Transforming Rural Africa Conference

Christopher B. Barrett, Michael Carter, Abebe Shimeles, Tavneet Suri, Christopher R. Udry, and Hanan Morsy, Organizers

February 28 - March 1, 2019

Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, MA

Conference Code of Conduct

Thursday, February 28
8:00 am
Coffee and Pastries
8:30 am
Session I
Chair: Dr. Hanan Morsy, African Development Bank

Information, Credit, and Inputs: the Impacts and Mechanisms of a Program to Raise Smallholder Productivity
Discussant: Leah Bevis, The Ohio State University

Measurement Error Mechanisms Matter: Agricultural Intensification with Farmer Misperceptions and Misreporting
Discussant: Emilia Tjernström, Monash University
10:30 am
Break
11:00 am
Session II
Chair: Tavneet Suri, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER

From Learning to Doing: Diffusion of Agricultural Innovations in Guinea-Bissau
Discussant: Rachid Laajaj, University of Los Andes

Temporary Subsidies and the Adoption of Green Revolution Technologies by Mozambican Farmers and Their Social Networks
Discussant: Rute Martins Caeiro, Nova School of Business and Economics and NOVAFRICA
1:00 pm
Lunch
2:30 pm
Session III
Chair: Michael Carter, University of California, Davis and NBER

The Effects of Decentralized and Video-based Extension on the Adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management – Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia
Discussant: Shilpa Aggarwal, Indian School of Business (ISB)

Market Access, Trade Costs, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Northern Tanzania
Discussant: Denise Hörner, University of Goettingen
4:30 pm
Adjourn
6:30 pm
Conference Reception, location TBA
Friday, March 1
8:00 am
Coffee and Pastries
8:30 am
Session IV
Dr. Abebe Shimeles, African Development Bank

Spatial Inefficiencies in Africa’s Trade Network
Discussant: Ameet Morjaria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER

Entry, Growth, and Exit: Theory and Evidence from Ethiopia's Cut-Flower Exporters
Discussant: Tilman Graff, Harvard University
10:30 am
Break
11:00 am
Session V
Christopher Barrett, Cornell University

Cheap Talk and Coordination in the Lab and in the Field: Collective Commercialization in Senegal
Discussant: Jeffrey D. Michler, University of Arizona

Contract Farming and Rural Transformation: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Benin
Discussant: Fo Kodjo Dzinyefa Aflagah, University of Maryland, College Park
1:00 pm
Lunch
2:30 pm
Session VI
Christopher R. Udry, Northwestern University and NBER

The Impact of the Universal Primary Education Program on Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Tanzania
Discussant: Edward Asiedu, University of Ghana/Universityn of Passau

How Can Inclusive Agricultural Health Policy Intervention Promote Shared Agricultural Productivity in Nigeria? Evidence from Randomized Control Trial (slides)
Discussant: Esther Delesalle, IRES UCLouvain
4:30 pm
Adjourn
Meeting format: 35 minutes for presenters, 5 minutes for discussants, 20 minutes general discussion