mmekuria

Abstract/Description Although continuous genetic improvement of crops cultivated by smallholder farmers is a well-known route to increasing agricultural productivity, our understanding of varietal adoption, turnover, and concentration in farmers’ fields is limited. Often, the greatest challenge to our understanding lies in the measurement approach (farmer self-reports versus DNA fingerprinting), as well as in the analysis […]

In low-income settings, poverty and mental health are often locked in a vicious cycle. Poor mental health can impair decision-making and reduce productivity, while the stresses of poverty—financial insecurity, food shortages, and environmental hazards—further exacerbate mental illness (Ridley et al 2020). Armed conflict can intensify this cycle: violence and displacement amplify trauma, while the resulting […]

This brief reports on a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial of 3,015 households evaluating the effectiveness of SPIR II, a nutrition-sensitive graduation model implemented in Ethiopia. The full treatment package—combining nutrition-focused behavior change communication (BCC), village economics and savings associations, monthly maternal cash transfers of US$20, and a one-time livelihood grant of US$300—generates large, sustained […]