Does Agricultural Extension Pay? The Training and Visit System in Northwest India

The paper presents the results from a study of the effect of the Training and Visit (T…V) System of agricultural extension on farm productivity. Two adjacent areas in northwest India, one with T…V extension and one with an older system, are compared, utilizing farm‐level data. Econometric analysis demonstrates that the T…V area had a wheat yield advantage of 9.33% after four years of T…V extension. The baseline yield differential was calculated as 3.01%. The gain attributable to T…V is shown to imply a return of at least 15% to the incremental investment in extension with high probability.