Mechanisation standardises output and lowers supervision needs for hired labour, freeing owners’ families to engage in profitable off-farm activities

Investments in agricultural technology have substantially improved living standards in the poorest places on our planet over the past half century

Farmer selection and researcher interference during trials can introduce bias, impacting how new technologies perform in real-world conditions

While farming practices were not initially enhanced, low-income farmers in Mexico with autonomy substantially improved two years post-intervention

Increased competition in agriculture markets sustained by informal contracts can diminish performance and value for all players in the supply chain

Farmer-to-farmer information diffusion is a cost-effective approach for improving practices and profits for smallholder dairy farmers in East Africa

Increasing the tenant’s share in output encourages profitable risk-taking, in addition to large effects on input levels

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

A shift from a state-led to an agribusiness-led development model in Kenya reallocated profits away from farmers towards agribusiness firms