Rule-of-Thumb Instructions to Improve Fertilizer Management

Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh

Bibliographic Data

ID5157800
AuthorsMahnaz Islam (Amazon (Germany)), Sabrin Beg (University of Delaware)
Year2021
Volume70
Issue1
Pages237-281
Publication date2021-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEconomic Development and Cultural Change (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0079 • E-ISSN: 1539-2988
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/711174
OpenAlexW3080688093
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited17

Heavy government subsidies have led to inefficient application and overuse of fertilizer in Bangladesh. This results in above-optimal costs to farmers as well as to the environment and the public. In a randomized controlled trial, we provide farmers with a simple tool (a leaf color chart) and basic, rule-of-thumb instructions to guide the timing and quantity of urea (nitrogen) application. Treatment farmers reduce urea use by 8% without compromising yield, suggesting significant scope for improving urea management. The results are mainly driven by farmers delaying urea application as returns to urea are low early on in the season and urea applied is likely to be wasted. Cost-effectiveness estimates suggest that each dollar spent on this intervention produces a return of US$2.8 due to reduction of urea use over three seasons, as well as significant environmental benefits. We also find suggestive evidence that optimizing the timing of urea application affects farmers’ yields, plausibly as the intervention allows farmers to reallocate urea application to times when returns to urea are highest

Agricultural science · Agriculture · Agronomy · Biology · Business · Economics · Fertilizer · Intervention (counseling) · Rule of thumb · Subsidy · Urea · Agricultural Innovations and Practices · Chemistry · Ecology · Environmental Science · Irrigation Practices and Water Management · Mathematics · Medicine · Water resources management and optimization

Tools

Open DOI