Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Mali

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Mali
Author: Howard, Patrice
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 55
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

As part of its Feed the future Initiative, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported the development of an innovative research for development project to promote the sustainable intensification of small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Smallscale agriculture represents the main economic activity of the majority of sub-Saharan African population. Therefore, to address global hunger and poverty, the Feed the Future initiative (FtF) developed Africa RISING (Research In Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation). Africa RISING is an agricultural research program aiming to provide pathways out of hunger and poverty for small holder families, in particular for women and children, through the development of farming systems that can sufficiently improve nutrition and income security, while conserving or enhancing the natural resource pool.

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Malawi

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Malawi
Author: Shee, Apurba
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This report presents overall summaries of Malawi Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (MARBES) data that cover 1,149 households in Africa RISING areas in central region of Malawi covering two districts (Dedza and Ntcheu). Following a description of survey design and tools, the report presents main findings in the form of cross tabulation, tables and graphs for both household and community level survey data. The summaries of the household data include demography, agricultural land characteristics, production and inputs, storage facility, livestock ownership, dwelling characteristics, agricultural related shocks, and children and women anthropometry. The community data summary covers community demography, access to basic services, labor in agriculture, agriculture related problems and solutions, land use and major crops, migration, availability of water resources, and prevalence of shocks

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Ghana

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Ghana
Author: Tinonin, Cecilia
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) leads an associated project on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of AR activities. As part of the evaluation efforts of the AR program in three regions of northern Ghana (i.e. Northern, Upper West and Upper East), the M&E Team at IFPRI has contracted Pan African Field Services Limited (Panafields) to conduct the Ghana Africa RISING Evaluation Survey (GARBES), which has the primary objective of collecting highly credible and unbiased baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of AR’s activities. In particular, the main development hypothesis that GARBES aims to test is whether AR interventions, in the form of sustainable intensification of agricultural practices, lead to an increase in agricultural productivity, income and welfare indicators (both monetary as well as non-monetary). The collected evidence on the overall effectiveness and on the specific causal pathways will also allow to draw conclusions on whether and how to scale up the program in the future.

A user guide to Mali Africa research in sustainable intensification for the next generation (Africa RISING) baseline evaluation survey data

A user guide to Mali Africa research in sustainable intensification for the next generation (Africa RISING) baseline evaluation survey data
Author: Azzarri, Carlo
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 18
Release: 2016-04-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

The Mali Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) Baseline Evaluation Survey (MARBES) survey was implemented during May-July 2014 as part of IFPRI’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of Africa RISING. The Africa RISING program aims to create-through action research and development partnerships-opportunities for smallholder farmers in Africa south of the Sahara to sustainably intensify their farming systems and to improve their food, nutrition, and income security. Initiated in 2012, the program is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative. As part of the program, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) leads a sustainable intensification effort focusing on the cereal-based farming systems in the Guinea Savannah Zone of West Africa (Ghana and Mali) and East and Southern Africa (Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia) while the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) leads the research activities focusing on the crop-livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has been tasked with M&E of the three projects. Mali Africa RISING is being implemented in Bougouni, Yanfolila and Koutiala cercles (the cercle is a type of administrative region), in the Sikasso region of Mali, within the FTF Zones of Influence. The research activities are led by IITA, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), ILRI, the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), and the International Center for Research in Agroforestry or World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), as well as local partners: L’Association Malienne d’Eveil et de Développement Durable (AMEDD), l'Association Malienne pour la Sécurité et la Souveraineté Alimentaires (AMASSA), and Mouvement Biologique du Mali (MOBIOM). MARBES collected detailed household- and plot-crop level data addressing various topics: employment (agricultural and non-agricultural); health; agricultural land; crop inputs, harvest, storage, and sale; livestock ownership, feed, and water; agriculture-related challenges and coping strategies; credit and off-farm income sources; housing conditions and ownership of various durable assets; subjective welfare and food security; household-level food consumption; non-food expenditure; agricultural shocks; and child and women anthropometry. The community survey collected data on access to basic services; access to extension services; social organizations, mobility, and village-level shocks; access to natural resources; metric conversion units; and prices of crops and food items. MARBES covered 705 households and 20 communities drawn from the three project cercles. Data was collected using structured questionnaires in multiple local languages through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing, using the Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro).

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Tanzania

Africa RISING Baseline Evaluation Survey (ARBES) report for Tanzania
Author: Charles, Ainsley
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 103
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This report presents overall summaries and cross-tabulations, and empirical means-difference tests across household type, location, wealth, and gender of head, for data that cover 810 households in Africa RISING areas in northern and north-central Tanzania in three districts (Babati, Kiteto and Kongwa) and twenty-five villages in which Africa RISING was either operational or pre-operational at the date of the survey (February-April 2014). Following a description of the report and of the survey from which its data are drawn, its main findings are presented in two parts, providing description and analysis of household- and community-level data, and these also include a series of tables and graphs to further illustrate the descriptive results. Each part contains six sections. For household-level data, these include household demographics, health and nutrition, dwelling characteristics and asset ownership, agriculture, household consumption, and shocks and vulnerability. And for community-level data, these cover community demographics, access to services, extension advice and farmer groups, land and major crops, shocks, and food prices.

Impacts of Africa RISING in Mali

Impacts of Africa RISING in Mali
Author: Haile, Beliyou
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2023-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This study evaluates the impact of Africa RISING, a sustainable intensification (SI) program, implemented in Bougouni, Yanfolila, and Koutiala cercles in southern Mali beginning in 2012. Using a participatory action research framework, the program validated and promoted alternative SI options including fertilized groundnut and sorghum, crop-legume intercropping, intercropping of two compatible legumes, access to extension services, and fertilizer microdosing, while preserving ecosystem services in the face of projected population growth and climatic changes. Impact is estimated on several SI indicators and domains using two rounds of quasi-experimental panel data (surveys conducted in 2014 and 2022) and difference-in-differences techniques. The unique study design allows us to estimate the impact of Africa RISINg by comparing outcomes among program beneficiaries with two different counterfactual groups—one located inside program villages (within-village comparison) and another in non-program (control) villages (out-of-village comparison) on several indicators across five SI domains— environment, productivity, economic, human, and social. We also conduct a placebo test comparing non-beneficiaries in the two counterfactual groups. We find no statistically significant differences among households in the within-village and out-of-village comparisons, most likely because of misreporting of program participation. Overall comparisons between households in target and non-target villages show a positive impact of AR on environmental variables such as access to extension services, implementation of intercropping techniques, and adoption of improved crops; on productivity variables such as green bean yield; and on economic variables such as an increase in the non-agricultural wealth index; but no statistically significant effect on human and social indicators, namely household dietary diversity, food consumption scores, and nutritional indicators for children 0–59 months old and women 15–49 years old. Estimates based on within-village, out-of-village, and placebo comparisons suggest important insights about the challenges in assessing the impact of agricultural programs in general and, specifically, participatory multi-intervention programs in the presence of sample (self-)selection and spillovers. Our study highlights useful empirical lessons learned to inform future program design and impact assessments.

Africa RISING impact assessment report

Africa RISING impact assessment report
Author: Haile, Beliyou
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2024-07-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This report summarizes lessons from cross-country analyses of the impact of the Africa RISING (AR) program. Implemented in six countries—Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, and Ghana—AR aimed to provide pathways out of hunger and poverty for smallholders by sustainably intensifying their farming systems in order to enhance income and food security, particularly for women and children, while conserving or enhancing the natural resource base. Phase I (2012–2016) focused on the validation of demand-driven sustainable intensification (SI) innovations, while Phase II (2016–2022) focused on the scaling of a subset of validated SI innovations in partnership with development partners. Our impact assessment studies covered all program countries, except Zambia, and are based on two rounds of household panel survey data, excluding Ethiopia for which program effect is estimated using one round of survey data. Impact is estimated using the difference-in-differences method for countries with panel data or, for Ethiopia, based on simple comparison of outcomes between program beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The choice of impact indicators is guided by the Sustainable Intensification Assessment Framework (SIAF) framework and survey data availability. Impact indicators encompass the five sustainable intensification (SI) domains discussed in the SIAF: environment, productivity, economic, human, and social.

