Impact of DroughtTEGO hybrid maize variety on agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation in Kenya

Impact of DroughtTEGO® maize hybrids on agricultural productivity and poverty reduction among small-scale maize farmers were analyzed using 642 households in Kenya. The Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) developed the varieties. While on-farm production output and farmers’ testimonies indicate significantly high productivity over other varieties, a rigorous assessment of impacts at household level is missing. Direct comparison of maize income, total household income and poverty indices shows significant differences between adopters and non-adopters. However, since the observed estimates can be due to differences in both observable and non-observable characteristics between adopters and non-adopters, we cannot have any causal interpretation. This study, therefore, utilized the counterfactual outcome framework based on propensity score methods (PSM) to control for such differences. The results of PSM showed that adoption of DroughtTEGO® maize varieties led to significant increase in maize income by 82%, total income by 75%, and reduced the depth of poverty by 46-point margins. The study recommends formulation and implementation of appropriate policies to improve the adoption of DroughtTEGO® hybrid maize varieties across the country. Key words: DroughtTEGO® hybrid, poverty reduction, impact assessment, maize, Kenya.