We report the results of a field experiment that randomly assigned smallholder cash crop farmers
formal savings accounts. In collaboration with a microfinance institution in Malawi, we tested
two primary treatments, offering either: 1) “ordinary” accounts, or 2) both ordinary and
“commitment” accounts. Commitment accounts allowed customers to restrict access to their own
funds until a future date of their choosing. A control group was not offered any account but was
tracked alongside the treatment groups.

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