COUNTRY LEVEL
PROGRAM WIDE | REPORTS
This study evaluates the impact of the Africa RISING interventions for sustainable intensification implemented in Dedza and Ntcheu districts of Malawi through an on-farm participatory approach known as “mother-and-baby” trials.
Malawi
Results at a Glance
Malawi
Environmental Domain
Report
This report summarizes lessons from cross-country analyses of the impact of the Africa RISING program throughout its two phases of implementation. Phase I (2012–2016) focused on validation of demand-driven sustainable intensification innovations. Phase II (2016–2022) focused on scaling a subset of the validated innovations in collaboration with development partners.
The Africa Research In Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program comprises three research-in-development projects supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative.
Through action research and development partnerships, Africa RISING is creating opportunities for smallholder farm households to move out of hunger and poverty through sustainably intensified farming systems that improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base.
The three regional projects are led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (in West Africa and East and Southern Africa) and the International Livestock Research Institute (in the Ethiopian Highlands). The International Food Policy Research Institute leads the program’s monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment.
Africa RISING
Brief
Report
Implemented in: Dedza and Ntcheu districts in Central region (Phase 1) and Mangochi district in Southern region (Phase 2)
Start/End: 2012–2022
+33
pp
Access to agricultural advisory services
+23
pp
Adoption of improved groundnut
+35 kg/ha
Increased use of inorganic fertilizer
+$0.5 PPP
Increase in per capita daily expenditure
+$138 PPP
Increase in net livestock income
+$432 PPP
Increase of annual net household income
Economic Domain
−14
pp
Reduction in poverty (based on agricultural assets)
+0.3
Increase in number of livestock types owned
+0.4 tons/ha
Positive impact on cowpea yield
+0.2 tons/ha
Positive impact on green bean yield
Productivity Domain
−0.2
Decrease in months of food shortage
+13
pp
Increase in incidence of food secure households
+0.7
Increase in household dietary diversity score
Social and Human Domain
No clear impact on children’s and women’s nutrition or on social and equity indicators
The Africa RISING (AR) program in Malawi supported cropping system improvements through promotion of improved varieties and quality seeds for beans, soybeans, groundnuts, and pigeon peas. It also aimed to foster the adoption of sustainable, productivity enhancing practices (e.g., legume-legume or maize-legume intercropping and consistent grain-legume rotation) and nutrient cycling for soil enrichment (e.g., building soil organic matter, implementing a rainfall-responsive nitrogen fertilization strategy). Livestock interventions focused primarily on supplementary feeding of goats to promote animal health and weight gain. Increased agricultural productivity and the processing of more nutritious grain legumes were considered prime channels for improving household income, dietary diversity, and overall nutrition.
Project Objective and Activities
We document a positive impact of the program on:
• Access to agricultural advisory services, use of inorganic fertilizers, and adoption of enhanced seeds
• Legume yields, particularly for beans and cowpeas
• Household food security (beneficiaries report fewer months of food scarcity after harvest though
not during the lean season)
• Household net income, particularly through livestock-related activities
However, the program had limited effects on social inclusion and equity and on children’s and women’s nutrition, highlighting the importance of complementary nutrition and health interventions alongside agriculture-related initiatives.
Main Conclusions
Carlo Azzarri
Senior Research Fellow, Innovation Policy and Scaling, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Email: C.Azzarri@cgiar.org
Contact:
Carlo Azzarri
Senior Research Fellow, Innovation Policy and Scaling, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Email: C.Azzarri@cgiar.org
Contact:
We document a positive impact of the program on welfare. However, while interventions have positively affected diversity of cropping systems, productivity has improved only for green beans, with no overall impact on crop income. Similarly, despite the program’s aim to improve production of small ruminants through feed and health interventions, livestock income has not increased. These results, coupled with the lack of impact on social and human dimensions, call for prolonged interventions, such as changing social norms or improving nutrition, to reach long-term goals.
Main Conclusions
The Africa RISING (AR) program in Mali included an ambitious cropping system component focused on the adoption of improved crop varieties (sorghum, groundnut, okra, eggplant, and tomato) and farming methods (cereal-legume intercropping, cereal-vegetable intercropping, and fertilizer microdosing). Livestock system interventions aimed at improving small ruminant production through improved feeding and vaccination, while natural resource management activities focused on the reduction of soil erosion through contour bunding. Program interventions also included a series of nutrition-oriented trainings directed to extension workers and women as well as the establishment of nutrition support groups.
Project Objective and Activities
No clear impact on children’s and women’s nutrition or on social and equity indicators
Social and Human Domain
+0.2 tons/ha
Increase in cotton yield
+0.8 tons/ha
Increase in okra yield
+0.2 tons/ha
Increase in green bean yield
Productivity Domain
+7
pp
Adoption of improved groundnut varieties
+16
pp
Adoption of improved sorghum varieties
+20
pp
Access to agricultural advisory services
Environmental Domain
Start/End: 2012–2022
Implemented in: Bougouni, Yanfolila, and Koutiala cercles in the Sikasso region
Results at a Glance
Brief
Report
This study evaluates the impact of Africa RISING in the Bougouni, Yanfolila, and Koutiala cercles in southern Mali, where the program used a participatory action research framework to validate and promote alternative sustainable intensification options based on improved crop varieties, farming methods, and livestock systems interventions.
