This document reports the results of a small meeting of social scientists from ILCA and IFPRI held at ILCA. The workshop was conceived to summarize the results of studies previously conducted by ILCA and others, to identify priorities for future research; to provide guidance for future research - problems, methodology, locations, and resource requirements, and to consider specific proposals for future research and evaluate the areas of complementarity and/or overlap with other past or current projects.

This study of the evolution of AWM in the Volta Basin yielded key recommendations for research-for-development interventions and new concepts for research on water management. When promoting AWM strategies, projects should carefully study the available information on factors triggering adoption,

and play on these to ensure sustainable uptake of the technology. Local capacities and agendas should be better accounted for when promoting AWM strategies or low-cost irrigation technologies. Participatory

Livestock production in arid and semi-arid rangelands is a risky enterprise. Covariate risk of catastrophic livestock loss due to drought is the most critical uninsured risk facing livestock producers. These losses can lead to persistent poverty. We are trying to design an index based livestock insurance (IBLI) program as a viable means to help pastoralists in northern Kenya manage such covariate risk of livestock losses due to drought.

There is growing evidence of escalating wildlife losses worldwide. Extreme wildlife losses have recently been documented for large parts of Africa, including western, Central and Eastern Africa. Here, we report extreme declines in wildlife and contemporaneous increase in livestock numbers in Kenya rangelands between 1977 and 2016. Our analysis uses systematic aerial monitoring survey data collected in rangelands that collectively cover 88% of Kenya’s land surface. Our results show that wildlife numbers declined on average by 68% between 1977 and 2016.

The major issues in impact assessment for farmer participatory research (FPR) are analyzed. There are many potential ways in which FPR can have an impact; for example, increasing agricultural productivity, improving the management of natural resources or leading to a wider dissemination of innovations. FPR may also be more effective in reaching specific target groups, and it many reduce research costs and develop community capacity. Impact will be measured by different groups, and for different reasons, according to the circumstances.

As the share of small ruminant meat, especially sheep, in the demand and consumption of meat in general grows, information about consumer expenditure behaviour and demand parameters for live sheep will be valuable for several interest groups in the sheep industry. Using the Heckman two-stage approach, this study shows that sheep prices and household income, as well as socio-demographic factors, including household size and composition, significantly affect the likelihood of buying live sheep and expenditures on live sheep.