AfricaRice Empowers Partners with Advanced Impact Assessment Skills

Participants at the training on advanced quantitative impact assessment methods, Cotonou, Benin. (Photo credit: Epiphane Houetoungan)

In a bid to enhance agricultural research and innovation in West and Central Africa, Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), in collaboration with Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin (INRAB), recently conducted a training session on advanced quantitative methods for impact assessment. This initiative aims to equip participants with the necessary skills to measure the real-world impact of their research, fostering a shift in perspectives and practices among stakeholders.

Supported by the CGIAR Initiative on Transforming AgriFood Systems in West and Central Africa (TAFS-WCA) and the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) initiative, the training took place in Cotonou, Benin. It brought together 30 participants from 20 countries, split between English and French-speaking regions. The training ran from September 17 to 24, 2024, providing a platform for in-depth learning on modern evaluation methods and tools, with a special focus on their application in agricultural research and development.

Dr. Aminou AROUNA, impact evaluation economist at AfricaRice and one of the trainers, emphasized that effective and unbiased evaluation of interventions aimed at improving livelihoods is crucial. With the increasing importance of rice as a staple crop across Africa, particularly in West Africa, where demand outpaces production, improving research, data collection, and impact assessment is essential. As highlighted by INRAB Director General Dr. Comlan Hervé SOSSOU, the region faces challenges in increasing rice yields and reducing reliance on imports, further underscoring the need for reliable data and advanced evaluation techniques to attract necessary funding and support.

The training introduced participants to both experimental and non-experimental methods for impact assessment, with a particular focus on randomized control trials (RCTs), which are recognized as a robust and reliable approach to measuring the effects of innovations and interventions. This methodology allows for the effective testing of agricultural technologies before scaling, ensuring that they deliver maximum benefits to farmers.

Additional topics covered included best practices for publishing research results in high-impact journals and an introduction to new STATA software functionalities. Publishing high-quality research is not only key to assessing the effectiveness of innovations but also crucial for increasing the visibility and influence of scientific findings.

Through initiatives like this, AfricaRice continues to play a pivotal role in addressing key challenges in the African rice sector, fostering agricultural innovation, and building the capacity of its partners across the continent.