Impact of Adopting Improved Seeds on Consumption Expenditure, Income, and Wealth Index Among Small Scale Sorghum Producers in Tanzania

In developing countries, the adoption of improved seeds is a necessary condition for achieving food security and poverty reduction goals. Impact studies are, therefore, critical for advocacy to support research and extension efforts that enhance the improved seeds adoption process. In Tanzania, sorghum research and development activities in Tanzania trace back to early 1932. The current National Sorghum and Millet Improvement Program collaborate with other international research institutions to conduct on-station and on-farm trials across the country. The research efforts have led to the release of multiple improved sorghum varieties that are drought-tolerant and developed to escape moisture stress, frequent in Tanzania's semi-arid areas. Up to date, there is no national study documenting the impact of these varieties on improving the welfare of small-scale sorghum producers in Tanzania. In this study, we quantify the welfare effects of adopting improved sorghum varieties in Tanzania using a doubly robust estimator that adjusts for self-selection bias and cofounding effect. We notably used the inverse probability treatment weighting with regression adjustment to estimate the impact of adoption on farmers' welfare. The welfare indicators included income, consumption expenditure, and wealth index at the household level. Data is from a farm survey conducted during the 2013/14 farming system in Central and Northern Tanzania through a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. The main results indicate that the distribution of some variables in the adopter group was systematically different compared to the non-adopter group. Also, the adoption of improved sorghum seeds substantially increased all welfare indicators. The adoption of improved sorghum varieties has the potential to reduce both food insecurity and poverty. The impact, however, varied by region and among household groups. Moreover, improvement in the built environment in which the farmers operate scale-up the adoption process and increases the effects of adopting improved sorghum varieties at the household level. Tailored research and extension programs focusing on the most vulnerable group in the population could generate impactful and sustainable results. Improving the built environment in which the farmers operate (such as marketing services) was equally crucial in making a sizable and significant impact among sorghum producers in Tanzania.