Impact of agricultural extension training on economic performance of rice farms: An investigation in Vietnam’s Mekong river delta

Agricultural training has been seen as an effective method to improve farmers’ knowledge of agricultural techniques and farming management skills, which may enhance farm performance. This study aimed to estimate the impact of training provided by public agricultural extension agencies on trainees’ rice farming outcomes, such as productivity, gross margin, and profitability. The household survey was conducted in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta’s Hau Giang province. A sample size of 230 rice farmers, including 120 participants and 110 non-participants of the training, was interviewed to gather primary data with a structured questionnaire. The propensity score matching method was employed to estimate the impact of the training on the farm outcomes of trainees by controlling for biased selection. Results reveal that training in agriculture significantly increases farmers’ rice productivity, gross margin, and profitability. This may conclude that participation in agricultural extension training may help farmers adopt more knowledge of technology and farm management skills, which leads them to use inputs, manage farms more efficiently, and have better marketing strategies. The policy implication of the study is that agricultural extension agencies should expand agricultural training programs to all farmers who have not engaged in any training course regarding agricultural production and management.