Assessing the impact of agricultural research on poverty using the sustainable livelihoods framework.

As the goals of international agricultural research move beyond increasing food production to the broader aims of reducing poverty, both agricultural research and studies of its impact become more complex. Yet examining the magnitude and mechanisms through which different types of agricultural research are able to help the poor is essential, not only to evaluate claims for continued funding of such research, but more importantly, to guide future research in ways that will make the greatest contribution to poverty reduction. This paper reports on the approach used in a multicountry study of the poverty impact of research programs under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The studies use an expanded understanding of poverty that goes beyond income- or consumption-based headcounts or severity measures, to consider many other factors that poor people in different contexts define as contributing to their vulnerability, poverty, and well-being. The sustainable livelihoods framework provides a common conceptual approach to examining the ways in which agricultural research and technologies fit (or sometimes do not fit) into the livelihood strategies of households or individuals with different types of assets and other resources, strategies that often involve multiple activities undertaken at different times of the year. This paper reports on the conceptual framework, methods, and findings to date of these studies. It provides an overview of the sustainable livelihoods approach, how it can be applied to agricultural research, and describes detailed methods and results from five case studies: (1) modern rice varieties in Bangladesh; (2) polyculture fishponds and vegetable gardens in Bangladesh; (3) soil fertility management practices in Kenya; (4) hybrid maize in Zimbabwe; and (5) creolized maize varieties in Mexico.Soil fertility Kenya. ,Hybrid maize Zimbabwe. ,Maize Mexico. ,Fish-culture Bangladesh. ,Rice Bangladesh. ,Sustainable livelihoods. ,Agricultural research. ,Poverty alleviation. ,

Assessing the impact of agricultural research on poverty using the sustainable livelihoods framework:

As the goals of international agricultural research move beyond increasing food production to the broader aims of reducing poverty, both agricultural research and studies of its impact become more complex. Yet examining the magnitude and mechanisms through which different types of agricultural research are able to help the poor is essential, not only to evaluate claims for continued funding of such research, but more importantly, to guide future research in ways that will make the greatest contribution to poverty reduction. This paper reports on the approach used in a multicountry study of the poverty impact of research programs under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The studies use an expanded understanding of poverty that goes beyond income- or consumption-based headcounts or severity measures, to consider many other factors that poor people in different contexts define as contributing to their vulnerability, poverty, and well-being. The sustainable livelihoods framework provides a common conceptual approach to examining the ways in which agricultural research and technologies fit (or sometimes do not fit) into the livelihood strategies of households or individuals with different types of assets and other resources, strategies that often involve multiple activities undertaken at different times of the year. This paper reports on the conceptual framework, methods, and findings to date of these studies. It provides an overview of the sustainable livelihoods approach, how it can be applied to agricultural research, and describes detailed methods and results from five case studies: (1) modern rice varieties in Bangladesh; (2) polyculture fishponds and vegetable gardens in Bangladesh; (3) soil fertility management practices in Kenya; (4) hybrid maize in Zimbabwe; and (5) creolized maize varieties in Mexico.Soil fertility Kenya., Hybrid maize Zimbabwe., Maize Mexico., Fish-culture Bangladesh., Rice Bangladesh., Sustainable livelihoods., Agricultural research., Poverty alleviation.,

Assessing the impact of agricultural research on poverty using the sustainable livelihoods framework.

As the goals of international agricultural research move beyond increasing food production to the broader aims of reducing poverty, both agricultural research and studies of its impact become more complex. Yet examining the magnitude and mechanisms through which different types of agricultural research are able to help the poor is essential, not only to evaluate claims for continued funding of such research, but more importantly, to guide future research in ways that will make the greatest contribution to poverty reduction. This paper reports on the approach used in a multicountry study of the poverty impact of research programs under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The studies use an expanded understanding of poverty that goes beyond income- or consumption-based headcounts or severity measures, to consider many other factors that poor people in different contexts define as contributing to their vulnerability, poverty, and well-being. The sustainable livelihoods framework provides a common conceptual approach to examining the ways in which agricultural research and technologies fit (or sometimes do not fit) into the livelihood strategies of households or individuals with different types of assets and other resources, strategies that often involve multiple activities undertaken at different times of the year. This paper reports on the conceptual framework, methods, and findings to date of these studies. It provides an overview of the sustainable livelihoods approach, how it can be applied to agricultural research, and describes detailed methods and results from five case studies: (1) modern rice varieties in Bangladesh; (2) polyculture fishponds and vegetable gardens in Bangladesh; (3) soil fertility management practices in Kenya; (4) hybrid maize in Zimbabwe; and (5) creolized maize varieties in Mexico.Soil fertility Kenya. ,Hybrid maize Zimbabwe. ,Maize Mexico. ,Fish-culture Bangladesh. ,Rice Bangladesh. ,Sustainable livelihoods. ,Agricultural research. ,Poverty alleviation. ,

Agricultural Research and Poverty Alleviation: Some International Perspectives

Invited paper for the John L. Dillon AO Commemorative Day on ‘Agricultural Research: Challenges and Economics in the New Millenium’ The University of New England, Armidale NSW Australia, September 20, 2002Food Security and Poverty, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Implications of Transgenic Rice for Farm Households' Nutritional Vulnerability: Projections for Bangladesh

This paper employs multivariate regression to forecast the calorie intake of Bangladeshi farm households in the hunger season based on the household income, production, and demographic composition in the current (post harvest) season. Nutritional vulnerability profiles are derived from the estimation of ex ante mean and variance of future consumption. The results show the income increase induced by introducing transgenic rice will reduce each individual household's probability of suffering a future consumption shortfall and its vulnerability. The overall vulnerability profile of farm households improves in Bangladesh.Food Security and Poverty,

