Impact Evaluation of Agribusiness Support and Nutrition Services Projects in Upper Egypt

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This project seeks to evaluate the impact of two USAID-funded projects that are implemented in rural Upper Egypt. The first project is the Feed the Future Egypt, Food-Security and Agribusiness Support (FAS) project; the second project is the Improving Maternal, Child Health, and Nutrition Services (IMCHN) project. The specific study objectives are (1) to estimate the impact of FAS interventions on project outcome indicators-especially on household income (measured by total household expenditure), household food security, and maternal and child nutrition-among farm households; (2) to estimate the effects of IMCHN interventions on maternal and child health and nutrition knowledge among community health workers (CHWs) and among farm households; and (3) to analytically explore potential synergistic effects of FAS and IMCHN interventions on maternal and child nutrition among farm households being exposed to both projects.

Official Title
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Impact Evaluation of Agribusiness Support and Nutrition Services Projects in Upper Egypt

Conditions
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Poverty, Low Income, Food Insecurity, Undernutrition

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: FAS program


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria (will follow those of the USAID-funded FAS program). In Oct 2017, known to be: Farmers with 10 feddans or less per household Farmers who have experience or interest in horticulture production. Exclusion Criteria: Farmers with more than 10 feddans per household Farmers with no interest in horticulture production
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention<br>FAS program | Other: FAS program<br>* Intervention households are farmers who will receive a forward contract through the FAS program; in addition, they may receive other support such as extension, seeds, etc.<br>|
| No Intervention: Comparison<br>Comparison group | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Household income | household income measured through household total (and food) expenditure | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) | 
| Household food security | Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Household income | household income measured through household total (and food) expenditure | After 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Household food security | Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) | After 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Farm production and output: yields | Harvested yields | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Farm production and output: prices | Selling prices | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Farm production and output: home consumption | Home consumption | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Women's Empowerment in Agriculture | Women's level of empowerment in agriculture-related decision making | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Household dietary diversity | Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Women's dietary diversity | Minimum Dietary Diversity - Women (MDD-W) score | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Infant and Young Child Feeding practices | IYCF practices as measured using the WHO IYCF guidelines | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Child anthropometry: weight | weight of children 0-23.9 months (baseline), 24-59.9 months (baseline) | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Child anthropometry: height | height and weight of children 0-23.9 months (baseline), 24-59.9 months (baseline) | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Adult anthropometry: mother | weight of mother / female caretaker | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) | 
| Adult anthropometry: father | weight of father / household head | After 5 to 6 months of exposure (april 2018) and after 17 to 18 months of exposure (april 2019) |