Social Protection and Rural Transformation in Africa. Annual Review of Resource Economics.
2023
This article develops a conceptual framework on pathways through which noncontributory social protection can support resilient and inclusive agricultural growth in rural Africa. It draws insights from a review of rigorous empirical evidence on the impacts of cash transfers and multifaceted cash plus programs on a range of relevant productive outcomes.
Promoting inclusive climate actions in agrifood systems
2023
Agrifood systems are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, while at the same time they are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change could push an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 and result in more than 216 million people migrating within their own region by 2050.
Climate-adaptive capacities and livelihood strategies under a prolonged drought. Baseline findings and policy implications for community-based support in Isiolo, Kenya.
2023
This impact evaluation provides information regarding evaluation design of the “Building back better and greener: Integrated approaches for an inclusive and green COVID-19 recovery in rural spaces” project as well as the baseline survey instrument. Furthermore, it provides details regarding the baseline data collected, conducts balance tests associated with randomization, and provides policy relevant analysis of the baseline.
Data and analytics to enhance inclusive rural transformation
2023
Climate change, inequalities, inflation, political unrest and conflict are hampering global efforts to end poverty and to promote economic opportunities for all. These interlinked challenges are particularly acute in rural areas, where poverty rates are three times higher than in urban areas.
Evaluating the impacts of promoting coherence between disaster risk reduction, climate action and social protection in Malawi. Baseline analysis and programmatic implications of a Farmer Field School approach.
2023
This is a baseline report on the “Promoting coherence between disaster risk reduction, climate action and social protection in sub-Saharan Africa (Malawi)” project.
Building evidence on agricultural value chains interventions in refugee settings. Baseline analysis in Uganda.
2023
This baseline report examines the Refugee Agricultural Value Chains for Economic Self-reliance (RAVES) project in Uganda. The programme adopts an innovative approach, with a focus on providing sustainable long-term solutions beyond humanitarian assistance that mitigate the negative effects of displacement, uplift refugees, and support host communities.
Ex-ante evaluation of home-grown school feeding in Senegal. General equilibrium models of different food procurement modalities.
2023
This report presents the results of a simulation analysis of different food procurement modalities employed by Senegal’s current school feeding programme (SFP) by using local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE). The LEWIE methodology was designed to capture both the direct and the indirect impacts of a wide range of governmental programmes and policies in local economies.
Social protection and rural transformation in Africa
2023
This article develops a conceptual framework on pathways through which non-contributory social protection can contribute to a resilient and inclusive agricultural growth in rural Africa. It draws insights from a review of rigorous empirical evidence on the impacts of cash transfers and multifaceted cash plus programs on range of relevant productive outcomes.
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Local economy-wide impact evaluation of the United Republic of Tanzania’s. Productive Social Safety Nets
2023
To reduce extreme poverty and break its intergenerational transmission, in 2012 the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania initiated the Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) – the flagship social protection programme implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF). A randomized impact evaluation was embedded within the scaled-up design of the PSSN. To complement it, in this study we analyse the indirect effects of the PSSN on the overall local economy.
The status of women in agrifood systems
2023
The status of women in agrifood systems report uses extensive new data and analyses to provide a comprehensive picture of women’s participation, benefits, and challenges they face working in agrifood systems globally. The report shows how increasing women’s empowerment and gender equality in agrifood systems enhances women’s well-being and the well-being of their households, creating opportunities for economic growth, greater incomes, productivity and resilience.
Evaluating spillovers and cost-effectiveness of complementary agricultural and social protection interventions: evidence from Lesotho
2023
We present findings from a study of the local-economy impacts of Lesotho’s Child Grants Programme and of a multi-faceted rural development intervention. We designed a micro-data parameterised general equilibrium model and used it to simulate the direct and indirect impacts of the two interventions, considering income and production spillovers.
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Findings from a local-economy general equilibrium modelling study
2023
In this study, we use multiple local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) models to estimate the impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns on rural producers and households in a diversity of economic and agro-climatic settings, using simulation methods. We also examine the likely effects of alternative migitation measures.
The impacts of COVID-19 and policy responses in rural economies. Findings from a local-economy general equilibrium modelling study.
2023
In this study, we use multiple local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) models to estimate the impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns on rural producers and households in a diversity of economic and agro-climatic settings, using simulation methods. We also examine the likely effects of alternative migitation measures.
Evaluating the impacts of cash and complementary agricultural support interventions in fragile settings. The case of Somalia.
2022
This study examines the FAO cash plus agriculture program in Somalia. This multi-faceted intervention provides agricultural inputs, training and cash transfers to vulnerable agro-pastoralist households living in districts and villages that experienced severe weather shocks. We exploit variations in the implementation of this program to assess the effect of receiving inputs only and inputs plus cash on a range of protective and productive outcomes.
Evaluating the impacts of cash and complementary agricultural support interventions in fragile settings: Evidence from Somalia
2022
This brief summarizes the evidence on the impacts of FAO 'Cash plus agricultural inputs' program in Somalia on food security, adoption of agricultural practices, wealth and productive assets.
Sustaining school enrolment when rains fail: Evidence from Malawi
2022
This policy brief is based on the paper on Sustaining school enrolment when rains fail: A gender disaggregated analysis of the impacts of school feeding programmes on school enrolment in the context of dry shocks in Malawi, by Staffieri, I., Sitko, N., Maluccio, J.
Cash transfers and women's economic inclusion: Evidence from Zambia
2022
This is the policy brief of a paper that investigates whether an increase in exogenous income through the Child Grants model of the Social Cash Transfer programme in Zambia fosters economic inclusion among rural women.
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Cash transfers’ role in improving livelihood diversification strategies and well-being: short- and medium-term evidence from Zimbabwe
2022
This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of rural livelihood diversification and its impact on household welfare in the short and medium term using data from a government-run social protection program in Zimbabwe.
A local general-equilibrium emergency response modeling approach for sub-Saharan Africa
2022
This article describes an unusual micro general-equilibrium (GE) modeling approach that we developed to quickly simulate impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns on poor and non-poor rural and urban households across sub-Saharan Africa.
Mediation analysis of the impact of the Zimbabwe Harmonized Social Cash Transfer Programme on food security and nutrition
2022
This paper analyses the causal effects of the Zimbabwe Harmonized Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) programme on food security and nutrition after 12 months of implementation. Through mediation analysis, we disentangle the total effect of the programme on its direct effect due to the greater liquidity of beneficiary households, which increases the affordability of food, and its indirect effect mediated by an increase in agricultural activities.