Mali
Mali
−8
pp
Reduction in poverty (based on non-agricultural assets)
+$594 PPP
Increase of annual net income
+$1
PPP
Increase in per capita daily expenditure
Economic Domain
+0.16 tons/ha
Positive impact on green bean yield
pp: percentage points
PPP: purchasing power parity (international $)
kg/ha: kilogram per hectare
tons/ha: tons per hectare
pp: percentage points
PPP: purchasing power parity (international $)
tons/ha: tons per hectare
Ghana
Tanzania
Carlo Azzarri
Senior Research Fellow, Innovation Policy and Scaling, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Email: C.Azzarri@cgiar.org
Contact:
We document a positive impact of the program on:
• Prevalence of households practicing fallowing, using moldboard ploughs, and maize–cowpea intercropping
• Groundnut yields, which drove a surge in net crop income
• Number of livestock produced
• Share of households belonging to farmers’ groups
However, we could not detect positive and statistically significant impacts on livestock income, household food security, or dietary diversity. These results, coupled with inconclusive effects on the social and human dimension, call for continued interventions to reach long-term goals, such as changing social norms or improving nutrition.
Main Conclusions
The Africa RISING (AR) program in Ghana supported the promotion of early maturing maize varieties and maize–cowpea intercropping, optimal crop spacing for increased groundnut yields, and maize leaf stripping for livestock feed. It also aimed to foster the adoption of improved feeding and regular vaccination to boost manure production, reduce animal mortality, and increase animal reproduction rates. Alongside these interventions, AR promoted effective natural resource management (such as leaf stripping, manure production, and use of nitrogen fertilizer). AR also supported mechanization for postharvest handling, especially the use of fuel-powered maize shelling machines.
Project Objective and Activities
pp: percentage points
PPP: purchasing power parity (international $)
tons/ha: tons per hectare
No evidence of positive impact on children’s and women’s nutrition
+20
pp
Increase in percentage of households belonging to farmers’ group
Social and Human Domain
+0.6
Number of livestock by-products produced
+0.22 tons/ha
Groundnut yields
+0.16 tons/ha
Positive impact on green bean yield
Productivity Domain
+$519 PPP
Increase in net crop income
+$480 PPP
Increase in net household income
Economic Domain
+4
pp
Practice maize–cowpea intercropping
+6
pp
Use of disc/moldboard ploughs
+13
pp
Prevalence of households practicing fallowing
Environmental Domain
Start/End: 2014–2020
Implemented in: 25 communities across the Upper East, Upper West, and Northern regions
Results at a Glance
Report
Brief
This study assesses the impact of the Africa RISING interventions implemented in the Upper East, Upper West, and Northern regions of Ghana through demand-driven and participatory approach.
Ghana
+16
pp
Use of applied manure
Carlo Azzarri
Senior Research Fellow, Innovation Policy and Scaling, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Email: C.Azzarri@cgiar.org
Contact:
We document a positive impact of the program on:
• Environmental indicators, including likelihood of experiencing soil erosion and the value of fertilizers
used per hectare
• Bean and groundnut yields
• Production of meat and dairy products, which increased earnings from meat and milk sales and, as a
result, increased household net livestock income
• Reduction of poverty, based on agricultural durable assets
However, we could not detect positive and statistically significant impacts on the social and human dimension. These results call for prolonged interventions to reach long-term objectives, such as changing social norms and improving nutrition.
Main Conclusions
The Africa RISING (AR) program in Tanzania aimed to improve cropping systems through the promotion of stress resilient and high-yielding crop varieties (groundnuts, sorghum, maize, and pigeon peas), support for maize–pigeon pea intercropping, and fostering of good agricultural practices (GAP) in vegetable production with reduced pesticide use. The project also supported the adoption of good natural resource management practices, including rainwater harvesting, planting of fodder crops, use of mineral fertilizers, and balanced application of farmyard manure. In addition, the project’s livestock system component introduced improved animal feeding to boost egg and milk production and reduce feed costs. Other program interventions included mechanization for postharvest handling of crops and introduction of an integrated nutrition package for nutrition and health gains, especially for children.
Project Objective and Activities
pp: percentage points
TZS/ha: Tanzanian shillings per hectare
PPP: purchasing power parity (international $)
tons/ha: tons per hectare
No evidence of positive impact on women’s nutrition
−0.8
Decrease in months of food shortage
Social and Human Domain
+1.08 tons/ha
Positive impact on groundnut yield
+0.28 tons/ha
Positive impact on green bean yield
+0.16 tons/ha
Positive impact on green bean yield
Productivity Domain
+$69 PPP
Increase in earnings from meat sales
+$352 PPP
Increase in net livestock income
Economic Domain
−8
pp
Decrease in the prevalence of households practicing cereals–
pigeon pea intercropping
+100
TZS/ha
Real value of fertilizers used per hectare
+11
pp
Reduced risk of experiencing soil erosion
Environmental Domain
Start/End: 2014–2022
Implemented in: Babati, Kongwa, and Kiteto districts
Results at a Glance
Report
Brief
This study assesses the impact of the Africa RISING interventions implemented in the districts of Babati, Kongwa, and Kiteto in Tanzania through a mix of on-station and on-farm demonstration plots.
Tanzania
+$623 PPP
Increase in earnings from milk sales
+$6
pp
Increase in likelihood of being poor based on agricultural asset index
+14
pp
Positive impact on the production of dairy products
+16
pp
Increase in prevalence of under-five stunting prevalence