Heterogeneous and conditional returns from DT maize for farmers in Southern Africa
利用马拉维等四国4年田间试验和高分辨率降水数据，评估耐旱玉米在雨养条件下相对于其他品种的产量优势，发现平均增产7%，中度干旱时增产15%，并通过条件分位数分析揭示异质性。
Abstract This paper assesses the relative advantage of drought-tolerant (DT) maize, conditional on drought severity, using an unbalanced panel of 4 years of on-farm yield trials and high-resolution precipitation data (10-day measurements at a 0.05° resolution) in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Under rain-fed conditions, DT maize yield exceeds that of other varieties: 7 per cent higher yields on average and 15 per cent higher yields under moderate drought stress. While this contrasts with higher estimates measured in controlled trials, it nonetheless represents an economically significant advantage. This study further measures heterogeneity in the relative advantage conditional using conditional quantile analysis.