| Article ID: | iaor2006148 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 86 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page Number: | 869 |
| End Page Number: | 888 |
| Publication Date: | Nov 2004 |
| Journal: | American Journal of Agricultural Economics |
| Authors: | Barrett Christopher B., Moser Christine M., McHugh Oloro V., Barison Joeli |
| Keywords: | developing countries |
We introduce a method for properly attributing observed productivity and risk changes among new production methods, farmers, and plots by controlling for farmer and plot heterogeneity. Results from Madagascar show that the new system of rice intensification (SRI) is indeed a superior technology. Although about half of the observed productivity gains appear due to farmer characteristics rather than SRI itself, the technology generates the estimated average output gains of more than 84%. The increased estimated yield risk associated with SRI would nonetheless make it unattractive to many farmers within the standard range of relative risk aversion.