Environment and Agriculture
TIME conducts research to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed to foster sustainable development. Our researchers in environment and agriculture study topics from farm productivity to gender gaps in agricultural labour.
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Closing the Gender Gap in Agriculture
| Researchers: |
Selim Gulesci, Elijah Kipchumba, Andreas Madestam, Alexander Nasstrom, Munshi Sulaiman and Esau Tugume |
| Partners: | BRAC |
| Location: | Uganda |
| Sample: | Farmers |
| Timeline: | 2022-2024 |
| Theme: |
Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Gender |
| Description: |
Evidence suggests that the yield on land cultivated by women in Sub-Saharan Africa is lower than that on land cultivated by men. On average, women are less likely to use new technologies or inputs, but the reasons behind this are unclear. In this project, we will investigate one potential explanation behind the gender gap in agricultural productivity: that women may lack the necessary skills required to access new technologies and inputs that in turn enable productive investments. We will cooperate with an NGO (BRAC) in Uganda. We will evaluate a new program that provides training in soft skills to female farmers. We will also study the effect of disseminating information about composting technology that enables farmers to improve the productivity of their land while improving environmental sustainability. We will investigate whether female farmers are less likely to use composting (as found in previous literature for other technological innovations) and whether the gap between the sexes is smaller for women who have received the soft skills training. The experiment will shed light on the extent to which the lack of soft skills limit the use of new agricultural technologies among women (relative to men) and whether the NGO’s program can help reduce any gender differences. The project's findings will help design policies that empower female farmers and increase their productivity. |
The Impact of the 2019 Malawi Floods on Poverty, Gender and Psychosocial Outcome
| Researchers: |
Tara Bedi, Markus Goldstein, Michael King, Ilan Noy and Julia Vaillant |
| Partners: | Concern Worldwide, IPA Malawi |
| Location: | Malawi |
| Sample: | 3,300 households |
| Timeline: | 2019-2021 |
| Theme: | Environment |
| Description: | Environmental shocks can have devastating impacts on the lives of the ultra-poor, and when they occur with frequency, can act as a natural disaster poverty trap. First, we examine the impact of the 2019 Malawian floods on poverty, gender roles and psycho-social outcomes. Second, as extreme weather events intensify due to climate change, can a multifaceted anti-poverty program for the Ultra Poor protect households from environmental shock induced economic reversals? In an effort to answer these questions, this paper analyses the impact of the 2019 floods on households in the middle of the implementation of a graduation program. Through a comparison of the impact of the floods for graduation and non-graduation households respectively, initial insights are provided on the existence of a natural resource poverty trap. |
To apply to access this dataset, please email Dr Michael King (kingm4@tcd.ie)
Site-specific Agronomic Information, Technology Adoption, Farm Productivity and Household Welfare: A Field Experiement in Ethiopia
| Researchers: | Hailemariam Ayalew, Jordan Chamberlin and Carol Newman |
| Partners: |
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) |
| Location: | Ethiopia |
| Sample: |
738 farmers in the main maize growing zones of Ethiopia (Jimma, Bako, West Gojjam, and East Shewa) |
| Timeline: | 2017-2021 |
| Theme: |
Technology adoption, information, insurance, agriculture |
| Description: | Smallholder farmers in Africa typically only have access to blanket fertilizer recommendations which may not be optimal for local production conditions. The response to such recommendations has generally been poor. Using a randomized control trial in Ethiopia, we explore whether targeted recommendations lead farmers to align fertilizer usage to recommended levels and whether this impacts productivity. Results show that targeted recommendations closed the gap between the he recommended and actual amounts of fertilizer used and that this in turn increased productivity. We also consider whether coupling these recommendations with agricultural insurance further encourages fertilizer investment but find no differential effect. |