The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA) is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 through the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ICBA is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world that is focused on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world. ICBA is an equal opportunity employer and appoints qualified staff regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender, religion or national origin. We demonstrate our commitment to each member of our team through a competitive benefits package designed to assist our employees to cover their needs and the needs of their immediate family members.
ICBA is willing to better communicate its impact through carrying out ex-post impact assessments to show impact from historical work, record and examine the consequences of ICBA’s technology outcomes in the longer term and with a more regionally wide perspective. A reflection on the impact of ICBA’s work will allow current and prospective donors to appreciate the return on their investment and value for money that will facilitate further support for continued investment in what works. In parallel, impact studies will allow ICBA to understand whether the current research is moving in the right direction.
This study assesses the impact of the salt and drought tolerant forages that were introduced by ICBA in Jordan.
Methodology
Primary data collection: In order to assess the impact of the introduction of salt and drought tolerant forages, the consultant will conduct a survey of at least 300 farm households. The sample households will be collected randomly from both project sites (Mafraq region) and control sites (nearby villages with no project implementation but have similar agricultural practices). The control sites will be finalized in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) at Mafraq, Jordan. Data collection also focuses on the impact of triticale and barely seeds as these were distributed to farmers since 2012 by the NARC. A questionnaire will be prepared with all the required variables including inputs, outputs, farming practices, market, general land characteristics, and socio-economic characteristics. The questionnaire will be pretested in both project and control areas.
For qualitative data collection on the prospects and barriers of the salt and drought tolerant forages, focus group discussions (FGD) and the key informants survey will be carried out. For this, checklists will be developed. FGDs will also focus on the role of gender in these technology adoption and dissemination, and also examine impacts of such technologies on gender relations in agriculture looking at their participation in input use, output use, market participation and decision making. Overall, it will help ICBA to know the impacts on rural livelihoods. In addition, the consultant will carry out the key informants’ survey to know the possibilities, limitations, and barriers to upscale the varieties introduced by ICBA.
Secondary data: Data about the study areas such as agricultural systems, land use, irrigation facilities and also agricultural policies that are relevant to the study will be gathered by reviewing secondary sources.
Data analysis: All the data collected will be managed in Stata. The consultant should provide the data in Stata format and also the key descriptive analysis. Several statistical methods, including parametric (dummy regression, stochastic dominance analysis, Endogenous switching treatment effect regression, and propensity score matching), non-parametric and semi-parametric methods, will be applied to arrive at the unbiased estimates of the impact by ICBA economist in collaboration with the consultant.
The qualitative analysis will be shown with the FGD excerpts, by using content analysis for this and scoring index methods where appropriate.
Detailed Deliverables and Outputs
