Impact of business coaching on farmers’ income: A cluster randomized controlled trial of vegetable growers in Benin

The productivity of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa has remained low despite significant investment in technology development and scaling. There is a recognized need for interventions that strengthen farmers’ business skills and organizational capacity while providing technologies on demand. However, the evidence base for such types of interventions is weak. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the impact of “Vegetable Business Networks,” an intervention approach that emphasizes business coaching and capacity strengthening of vegetable value chains. The study applied a cluster-randomized controlled trial design with 48 farmer groups in Benin, equally split between control and treatment. Questionnaire-based data were collected from 665 farmers before the intervention and one year later. The intent-to-treat effect is estimated using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and difference-in-difference (DiD) methods. The results show farmers’ annual income increased by $2159/ha or 5.9%. The score for knowledge of developing a business plan increased by 21.5 (p < 0.001). Farmers’ trust in their organization and external actors significantly increased. While more evidence is needed on the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of holistic approaches compared to those that promote particular technologies, our study proves that business coaching can significantly increase farmers’ income in the short term.