Evaluation of the Takunda Resilience Food Security Activity in Zimbabwe

Last registered on January 17, 2025

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Evaluation of the Takunda Resilience Food Security Activity in Zimbabwe
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015207
Initial registration date
January 16, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 17, 2025, 7:48 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Vermont

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Northwestern University
PI Affiliation
Northwestern University
PI Affiliation
University of California, San Diego

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2022-01-01
End date
2025-04-30
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract

We conduct a cluster randomized trial to measure the impact of the Takunda Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA), implemented by a consortium led by CARE International in Chivi and Zaka Districts (Masvingo Province) and Buhera and Mutare Districts (Manicaland Province) of Zimbabwe. The Takunda program provides a package of supports to poor households, which include supplementary feeding and expanded care groups, cash for assets, cash transfer, farmer field business schools, and savings groups, among others.

We measure the impact of the program among the general population and a targeted strata comprising households most likely to be eligible for the Supplementary Feeding and Expanded Care Groups: those with a pregnant or lactating woman or a child under the age of 2.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Beam, Emily et al. 2025. "Evaluation of the Takunda Resilience Food Security Activity in Zimbabwe." AEA RCT Registry. January 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15207-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Takunda, meaning "we have overcome" in Shona, is implemented by CARE with the aim of achieving sustainable, equitable, and resilient food, nutrition, and income security in Masvingo and Manicaland Provinces. The program targets vulnerable households, women, and youth, aiming to improve income, nutritional status, and resilience to shocks and stressors. The five-year Takunda RFSA focuses on three main purposes:

Gender-equitable income among extremely poor and chronically vulnerable households, women, and youth increased.

Nutritional Status among Children < 5, Adolescent Girls, and Women of Reproductive Age Improved.
Impacts of shocks and stresses reduced for extremely poor and chronically vulnerable households, women, and youth.

Each purpose entails various interventions tailored to individuals based on specific targeting criteria. Eligibility for interventions depends on demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status.

The target population for the Takunda activity consists of extremely poor, chronically vulnerable, and high malnutrition-risk households across Chivi and Zaka Districts (Masvingo Province) and Buhera and Mutare Districts (Manicaland Province). Takunda aims to serve 301,636 individuals from 77,211 households spread across four districts.


The Takunda program will be implemented until the end of 2025 and will include the following core interventions:
Supplementary Feeding and Expanded Care Groups (SFECG)
Cash for asset
Cash transfers
Savings groups
Farmer field business schools and producer groups strengthening
WASH interventions on infrastructure and community outreach
Weirs irrigation and solar-powered gardens
TVET youth training
Life skills and business training
Training on health, nutrition, life, and leadership skills for adolescents
Intervention Start Date
2022-01-01
Intervention End Date
2024-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Consumption per adult equivalent

2. Food security & nutrition index
Food security index: Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Food Consumption Score (FCS)
Dietary diversity index: Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), household average of Women’s Minimum Dietary Diversity* (MDD-W), household average of Children's Minimum Dietary Diversity* (MDD-C)

3. Child growth and development index: Height-for-age Z Score (HAZ), Weight-for-height Z Score (WHZ)

4. Subjective well-being index: Cantril Ladder of life satisfaction (1-10), Kessler 6

5. Value of household non-land and non-housing net wealth, the sum of the following:
Value of productive assets
Value of household durable goods
Value of livestock
Value of savings minus the value of outstanding debt
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct village-level random assignment into treatment and control. Treatment villages receive all Takunda services, while control villages do not receive services. A total of 161 village clusters were randomized to be targeted by Takunda (Treatment; 88 clusters) or excluded from programming (Control, 73 clusters).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Randomize at the village cluster level, stratifying by wards
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
161 village clusters
Sample size: planned number of observations
3348 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
88 treatment clusters with 1831 households and 73 control clusters with 1517 households
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe
IRB Approval Date
2022-01-21
IRB Approval Number
MRCZ/A/2828
IRB Name
Innovations for Poverty Action IRB-USA
IRB Approval Date
2024-11-05
IRB Approval Number
15883
Analysis Plan

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