Impact of Droughttego® Hybrid Maize Variety on Agricultural Productivity and Poverty Alleviation in Kenya
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Date
2019-11
Authors
Marechera, George
Macharia, Ibrahim
Muinga, Grace
Mugo, Stephen
Rotich, Ruth
Oniang'o, Ruth Khasaya
Karanja, James
Obunyali, Caleb
Oikeh1, Sylvester O.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Academic Journals
Abstract
Impact of DroughtTEGO® maize hybrids on agricultural productivity and poverty reduction among
small-scale maize farmers were analyzed using 642 households in Kenya. The Water Efficient Maize for
Africa (WEMA) project coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
developed the varieties. While on-farm production output and farmers’ testimonies indicate significantly
high productivity over other varieties, a rigorous assessment of impacts at household level is missing.
Direct comparison of maize income, total household income and poverty indices shows significant
differences between adopters and non-adopters. However, since the observed estimates can be due to
differences in both observable and non-observable characteristics between adopters and non-adopters,
we cannot have any causal interpretation. This study, therefore, utilized the counterfactual outcome
framework based on propensity score methods (PSM) to control for such differences. The results of
PSM showed that adoption of DroughtTEGO® maize varieties led to significant increase in maize income
by 82%, total income by 75%, and reduced the depth of poverty by 46-point margins. The study
recommends formulation and implementation of appropriate policies to improve the adoption of
DroughtTEGO® hybrid maize varieties across the country.
Description
A Research Article in African Journal of Agricultural Research
Keywords
DroughtTEGO® hybrid, Poverty reduction, Impact assessment, Maize, Kenya
Citation
Marechera, G., Macharia, I., Muinga, G., Mugo, S., Rotich, R., Oniang', R., Karanja, J., Obunyali, C., Oikeh S.O., 2019. Impact of DroughtTEGO® hybrid maize variety on agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation in Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 14(34) 1833-1844.