Toward Rice Production Self-Sufficiency in Bangladesh: The Role of Plot Attributes, Farmer Characteristics, and Technology

We examine the interdependence of high-yielding (HY) variety adoption and farm and farmer characteristics to achieve almost self-sufficiency in rice production in Bangladesh. We use data collected by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Bangladesh, to estimate yield differentials, return differentials, and risk. We find that HY rice varieties contributed 61.34%, plot-specific attributes contributed 3.08%, and farmer-specific characteristics contributed 35.58% toward rice productivity. Additionally, adopting HY varieties resulted in a base return increase of about 154.03%. Plot-specific attributes had larger effects on the return model than on the differential yield model, while farmer-specific characteristics adversely impacted HY return gains.