The Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA) is a unique strategic partnership launched in 2017 that enables African agriculture actors to do business differently as they support leaders to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation.
AGRA agreed with its PIATA partners to undertake four cycles of outcome panel surveys to systematically assess progress towards desired outcomes, through to 2021/2. The focus of the outcome surveys includes 1) assessing farm-level outcomes through annual household surveys of selected outcome level indicators, 2) assessing system-level outcomes through mixed method data collection, and 3) lessons learned and knowledge products and publications on AGRA’s integrated approach for agricultural transformation. Deliverables out of these surveys are meant to assist AGRA and the PIATA partners strengthen program interventions and ensure focus on AGRA’s goals and objectives.
The first cycle of the outcome panel surveys was held in 2019, focusing on collecting data on four types of systems, including market systems, seed systems, inputs supply and agricultural service systems, and extension and advisory systems. AGRA’s work in Policy and State Capability was also examined for the first time. At most, two focus systems were studied in each country based on respective country pipelines by the time of the survey. The focus of the systems surveys in the first cycle was to analyze the situation, identify any early achievements, identify drivers for system change, articulate intervention choices and look for early system changes.
Household surveys were carried out in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Mali to a sample of 2,000 in each country. The focus of the household surveys was on selected key household outcome level indicators, including food security situations, household wellbeing, yield, technology adoption, access to extension, fertilizer use, post-harvest losses, crop revenues, access to finance, access to structured markets/arrangements, among others.
SME surveys focused on a sample of about 50 SMEs by country categorized around seed producers, input supply entities and trading entities using an SME performance scorecard scoring SMEs in five categories: Business resilience, Financial Stability, Human Capital, Technology and Average score.
The first wave of the outcome surveys carried out in 2019 has provided the first data point in systems assessments and household surveys. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the second data point planned for April 2020 could not proceed. The next round was commissioned in November 2020, implemented through the first half of 2021. The third and final wave of the outcome panel surveys may be carried out through the first half of 2022 depending on AGRA’s next strategy re-investment decisions, providing three data points to initially assess AGRA’s contribution through its programmes. The data posted here then should be considered the first of an eventual three data points, with assessment and conclusions drawn in 2022, at the end of AGRA’s strategic period.
A considerable number of external factors influencing the data have also been identified as impacting upon the results of these surveys. These include but are not limited to climate change related factors, disease and pest challenges, other external shocks, macro-economic conditions, factors affecting the rural economy more specifically, non-farm economy, and conflict. AGRA will work with our partners to look at how best to account for these external factors as we go through the next two years.
For more information, contact Gaitano Simiyu, gsimiyu@agra.org.
