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Direct and spillover impacts of community-based seed production: Quasi-experimental evidence from Nepal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2021

Shriniwas Gautam Open the ORCID record for Shriniwas Gautam [Opens in a new window] ,
Dil Bahadur Rahut Open the ORCID record for Dil Bahadur Rahut [Opens in a new window] ,
Olaf Erenstein Open the ORCID record for Olaf Erenstein [Opens in a new window]  and
Dilli Bahadur KC
Shriniwas Gautam*
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, South Asia Regional Office, Lalitpur, Nepal
Dil Bahadur Rahut
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, El Batán, Texcoco, Mexico
Olaf Erenstein
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, El Batán, Texcoco, Mexico
Dilli Bahadur KC
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, South Asia Regional Office, Lalitpur, Nepal
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Maize production is central to rural livelihoods in the hills of Nepal. Access to affordable improved maize seed has long been a barrier to productivity gains and livelihood improvement. This study evaluates the direct and indirect (spillover) impacts of a community-based seed production program in Nepal using a quasi-experimental method for selected outcome indicators. Our results show that community-based seed production provides a significant positive direct impact on maize income and female leadership opportunities. The impacts were particularly favorable for disadvantaged households (HHs) from lower castes and HHs that owned less land. There is also strong evidence of spillover impacts on improved seed adoption, yield, and household maize self-sufficiency. Community-based seed production thereby could help Nepal attain cereal self-sufficiency and nutritional security as envisioned in the national agricultural development strategy and seed vision.

Keywords

Group membershipImpactSpilloverSeedSmallholdersQuasi-experimentalNepal
Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 56 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 884 - 900
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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