“Agricultural (research) programs without rigorous impact evaluation tend to focus on rapid testing (and rollout) of technologies with high-probability adopters to provide swift feedback to donor constituencies. Such programs also tend to favor numeric accomplishments over a deeper understanding of complex development processes with the unintended consequence of promoting solutions without strong evidence of impact >> Read more
Exploring farmers’ willingness to pay for drought tolerance in maize in Zimbabwe
March 9, 2017 by
Adoption of new technologies depends significantly on whether potential users are willing to pay a premium for the associated benefits. The new study explores farmers’ willingness to pay for drought tolerance (DT) in maize, a crop playing a leading role in the food security in southern Africa. Focusing on Zimbabwe, this research aimed at estimating the implicit >> Read more
Call for Concept Proposals: Structural Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAARS) project
February 2, 2017 by 27 Comments
In collaboration with Cornell University and other partners, PIM will provide competitive grants for travel and training for bright, early career African researchers. The deadline to submit a concept proposal is March 15, 2017
The fourth Annual Bank Conference on Africa: Call for papers
January 26, 2017 by
The fourth Annual Bank Conference on Africa (ABCA) will be held at Berkeley, California, on June 5-6, 2017. Titled The Challenges and Opportunities of Transforming African Agriculture, the conference will cover various topics pertinent to agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is being organized jointly by the World Bank (Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region), the >> Read more
Foresight Africa viewpoint: Science and the farm
January 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This viewpoint by PIM Director Karen Brooks was originally written as part of the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative’s Foresight Africa 2017 report. Read the full chapter on increasing employment opportunities here. Cross-posted with permission from Brookings' Africa in Focus blog.
