Impact of the smart valley project in enhancing rice production and farmer outcomes in Northwestern Sierra Leone

Rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa is significant, with rising populations and urbanization. The returns are low, however, due to inadequate adoption of improved technologies. Smart Valley farming, being a participatory approach, targets improved soil and water management within inland valleys. We utilized plot-level data from two surveys conducted before (in 2016) and after (in 2019) the intervention and employed difference-in-differences fixed effects model to examine the project's impact on rice production in the Northwestern region of Sierra Leone. We found that the Smart Valley project increased technology adoption significantly. Input intensities such as fertilizer rose remarkably, resulting in an increased rice yield of 2048.94 kg/ha. In spite of the higher input cost, we found a positive and significant effect on rice income of $260.43 per hectare. The study recommends enhancing the distribution and adoption of quality seeds and fertilizers and establishing robust training programs for farmers to scale up rice production and enhance farmers' livelihoods in SSA. • Smart Valley, a participatory approach to soil and water management in inland valleys. • The Smart Valley project increased technology adoption significantly. • NPK and Urea fertilizer intensities significantly increased in kg/ha. • The Smart Valley project significantly increased rice yield by 2048.94 kg/ha. • Rice income increased significantly by $260.43/ha.