Poverty Trends and Growth Performance: Some Issues in Bangladesh

With a low level of per capita income, nearly one of every two persons in Bangladesh is poor, and one of three lives below the income poverty line of $ 1 a day.1 If those who are deprived of adequate clothing or shelter or other basic needs are counted, the number will be considerably higher. Similarly, if the people who live ‘above’ the poverty line but are vulnerable to risks, crisis and socioecononomic shocks and are in constant danger of income erosion below the poverty threshold are considered, the number will be still larger. The poor in Bangladesh differ in economic, social, physical and other characteristics which reflect various deprivations. Such multidimensionality of the poor’s interlocking deprivations suggests that a strategy of increasing income alone may not be adequate for reducing poverty.2 With multi-dimensional characteristics, poverty requires a multi-strategy solution in Bangladesh. The implications of attacking poverty within a broad framework highlight the interactions that exist between income and non-income deprivations. The reduction in income-poverty helps in alleviating non-income poverty through enhanced capacity of the poor to gain access to basic needs.

Insights from poverty maps for development and food relief program targeting: an application to Malawi

"Poverty mapping applies models of household welfare developed from detailed household consumption and expenditure surveys to the extensive but less detailed data from national censuses. A poverty map for Malawi, developed by drawing upon information from the 1997–98 Malawi Integrated Household Survey with the 1998 Malawi Population and Housing Census, provides aggregate estimates of household welfare and poverty at a highly disaggregated level—down to the level of local government wards. Given the close association between welfare and food security in most Malawi households, such a detailed poverty map can be of considerable value to development and relief organizations, as they plan and target activities to improve the ability of poor households to cope with food scarcity. This paper assesses the value of the Malawi poverty map with reference to two activities of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Malawi: the Food for Assets and Development (FFASD) public works program and the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) food insecurity information generation system. First, the poverty targeting efficiency of the FFASD program is evaluated using the poverty map to determine whether the FFASD projects are preferentially located in areas where disproportionate numbers of the poor are found. This is done in part by comparing the poverty targeting efficiency of the WFP program to that of the Malawi Social Action Fund Public Works Programme projects. Second, WFP employs the VAM methodology to determine how and where to employ its resources from year to year. The potential value of the poverty map as a component of the VAM process in Malawi is then considered. The results indicate that the poverty map is an effective and objective way to geographically target projects and programs on a poverty basis in Malawi. In assessing household vulnerability to food insecurity, the poverty map serves as a useful proxy indicator of spatial variability in the ability of the population to cope with food scarcity. Poverty maps, in those countries were they are available, should be a privileged data source for undertaking any national vulnerability analyses. However, the poverty map needs to be used with complementary data to better understand the risks households face that might result in food scarcity and the actual mechanisms households use to cope with such stresses." Authors' AbstractPoverty mapping, food security, Malawi, Food relief, Targeting,

Fisheries and Aquaculture and Their Potential Roles in Development: An Assessment of the Current Evidence

Commissioned by the International Sustainability Unity, this report investigates a number of innovative solutions that have been developed to deal with five key challenges that are impeding progress in achieving sustainable fisheries: overcapacity; perverse subsidies; poor governance; lack of data; and by-catch and discards. These key challenges are interlinked and affect the sustainability of fisheries both directly as well as indirectly by undermining instances of good management. Through 22 case studies demonstrating good practice, we explore how these challenges have been addressed around the world and how these approaches might be scaled up and applied in other fisheries. Each case study draws on published material and interviews with key people involved in the fishery. The main report draws lessons from these case studies

Designing and evaluating social safety nets

"This paper reviews the literature on the performance of commonly found social safety net programs in developing countries. The evidence suggests that universal food subsidies have very limited potential for redistributing income. While targeted food subsidies have greater potential, this can only be realized when adequate attention is given to the design and implementation, as well as to the social and political factors influencing the adoption, of these programs. Although well-designed public works programs have impressive targeting performance, they have large non-wage costs; thus, to be cost-effective, they need to produce outputs that are especially beneficial to poor households. Social funds, which emphasize both community involvement and asset creation, have been cost-effective, but they are difficult to target to extremely poor households. Traditional public works programs are particularly attractive for addressing vulnerability, but they require flexibility regarding choice of output. Targeted human capital subsidies appear to have great potential for addressing extreme poverty; but again, their design needs to reflect the human capital profile of countries and the administrative capability of the government." Author's AbstractSafety nets ,evaluation ,Food subsidies ,Poverty alleviation ,social policies ,Income distribution ,Community participation ,Public works ,

Addressing Regional Inequality Issues in Bangladesh Public Expenditure

Traditionally development effort of Bangladesh government have aimed at achieving equitable economic growth. The concept is an overriding factor in formulating national policy strategies of poverty alleviation. In this context, the objectives of poverty alleviation are mostly designed with social development factors, particularly improvements in health and education indicators. One of the most important policy documents Unlocking the potential : National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (the PRSP paper which was extended till June 2008), and other government documents embody such with great importance (Medium Term Budget Framework 2007- 2010 documents on website of the Ministry of Finance. Since returning to democracy in 1991, Bangladeshs economy has achieved a steady growth rate with concomitant fall of poverty incidences at an accelerated pace. In fact, the country experienced more than 10 percentage point fall in poverty rate between 2000 and 2005 (Table 1), which is indeed a commendable achievement aligned to other better performances that Bangladesh has been experiencing for the last three decades since independence. One feature of this development is, however, less assuring. Regional analysis of poverty incidences shows that reduction rate is not equal across the country, rather the situation is worsening in some cases. Such picture reflects an unequal progress in overall economic activity throughout the country.Bangladesh, Regional Inequality, public expenditure, Poverty Alleviation