A longitudinal cross-country dataset on agricultural productivity and welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa

Since 2008, the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study - Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) program has supported the collection of nationally representative, longitudinal, multi-topic household survey data to inform researchers and policymakers of living standards in Sub-Saharan Africa. The surveys maintain a distinct focus on the agricultural sector, collecting detailed plot-level data and information about agricultural activities, while measuring socio-economic conditions of thousands of smallholder farmers and households across multiple countries. This paper presents a harmonized panel dataset (HP) from LSMS-ISA surveys in seven Sub-Saharan African countries: Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, from 2008 to 2024. It includes over 200,000 agricultural plot observations, more than 400,000 individuals, and about 59,000 households. The HP allows for in-depth analysis of farm, households, and individual dynamics over time and across countries. It is ideal for researchers interested in studying the dynamics between agriculture, economic development, and welfare outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa.