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Socio Economic Research and Analysis (SERA)

Projects
The ongoing projects respond to the needs and demands of countries, and thus vary in thematic focus, scope and scale.  
Title Evaluating dairy support and farmer field schools in Afghanistan
Introduction This study evaluates dairy support and farmer field schools in five provinces of Afghanistan. The project targets 5 500 women farmers, combining milking kits with training in animal husbandry, feeding and hygienic milk processing to promote their participation in the dairy value chain. Baseline and endline surveys of 4 468 households will provide evidence on the intervention.
Start date 09/03/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Afghanistan
Project Code GCP/AFG/146/UK
Title Evaluating poultry production support for rural households in Afghanistan
Introduction This study evaluates poultry production support for rural households in four provinces of Afghanistan. The package targets 2 250 households and combines poultry, equipment and feed with training in poultry husbandry, disease prevention and climate adaptation. Baseline and endline surveys will provide evidence on the intervention.
Start date 01/06/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Afghanistan
Project Code GCP/AFG/146/UK
Title Ecosystems-based adaptation for resilient watersheds and communities in Malawi
Introduction The Ecosystems-based Adaptation for resilient Watersheds and Communities in Malawi (EbAM) project aims to enhance the climate resilience of rural communities in Malawi by promoting an ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach integrated with landscape-level watershed management.
Start date 09/03/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Malawi
Budget Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Project Code GCP/MLW/082/GCF
Title Evidence on the impacts of extreme weather events on youth employment in sub-Saharan Africa
Introduction Climate change is a global challenge, but its effects are unequal. This study uses data from six sub-Saharan countries, combining socio-economic surveys with daily weather information. Regression analysis reveals that heat stress increases reliance on youth labour in rural areas, while floods or droughts show no such effect. Young women are particularly affected, often pushed out of employment or into household labour. These findings highlight their heightened vulnerability to climate change.
Start date 09/06/2023
End date 08/03/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Africa
Title Evidence on the impacts of extreme weather on wellbeing dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa
Introduction Analysing climatic events is essential to understanding their impact on welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Leveraging the detailed ATLAS-AI welfare dataset, the study aims to investigate how natural hazards such as droughts, floods, and heat stress influence welfare over time.
Start date 14/02/2024
End date 01/02/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Africa
Title Impacts of the hostilities in Gaza on the incomes of agricultural producers
Introduction The 2023 conflict in Gaza disrupted farming, threatening livelihoods and food security. This study examines agricultural losses during the first 3 months of the conflict and their effects on household incomes and poverty, providing evidence to inform policies for recovery and resilience.
Start date 03/11/2023
End date 31/12/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Gaza Strip
Title Impact evaluation of project promoting linkages between social protection, agriculture, and food security in Mozambique
Introduction The Productive Social Action Program (PASP) in Mozambique supports vulnerable households through labor-intensive public works. With the Government of Mozambique, FAO piloted an income-generating component in Gurue and Ribaue districts, providing cash transfers, agricultural inputs, and training. FAO is evaluating whether this component helps participants transition out of the PASP programme.
Start date 15/04/2023
End date 30/09/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Mozambique
Project Code TCP/MOZ/3802
Title Evaluating the impact of input transfers and extension advice through Farmer Field Schools in Zambia
Introduction This project evaluates the socio-economic impacts of input transfers provided through the Food Security Pack (FSP) program and Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in rural Zambia. The study examines the effectiveness of these interventions in enhancing agricultural productivity, food security, and resilience. The findings aim to inform strategies for inclusive and sustainable rural development.
Start date 25/07/2022
Recipient / Target Areas Zambia
Project Code FVC/GLO/203/MUL
Title Evidence on the impacts of Women-Empowerment Farmer Business Schools (WE-FBS) in Kenya
Introduction The Women's Empowerment Farmer Business School (WE-FBS), developed by FAO in collaboration with KIT and CARE USA, is a gender-transformative approach designed to empowering women in commercial farming. By integrating gender concepts into business skills training, the programme promotes family farming as a business and addresses barriers like low literacy, language limitations, and traditional gender norms. This research investigates the impact of this approach on women empowerment and income.
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 10/11/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Kenya
Project Code FVC/GLO/MUL/203
Title Measuring the impact of a poultry transfer and women’s empowerment and nutrition in Afghanistan
Introduction In a country where many women are illiterate, rarely leave their homes, and have limited access to education, FAO’s poultry support package offers essential training and inputs to empower women. This project evaluates the socio-economic impacts of FAO’s poultry support package, with a primary focus on enhancing women’s role in income generating activities, poultry production, nutrition.
