Assessing the impact of cowpea and sorghum research and extension in Northern Cameroon

This paper analyzes the costs and benefits to investments in cowpea and sorghum research and extension in northern Cameroon to address the fundamental question, "What have been the returns to these investments?" This paper presents an overview of cowpea/sorghum production, its constraints, and investments made in cowpea/sorghum research and extension by host country institutions and donor projects. From 1979 to 1987, the research-extension system developed an improved cowpea package. Benefits from this package are estimated for the period 1984 to 1998, resulting in an estimated internal rate of return of 15.5%. The paper focuses on how institutions can affect a project"s economic returns and on lessons learned from this case study. Particular attention is given to insight gained from this study on how a research agenda can affect the economic returns of a project, and on how the data constraints of this study affected the reported economic analysis. (Author abstract, modified)