Impact of climate smart agricultural technology adoption on livelihood of producers: a case study of smart-valley approach in lowland rice farming systems

Rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa faces many constraints, including water and soil management. Smart-valley approach (SVA) was introduced in many African countries since 2010 to increase water and soil management in lowland rice production. This study aimed to assess the drivers and impact of adoption of SVA for adaptation to climate change in Sierra Leone and Liberia. A total of 641 rice households were randomly sampled and interviewed in the two countries. We employed the marginal treatment effect framework which allows us to estimate the treatment effect heterogeneities, and to simulate the effects of policy changes on outcomes such as yield, production, income, and food security. We found evidence that the adoption of SVA increased the rice yield by 1.7 t/ha (60% increase), leading to an increase in income of US$ 560 per ha. Adoption also improved household food security by 7.21%. Results showed also that knowledge and information indicators such as knowledge of SVA, contact with extension agents and being member of farmers’ association drive the adoption of SVA. Large-scale dissemination of smart-valley approach will help smallholder rice farmers to increase their resilience to climate change and improve their welfare.