Fresh insights from new research shaping Africa’s food systems, resilience, and economic development
Key Insight of the Week
Climate shocks do not only affect crops and incomes; they also shape people’s ability to move, adapt, and pursue opportunities. New evidence from Kenya shows that social protection programs can help households respond more effectively to climate-related disruptions.
Using evidence from a randomized controlled trial, the study finds that cash transfers helped beneficiary households maintain migration during cold spells, reducing the risk that climate shocks would constrain mobility and adaptation options. The findings suggest that climate-related shocks can trap vulnerable households in low-resource settings, limiting their ability to respond to changing conditions.
As climate variability intensifies across Africa, the results highlight how cash transfer programs can play an important role not only in poverty reduction, but also in strengthening resilience and supporting adaptive capacity.
Featured Report of the Week
‘‘Cash transfers relax climate-induced mobility constraints in Kenya” by Mueller, Valerie; Gray, Clark; Handa, Sudhanshu
This IFPRI study examines how cash transfer programs influence migration responses to climate shocks in Kenya. Leveraging randomized program implementation and climate variation, the research finds that cash transfers helped households maintain migration during cold spells, suggesting that social protection can reduce climate-induced mobility constraints and support resilience.
Other Recent Publications
Changing rural labor markets and welfare in Malawi (PR; ISI)
De Weerdt, Joachim; Duquennois, Claire; Oliveres-Mallol, Adriana
Enhancing farmers’ access to neglected crop seeds for healthy diets in a changing climate: six recommendations for policy action(PR; ISI)
Van Zonneveld, M.; Castañeda-Álvarez, N.P.; Achigan-Dako, E. G.; Almekinders, C.; De Haan, S.; Hugo, W.; Otieno, G.; Ortiz, R.; Raneri, J. E.; Roa, C.; Sperling, L.; Spielman, David J.; Von Wettberg, E.
Financial inclusion for agricultural investments: Experimental evidence on male and female farm managers in the Sahel (PR; ISI)
Delavallade, Clara; Dizon, Felipe; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Petraud, Jean-Paul
Haemoglobin concentration thresholds that discriminate functional outcomes among children aged 6–30 months in eight countries: A pooled analysis of individual participant data (A Rank; OA; PR; ISI)
Prado, Elizabeth L.; Larson, Leila M.; Arnold, Charles D.; Wessells, K. Ryan; Shankar, Anuraj H.; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Arnold, Benjamin F.; Ashorn, Per; Ashorn, Ulla; Becquey, Elodie; Brown, Kenneth H.; Chandna, Jaya; Chasekwa, Bernard; Fan, Yue-Mei; Galasso, Emanuela; Hess, Sonja Y.; Huybregts, Lieven; Jannat, Kaniz; Yakes Jimenez, Elizabeth; Lartey, Anna; Le Port, Agnes; Leroy, Jef L.; et al.
Power, policy, and practice: Political economy perspectives on agroecological transitions (PR; ISI)
Nehring, Ryan; McKay, Ben; Resnick, Danielle; Catacora-Vargas, Georgina
Cash transfers relax climate-induced mobility constraints in Kenya (OA; PR; ISI)
Mueller, Valerie; Gray, Clark; Handa, Sudhanshu
Changing rural labor markets and welfare in Malawi (PR; ISI)
De Weerdt, Joachim; Duquennois, Claire; Oliveres-Mallol, Adriana
Enhancing farmers’ access to neglected crop seeds for healthy diets in a changing climate: six recommendations for policy action(PR; ISI)
Van Zonneveld, M.; Castañeda-Álvarez, N.P.; Achigan-Dako, E. G.; Almekinders, C.; De Haan, S.; Hugo, W.; Otieno, G.; Ortiz, R.; Raneri, J. E.; Roa, C.; Sperling, L.; Spielman, David J.; Von Wettberg, E.
Financial inclusion for agricultural investments: Experimental evidence on male and female farm managers in the Sahel (PR; ISI)
Delavallade, Clara; Dizon, Felipe; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Petraud, Jean-Paul
Haemoglobin concentration thresholds that discriminate functional outcomes among children aged 6–30 months in eight countries: A pooled analysis of individual participant data (A Rank; OA; PR; ISI)
Prado, Elizabeth L.; Larson, Leila M.; Arnold, Charles D.; Wessells, K. Ryan; Shankar, Anuraj H.; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Arnold, Benjamin F.; Ashorn, Per; Ashorn, Ulla; Becquey, Elodie; Brown, Kenneth H.; Chandna, Jaya; Chasekwa, Bernard; Fan, Yue-Mei; Galasso, Emanuela; Hess, Sonja Y.; Huybregts, Lieven; Jannat, Kaniz; Yakes Jimenez, Elizabeth; Lartey, Anna; Le Port, Agnes; Leroy, Jef L.; et al.
Power, policy, and practice: Political economy perspectives on agroecological transitions (PR; ISI)
Nehring, Ryan; McKay, Ben; Resnick, Danielle; Catacora-Vargas, Georgina
About Evidence for Africa
Evidence for Africa highlights every week recent IFPRI research and insights relevant to the continent’s food systems, economic development, and policy priorities.
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