TITLE:
Enhancing the crop yield through capacity building programs: Application of double difference method for evaluation of drip capacity building program in Tamil Nadu State, India
AUTHORS:
Kuppannan Palanisami, Coimbatore RamaRao Ranganathan, Devarajulu Sureshkumar, Ravinder Paul Singh Malik
KEYWORDS:
Drip Irrigation; Double Difference Method; Impact Evaluation
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
10,
2014
ABSTRACT: A capacity building program on drip irrigation (TNDRIP) was undertaken
in certain regions of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu during 2009-2010. An
assessment of the impact of the program in terms of effective use of drip
irrigation and increased crop yields was made in 2011 by applying double
difference method (a combination of
both with and without and before and after approaches). The results had
indicated that the drip capacity building program resulted in a yield increase
of 2.5 t/ha for Banana 1, 1.9 t/ha for Banana 2, 3.3 t/ha for sugarcane and 0.3
t/ha for turmeric. The conventional method using the before and after
situations had shown a yield increase of 4.3 t/ha for Banana 1, 12.1 t/ha for Banana
2, 40.6 t/ha for sugarcane and 2.6 t/ha for turmeric. The conventional approach
is highly upward biased in estimating the impact of the drip capacity building
program and thus the double difference method will be an appropriate method to
evaluate the impact of the programs that involve both with and without as well
as before and after situations.