Start date 10/07/2024
End date 11/11/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Afghanistan
Title Evaluating the impact of FAO wheat package interventions in Afghanistan
Introduction Amid widespread food insecurity in Afghanistan, FAO supported around 600 000 beneficiaries through its wheat package during the 2023/2024 season. This study uses crop-cutting survey data to compare wheat yields between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, assessing the impact on productivity. Follow-up data from May to August 2025 also explores broader effects on livelihoods and resilience.
Start date 09/03/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Afghanistan
Title The impact of a livestock plus cash package on livestock smallholders in Afghanistan
Introduction Despite the importance of livestock interventions in humanitarian contexts, rigorous evidence remains limited. This study assesses a livestock-plus-cash package for 8 400 vulnerable households across three Afghan provinces, using an ex post quasi-experimental design in Badakhshan. Results show improved livestock management, milk productivity and food consumption, with some evidence of reduced livestock losses, but no measurable changes in fodder production or herd size.
Start date 15/12/2023
End date 01/04/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Afghanistan
Donor European Union
Project Code OSRO/AFG/143/EC
Title Impact evaluation of Dimitra clubs in Uganda
Introduction Dimitra clubs bring women, men and young people together to address shared challenges through collective action using local resources. FAO supports their establishment and provides training and coaching, while members manage the groups themselves. This project assesses the clubs’ impact on gender norms and social cohesion in rural communities facing poverty, food insecurity and weak local governance.
Start date 01/02/2024
End date 27/02/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Uganda
Project Code FVC/GLO/203/MUL
Title Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (SACP)
Introduction Empowering smallholder farmers for increased incomes and food security: The Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (SACP) is set to revolutionize agricultural practices in Southern Bangladesh, enhancing competitiveness and resilience for rural households.
Start date 01/11/2018
End date 27/06/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Bangladesh
Donor Bangladesh
Title Climate vulnerability assessment and resilience strengthening for farmers under the Ouémé Basin Climate Resilience Initiative (OCRI) in Benin
Introduction The Ouémé Basin Climate-Resilience Initiative (OCRI) in Benin focuses on expanding climate-resilient agricultural practices, enhancing land and water management, and lowering the vulnerability of small-scale farmers to the growing challenges posed by climate change in the targeted regions.
Start date 01/08/2023
Recipient / Target Areas Benin
Donor Benin
Project Code GCP/BEN/060/GCF
Title Local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE)
Introduction Local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) links models of treated and non-treated individual actors (traders, farmers, other producers and households, schools, firms, etc.) to general equilibrium models of local economies, explicitly capturing interactions among actors while evaluating the total economic impacts of development programmes.
Start date 29/09/2019
Recipient / Target Areas Senegal, United Republic of Tanzania
Donor Italy
Title Sustaining school enrolment when rains fail
Introduction In this paper, we use four waves of household and community panel survey data, merged with long-term, spatially explicit rainfall data to investigate whether access to school feeding programmes (SFP) in Malawi supports primary school enrolment when weather shocks occur. We find that access to SFP increases enrolment of children in older age when households experience anomalously low rainfall conditions compared to those without a SFP.
Start date 02/08/2020
End date 01/04/2022
Recipient / Target Areas Malawi
Title The Unjust Climate
Introduction The FAO SERA team, with partners, developed a report that consolidates evidence on the distributional effects of climate change and extreme weather events on inclusive rural transformation processes.
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 05/03/2024
Recipient / Target Areas Armenia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam
Title Evidence on the impacts of on wellbeing and climate resilience in Kenya
Introduction Limited access to information and finance holds back rural livelihoods in Kenya’s drylands. In Isiolo, FAO combines training on climate-smart farming and livestock early warning systems with grants for individual or community enterprises. This study assesses the effects on food security, income diversification, collective action and resilience to inform sustainable rural development strategies.
Start date 31/05/2020
End date 10/11/2026
Recipient / Target Areas Kenya
Project Code FVC/GLO/203/MUL
Title Strengthening agricultural productivity and resilience through Farmer Field Schools and input support in Malawi
Introduction Limited access to farming knowledge and extension services constrains agricultural productivity in Malawi. This study explores whether combining farmer field schools with cash or in-kind transfers helps farmers adopt improved agricultural practices, increase productivity and strengthen food security and climate resilience. Surveys over time assess whether the impacts persist.
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 10/11/2023
Recipient / Target Areas Malawi
Project Code FVC/GLO/203/MUL