DP8429 A Second Look at the Pesticides Initiative Program: Evidence from Senegal

Author(s):	Olivier Cadot, Mélise Jaud
Publication Date:	June 2011
Keyword(s):	Agriculture, EU, Export Promotion, Impact Evaluation, Senegal, Technical Assistance
JEL(s):	C23, F13, F14, L15, L25, O17, O24
Programme Areas:	International Trade and Regional Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=8429

This paper investigates whether the Pesticides Initiative Program has significantly affected the export performance of Senegal's horticulture industry. We apply two main microeconometric techniques, difference-in-difference and matching difference-in-differences to identify the effect of the Pesticides Initiative Program on exports of fresh fruits and vegetables. We use a unique firm-level dataset containing data on sales, employment, and exports by product and destination markets, as well as firm enrolment year, over 2000-2008. The results suggest that while the program had no significant effect on exports pooled over all products and destinations, it had a positive effect when considering fresh fruits and vegetables exports to the European Union.