Impact pathway evaluation of an integrated Striga hermonthica control project in Northern Nigeria
2007
E00710
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Details
Title
Impact pathway evaluation of an integrated Striga hermonthica control project in Northern Nigeria
Publication Date
2007
Call Number
E00710
Summary
This paper evaluates a project that developed and introduced integrated Striga control (ISC) in Northern Nigeria. Adoption of ISC increased from 44 participating farmers in four pilot areas to more than 500 farmers in 16 villages and hamlets in three seasons. On average, farmers adopted 3.25 different Striga control options from a basket of six “best bets”. Resource-poor and -medium farmers were more likely to adopt than resource-rich ones. Adopting farmers enjoyed livelihood improvements, largely through selling ISC soybean. Women in most adopting households benefited through selling food products based on soybean. Adoption of ISC can be attributed to four factors: (1) farmer-field-school-type training that explained how the technologies worked; (2) incorporation of at least one technology in the ISC package that gave quick benefits to sustain farmer interest in adopting and learning other components whose effects took longer to become evident; (3) allowance for farmer experimentation and adaptation to local conditions; and, (4) use of a monitoring and evaluation component that identified and incorporated farmer modifications to continually improve the ISC package. These principles are likely to be valid for research and extension approaches for similar integrated natural resource management (INRM). Impact pathway evaluation methodology used for the evaluation helped give the project a greater impact focus; helped design and reporting of the evaluation; and, by identifying early adoption pathways, has provided a firm basis for any future ex post impact assessment of ISC in Northern Nigeria.
Journal Citation
v.92(1/3):201-222, AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
Contact Information
harvest@worldveg.org
Record Appears in
Research > Published Articles