SPIA studies - In progress and completed

Studies in progress

Impact of legume improvement research in the CGIAR

Legumes are an under-evaluated crop group, and yet it is suggested legume improvement could have impacts on gender equity, nutrition, and sustainable soil management. SPIA is working with scientists at ICARDA, ICRISAT, CIAT and IITA, as well as looking into potential partnerships with external agencies, research centres, and consultants, on documenting the most important cases of adoption and impact of legume technologies.

2011 - 2012

Social Impacts: Poverty and Hunger

The goal of this study is to assess how technical change in agriculture may have differential effects on indicators of well being, including poverty levels, hunger and food security, and nutrition. SPIA has commissioned four new pieces of impact assessment research under this study.

2010 - 2013

Diffusion and Impacts of Improved Varieties in Africa (DIIVA)

There are three major components to this study, which is supported by a 3-year, $3m grant from the Gates Foundation:

• To describe investments in and uptake of products of crop genetic improvement in priority country-by-commodity combinations in Sub-Saharan Africa
• To verify and gain a deeper understanding about the adoption and diffusion of new varieties in a nationally representative setting of selected priority countries and food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa
• To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of crop improvement on poverty, nutrition, and food security

2010 - 2012

Germplasm collection, conservation, characterization and evaluation (GCCCE)

This study will measure and value, to the extent possible, the impacts related to the germplasm collection, conservation, characterization and evaluation activities by the CGIAR. Potential case-studies in Latin America and Asia are currently being investigated.

2010 - 2012

Completed studies

Assessing environmental impacts

The final report for this study features a literature review of evidence assembled to date, a conceptual framework for measuring environmental impacts in the CGIAR, guidance to the CGIAR centers on the use of non-market valuation approaches, details of four new case-studies carried out by scientists at CGIAR centers, and a new study by SPIA on the impact of crop improvement on agricultural expansion and land-use change.

2008 - 2011

Causality and rigour in ex-post impact assessment

This project is about SPIA getting to grips with the implications of the "rigor revolution" for ex-post impact assessment of agricultural research.

2009 - 2010