African Palaeontology Review (Earth Science) | 19 July 2009
Methodological Evaluation of Smallholder Farms Systems in Senegal Using Difference-in-Differences Models for Yield Improvement Measurement
A, m, a, d, o, u, D, i, o, p, ,, S, e, y, n, i, D, i, o, n, e, ,, M, a, m, a, d, o, u, N, d, i, a, y, e
Abstract
Smallholder farming systems in Senegal face challenges in yield improvement due to limited access to modern agricultural practices and technologies. A difference-in-differences (DID) model will be applied to longitudinal data collected from a sample of smallholder farms. The DID approach will compare changes in yields before and after the intervention period for treated and control groups. The analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in crop yield by 15% among treated farms compared to controls, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the difference-in-differences estimate of (0.8%, 3.2%). The DID model demonstrated its effectiveness in quantifying yield improvements attributable to specific interventions. Further research should investigate long-term impacts and explore scalability across different regions of Senegal. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.