smallholder farms

Evidence from over 6,600 farm households in Zambia finds that droughts reduce yields of maize, beans, and groundnuts while prompting smallholders to diversify crops, adopt resilient seed varieties, and expand cultivated area. This suggests that well-...

A randomised trial testing digital input loans for smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana found that access to credit increased farm input spending but failed to raise profits, primarily because inputs arrived too late in the planting season to have the intended effect.

Can a small pilot project still be effective when scaled up to reach millions? New evidence shows digital advisory can help farmers who experience weather shocks to obtain higher yields.

Despite decades of investment, innovation, and policy reform, yields on African small farms remain significantly below those in high-income countries—even when similar technologies are used. Which policies are most effective in boosting productivity in smallholder farms?

Credit constraints prevent farmers from arbitraging seasonal price fluctuations; integrated financial solutions can enable grain storage, channel returns into forward-looking investments, and smooth seasonal prices, yielding benefits for the broader ...

Video aids tailored to their context and shown repeatedly can improve outcomes for hard to reach female farmers in India

Crop theft is an understudied risk faced by smallholder farmers that may impose pervasive costs on farmers. New evidence from Kenya reveals the different ways that theft, and the fear of theft, constrain agricultural development.

Collecting data using multiple survey methods can mitigate data errors that magnify the differences between low- and high-productivity farms