Facilitating Savings for Agriculture: Field Experimental Evidence from Malawi

B-Tier
Journal: Economic Development & Cultural Change
Year: 2016
Volume: 64
Issue: 2
Pages: 187 - 220

Authors (4)

Lasse Brune (not in RePEc) Xavier Giné (not in RePEc) Jessica Goldberg (University of Maryland) Dean Yang (University of Michigan)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We implemented a randomized intervention among Malawian farmers aimed at facilitating formal savings for agricultural inputs. Treated farmers were offered the opportunity to have their cash crop harvest proceeds deposited directly into new bank accounts in their own names, while farmers in the control group were paid harvest proceeds in cash (the status quo). The treatment led to higher savings in the months immediately before the next agricultural planting season and raised agricultural input usage in that season. We also find positive treatment effects on subsequent crop sale proceeds and household expenditures. Because the treatment effect on savings was only a small fraction of the treatment effect on the value of agricultural inputs, mechanisms other than alleviation of savings constraints per se are needed to explain the treatment's impact on input utilization. We discuss other possible mechanisms through which treatment effects may have operated.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/684014
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25