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Trial Title
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Before
Farms, Jobs and the protection of natural habitats: experimental evidence from the DRC
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After
From farms to jobs: Promoting conservation through active labour market policies for structural transformation
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Abstract
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Before
In this study, we ask whether structural transformation in the form of migration and movement from agriculture into non-agriculture can be incentivized and study the consequences for the demand for agricultural land – a direct proxy of pressures on biodiversity. Specifically, we ask whether we can persistently draw young farmers out of agriculture in areas in North Kivu where agricultural activity conflicts with biodiversity conservation. We test two policy incentives in a randomised control trial. In the first treatment arm, we provide a labelled cash transfer to some young farmers, intended for travel to search for jobs in nearby towns. In the second treatment arm, we offer other young farmers a guaranteed fixed-term urban job, in addition to the labelled cash transfer. A third group of farmers receive nothing in the study. We measure whether these incentives increase non-agricultural employment and reduce demand for agricultural land.
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After
In this study, we ask whether structural transformation in the form of movement from agriculture into non-agriculture can be incentivized and study the consequences for the demand for agricultural land – the primary cause of natural habitat and biodiversity loss worldwide. Specifically, we ask whether we can persistently draw young farmers out of agriculture in areas in North Kivu where agricultural activity conflicts with biodiversity conservation led by the Virunga National Park (VNP) and study the possible implications for land use. In a randomised control trial, we test whether offering young farmers a guaranteed fixed-term urban job can induce them to migrate and take up non-agricultural work. We compare the effects of this policy incentive to a short-term daily work scheme, which does not require farmers to move away from their villages. A third group of farmers receive nothing in the study. We also cross-randomise a short environmental education session across all three arms. We measure whether these incentives increase non-agricultural employment and reduce demand for agricultural land.
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Trial Start Date
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Before
June 21, 2021
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July 10, 2023
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Trial End Date
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December 31, 2024
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After
December 31, 2026
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Last Published
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Before
July 28, 2022 09:20 AM
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After
December 07, 2023 04:10 AM
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Intervention (Public)
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Before
The first intervention offers young farmers a labelled cash transfer, intended for travel to the nearby towns, alleviating the budget constraint of these farmers. The second intervention seeks to de-risk migration by offering young farmers a guaranteed fixed term urban job, in addition to the labelled cash transfer. The temporary job is intended to be a certain outside option to agriculture and boosts demand, as well as supply, for non-agricultural employment, assuming that there may not be enough labour demand in these urban centres. Specifically, we create a three-month guaranteed job in a small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) located in nearby cities in North Kivu where we subsidise the wages for these enterprises.
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After
We test the impact of two interventions on farmers who are impacting conservation efforts in a national park in North Kivu through a randomised control trial. In the first intervention, we offer farmers a 3-month fixed-term job guarantee ("internship") in a small and medium enterprise (SME) in nearby cities, where we subsidise the wages for these enterprises. In the second intervention, we offer similar farmers casual daily work in non-agricultural sectors, such as construction, within the immediate surrounds of their villages. A third group of farmers receive no intervention.
All three groups are cross randomised with a 2-hours environmental education session. The session led by VNP aims to provide information about the park, the importance and benefits of conservation, what it is permitted and forbidden to do in the park, and park activities.
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Intervention Start Date
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September 06, 2021
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August 14, 2023
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Intervention End Date
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Before
March 31, 2023
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After
September 30, 2024
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Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
1. Non-agricultural employment activity
2. Agricultural activity
3. Demand for agricultural land
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After
1. Non-agricultural employment
2. Days of agricultural activity
3. Demand for agricultural land
4. Migration
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Primary Outcomes (Explanation)
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Before
1. Non-agricultural employment activity: Dummy variable indicating whether the respondent has done any non-agricultural work in the past 7 days, inclusive of casual, formal and self-employment
2. Agricultural activity: Dummy variable indicating whether the respondent has not worked in agriculture in the past 7 days
3. Demand for agricultural land: Amount of land cultivated
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After
1. Non-agricultural employment: Dummy variable indicating whether the respondent has done any non-agricultural work in the past 7 days, including formal and self-employment.
2. Days of agricultural activity: A continuous variable indicating how many days the respondent has worked in agriculture in the past 7 days.
3. Demand for agricultural land: Amount of land cultivated at the household level.
4. Migration: Dummy variable indicating whether the respondent lives outside of their village of origin at the time of the survey.
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Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
Eligible farmers are randomly chosen in localities where agricultural activities encroach conservation efforts undertaken by Virunga National Park, and hence where reducing the demand for lands is a priority to effectively protect the park. These areas are identified along with our partner, Virunga National Park. Participants are defined to be eligible if they were farming, did not have a full-time non-agricultural job and between 18 and 32 years old.
Eligible SMEs are randomly drawn from the list of electricity clients listed with Virunga Energies, a subsidiary of the park in charge of green electricity production and distribution to promote SME creation. The list of SMEs cover all the SME in Rutsuru, Lubero and Mutwanga territories, and over half of the city of Goma.
We randomly assign eligible farmers into one of three groups:
1. Treatment A: In the first treatment arm, we offer young farmers a labelled cash transfer, intended for travel to the nearby towns, alleviating the budget constraint of these young farmers.
2. Treatment B: In the second treatment arm, we further de-risk migration by offering young farmers a guaranteed fixed term urban job, in addition to the labelled cash transfer. The temporary job is intended to be a certain outside option to agriculture and boosts demand, as well as supply, for non-agricultural employment, assuming that there may not be enough labour demand in these urban centres. Specifically, we create a three-month guaranteed job in a small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) located in nearby cities in North Kivu where we subsidise the wages for these enterprises.
3. Control group: In the control group, young farmers receive no incentive.
To manage implementation logistics against a backdrop of high insecurity, the study will be rolled out in two waves, with the first phase starting in June 2021 and the second phase starting approximately 12 to 18 months later.
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After
We implement a randomised control trial to test the impact of offering a fixed-term urban job guarantee on non-agricultural employment and demand for agricultural land. Target villages are identified in collaboration with the Virunga National Park, with the view to meet two criteria: (1) a stable security situation and (2) areas in which agricultural activities encroach conservation efforts.
To manage implementation logistics against a backdrop of high insecurity, the study will be rolled out in phases. Each phase will follow the same implementation structure. The Virunga National Park will first an information campaign to encourage interested farmers to apply for a 3-month fully subsidised internship programme in a small firm located in a nearby town. A random sample of participants are drawn from the pool of eligible applicants.
We randomise approximately 1,800 eligible farmers into one of three groups:
1. Treatment 1: 3-month fixed-term job guarantee ("internship") in an SME in nearby towns and cities.
2. Treatment 2: Short-term casual employment offered by the Virunga National Park
3. Control group: No intervention.
All three treatment groups are cross randomised with a 2-hours environmental education session.
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Randomization Method
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Before
Randomisation was carried out in an office with a computer using STATA, and we stratified randomisation by gender, wave, baseline location and a dummy variable indicating whether the household was found to be farming inside the park vs on its outskirts.
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After
Randomisation was carried out in an office with a computer using R, and we stratify by gender, wave, baseline location and a dummy variable indicating high amount of cultivated land (split at the median value).
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Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
Treatment A (labelled cash transfer): 600 farmers
Treatment B (fixed term job guarantee): 600 farmers
Control group: 600 farmers
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After
Treatment 1 (fixed-term job guarantee): 600 farmers
Treatment 2 (casual daily work): 600 farmers
Control group: 600 farmers
Cross-randomised into environmental education session (N=900) and no environmental education session (N=900)
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