Agriculture

Misattribution prevents learning

In many markets, consumers believe things about products that are not true. We study how incorrect beliefs about product quality can persist even after a consumer has used a product many times. We explore the example of fertiliser in East Africa.

Journal Article
25 Apr 2025

Embedding Agroforestry into Supply-Chains: Experimental Evidence with a Large Coffee Buyer in East Africa

Agroforestry, a farming system where trees are grown alongside crops, has the potential to help achieve multiple development objectives. It can help coffee farms combat climate change by acting as carbon sinks. Beyond reducing carbon emissions, agroforestry helps shield coffee plants from heat and heavy rains, increasing resilience to climate change. Further, products of agroforestry can provide important independent income stream to farmers facing extreme poverty.

Research Project
9 Apr 2025

The effectiveness of ’in-market’ and ’out-of-market’ liberalization policies. Evidence from Indian Produce Markets

Do market liberalization policies result in more efficient markets, increase competition and change market outcomes for the trading parties?

Working Paper
4 Mar 2025

Informed Climate Adaptation: Input and Output Subsidies for Shaded Cocoa

With growing climate risks, agro-environmental policies seek to protect the environment while reducing poverty by incentivizing climate adaptation.

Working Paper
20 Nov 2024

Working with Firms and Smallholder Farmers in India to Increase Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture

This project assesses the impact of in-situ rice straw incorporation using a rotavator on improving soil health, specifically through enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) levels. Smallholder farmers in Odisha, India, heavily rely on kharif-season (rainfed) paddy cultivation. This intervention evaluates how straw incorporation into the soil after harvest can improve soil health and enhance carbon sequestration over multiple growing seasons. 

Research Project
28 Oct 2024

Extinguishing the Blaze: Impact of Crop Residue Management on Stubble Burning in India

Air pollution is a major health concern in many Indian cities exposing millions of people to extremely toxic air. Stubble burning is a major contributor to air pollution in northern parts of India, where it accounts for up to 40% of air pollution [SAFAR, 2019]. After conducting a pilot randomised controlled trial in August 2022 with 205 farmers, researchers finds that providing information and bio-decomposers to farmers reduced burning by 29% in comparison to control group farmers.

Research Project
31 Jul 2024

Cattle supply chain fidelity in the Brazilian Amazon: Key considerations for deforestation monitoring

Supply chain governance (SCG) is an increasingly important approach to manage environmental protection and human rights in agricultural systems across the tropics. SCG helps relay the preferences of international consumers to producers and fills environmental policy gaps.

Working Paper
5 Apr 2024

Propagation of taste for climate resilience: evidence from cocoa value chain in Ghana

While Sub-Saharan African countries are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, they also face lower marginal cost for carbon reduction.

Research Note
15 Mar 2024

Restoring Trust: Evidence from the Fertiliser Market in Tanzania

A lack of trust in product quality can distort markets, reducing demand and investment. Can a low-touch information campaign improve confidence in fertiliser quality in Tanzania, raising demand for a critical agricultural input?

Research Note
29 Aug 2023

Restoring Trust: Evidence from the Fertiliser Market in Tanzania

A lack of reliable information about fertiliser quality depresses farmer demand, reducing crop yields and negatively impacting livelihoods.

Working Paper
25 Aug 2023

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