Impact of an Agricultural Value Chain Project on Smallholder Farmers, Households, and Children in Liberia

Abstract

We explore the impact of a rural agricultural value chain project in Liberia on smallholder farmers, their households and children in order to better understand the link between household economic welfare and child wellbeing. Drawing on longitudinal field-based quasi-experimental survey data, we estimate the causal effect of the project on the use of modern farming techniques and production, household assets and food security, and child education, health and nutrition. Mixed-methods include multiple rounds of focus groups with farmers, key informant interviews with community leaders, and project monitoring farmer diaries. Treatment farmers showed increased use of modern farming techniques and improved production, households experienced greater access to food, and while no significant changes were found for children, for the outcomes of interest, treatment children outcomes trended in the positive direction. The evaluation suggests that participation in agricultural value chain interventions contributes to positive farm outcomes and social assets, but economic-focused activities alone are insufficient to improve children’s lives. Since improving the lives of children from birth is critical to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty, economic strengthening programs like value chain interventions, must monitor their effects on children: to do no harm and to identify and take advantage of opportunities to improve the lives of children.