Farmer field schools and cocoa yield in Cameroon
Kamdem, Cyrille Bergaly
Farmer field schools and cocoa yield in Cameroon - 2019.
22
This study aims to evaluate the effects of farmer field schools (FFSs) on cocoa yields in Cameroon. The evaluation is carried out using the quasi-experimental method. This method uses propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR). The data comes from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) surveys, conducted in 2009 with 201 cocoa farmers in the Central and Southwest regions in Cameroon. The results show that participation in FFSs has a positive and significant effect on the cocoa yield per hectare. This effect is estimated at a 17% and 29% increase in cocoa yield using the five nearest neighbor matching (FNNM) and the kernel-based matching (KBM) methods respectively. The study recommends further improvement to the quality of training in FFSs in order to increase their impact on cocoa yield. It also recommends promoting FFSs in villages where there is no FFS in order to substantially increase the national cocoa production level, which is one of the main objectives of Cameroon’s agricultural policy. The policy on the scaling up of FFSs needs to consider farmers’ organizations, extension specialists, and experienced farmers as the main actors in the implementation of the FFS model. The impact evaluation model shows that improving farmers’ production skills would significantly increase farm output. Our analytical framework is of interest to policy makers for identifying the conditions of improving cocoa yield through FFSs and designing effective motivation strategies.JEL Codes: Q01, Q12, Q16, Q18, Q55.
Farmer field schools and cocoa yield in Cameroon - 2019.
22
This study aims to evaluate the effects of farmer field schools (FFSs) on cocoa yields in Cameroon. The evaluation is carried out using the quasi-experimental method. This method uses propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR). The data comes from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) surveys, conducted in 2009 with 201 cocoa farmers in the Central and Southwest regions in Cameroon. The results show that participation in FFSs has a positive and significant effect on the cocoa yield per hectare. This effect is estimated at a 17% and 29% increase in cocoa yield using the five nearest neighbor matching (FNNM) and the kernel-based matching (KBM) methods respectively. The study recommends further improvement to the quality of training in FFSs in order to increase their impact on cocoa yield. It also recommends promoting FFSs in villages where there is no FFS in order to substantially increase the national cocoa production level, which is one of the main objectives of Cameroon’s agricultural policy. The policy on the scaling up of FFSs needs to consider farmers’ organizations, extension specialists, and experienced farmers as the main actors in the implementation of the FFS model. The impact evaluation model shows that improving farmers’ production skills would significantly increase farm output. Our analytical framework is of interest to policy makers for identifying the conditions of improving cocoa yield through FFSs and designing effective motivation strategies.JEL Codes: Q01, Q12, Q16, Q18, Q55.
Réseaux sociaux