MRR researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the impact of a focused budgeting activity on agricultural household saving in Zambia, where a seasonal 'hungry season' occurs.  

The researchers designed their study around a hypothesis with insights from psychology and behavioral economics. Most people struggle to remember the full range of numerous uncertain, small and infrequent expenses that they will have in the future. 

Participants in the study's 'treatment,' which gave farming households a structured way of budgeting their available harvest income to cover their upcoming expenses, increased savings by 20 percent by the start of the hungry season and increased annual crop output by 9 percent the following year.

Read the article on Vox Dev.