improved dairy cows increased household food expenditures by about 16%. Although undernutrition was widely prevalent in the study sample and in matched households, the adoption of improved dairy cows was associated with lower child stunting in adopter household. In scale terms, results also showed that holding larger farms tends to support adoption, but that this also stimulates the household’s ability to achieve gains from adoption, which can translate into enhanced nutrition
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