Impacts of Education and the Adoption of Improved Sesame Seeds on Productivity of Sesame Farms in Burkina Faso

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of education and the adoption of improved sesame seeds on productivity of sesame farms in Burkina Faso, using data from a sample of 4,726 sesame farmers. The estimated results from endogenous switching regression and propensity score matching show that education, especially formal primary education and agricultural training, increases productivity through the adoption of sesame technology. The estimated results further show that adoption of improved sesame seeds leads to significant gains in productivity. The study concludes with implications for policies to promote adoption of improved sesame seeds among non-adopters through education, such as formal primary education, agricultural training programs, and productive assets.