Assessing the impact of pulse promotion: the results from double difference matching estimation

In this paper, using baseline and end line data from three diverse (TARINA) states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha on beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries for several pulse promotion schemes we assess the impact on several indicators. These comprise consumption of staples, non-staples, pulses, food expenditure and non-food expenditure. As treatment and control villages were not strictly randomly selected we employ double difference matching methods i.e. propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching. We also exploit the intensity differences in treatment as some farmers got only technical input while others got more inter alia in terms of (e.g) extension support, inducement for collectivization. Our results indicate that more than the direct consumption of pulses, it is the income pathway and increases in productivity that come out as more immediate outcomes of the intervention.