Does Schooling Make a Better Farmer: Schooling and Agricultural Productivity in Burundi

摘要

The paper examines the effectiveness of educational policies in Burundi which support and require the teaching of agriculture in primary schools. Specifically, it investigates how agriculture is taught in primary schools, and how knowledge and skills acquired in school may affect the ways school leaders think about and practice agriculture. Findings are presented from studies of three primary schools and farmers living in the school catchment areas. Schooling is shown to have a modest positive impact on agricultural productivity, especially on the production of food crops, that can be strengthened by school policies and practices founded on a better understanding of the domains of agricultural work that are most influenced by formal instruction.