Economic impact of agricultural innovation: a literature review and the contribution of the ProSmallAgriMed PRIMA project

With the substantial water scarcity and recurrent food insecurity in Northern Africa's low-income and arid and semi-arid regions, there has been a continuing interest in the adoption of new technologies and its influence on productivity. In this context, the ProSmallAgriMed project funded in the frame of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area - PRIMA, aims at improving the agronomic practices of North African small farmers by promoting the rational use of beneficial soil microbiota and their positive effects on productivity of intercropped perennial (cactus-pear) and short-term (field crops and winter-grown vegetables) species, as well as to support synergistic cooperation between farmers and the food- value chain. This article examines the economic literature on technology adoption in agriculture and its effects in terms of productivity and welfare, in order to identify similar results, inadequacies, and key outstanding challenges, as well as to offer an overview of the topic.