This paper examines two questions: (1) what were the most important factors that led to differential rates of adoption of maize technology by farmers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi from 1910 to 1995? and (2) what do these experiences suggest about strategic investments in institutions and...

Replaced with revised version of paper 04/21/06.

This paper describes the structure and capabilities of BENCOS, gives instructions on how to use the template, and comments on possible modifications of the template.

BENCOS is a Lotus 1-2-3 template designed for benefit-cost analysis. This document describes the structure and capabilities of BENCOS, followed by instructions on how to use the template, and comments on possible modifications of the template.

Recent studies have shown that agricultural research can have high payoffs in Africa, but impact depends on how well technology fits with evolving needs and capacity in the agricultural sector and the rest of the economy. Structural adjustment policies (e.g., market liberalization, currency...