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Market Access, Trade Costs, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Northern Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Shilpa Aggarwal

    (Indian School of Business and J-PAL)

  • Brian Giera

    (Amazon Research)

  • Dahyeon Jeong

    (World Bank)

  • Jonathan Robinson

    (UCSC, BREAD, CEGA, J-PAL, and NBER)

  • Alan Spearot

    (UCSC)

Abstract

We collect data on prices, travel costs, and farmer decisions to quantify market access for chemical fertilizer and its impact on agricultural productivity in 1,180 villages in Northern Tanzania. Villages at the bottom of the travel cost-adjusted input price distribution face 40%–55% less favorable prices than those at the top. A standard deviation increase in village-level remoteness is associated with 20%–25% lower input adoption. A spatial model of input adoption conservatively estimates that total trade costs are 4 times pecuniary travel costs. Counterfactuals suggest that halving travel costs would more than double adoption and reduce the adoption-remoteness gradient by 63%.

Suggested Citation

  • Shilpa Aggarwal & Brian Giera & Dahyeon Jeong & Jonathan Robinson & Alan Spearot, 2024. "Market Access, Trade Costs, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Northern Tanzania," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1511-1528, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:106:y:2024:i:6:p:1511-1528
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01263
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    Cited by:

    1. Abbasi ,Mansoureh & Lebrand,Mathilde Sylvie Maria & Mongoue,Arcady Bluette & Pongou,Roland & Zhang,Fan, 2022. "Roads, Electricity, and Jobs: Evidence of Infrastructure Complementarity in Sub-Saharan Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9976, The World Bank.
    2. Alain de Janvry & Elisabeth Sadoulet, 2019. "Transforming developing country agriculture: Removing adoption constraints and promoting inclusive value chain development," Working Papers hal-02287668, HAL.
    3. Sievert, Maximiliane & Ankel-Peters, Jörg & Jeuland, Marc & Lenz, Luciane & Ndiaye, Ousmane & Usmani, Faraz, 2024. "Supply-side constraints to technology adoption: The market for energy-efficient cookstoves in rural Senegal," Ruhr Economic Papers 1092, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Kopper, Sarah A. & Jayne, Thomas S., 2019. "Market access, agro-ecological conditions, and Boserupian agricultural intensification patterns in Kenya: Implications for agricultural programs and research," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    5. de Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 2020. "Using agriculture for development: Supply- and demand-side approaches," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Manzoor H. Dar & Alain de Janvry & Kyle Emerick & Elisabeth Sadoulet & Eleanor Wiseman, 2024. "Private Input Suppliers as Information Agents for Technology Adoption in Agriculture," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 219-248, April.
    7. Xinyu Hou & Puyang Sun, 2023. "The impact of dismantling state monopoly on market integration: Evidence from the edible salt reform in China," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 589-609, July.
    8. Arteaga,Julian & Deininger, Klaus W., 2025. "Yield Gains from Balancing Fertilizer Use : Evidence from Eastern India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11134, The World Bank.
    9. Despina Gavresi & Anastasia Litina & George Tsiachtsiras, 2022. "Railways and Roadways to Trust," Discussion Paper Series 2022_08, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Sep 2022.
    10. Janssens, Charlotte & Havlik, Petr & Boere, Esther & Palazzo, Amanda & Mosnier, Aline & Maertens, Miet, 2021. "The African Continental Free Trade Area: Trading Africa into Sustainability?," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315895, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Huw Lloyd-Ellis & Ardyn Nordstrom, 2021. "Trade, poverty and food security: A survey of recent research and its implications for East Africa," Working Paper 1460, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    12. Aggarwal, Shilpa & Francis, Eilin & Robinson, Jonathan, 2018. "Grain today, gain tomorrow: Evidence from a storage experiment with savings clubs in Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1-15.
    13. Arteaga, Julian & Deininger, Klaus, 2025. "Yield Gains from Balancing Fertilizer Use: Evidence from Eastern India," 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO 361015, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Aragón, Fernando M. & Restuccia, Diego & Rud, Juan Pablo, 2022. "Are small farms really more productive than large farms?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    15. Aggarwal, Shilpa, 2021. "The long road to health: Healthcare utilization impacts of a road pavement policy in rural India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Gavresi, Despina & Litina, Anastasia & Tsiachtsiras, Georgios, 2025. "Motorways and railroads to trust," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    17. Astorga-Rojas, Diego, 2024. "Access to Markets and Technology Adoption in the Agricultural Sector: Evidence from Brazil," EconStor Preprints 289868, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    18. Kopper, Sarah A. & Jayne, Thomas S. & Snapp, Sieglinde S., 2020. "Sifting through the weeds: Understanding heterogeneity in fertilizer and labor response in Central Malawi," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    19. Essy C. Kirui & Michael M. Kidoido & Komivi S. Akutse & Rosina Wanyama & Simon B. Boni & Thomas Dubois & Fekadu F. Dinssa & Daniel M. Mutyambai, 2025. "Factors Influencing the Adoption of Agroecological Vegetable Cropping Systems by Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-21, January.
    20. Maria Vagliasindi & Nisan Gorgulu, 2025. "Disentangling the Key Economic Channels through Which Infrastructure Affects Jobs," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11096, The World Bank.
    21. Jimaima, Mulala & Muzeya, Hamwende & Lwisha, Charity Mutale & Chizyuka, Henry & Chisata, Chitambo Muyunda, 2025. "Factors Influencing Maize Sales Among Smallholder Farmers in Zambia," MPRA Paper 126050, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Aggarwal, Shilpa, 2018. "Do rural roads create pathways out of poverty? Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 375-395.
    23. Wouter Zant, 2022. "Two Birds with One Stone: Technology Adoption and Market Participation through Protection against Crop Failure," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-091/V, Tinbergen Institute.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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