Écoles paysannes et rendement du cacao au Cameroun

This study aims at evaluating the effects of Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) on cocoa yields in Cameroon. The evaluation is done through the quasi-experimental method. This method uses the techniques of ?Propensity Score Matching? (PSM) and ?Endogenous Switching Regression? (ESR). The data comes from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) surveys, conducted in 2009 with 201 cocoa farmers in the Centre and South-West regions in Cameroon. Results show that the participation in FFSs has a positive and significant effect on the cocoa yield per hectare. This effect is estimated at 17% and 29% increase in cocoa yield using respectively the ?Five Nearest Neighbour Matching? (FNNM) and the ?Kernel Based Matching? (KBM) method. It is recommended to improve the quality of training in Farmer Field Schools in order to increase their impact on cocoa yield. It is also recommended to promote FFSs in villages where there is no FFS to substantially increase the national cocoa level, which is one of the main objectives of Cameroon?s agricultural policy. The policy on scaling up of FFSs needs to consider farmers? organizations, extension specialists and experimented farmers as main actors in the implementation of the FFSs model. The impact evaluation model shows that improving farmers? production skills would significantly increase farm output. Our analytical framework is of interest to policy makers for identifying conditions of improving cocoa yield through FFSs and designing effective motivation strategies. Codes JEL: Q01, Q12, Q16, Q18, Q55.