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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

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Impact Evaluation of the InovAgro Market Systems Development Project

Despite a decade of sustained economic growth in Mozambique, triggered by the extractive industries, growth failed to translate into significant poverty reduction. In particular, small-scale farmers have not benefited, due to key constraints in agriculture (e.g. access to finance, inputs, know-how) and the lack of business linkages. In this context, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) launched in 2011 a project entitled InovAgro aiming at increasing the revenue of small-scale farmers in northern Mozambique, through the triggering of durable systemic market changes.

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) is a private sector development project, implemented by Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) Europe in partnership with COWI. The project aims to increase income and improve the economic security of 30,000 small-scale farmers (40% women) in Northern Mozambique (provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Zambézia) – through increased participation of farmers in commercial value chains, increasing commercial transactions between private-sector enterprises and farmers, and finally a growing market-oriented relationship and effective coordination of supply and business transactions in the agribusiness sector. The InovAgro project started in January 2011 and is in Phase III, running to December 2020.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is contracted by SDC to carry out a quantitative impact evaluation measuring the impact on households of a market system development approach in pigeon pea and soya bean value chains in Northern Mozambique.  IFPRI’s impact evaluation of InovAgro seeks to provide a theory-based impact evaluation of market development approaches (MSD) to the improvement of small-farmers’ livelihoods. One of the key anticipated outcomes of IFPRI’s research project is to provide recommendations to MSD practitioners and SDC of how to improve and strengthen the monitoring and evaluation system of future MSD projects. The second is that the Mozambican government, donors and other stakeholders benefit from a scientifically sound impact evaluation demonstrating the benefits of market system development approach which will influence the design of future agricultural policies in Mozambique.

Project duration: January 2015 – December 2021

Contact

Jenny Smart

Donors and funders

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Project partners

Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)

COWI

Publications

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Working Paper

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro): Household- and market-level impacts of value chain interventions

2022Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; Ghebru, Hosaena
Details

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro): Household- and market-level impacts of value chain interventions

Agriculture, in Mozambique, is characterized by production systems that are based predominantly on rainfed conditions and on low use of yield enhancing agricultural inputs. The Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) interventions were designed to increase incomes for poor smallholder farmers in northern Mozambique. Using a market systems development (MSD) approach, the InovAgro implemented value chain interventions (VCIs) to promote the development of inclusive and sustainable market systems such that the interventions impacts were felt long beyond the project’s lifespan. This study evaluated the impact of the InovAgro VCIs on households (considering a range of outcomes related to farmers’ use of yield-enhancing agricultural inputs, access to information on agricultural input and output markets, maize productivity, women and youth empowerment, and household welfare. The study also explored InovAgro VCIs outcome indicators to evaluate market-level effects, namely: systemic (long-term), sustainability, large-scale (spillover or multiplier), and unintended (positive or negative) effects. We conducted a modified randomized controlled trial (RCT) using a spatial identification strategy to classify beneficiary and nonbeneficiary households; this was supplemented with three waves of household-level panel data (2015, 2017 and 2019). We also complemented key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with local stakeholders, including market actors and local authorities, with two rounds of geospatial data (2017 and 2019). Our findings show that InovAgro VCIs had a positive and significant impact on beneficiaries’ use of yield-boosting agricultural inputs and on access to information on agricultural input and output markets. Our analysis also reveals that the InovAgro VCIs boosted maize productivity and increased the marketable surplus of maize among beneficiaries. InovAgro VCIs were seen to have unintended negative effects on access to, and control over, land by women and youth in the short term; in the longer term; however, these adverse effects were reversed and became positive and significant. Our findings also show that simultaneous exposure to all three VCIs under the complete package had a positive impact on overall household welfare. We also find evidence in support of the InovAgro VCIs having a systemic market effect and producing more sustainable long-term usage of yield-boosting agricultural practices than non-InovAgro VCIs. Our results elucidate that InovAgro VCIs benefitted large numbers of smallholder farmers beyond the project’s direct sphere of influence and targeted beneficiaries. The key takeaway message from our findings is that a more intense VCI, that is, delivery of the complete package, appears to be necessary to achieve a long-term positive effect on overall household welfare.

