The Case of Mozambique: The Importance of Management Training for Rice Farming in Rainfed Areas

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter assesses the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of management training for rice farming in remote rainfed lowland areas of Mozambique. The training taught basic practices but did not require the use of modern purchased inputs such as inorganic fertilizers or modern varieties, which are not easily available to poor farmers in remote areas. The intention-to-treat (ITT) effect on paddy yield was 447–546 kg/ha (29–36% of the control group average yield) with statistical significance at 7–8%. Our analysis also demonstrates that this increase was achieved when key improved management practices were adopted as a package because of the complementarity of the improved practices. These results indicate that the adoption of the practice package alone can improve rice yield substantially even without modern inputs.