Measuring the productivity from indigenous soil and water conservation technologies with household fixed effects:: A case study of hilly mountainous areas of Benin

In this article, we examine the productivity of indigenous soil and water conservation (SWC) investments in the Boukombé region in Northwest Benin, using an in-depth survey among 101 farmers on farm inputs, outputs, and SWC investments. We show that positive effects of SWC investments are only observed if one controls for household-specific constraints. We use a production function approach to relate SWC to farm output, and we control for observable and unobservable household characteristics with household fixed effects. The results show that (1) there are large productivity effects from indigenous SWC investments in the Boukombé region of Benin, (2) there is a positive interaction between plot size and SWC on productivity, and (3) SWC tends to be most productive on plots with flat or light slopes but less effective on steep plots. Misspecification tests for omitted variable bias, endogeneity bias, and selection bias are performed and show that the results are robust. The structure of this article is as follows: in Section II we start with a discussion of the role of indigenous SWC techniques for agricultural intensification. We will argue that there is a strong rationale behind the promotion of indigenous SWC techniques in areas with unfavorable natural conditions and poor infrastructure. In Section III, we discuss the different types and adoption rates of the most important indigenous SWC techniques that can be observed in the Boukombé region of Northwest Benin. In Section IV, we use a production function approach to relate farm output to inputs and SWC investments to measure the productivity of indigenous SWC investments. Section V concludes. © 2004 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.