This study demonstrates a method of providing ex-ante estimates of the distributional welfare effects of yield-increasing technology. We apply this approach to estimate the impact of a 10% increase in cassava yields in Nigeria. Using data from the 2012-13 Nigeria General Household Survey, we...

We examine empirically the generalizability of internally valid micro estimates of causal effects in a fixed population over time when that population is subject to aggregate shocks. Using panel data we show that the returns to investments in agriculture in India and Ghana, small and medium...

Crop yields in smallholder systems are traditionally assessed using farmer-reported information in surveys, occasionally by crop cuts for a sub-section of a farmer's plot, and rarely using full-plot harvests. Accuracy and cost vary dramatically across methods. In parallel, satellite data is...

Based on a two-round household panel survey conducted in Eastern Uganda, this study shows that the analysis of the inverse scale-productivity relationship is highly sensitive to how plot-level maize production, hence yield (production divided by GPS-based plot area), is measured. Although...

This paper provides an empirical exploration of the “rice theory of culture” which implies that rice cultivation promotes a culture of cooperation and peace. Using fine-grained, cross sectional data geocoded at 0.5 degree latitude by 0.5 degree longitude, I investigate whether rice...

Recent micro level data from East Africa is used to benchmark aggregate data and assess the role of agricultural inputs in explaining variation in crop yields on smallholding plots. Fertilizer, improved seeds, protection against erosion and pesticides improve crop yields in Rwanda and Ethiopia,...

Bio-dynamic farming is an alternative farming system where the chemical fertilizers are substituted with the mobilization of nutrients for the use of the plants from the environment with the help of high levels of microbes. This chapter discuss in detail the procedure for the bio-dynamic...

We study the effects of an exogenous change in the displayed purchase prices of all mutual funds in individuals' portfolios using data on all security trades, holdings, spending, and income from an online retail bank. We find that individuals are more likely to sell what we call fictitious...