Using a multi-year randomised controlled trial in Tanzania and Mozambique, this paper explores whether a complementary bundle of genetic and financial technologies can boost the resilience and productivity of small-scale farmers. The analysis shows that treatment-group farmers who experienced shocks and saw the technologies in action subsequently increased their agricultural investment beyond pre-shock levels.

This study examined the introduction of adaptively-bred maize varieties in an agro-ecological niche area in Western Kenya. The three-year randomized control trial revealed that the new seeds increased yields and revenues. The evidence suggests new ways for thinking about seed systems in agro-ecological niche areas.

A Willingness to Pay (WTP) survey for agro-weather messages estimates what reach would be maintained if a subscription fee was introduced to a currently free service.

This study assessed the impact of bundling drought index insurance with agricultural loans on farmers’ technology adoption.

A budgeting activity in Zambia increased savings and annual crop output, results that show this kind of intervention at the time of harvest could help address cyclical food shortages while improving future welfare. 

Small-scale farmers often don't adopt technologies that build resilience, like stress-tolerant seeds and index insurance, because they don't provide benefits in every year. New research shows how to maximize learning with these technologies to quickly build lasting adoption and long-term resilience in rural communities.

In Tanzania, using a low-cost soil test to pair field-specific recommendations with subsidy vouchers benefitted farmers significantly in both yields and profits when (1) fertilizer recommendations were calibrated to the needs of individual farms and (2) a subsidy made the recommended fertilizers affordable. 

A printed phone directory in Tanzania had significant impacts by connecting small-scale farmers with agriculture-related enterprises. The project’s results suggest directory services have substantial value for agriculture.

This report summarizes the impacts of a 2014-2019 RCT spanning Mozambique and Tanzania in partnership with CIMMYT to test the impacts of bundling an innovative type of insurance with drought-tolerant maize to expand drought protection for small-scale farming families. 

We paired drought-tolerant maize with index insurance designed to protect farmers when even drought-tolerant seeds fail. Only farmers using drought-tolerant seed bundled with index insurance bounced back quickly from severe shock seasons. After seeing the technologies work, they also increased their production to higher, pre-shock levels—a phenomenon we call Resilience+.