Fertilizer adoption is persistently low among Sub-Saharan African farmers. Numerous governments have responded by introducing substantial price subsidies, but solving an allocation problem by introducing price distortions has unclear welfare implications. We present results from a theory-guided experiment on fertilizer adoption among Ugandan farmers, finding that there exists a group of farmers with high returns to fertilizer, who would not adopt at the market price but can be induced to adopt with a 30% subsidy. Furthermore, consistent with adoption frictions due to liquidity constraints, we find that a cash transfer is sufficient to eliminate the need for subsidies. These findings tie into broader ideas on second-best policymaking (Lipsey and Lancaster, 1956) and have important implications for fertilizer policy in Africa.
| Repository name | URI |
|---|---|
| Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) | https://reproducibility.worldbank.org |
Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:
• OS: Windows 11 Enterprise
• Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6226R CPU @ 2.90GHz
• Memory available: 16.0 GB
• Software version: Stata 18.5 MP
Runtime: 30 minutes
To reproduce the findings in this package once the data embargo is lifted, please follow the steps below:
ACAP_Project_Master.do file. Update the file paths in line 36 to match your local directory. You can refer to the folder structure file included in the reproducibility package to understand the expected folder structure for the data, once it becomes available.Some data is temporarily embargoed by the authors (expected to be made public in the future)
| Author | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Konrad Burchard Burchardi | Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University | konrad.burchardi@iies.su.se |
| Jonathan de Quidt | Queen Mary University of London | j.dequidt@qmul.ac.uk |
| Benedetta Lerva | World Bank | blerva@worldbank.org |
| Stefano Tripodi | Quantis | trp.stefano@gmail.com |
2026-01-27
| Location | Code |
|---|---|
| Africa | AFR |
The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.
| Name | URI |
|---|---|
| Modified BSD3 | https://opensource.org/license/bsd-3-clause/ |
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Konrad Burchard Burchardi | Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University | konrad.burchardi@iies.su.se |
| Reproducibility WBG | World Bank | reproducibility@worldbank.org |
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproducibility WBG | DECDI | World Bank - Development Impact Department | Verification and preparation of metadata |
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