Assessing the impact of agricultural technology diffusion projects: the case of the Cowpea Out-scaling Project (COSP) in Ghana

Abstract

Agricultural technology diffusion projects are promoted as pathways to enhancing the productivity and welfare of smallholder farmers. Yet, there remain questions about the extent to which these projects impact the productivity, profitability, and welfare of farmers. This study assesses the impact of the Cowpea Out-scaling Project (COSP), an agricultural technology diffusion project sponsored by the USAID, on cowpea productivity, cowpea revenue, and household cowpea consumption using data from 596 cowpea-producing households and applying the Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA) estimator to account for selection bias. The results reveal a nuanced picture of the project’s effectiveness. Participation in COSP had a statistically significant positive impact on cowpea yield, resulting in an average increase of 95.36kg/ha among beneficiary households. We also found a marginally significant positive effect of the project on cowpea revenue of the beneficiary households (GHS 328). However, our analysis did not find any statistically significant impact on household cowpea consumption. These results suggest that, while agricultural technology diffusion projects can be effective in increasing farm-level outcomes, increased farm-level production does not translate automatically into improved nutritional outcomes or household income. Future agricultural development interventions should adopt an integrated, nutrition-sensitive approach that includes explicit post-harvest management strategies to ensure that yield gains lead to improvements in both economic well-being and household nutrition.

Key Words: Ghana, project evaluation, cowpea, technology-diffusion, smallholder farmers, welfare

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/97-02

Publication date: May 30^th 2026