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.
First, Niger's arid climate and soils are poorly suited to agriculture. Marginal and risky production conditions exist throughout the county. The risks that climate creates for agricultural cultivation mean that the scope for major increases in productivity from crop production research is also limited. High-input varietal technology is unlikely to be adopted on a large scale, because of the difficulty of obtaining yield increases substantial enough to make inputs profitable in the extremely dry climate. The negative effects of climate on technology adoption and crop intensification are compounded by other factors such as the low market price for cereals, weak transport and market infrastructure, poor seed multiplication system, and the unavailability of seeds, fertilizer, and credit.