FIELDWORK IN KENYA

As part of the research project, we conducted eight field visits to Kenya thus far, i.e. Nairobi (10-15 November 2014), Nairobi (20-24 April 2015), Meru (22-26 June 2015), Meru (April 2016), Meru (June 2016), Nairobi and Meru (October-November 2016), Nairobi and Meru (March 2017), Nairobi and Meru (Sept 2017); and two field visits to Zambia, i.e. Lusaka (11 December 2014) and Lusaka (13-17 April 2015). In addition, we run an intensive one-week training course for 45 students in March 2017, who then acted as enumerators in the end-of-line survey study. The training included design of questionnaires for implementation of surveys in randomised control trials; use of electronic tablets for survey generation; and interaction in local language domains.

During these field visits, the research team met and interviewed a large number of key stakeholders and gave presentations of the research project in order to secure commitment from local organisations in Kenya and Zambia to take part in the project. Various partnership agreements were signed and plans for implementation were established. During the last three visits to Kenya, fieldworks in Meru were conducted to establish randomised control trials.

FIELDWORK IN ETHIOPIA

We have undertaken field research in Ethiopia in June 2017, interviewing farmers and insurance companies, in order to start the end-line randomised control trial with smallholder farmers.