Since 1970 Niger has experienced 13 years of deficit cereal production. In half of those years, the country was forced to import one-third of its food requirements. To counter these problems, the Government of Niger and donor agencies have sought to increase agricultural productivity by improving research and extension capacity for three of Niger's most important crops, millet, sorghum, and cowpea.
Cowpea is the leading cash crop, produced mainly for export to Nigeria.
Intercropped millet, sorghum and cowpea is the most common agricultural production system in Niger. Other data used to estimate benefit and cost streams for each year included area under cultivation, adoption rates by farmers, output prices, production costs, and costs of research, extension, and seed multiplication. These positive returns indicate that sorghum, millet and cowpea research and technology transfer have contributed to increased productivity in Niger's agricultural sector. Sensitivity analysis showed that the adoption rate had the largest effect on the rate of return, and that inclusion of seed multiplication costs greatly decreased the rate of return. Several factors contribute to the positive but limited impact of research and extension in Niger.