How can the provision of high-quality agro-weather advisories to the Agriculture sector be funded without excluding some farmers?.

In this podcast series, Policy Pathways discusses the policy challenges of food, land, and water system transformation in Kenya. The project is brought to you by the CGIAR National Policies and Strategies Initiative and produced by the International Water Management Institute. Among the participants are the host, Raissa Okoi, a journalist based in Dakar, Senegal, Dr. Karugia Joseph, the Principal Scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute, Boniface Mburu , an Agricultural Economist and Policy Expert; and Dr. Lilian Kirimi, a Senior Research Fellow at the Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development-Egerton University.

Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) programs have potential to improve a population’s nutritional status. Though their success depends heavily on the prevailing policy environment, few tools exist to understand this environment. To address this gap, we develop a novel framework to define and assess the policy enabling environment for LSFF. This easy-toapply framework can be used in any setting to track progress and identify next steps for continued improvements. The policy enabling environment is conceptualized as having three domains—policy agenda setting, policy implementation, and policy monitoring and evaluation—each of which is captured through indicators that can be evaluated using existing documentation, key informant interviews, and/or a survey of stakeholder perceptions. To validate the framework and demonstrate how it can be operationalized, we apply it in Kenya, where a mandatory LSFF program for salt has been in place since 1978, and a program for packaged maize and wheat flours and vegetable oils was introduced in 2012. Per our assessment,

 Maximizing impact is not just about investing resources—it’s about investing wisely. This compelling discussion brings together leading voices in development and innovation to explore how evidence-based approaches can transform well-intentioned efforts into real-world success stories.

 Alexander Pfaff of Duke University highlights the need to critically evaluate what works and what does not to ensure that resources are directed toward strategies with proven impact. He underscores the need for humility within public institutions to allow for learning about what works and what does not.

 Mercy Kamau, a Senior Research Fellow and a development evaluation expert from Tegemeo Institute, brings focus  to agriculture, emphasizing rigorous impact evaluations to ensure public spending delivers measurable benefits, citing investments in fertilizer subsidy and irrigation as examples where rigorous impact evaluation would provide evidence to support decisions to either 'STOP or Go'.

Tara Chiu of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resillience advocates building on existing evidence rather than starting from scratch. She emphasizes on the importance of cost-effective programs grounded in what works while continuously measuring and refining strategies for greater impacts.

The experts call for a shift towards smarter, evidence-driven decision making, one that turns innovation into powerful tools for positive change.

                                Watch this clip above to learn how we can make every investment count.

Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University holds an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop on ‘Impact of Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and

Resilience in Farming Communities in Kenya’.

Weather variability and climate change have attenuated farmers’ ability to make good farming decisions. Programs that seek to increase farmers’ access to farming-related advice that is based on weather realities are likely to increase farm productivity and farm households’ resilience to weather-related shocks. Rarely do we interrogate questions on whether such weather-based advisories cause the hypothesized outcomes.

Tegemeo Institute of Egerton University received a grant from USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF), through an initiative of the Markets, Risk and Resilience Innovation

Lab (MRR IL) of the University of California, Davis, USA, and the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED). The initiative is aimed at Advancing Local Leadership, Innovation and Networks (ALL-IN) in African research institutions. The grant supported a project on ‘The Impact of Digital Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and Resilience in Pastoral and Farming Communities in Kenya’. This study targeted farmers who were beneficiaries of the Government of Kenya/World Bank’s (GOK/WB) Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP).

Tegemeo Institute will hold an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop after the successful completion of the project. This event will be held in Nakuru

on 9th December 2024. The objectives of the workshop are to: i) present study findings and receive feedback from participants; ii) facilitate a dialogue and provide a forum

for an exchange of perspectives on the findings and other aspects of the project; and iii) discuss the value of impact studies in the agriculture sector. Participants will be drawn from the government (national and county level), the private sector, farming communities and farmer associations, development agencies, research organizations and providers of climate information services.

1.  Event Program

Download End of Project Outreach and Dissemination Stakeholder Workshop    

2. Policy Briefs 

Willingness to Pay for Agro-Weather Messages Among Kenyan Farmers

Authors:Dr. Mercy Kamau, John Mburu, Prof. Bradford Mills and Dr. Lilian Kirimi

About MRR and ALL-IN Initiative Handout 

3. Other Artefacts

The value of rigorous evidence for effective development programming Youtube clip.

 4. Event Presentations

You will gain access to the presentations soon!. 

SESSION I

SESSION II

SESSION III

SESSION IV

SESSION V

 Maximizing impact is not just about investing resources—it’s about investing wisely. This compelling discussion brings together leading voices in development and innovation to explore how evidence-based approaches can transform well-intentioned efforts into real-world success stories.

