Project reference
16-0249-040-RWA-aflatox-WFP
Contract duration
2021
Budget
172,073
(USD 200,000)
Countries
Rwanda
Keywords
Agriculture, Food and nutrition, Industry & private sector development, Information technology, Monitoring & Evaluation
Innovative Pilot Evaluation: Aflatoxin Reduction in the Rwanda Maize Value Chain from October to December 2021
This pilot evaluation, commissioned by the WFP Regional Bureau of Nairobi in cooperation with WFP Rwanda and the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), assessed the introduction of a new technology for enhanced food safety of maize in Rwanda.
Rwandan maize is particularly affected by aflatoxin, a carcinogen, which prevents farmers from selling their harvests to premium domestic buyers that adhere to aflatoxin regulations. In this context, AflaSight (a start-up firm based in Rwanda) uses an innovative aflatoxin reduction technology that removes aflatoxin from already infected maize kernels at industrial scale. The direct users of AflaSight are agro-processors and traders that source maize from smallholder cooperatives. The strategic objective of AflaSight is to solve the aflatoxin problem in maize in Rwanda and enable smallholder farmers to connect with premium buyers of domestically produced maize.
The evaluation covered the pilot period from October to December 2021 and served the double objectives of accountability and learning (with emphasis on the latter). It followed a theory-based mixed methods approach to answer the nine main evaluation questions linked to different evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability), streaming gender equality and empowerment of women farmers throughout. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews in Kigali, as well as interviews, focus groups, direct observation, and a large-scale survey with 400 smallholder farmers in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The team also analysed existing M&E, financial and technical data, and carried out a document review, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis of AflaSight.
The main users of the evaluation are WFP, FtMA, Government institutions involved in agricultural production and food standards, private sector agents, and smallholder cooperatives.
The evaluation report and brief are available at: https://www.wfp.org/publications/rwanda-innovative-pilot-evaluation-aflatoxin-reduction-rwanda-maize-value-chain
Rwandan maize is particularly affected by aflatoxin, a carcinogen, which prevents farmers from selling their harvests to premium domestic buyers that adhere to aflatoxin regulations. In this context, AflaSight (a start-up firm based in Rwanda) uses an innovative aflatoxin reduction technology that removes aflatoxin from already infected maize kernels at industrial scale. The direct users of AflaSight are agro-processors and traders that source maize from smallholder cooperatives. The strategic objective of AflaSight is to solve the aflatoxin problem in maize in Rwanda and enable smallholder farmers to connect with premium buyers of domestically produced maize.
The evaluation covered the pilot period from October to December 2021 and served the double objectives of accountability and learning (with emphasis on the latter). It followed a theory-based mixed methods approach to answer the nine main evaluation questions linked to different evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability), streaming gender equality and empowerment of women farmers throughout. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews in Kigali, as well as interviews, focus groups, direct observation, and a large-scale survey with 400 smallholder farmers in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The team also analysed existing M&E, financial and technical data, and carried out a document review, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis of AflaSight.
The main users of the evaluation are WFP, FtMA, Government institutions involved in agricultural production and food standards, private sector agents, and smallholder cooperatives.
The evaluation report and brief are available at: https://www.wfp.org/publications/rwanda-innovative-pilot-evaluation-aflatoxin-reduction-rwanda-maize-value-chain
Partners
Particip (Lead), C4ED