Impacts of integrated soil fertility management on yield and household income: The case of Tamale (Ghana) and Kakamega (Kenya)

Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) has been widely promoted by research and philanthropic organizations as well as governments to increase crop yields and improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa. Therefore, it is surprising that there is still scant information on its impact on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological economics 2019-07, Vol.161, p.186-192
Main Authors: Adolwa, Ivan Solomon, Schwarze, Stefan, Buerkert, Andreas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Impact assessment
Integrated soil fertility management
Inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment
Maize yield
Sub-Saharan Africa
Total household income
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Summary:Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) has been widely promoted by research and philanthropic organizations as well as governments to increase crop yields and improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa. Therefore, it is surprising that there is still scant information on its impact on crop yields and household income. This paper uses a counterfactual model to assess ISFM impact on yields and total household incomes using farm household data from Tamale (Northern Ghana) and Kakamega (Western Kenya). The analyses reveal that ISFM adoption leads to an increase in maize yields by up to 27% in Tamale and 16% in Kakamega. Increasing the number of ISFM components, however, does not improve yields. Despite the effect on yields, adoption of ISFM does not increase total household incomes at both locations. Some implications for future research are discussed.
ISSN:0921-8009
1873-6106
DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.03.023