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Abstract
In this study we conduct an impact evaluation of a complex rural development project in
Central America with multiple treatments taking place simultaneously, purposive
program placement and project participant freedom to opt in to project interventions. For
this purpose we use propensity score matching difference-in-differences estimation, and
compare results of this method with weighted propensity score regression and simple
difference-in-differences estimation. We find short term project impacts in household
savings, in participation in groups and associations, and in reduction of stored grain
losses. However, we find no project impacts in long-term outcomes associated with
increased agricultural income or household asset accumulation. These results are not
surprising, since the project evaluation was conducted two years into a three-year project,
before beneficiaries had realized its full benefits. Our study calls attention to the need of
more research on linking short term to long-term impacts and on longer term strategies to
evaluate impacts of agricultural technology.