Evaluating the Impact of Functional Literacy on Agricultural Productivity in North West Nigeria: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study provides a quasi-experimental evaluation of the impact of functional literacy programmes on agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in North West Nigeria. Functional literacy, which links basic reading and numeracy skills to practical livelihood applications, has been theorised to improve agricultural decision-making, technology adoption, and market participation. Despite significant public investment in functional literacy for farmers in North West Nigeria, rigorous causal evidence on its productivity effects is scarce. This study uses a difference-in-differences design, comparing agricultural productivity outcomes between 250 farmers who participated in functional literacy programmes in Sokoto and Kebbi States and a matched comparison group of 250 non-participants over two agricultural seasons. Productivity is measured using crop yield per hectare, fertiliser application accuracy, market price realisation, and record-keeping adoption. Propensity score matching is used to construct the comparison group, and endogeneity is addressed using an instrumental variable for programme proximity. Findings reveal that functional literacy participation produces statistically significant productivity gains of approximately 14 percent in crop yield and 22 percent in market price realisation, driven primarily by improved ability to read input instructions, calculate optimal quantities, and negotiate market prices. The productivity effect is larger for farmers with secondary school-age children, suggesting household learning spillovers. The study concludes that functional literacy produces measurable agricultural productivity benefits in the Northwest. It recommends scaling up functional literacy programmes with agricultural extension integration as a priority agricultural policy investment.

Keywords: functional literacy, agricultural productivity, North West Nigeria, quasi-experimental, smallholder farmers.