Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk, and Resilience
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience (MRR) at UC Davis develops and tests financial and market innovations that take the most promising agricultural tools for rural families in developing economies from the lab to the field. Operating with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), our mission is to generate and transfer knowledge and innovations that promote resilience and empower rural families, communities and markets to share in inclusive agricultural growth. Learn more at basis.ucdavis.edu.
Evidence Insight: A Mobile Phone Directory Connects Farmers and Enterprises in Tanzania
A printed phone directory in Tanzania had significant impacts by connecting small-scale farmers with agriculture-related enterprises. The project’s results suggest directory services have substantial value for agriculture.
This report summarizes the impacts of a 2014-2019 RCT spanning Mozambique and Tanzania in partnership with CIMMYT to test the impacts of bundling an innovative type of insurance with drought-tolerant maize to expand drought protection for small-scale farming families.
Evidence Insight: Innovations for Drought Resilience Two Ways in Mozambique and Tanzania
Pairing drought-tolerant maize (DTM) and index insurance generated resilience in two ways. DTM effectively maintained yields during mid-season droughts. After severe droughts, DTM bundled with insurance helped farmers recover from their losses and return production to even higher levels than in the year before the drought.
Evidence Insight: Making Fertilizer Subsides a Profitable Investment in Kenya
A temporary “learning” subsidy for commercially sourced fertilizers could help to expand the reach of Kenya's subsidy programs while supporting the commercial markets that will sustain long-term adoption.