Fertilizer subsidies, rainfall variability, and maize productivity among smallholder farmers in East Africa
Suares Clovis Oukouomi Noutchie ORCID ↗ · Nana Adjoah Mbroh · Emile Franc Doungmo Goufo
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 7 / Issue 6 · 586-594
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 02:03 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 02:03 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
Drawing on multi-wave panel data from over 5,000 households in the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study–Integrated Surveys on Agriculture microdata across Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi, this study investigates how fertilizer subsidies interact with rainfall variability to influence maize productivity among East African smallholders. Using a difference-in-differences framework applied to household-level panel data combined with FAOSTAT indicators, the analysis compares yield responses of subsidy beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries under contrasting rainfall conditions. Results show that fertilizer subsidies significantly raise maize yields in normal rainfall years but provide limited benefits during drought or excessive precipitation, highlighting the conditional effectiveness of input support. Cross-country differences reveal that program design, especially targeting efficiency and the timing of subsidy delivery, strongly shapes yield outcomes. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating fertilizer support with climate information services, soil health interventions, and adaptive policy mechanisms. This study contributes empirical evidence for designing climate-smart and context-sensitive subsidy systems aimed at enhancing resilience and food security in East Africa.
Authors & affiliations
Suares Clovis Oukouomi Noutchie
North-West University
Nana Adjoah Mbroh
North-West University
Emile Franc Doungmo Goufo
University of South Africa
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
No reference list supplied.