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Designing Impact Evaluations for Agricultural Projects

Author

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  • Paul Winters
  • Lina Salazar
  • Alessandro Maffioli

Abstract

The purpose of this guideline is to provide suggestions on designing impact evaluations for agricultural projects, particularly projects that directly target farmers, and seek to improve agricultural production, productivity and profitability. Specific issues in evaluating agricultural projects are addressed, including the need to use production-based indicators and to carefully consider indirect or spillover effects that are common in agricultural projects. The guideline considers the challenges of conducting impact evaluations of agricultural projects as well as the methods for assessing impact. Issues of collecting agricultural data for an impact evaluation and how to put together the overall design strategy in an evaluation plan are also covered. The guideline concludes with three case studies of impact evaluations designed for a technology adoption project in the Dominican Republic, a forestry/technology project in Nicaragua, and a crop insurance project in Peru.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Winters & Lina Salazar & Alessandro Maffioli, 2010. "Designing Impact Evaluations for Agricultural Projects," SPD Working Papers 1007, Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness (SPD).
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:spdwps:1007
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    1. Petraud, Jean & Boucher, Stephen & Carter, Michael, 2015. "Competing theories of risk preferences and the demand for crop insurance: Experimental evidence from Peru," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211383, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta & Mario González‐Flores & William Greene & Daniel Solís, 2021. "Technology and Technical Efficiency Change: Evidence from a Difference in Differences Selectivity Corrected Stochastic Production Frontier Model," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 362-385, January.
    3. Jeremy Jelliffe & Boris E. Bravo-Ureta & C. Michael Deom & David Kalule Okello, 2016. "The Sustainability Of Farmer-Led Multiplication And Dissemination Of High-Yield And Disease Resistant Groundnut Varieties," Zwick Center Research Reports 04, University of Connecticut, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    4. Jelliffe, Jeremy L. & Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Deom, C. Michael, 2015. "Adaptation and Adoption of Improved Seeds through Extension: Evidence from Farmer-Led Groundnut Multiplication in Uganda," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205980, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Paloyo, Alfredo R. & Rogan, Sally & Siminski, Peter, 2016. "The effect of supplemental instruction on academic performance: An encouragement design experiment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 57-69.
    6. Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Higgins, Daniel & Arslan, Aslihan, 2020. "Irrigation infrastructure and farm productivity in the Philippines: A stochastic Meta-Frontier analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    7. Fresenbet Zeleke & Girma T. Kassie & Jema Haji & Belaineh Legesse, 2021. "Would Market Sheds Improve Market Participation and Earnings of Small Ruminant Keepers? Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 470-485, June.
    8. Murathi Kiratu, Nixon, 2014. "An Assessment of the Impact of Kilimo Plus Subsidy Program on Smallholder Farmers' Food Security and Income in Nakuru North District, Kenya," Research Theses 243470, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    9. González-Flores, Mario & Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Solís, Daniel & Winters, Paul, 2014. "The impact of high value markets on smallholder productivity in the Ecuadorean Sierra: A Stochastic Production Frontier approach correcting for selectivity bias," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 237-247.
    10. Alawode, O.O. & Oluwatayo, I.B., 2019. "Development Outcomes of Fadama III among Fish Farmers in Nigeria: Evidence from Lagos State," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 10-19.
    11. Martey, Edward & Kuwornu, John K.M. & Adjebeng-Danquah, Joseph, 2019. "Estimating the effect of mineral fertilizer use on Land productivity and income: Evidence from Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 463-475.
    12. Onil Banerjee & Kevin Boyle & Cassandra Rogers & Janice Cumberbatch & Barbara Kanninen & Michele H. Lemay & Maja Schling, 2016. "A Retrospective Stated Preference Approach to Assessment of Coastal Infrastructure Investments: An Application to Barbados," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 95856, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Giuliani, Elisa & Pietrobelli, Carlo, 2014. "Social Network Analysis Methodologies for the Evaluation of Cluster Development Programs," Papers in Innovation Studies 2014/11, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    14. Jeremy L. Jelliffe & Boris E. Bravo-Ureta & C. Michael Deom & David K. Okello, 2018. "Adoption of High-Yielding Groundnut Varieties: The Sustainability of a Farmer-Led Multiplication-Dissemination Program in Eastern Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, May.
    15. Peter Griffiths, 2015. "Marketing by Controlling Social Discourse: The Fairtrade Case," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 256-271, June.
    16. Kijima, Yoko & Ito, Yukinori & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2012. "Assessing the Impact of Training on Lowland Rice Productivity in an African Setting: Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1610-1618.
    17. Banerjee, Onil & Boyle, Kevin & Rogers, Cassandra & Cumberbatch, Janice & Kanninen, Barbara & Lemay, Michele H. & Schling, Maja, 2016. "A Retrospective Stated Preference Approach to Assessment of Coastal Infrastructure Investments: An Application to Barbados," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 7849, Inter-American Development Bank.
    18. Kafle, Kashi & Songsermsawas, Tisorn & Winters, Paul, 2021. "IFAD Research Series Issue 65 - Impacts of agricultural value chain development in a mountainous region: Evidence from Nepal," IFAD Research Series 311008, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    19. Edward Martey & Prince M. Etwire & Isaac Koomson, 2022. "Parental Time Poverty, Child Work and School Attendance in Ghana," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1489-1515, August.
    20. Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, 2014. "Stochastic frontiers, productivity effects and development projects," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 51-58.
    21. Kafle, Kashi & Songsermsawas, T. & Winters, P., 2021. "Impacts of agricultural value chain development in a mountainous region: evidence from Nepal," IWMI Books, Reports H050432, International Water Management Institute.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Impact Evaluation; Agriculture; Technology Adoption; Development Effectiveness; Dominican Republic; PACTA; Nicaragua; APAGRO Program; Cotton Farmers; Peru;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H43 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O22 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Project Analysis
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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