Impact Assessment of the Cotton YIELD Programme in Zambia

ABSTRACT This paper sought to evaluate the economic impact of the Cotton YIELD Programme on crop income of smallholder cotton farmers in Zambia. Specifically, the study sought to (a) identify factors that influence smallholder cotton farmer’ participation in the programme and (b) determine whether the Cotton YIELD Programme has increased the income of smallholder cotton farmers in Zambia. The study utilized pooled cross-section data of 300 cotton farmers, collected from two households survey (2005 and 2015) in Mumbwa district of Zambia. The Double Difference model combined with Propensity Score Matching methods were employed in the analysis. Results show that participation in the programme is positively driven by education, farm size, membership, access to credit, ownership of animal traction and media. However, distance to extension agents and market outlets negatively influence participation. Furthermore, the study found that the Cotton YIELD Programme has significantly increased crop income of smallholder cotton farmers by 38.1 percent.