Beyond rice: the rise of salt-tolerant potatoes and sweet potatoes in Bangladesh?

Résumé fourni par la source

Abstract In Southern Bangladesh, where rice dominates as the staple crop, the introduction of salt-tolerant potato and sweet potato varieties aims to enhance agricultural productivity and address food and nutrition insecurity in response to climate change and soil salinization. This study evaluates the impact of an intervention that disseminated improved varieties alongside agronomy and nutrition training. Using ex-post data from 1,621 farmers, treated and untreated, recalling the 2022/2023 and 2018/2019 seasons, a matched difference-in-difference analysis reveals an Average Treatment Effect on the Treated on sweet potato yield of 4.8 tonnes/ha (33 per cent increase) but no effect on potato yield. Yet, there is evidence for widespread disadoption of the improved varieties. Results from a Heckman selection model, including robustness checks for heterogeneity, suggest that positive yield effects stem mostly from training. Although no significant difference in food and nutrition security was observed between treated and comparison households, we note a shift in cultivation patterns. Potatoes, traditionally grown by men as cash crops, were increasingly cultivated by women to combat food insecurity, whilst sweet potatoes, traditionally grown for consumption, became more commercialized. This study shows the importance of timely planned evaluations of agriculture projects that carefully consider the interplay of adoption, training, consumption, and gender, highlighting the need for locally targeted initiatives to address food and nutrition insecurity in climate-vulnerable regions.

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