Chimborazo Rural Investment Project: Irrigation Component Impact Evaluation

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Date
Aug 2020
This paper evaluates the impact of irrigation improvement works to benefit indigenous communities in the highlands of Ecuador, largely dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. The findings suggest that the program increased access to irrigation, investment in productivity enhancing agricultural inputs, and cultivation of crops that required irrigation, and crop productivity. The impact on household income was estimated to be positive, although, due to lack of precision, we cannot reject the hypothesis of it being equal to zero. Finally, the program significantly increased food security by reducing the number and the frequency of “food insecurity” events. Robustness checks confirm the validity of the main results.