MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT-ARMENIA PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF THE BASELINE FARMING PRACTICES SURVEY

armradio.am
16.10.2008 14:36

Millennium Challenge Account – Armenia (MCA-Armenia) has released
the results of the first round of the Farming Practices Survey (FPS)
which will serve as a baseline for the Water-to-Market activity (WtM)
impact evaluation. The survey was commissioned by MCA-Armenia and
implemented by "Areg" NGO in consortium with Jen Finance, Engineering
and Management Consult Ltd. The analyses of survey data was conducted
by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR), MCC’s consultant for impact
evaluation. The results of the survey were presented today by the
MCA-Armenia, MPR and "Areg" NGO.

FPS is the main data source for the impact evaluation of the WtM, most
notably, training in water management and high value agriculture. The
baseline survey provides important initial data on such characteristics
as land size and type, crop production and sales, income and poverty
rates of the farmers participating in trainings.

Through FPS 4855 farmers were surveyed in 200 villages. 120 of
these villages are part of the treatment group for the impact
evaluation where training has been provided in the second year of
the program. Farmers in the remaining 80 control communities will
be trained in last year of the program. Such a distribution will
allow the impact evaluators to observe and compare developme nts in
farmers/farms in communities served by the program and those excluded
from it at its initial stages.