Is Fertilizer use Inconsistent with Expected Profitability for Rice Production in Nigeria?

This brief presents empirical results that revisit a conventional wisdom that inorganic fertilizer use across sub-Saharan Africa is too low. This expectation that more farmers should be using inorganic fertilizer and at higher rates implies it is profitable to use rates higher than observed if farmers are rational expected profit maximizers. This study exploits the political economy of fertilizer access in Nigeria to get consistent estimates of the effects of applied nitrogen on rice production