Assessing the Impact of Training on Lowland Rice Productivity in an African Setting: Evidence from Uganda

This study attempts to assess the impacts of a training program on the adoption of improved cultivation practices, the productivity of rice farming, and the income and profit from rice production by using ex-post non-experimental data in Uganda. We found that participation in the training program increased the adoption of the improved cultivation practices. Furthermore, the profit from rice production was also found to have increased by the training program. These findings support the hypothesis that one of the major constraints on the growth in productivity of rice farming in sub-Saharan Africa is the absence of effective extension systems. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.