Adoption and Impacts of Sustainable Agricultural Practices on Maize Yields and Incomes: Evidence from Rural Zambia

J. Manda*, A.D. Alene, C. Gardebroek, M. Kassie, G. Tembo

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

181 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper uses a multinomial endogenous treatment effects model and data from a sample of over 800 households and 3,000 plots to assess the determinants and impacts of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) on maize yields and household incomes in rural Zambia. Results show that adoption decisions are driven by household and plot level characteristics and that the adoption of a combination of SAPs raises both maize yields and incomes of smallholder farmers. Adoption of improved maize alone has greater impacts on maize yields, but given the high cost of inorganic fertiliser that limits the profitability of adoption of improved maize, greater household incomes are associated rather with a package involving SAPs such as maize–legume rotation and residue retention.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)130-153
JournalJournal of Agricultural Economics
Volume67
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • Incomes
  • Maize yields
  • Multinomial endogenous treatment effects
  • Sustainable agricultural practices
  • Zambia

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