Does improved storage technology promote modern input use and food security? Evidence from a randomized trial in Uganda
Oluwatoba J. Omotilewa,
Jacob Ricker-Gilbert,
John Herbert Ainembabazi and
Gerald E. Shively
Journal of Development Economics, 2018, vol. 135, issue C, 176-198
Abstract:
We use panel data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) administered among 1200 smallholders in Uganda to evaluate input use and food security impacts of an improved maize storage technology. After two seasons, households who received the technology were 10 percentage points more likely to plant hybrid maize varieties that are more susceptible to insect pests in storage than traditional lower-yielding varieties. Treated smallholders also stored maize for a longer period, reported a substantial drop in storage losses, and were less likely to use storage chemicals than untreated cohorts. Our results indicate that policies to promote soft kernel high-yielding hybrid maize varieties in sub-Saharan Africa should consider an improvement in post-harvest storage as a complementary intervention to increase adoption of these varieties.
Keywords: Post-harvest storage losses; Improved storage technology; RCT; Higher-yielding maize adoption; PICS hermetic bags; Uganda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 C93 D13 Q16 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (38)
Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438781830926X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:135:y:2018:i:c:p:176-198
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.07.006
Access Statistics for this article
Journal of Development Economics is currently edited by M. R. Rosenzweig
More articles in Journal of Development Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().