 Alexander Pfaff of Duke University highlights the need to critically evaluate what works and what does not to ensure that resources are directed toward strategies with proven impact. He underscores the need for humility within public institutions to allow for learning about what works and what does not.

 Mercy Kamau, a Senior Research Fellow and a development evaluation expert from Tegemeo Institute, brings focus  to agriculture, emphasizing rigorous impact evaluations to ensure public spending delivers measurable benefits, citing investments in fertilizer subsidy and irrigation as examples where rigorous impact evaluation would provide evidence to support decisions to either 'STOP or Go'.

Tara Chiu of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resillience advocates building on existing evidence rather than starting from scratch. She emphasizes on the importance of cost-effective programs grounded in what works while continuously measuring and refining strategies for greater impacts.

The experts call for a shift towards smarter, evidence-driven decision making, one that turns innovation into powerful tools for positive change.

                                Watch this clip above to learn how we can make every investment count.

Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University holds an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop on ‘Impact of Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and

Resilience in Farming Communities in Kenya’.

Weather variability and climate change have attenuated farmers’ ability to make good farming decisions. Programs that seek to increase farmers’ access to farming-related advice that is based on weather realities are likely to increase farm productivity and farm households’ resilience to weather-related shocks. Rarely do we interrogate questions on whether such weather-based advisories cause the hypothesized outcomes.

Tegemeo Institute of Egerton University received a grant from USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF), through an initiative of the Markets, Risk and Resilience Innovation

Lab (MRR IL) of the University of California, Davis, USA, and the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED). The initiative is aimed at Advancing Local Leadership, Innovation and Networks (ALL-IN) in African research institutions. The grant supported a project on ‘The Impact of Digital Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and Resilience in Pastoral and Farming Communities in Kenya’. This study targeted farmers who were beneficiaries of the Government of Kenya/World Bank’s (GOK/WB) Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP).

Tegemeo Institute will hold an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop after the successful completion of the project. This event will be held in Nakuru

on 9th December 2024. The objectives of the workshop are to: i) present study findings and receive feedback from participants; ii) facilitate a dialogue and provide a forum

for an exchange of perspectives on the findings and other aspects of the project; and iii) discuss the value of impact studies in the agriculture sector. Participants will be drawn from the government (national and county level), the private sector, farming communities and farmer associations, development agencies, research organizations and providers of climate information services.

1.  Event Program

Download End of Project Outreach and Dissemination Stakeholder Workshop    

2. Policy Briefs 

Willingness to Pay for Agro-Weather Messages Among Kenyan Farmers

Authors:Dr. Mercy Kamau, John Mburu, Prof. Bradford Mills and Dr. Lilian Kirimi

About MRR and ALL-IN Initiative Handout 

3. Other Artefacts

The value of rigorous evidence for effective development programming Youtube clip.

 4. Event Presentations

You will gain access to the presentations soon!. 

SESSION I

SESSION II

SESSION III

SESSION IV

SESSION V

Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University holds an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop on ‘Impact of Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and

Resilience in Farming Communities in Kenya’.

Weather variability and climate change have attenuated farmers’ ability to make good farming decisions. Programs that seek to increase farmers’ access to farming-related advice that is based on weather realities are likely to increase farm productivity and farm households’ resilience to weather-related shocks. Rarely do we interrogate questions on whether such weather-based advisories cause the hypothesized outcomes.

Tegemeo Institute of Egerton University received a grant from USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF), through an initiative of the Markets, Risk and Resilience Innovation

Lab (MRR IL) of the University of California, Davis, USA, and the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED). The initiative is aimed at Advancing Local Leadership, Innovation and Networks (ALL-IN) in African research institutions. The grant supported a project on ‘The Impact of Digital Agro-weather Advisories on Productivity and Resilience in Pastoral and Farming Communities in Kenya’. This study targeted farmers who were beneficiaries of the Government of Kenya/World Bank’s (GOK/WB) Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP).

Tegemeo Institute will hold an end-of-project outreach and dissemination workshop after the successful completion of the project. This event will be held in Nakuru

on 9th December 2024. The objectives of the workshop are to: i) present study findings and receive feedback from participants; ii) facilitate a dialogue and provide a forum

for an exchange of perspectives on the findings and other aspects of the project; and iii) discuss the value of impact studies in the agriculture sector. Participants will be drawn from the government (national and county level), the private sector, farming communities and farmer associations, development agencies, research organizations and providers of climate information services.

1.  Event Program

Download End of Project Outreach and Dissemination Stakeholder Workshop    

2. Policy Briefs 

Willingness to Pay for Agro-Weather Messages Among Kenyan Farmers

Authors:Dr. Mercy Kamau, John Mburu, Prof. Bradford Mills and Dr. Lilian Kirimi

About MRR and ALL-IN Initiative Handout 

3. Other Artefacts

The value of rigorous evidence for effective development programming Youtube clip.