Does the Adoption of Improved Cassava Varieties Boost Productivity in Ghana? The Role of Technology, Management, and Structural Gaps

Abstract

Agricultural development initiatives in sub‐Saharan Africa have emphasized improved crop varieties as a pathway to food security, resilience, and rural poverty reduction. However, empirical evidence often focuses narrowly on plot‐level outcomes and overlooks whole‐farm effects and the substantial heterogeneity in farmers' management practices, technological constraints, and production environments. Drawing on data from 608 cassava‐producing households in Ghana, this study provides robust evidence on the farm‐level effects of adopting improved cassava varieties (ICVs). We combine propensity score matching with a selection‐corrected stochastic frontier and a metafrontier framework to address both observed and unobserved selection biases while capturing technology gaps and managerial differences between adopters and non‐adopters. Adoption of ICVs is associated with approximately GHS 1400 in additional farm output value, a 27% gain in technical efficiency, and access to more favorable production frontiers. Selection bias is detected only among nonadopters, suggesting that unobserved constraints may inhibit uptake. The findings underscore that although ICVs deliver meaningful productivity improvements, their effectiveness is mediated by farmers' managerial capacity and the structural production conditions they face. Policies that integrate varietal improvement with targeted extension support, context‐specific management training, and efforts to relax adoption barriers are essential for translating genetic gains into sustained food security and rural welfare outcomes.