Asfaw S, Shiferaw B and Simtowe F

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), PO Box 39603, Nairobi, Kenya

Introduction

To harness the untapped potential for the poor, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in collaboration with national partners developed and released several high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties of pigeonpea and chickpea with desirable agronomic and market traits. Assessing the impact of these varieties can assist with setting priorities, providing feedback to research programs and guiding policy makers and those involved in technology transfer to have a better understanding of the way new technologies are assimilated and diffused into farming communities.

Capturing Impact of Improved Pigeonpea and Chickpea on Rural Households in

Tanzania and Ethiopia

Farm-level effect of improved varieties

Objective

To provide rigorous empirical evidence on the role of adoption of improved chickpea and pigeonpea technology on household welfare outcomes using household survey data from a random cross-section sample of 1313 small-scale producers (700 in Ethiopia and 613 in Tanzania).

· The mean value of crop income per capita of adopters is significantly higher than non-adopters.

· Improved pigeonpea adoption increases crop income per capita by about 109% whereas improved chickpea adoption increases crop income per capita by about 37%.

· For non-adopters, the mean crop income per capita would have been increased by 44% had they adopted improved pigeonpea and by 19% had they adopted improved chickpea varieties.

· Results also confirm that adoption of improved pigeonpea and chickpea technologies has a positive impact on consumption expenditure per capita.

· The mean consumption expenditure per capita of improved pigeonpea and chickpea adopters is 74% and 25% higher than those who had not adopted improved varieties respectively.

· If non-adopters had adopted improved pigeonpea, their consumption expenditure per capita would have increased by 70%, whereas for chickpea it is about 18%.

· These results imply that adoption of improved agricultural technologies increased household welfare measured in terms of crop income and consumption expenditure.

Causal impact of improved technology adoption on household welfare

Sep/2010