Social Innovation and Impact Institute (Si3)
Virtual Seminar Series, January 29, 2026, 4:00 PM, EAT
Research Topic: Leveraging contract farming and matching refugees to host landlords to improve refugee resilience and livelihoods in Uganda
Abstract
We investigate if a contract farming model that incorporates matching refugees to host landlords can help refugees overcome barriers to engaging constructively in agriculture production to achieve resilient income flows. Refugees lack access to land and the financial resources needed to rent it. They also lack access to improved inputs, markets, and credit and encounter obstacles such as malicious damage to their crops by hosts. Evidence shows that contract farming resolves several market failures. However, the model has not been tested with a vulnerable population like refugees, who generally do not own land and have only the labor resource. In this study, we test the uptake rate of a contract that addresses several of these constraints, including deferring a proportion of the total costs to after-harvest. If successful, the model can be adopted by organizations interested in improving the livelihoods of refugees in the absence of humanitarian aid.
Speaker:
Dr. Annet Adong
Moderator:
Eyuel Ayele, PhD Student At Addis Ababa University
Date and time: January 29, 2026, 4:00 PM, East Africa Time
Meeting link: https://calendar.app.google/SFfozXeWGCoEWfx97
Virtual Seminar Series, February 27, 2026, 4:00 PM, East Africa Time
Research Topic: Livelihood Diversification and Household Welfare in Uganda: Evidence of Income and Food Consumption Effects
Summary:
Ending all forms of malnutrition and achieving food and nutrition security by 2030 is a key objective of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. This study investigates the relationship between livelihood diversification and household welfare, focusing on income, food expenditure, and dietary diversity. It uses eight rounds of longitudinal data from the World Bank, spanning from 2005/06 to 2020/21, which includes over 3,000 rural and urban households across 128 districts in Uganda and covers 131 food items. By employing geographical instruments, the study provides a more precise understanding of the outcomes of livelihood diversification.
Researchers:
Tigist Mekonnen Melesse, PhD
Social Innovation and Impact Institute, Washington D.C., USA
Abebayehu Girma Geffersa, PhD
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Canberra, Australia
Martin Paul Jr. Tabe- Ojong, PhD
World Bank Group, Washington D.C., USA
Moderator:
Eyuel Ayele, PhD Student At Addis Ababa University
Date and time: February 27, 2026, 4:00 PM, East Africa Time
When Shocks Persist
Resilience and Path Dependence in Household Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa
Summary
Households in Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly vulnerable to shocks, including climate change and other idiosyncratic events. This study analyzes panel household survey data from over 12,000 households across six countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda) provided by the World Bank. The findings will help policymakers design targeted interventions to strengthen household resilience and reduce vulnerability to such disruptions.
Researchers
Tigist Mekonnen Melesse (PhD), Senior Economist and Director, Social Innovation and Impact Institute (Si3)
Wondimagegn Mesfin Tesfaye (PhD), Economist at World Bank Group
Moderator: Eyuel Ayele, PhD Student At Addis Ababa University
Date and time: November 27, 2025, 4:00 PM, East Africa Time
