Experimental Design
Following Giné and Yang (2009) and Mitra et al. (2018), we will randomly select and divide our villages into three groups of 100 villages each (a total of 300 communities/villages). Farmers from Group 0 villages will serve as a control group, those in Group 1 and Group 2 to receive distinct intervention treatments. Randomization will take place at the village level rather than at the individual farmer level in order to mitigate concerns about fairness among farmers living in the same village. The target regions include major maize-producing districts. Each of these districts contains numerous small villages which will serve as experimental units. Farmers from treatment Group 1 villages will be invited to have their grain scaled and graded, to include precise scientific measurement of weight, moisture level and aflatoxin content, undertaken by agents hired, trained and authorized by the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) compensated from Project funds. Farmers from treatment Group 2 villages will additionally be invited to have their graded grain stored in hermetically sealed bags provided by the GCX and officially stamped by the GCX with information regarding the weight and grade of the enclosed grain. Additionally, 50% (randomly selected at village level) of farmers in Groups 1&2 will receive vouchers for aflasafe. All villages participating in the study, including the control group, will participate in a Training and Information Campaign (TIC) to be implemented by the Project in the first year of the study. Village-level meetings will be convened whereby agents hired by GCX will deliver relevant information to farmers. The information sessions will take place about one month before the start of the agricultural season, before production decisions and marketing arrangement are made. Village-level information sessions will be announced well in advance and all local farmers, input providers, lenders, traders, marketers, certified warehouse operators, and grain processors, will also be invited to attend. The information sessions will focus on post-harvest handling and marketing, with the focus on quality-enhancing production technologies and practices including optimal fertilizer and seed use; post-harvest management, including sorting and storage; marketing and price negotiation strategies; and financing strategies, including the use of warehouse receipts loans. At the end of each event, participants in treatment Groups 1 and 2 will be informed of the treatment protocols for their group, including the availability of grading and certification services to be offered by GCX-trained and authorized agents after harvest.