Impacts of Africa RISING in Mali

Impacts of Africa RISING in Mali
Author: Haile, Beliyou
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2024-07-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This study evaluates the impact of Africa RISING, a sustainable intensification (SI) program, implemented in Bougouni, Yanfolila, and Koutiala cercles in southern Mali beginning in 2012. Using a participatory action research framework, the program validated and promoted alternative SI options including fertilized groundnut and sorghum, crop-legume intercropping, intercropping of two compatible legumes, access to extension services, and fertilizer microdosing, while preserving ecosystem services in the face of projected population growth and climatic changes. Impact is estimated on several SI indicators and domains using two rounds of quasi-experimental panel data (surveys conducted in 2014 and 2022) and difference-in-differences techniques. The unique study design allows us to estimate the impact of Africa RISING by comparing outcomes among program beneficiaries with two different counterfactual groups—one located inside program villages (within-village comparison) and another in non-program (control) villages (out-of-village comparison) on several indicators across five SI domains—environment, productivity, economic, human, and social. We also conduct a placebo test comparing non-beneficiaries in the two counterfactual groups. We find few statistically significant differences in the averages of the characteristics in the environmental and productivity domain among households in the within-village and out-of-village comparisons, most likely because of misreporting of program participation. Overall comparisons between households in target and non-target villages show a positive impact of AR on environmental variables such as access to extension services, and adoption of improved crops; on productivity variables such as green bean, cotton and okra yield; and on economic variables such as an increase in the non-agricultural wealth index; but no statistically significant effect on human and social indicators, namely household dietary diversity, food consumption scores, and nutritional indicators for children 0–59 months old and women 15–49 years old. Estimates based on within-village, out-of-village, and placebo comparisons suggest important insights about the challenges in assessing the impact of agricultural programs in general and, specifically, participatory multi-intervention programs in the presence of sample (self-)selection and spillovers. Our study highlights useful empirical lessons learned to inform future program design and impact assessments.

Diversifying Food and Diets

Diversifying Food and Diets
Author: Jessica Fanzo
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2013-06-26
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1136461469

Currently 868 million people are undernourished and 195 million children under five years of age are stunted. At the same time, over 1 billion people are overweight and obese in both the developed and developing world. Diseases previously associated with affluence, such as cancer, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, are on the rise. Food system-based approaches to addressing these problems that could enhance food availability and diet quality through local production and agricultural biodiversity often fall outside the traditional scope of nutrition, and have been under-researched. As a consequence, there remains insufficient evidence to support well-defined, scalable agricultural biodiversity interventions that can be linked to improvements in nutrition outcomes. Agricultural biodiversity is important for food and nutritional security, as a safeguard against hunger, a source of nutrients for improved dietary diversity and quality, and strengthening local food systems and environmental sustainability. This book explores the current state of knowledge on the role of agricultural biodiversity in improving diets, nutrition and food security. Using examples and case studies from around the globe, the book explores current strategies for improving nutrition and diets and identifies key research and implementation gaps that need to be addressed to successfully promote the better use of agricultural biodiversity for rural and urban populations and societies in transition.

Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Intensification of the Humid Highland Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa

Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Intensification of the Humid Highland Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Bernard Vanlauwe
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319076620

The humid highlands in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are characterized by high population densities and require intensification. The Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) has set up a research for development platform in various mandate areas in DR Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, aiming to identify improved production, market, and nutrition options and facilitating the access for development partners to these options. This platform is supported by capacity building, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and monitoring and evaluation efforts. The conference, facilitated by CIALCA, aimed to (i) take stock of the state-of the art in agricultural intensification in the highlands of SSA and (ii) chart the way forward for agricultural research for development in the humid highlands of SSA, and more specifically in the recently launched Humidtropics Consortium Research Programme, through keynote, oral and poster presentations, and strategic panel discussions.