Working Group: How Should USAID Integrate Technology into the Feed-the-Future Initiative?

With the challenges identified earlier by USAID mission staff and other practitioners, the final working

groups generated discussions around the following:

How to integrate or generate evidence based on the strategies for adoption discussed in earlier

working groups; and

How to identify or demonstrate the profitability of technologies.

INTEGRATING/GENERATING EVIDENCE

The following was identified around integrating and generating evidence:

Three stage questions for how to turn a lot of information into something that is useful:

1. How do we better elicit responses from farmers to the question of what information

they need?

2. How do we vet, do quality control, on what the answers to those questions might be

3. How do we develop a system to deliver answers back to farmers and have info flowing

into it?

It’s important to realize the differences between small, medium and large holders. Which of

these should be targeted?

o Micro holders are less well connected to villages.

o Perhaps targeting production programs don’t work for them and they instead need a

safety net or a cash transfer program.

o Productivity projects won’t work for micro holders.

From the perspectives of technology adoption and value chain analysis, is the singular focus on

women farmers helpful or not?

o Design of project – value chain project that targets women in 1/3 of villages, men and

women in 1/3 and 1/3 control.

Local context is so important in these cases that it makes it hard to come up with research

questions without first knowing the context.

IDENTIFYING/DEMONSTRATING PROFITABILITY

The following was raised around identifying and demonstrating profitability of technologies:

Working with value chains to alleviate malnutrition: What is the relationship between increased

income and nutritional outcomes? Does this source of income have anything to do with

nutritional outcomes?

o Design: How does health messaging play a part aside from increased income due to

value chain interventions?

In one area you work on value chain intervention.

In a different geographic area you use health communication intervention.

o USAID is always talking about value chains and nutrition but where is the evidence?

What about mutually beneficial technologies?

What are the most important situational factors to think of when designing projects? For

example, differences in intrahousehold dynamics, even within a country, can affect how the

country will work.