Facilitating Savings For Agriculture: Field Experimental Evidence from Malawi
Jessica Goldberg, Lasse Brune, Xavier Giné, and Dean Yang ,
Economic Development and Cultural Change, Forthcoming
January
2016
Abstract

We implemented a randomized intervention among Malawian farmers aimed at facilitating formal savings for agricultural inputs. Treated farmers were offered the opportunity to have their cash crop harvest proceeds deposited directly into new bank accounts in their own names, while farmers in the control group were paid harvest proceeds in cash (the status quo). The treatment led to higher savings in the months immediately prior to the next agricultural planting season, and raised agricultural input usage in that season.

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