Welfare impacts of rural credit and saving program inKurfa Cheledistrict, eastern Ethiopia: a propensity score matching estimation

Purpose - This study is conducted to evaluate the impact of rural credit on farm household income and food security. Design/methodology/approach - A multistage random sampling procedure is implemented to select 180 (82 credit user and 98 non-credit user) households fromKurfa Cheledistrict, eastern Ethiopia. The Propensity Score Matching technique is used to estimate the impact of credit utilization on the welfare indicators. Findings - The results of the econometric model estimation show that participation in the rural credit program was positively influenced by a household's educational status, family size, voluntary saving and participation in training related to credit and saving. On the contrary, livestock holding and extension advice were found to negatively affect participation. Furthermore, participation in rural credit program is found to increase annual income by 59% and calorie intake by 21%. These are significant results implying that participation in the rural credit and saving program improved household welfare in the study area. Originality/value - This study is important because it shows the welfare impact of making credit program available to potential users in the study area. Moreover, for effectiveness of the credit program it is necessary to target households with relatively larger family size and those with relatively better education (to induce change among the wider farming community). It is also essential to focus on the saving behavior of the program beneficiaries and enhancing the management system by ensuring that sufficient development agents are in place.