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Do Input Subsidy Programs Raise Incomes and Reduce Poverty among Smallholder Farm Households? Evidence from Zambia

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  • Mason, Nicole M.
  • Tembo, Solomon T.
Abstract
Many of the agricultural input subsidy programs (ISPs) currently being implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa include among their objectives raising farm incomes and reducing rural poverty. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence on the extent to which ISPs are achieving these objectives. Moreover, results from previous studies on ISPs in Zambia and Malawi, and stubbornly high rural poverty rates in both countries despite many years of large-scale ISPs, have raised doubts that ISPs are effectively reducing poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Mason, Nicole M. & Tembo, Solomon T., 2015. "Do Input Subsidy Programs Raise Incomes and Reduce Poverty among Smallholder Farm Households? Evidence from Zambia," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 198702, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:midcwp:198702
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.198702
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    18. T.S. Jayne & David Mather & Nicole Mason & Jacob Ricker-Gilbert, 2013. "How do fertilizer subsidy programs affect total fertilizer use in sub-Saharan Africa? Crowding out, diversion, and benefit/cost assessments," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(6), pages 687-703, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jayne, Thomas S. & Mason, Nicole M. & Burke, William J. & Ariga, Joshua, 2018. "Review: Taking stock of Africa’s second-generation agricultural input subsidy programs," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-14.
    2. Resnick, Danielle & Mason, Nicole, 2016. "What Drives Input Subsidy Policy Reform? The Case Of Zambia, 2002-2016," Miscellaneous Publications 246951, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    3. Ricome, Aymeric & Barreiro-Hurle, Jesus & Sadibou Fall, Cheickh, 2024. "Government fertilizer subsidies, input use, and income: The case of Senegal," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    4. Jayne, T.S. & Mason, Nicole M. & Burke, William J. & Ariga, Joshua, 2016. "Agricultural Input Subsidy Programs In Africa: An Assessment Of Recent Evidence," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 259509, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    5. Chikobola, Musaka M. & Tembo, Gelson, 2018. "Policy brief Gaps in the implementation of the e-voucher system in Zambia: Implications for strategies to make the model efficient and effective," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 13(2), June.
    6. Resnick, Danielle & Mason, Nicole, 2016. "What Drives Input Subsidy Policy Reform? The Case Of Zambia, 2002-2016," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 246951, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    7. Mason, Nicole M. & Wineman, Ayala & Kirimi, Lilian & Mather, David, 2016. "The Effects of Kenya’s ‘Smarter’ Input Subsidy Program on Smallholder Behavior and Incomes: Do Different Quasi-Experimental Approaches Lead to the Same Conclusions?," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 232090, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    8. Resnick, Danielle & Mason, Nicole M., 2016. "What drives input subsidy policy reform? The case of Zambia, 2002–2016," IFPRI discussion papers 1572, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Tebogo B. Seleka, 2022. "Old wine in a new bottle? Impact of the ISPAAD input subsidy program on the subsistence economy in Botswana," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 298-322, February.
    10. Nicole M. Mason & Ayala Wineman & Lilian Kirimi & David Mather, 2017. "The Effects of Kenya's ‘Smarter’ Input Subsidy Programme on Smallholder Behaviour and Incomes: Do Different Quasi-experimental Approaches Lead to the Same Conclusions?," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 45-69, February.
    11. Mason, Nicole M. & Wineman, Ayala & Kirimi, Lilian & Mather, David, 2015. "The effects of Kenya’s ‘smarter’ input subsidy," Food Security Collaborative Policy Briefs 232093, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    12. Fujimoto, Takefumi & Suzuki, Aya, 2021. "Do Fertilizer and Seed Subsidies Strengthen Farmers' Market Participation? the Impact of Tanzania NAIVS on Farmers' Purchase of Agricultural Inputs and Their Maize-Selling Activities," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315044, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Margitta Minah & Agustina Malvido Pérez Carletti, 2019. "Mechanisms of Inclusion: Evidence from Zambia’s Farmer Organisations," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(5), pages 1318-1340, December.
    14. Mari Kangasniemi & Helen Barnes & Gemma Wright & Michell Mpike, 2015. "Tax-benefit microsimulation modelling in Zambia: A feasibility study," WIDER Working Paper Series 121, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Mari Kangasniemi & Helen Barnes & Gemma Wright & Michell Mpike, 2015. "Tax-benefit microsimulation modelling in Zambia: A feasibility study," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-121, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Seleka, Tebogo B. & Mmopelwa, David, 2020. "Effects of input subsidies on cropland allocation and diversification in Botswana’s subsistence economy," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 59(3), May.
    17. Fung, Winnie & Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda & Mason, Nicole & Oyelere, Ruth, 2015. "Can Crop Purchase Programs Reduce Poverty and Improve Welfare in Rural Communities? Evidence from the Food Reserve Agency in Zambia," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211637, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Kwon, Daye & Myers, Robert J. & Mason, Nicole M., 2022. "How do input subsidy programs affect smallholder households’ dietary diversity? Evidence from Zambia," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322493, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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