Year published

2022

Authors

Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; Ghebru, Hosaena

Citation

Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; and Ghebru, Hosaena. 2022. Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro): Household- and market-level impacts of value chain interventions. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2143. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136426

Country/Region

Mozambique

Keywords

Southern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Eastern Africa; Value Chains; Income; Supply Chains; Poverty Alleviation; Impact Evaluation; Farmers; Yield Increases; Households; Sustainability; Market Economies; Agriculture; Smallholders; Markets; Agro-industrial Sector; Rainfed Farming; Yield Factors; Impact Assessment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136426 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

The impact of market system development approaches: The case of InovAgro in Mozambique

2022Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; Ghebru, Hosaena
Details

The impact of market system development approaches: The case of InovAgro in Mozambique

Market system development (MSD) approaches aim to address market failures and frictions that frequently impede adoption of modern yield-enhancing agricultural practices in sub-Saharah Africa. This brief examines the impact of an MSD intervention (InovAgro) in Mozambique that was designed to increase incomes and improve economic security for poor smallholder farmers through improved productivity and development of high-potential value chains. Findings include increases in use of inputs and access to market information, as well as important spillover effects for many small-scale farmers beyond the direct beneficiaries, and high costs-effectiveness of the MSD intervention.

Year published

2022

Authors

Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; Ghebru, Hosaena

Citation

Amare, Mulubrhan; Zavale, Helder; Smart, Jenny; and Ghebru, Hosaena. 2022. The impact of market system development approaches: The case of InovAgro in Mozambique. IFPRI Policy Brief September 2022. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294363

Country/Region

Mozambique

Keywords

Southern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Eastern Africa; Value Chains; Innovation; Small Enterprises; Rural Housing; Capacity Development; Youth; Market Economies; Farm Inputs; Agriculture; Harvesters; Lead Farmers; Farm Equipment; Yields; Demonstration Plots; Sustainable Agriculture; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294363 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Impacts of MSD programs: The case of InovAgro

2021Amare, Mulubrhan; Ghebru, Hosaena; Smart, Jenny; Zavale, Helder
Details

Impacts of MSD programs: The case of InovAgro

InovAgro interventions increase farmers’ use of yield-enhancing agricultural inputs. InovAgro interventions improve the number of non-InovAgro facilitated or sponsored value chain interventions. The InovAgro MSD program has more sustainable impact than non-MSD programs. The InovAgro project benefited large numbers of smallholder farmers beyond the project’s direct sphere of influence and intended beneficiaries. The combination approach of using agrodealers, lead farmers and demonstration plots appears to be necessary to achieve long-term positive effects.

Year published

2021

Authors

Amare, Mulubrhan; Ghebru, Hosaena; Smart, Jenny; Zavale, Helder

Citation

Amare, Mulubrhan; Ghebru, Hosaena; Smart, Jenny; and Zavale, Helder. 2021. Impacts of MSD programs: The case of InovAgro. INOVAGRO Impact Assessment Brief 2. Washington, DC: International Food Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134698

Keywords

Value Chains; Sustainability; Farm Inputs; Smallholders; Markets; Yields; Impact Assessment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134698 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Brief

Donors

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Team members

Jenny Smart

Jenny Smart

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Mulubrhan Amare

Mulubrhan Amare

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Jenny Smart

Jenny Smart

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Other

Topics/Countries

Related links

External Resources

External blogs

By S. Gustafson

Various

Presentations

These slides were used to present the results of IFPRI’s mid-term impact evaluation of the InovAgro project after the first two rounds of survey data collection at the “Market Systems Development Best Practices Dissemination Workshop” on July 18, 2019, jointly organized by IFPRI, DAI and SDC.This policy brief was also prepared for the event.

These slides were used to present the results of IFPRI’s final impact evaluation, including analysis of all three rounds of survey data collected at the “Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) Project Impact Evaluation Results Dissemination Workshop” on October 28, 2021, organized by IFPRI.Please see the corresponding video recordings titled “InovAgro Project Impact Evaluation Results Dissemination Workshop” posted under the “Videos” tab, in English and in Portuguese translations.This policy brief, in English and in Portuguese, was also prepared for the event.

These slides (in English) summarize the key take-aways of the results of IFPRI’s final impact evaluation, and were presented at the InovAgro Close-Out Webinar, organized by DAI and SDC. See from minutes 55:33 through 1:05:27 of the corresponding video recording titled “#MSDProject: InovAgro Close-Out Webinar,” (also posted under the “Videos” tab) for IFPRI’s portion of the program, which was delivered in Portuguese.