Technology access without impact? An evaluation of Ecuador’s input subsidy program for rice

dc.creatorBuritica Casanova, Alexander
dc.creatorMarin Salazar, Diego Armando
dc.creatorFajardo Reyes, Nicolas
dc.creatorAndrade, Robert
dc.date2026-04-15
dc.date2026-04-16T13:33:43Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T13:23:22Z
dc.descriptionIn many developing economies, agricultural input subsidies are increasingly delivered through public-private partnerships (PPPs), yet rigorous impact evaluations remain scarce, especially in Latin America. This study assesses Ecuador’s Agricultural Input Kit (KIA) program, which distributed over 1 million subsidized packages of certified seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals to improve rice productivity and reduce production costs. The analysis draws on household survey data collected in two waves (2014/2015 and 2019/2020), conducted under institutional ethical approval, with written informed consent obtained in person from all participants. We estimate causal effects on adoption, yields, and costs using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach with Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Results show a 37% increase in improved variety adoption among large farms, but no significant yield effects and an 18% decline in adoption among smallholders. These heterogeneous impacts reflect persistent constraints, including credit inaccessibility, a lack of irrigation, and weak extension systems. This study contributes to the limited evidence on input subsidy programs in Latin America’s rice sector and offers two key insights: first, PPPs require better targeting and integration with financial tools like microcredit; second, support services must be tailored to the structural barriers facing smallholder farmers to achieve equitable productivity gains.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/182516
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/57864
dc.languageen
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceBuritica Casanova, A.; Marin Salazar, D.A.; Fajardo Reyes, N.; Andrade, R. (2026) Technology access without impact? An evaluation of Ecuador’s input subsidy program for rice. Cogent Food & Agriculture 12(1): 2651483. ISSN: 2331-1932
dc.subjectevaluation
dc.subjectrice
dc.subjectsmallholder farmers
dc.subjectpartnerships
dc.subjecttechnology adoption
dc.subjectagricultural technology
dc.subjectsubsidies
dc.titleTechnology access without impact? An evaluation of Ecuador’s input subsidy program for rice
dc.typeJournal Article

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