In Rwanda, MRR Innovation Lab researchers have been connecting maize farmer cooperatives with food processors through WFP’s Farm to Market Alliance program. They are testing whether having an assured buyer and price increases maize farmers’ investment in productivity-enhancing inputs.

The project recently held a 2-day event in Kigali, with 40 participants from various agricultural agencies and NGOs. The team first provided a thorough overview of research methods, with session topics including research techniques, theory of change and measurement, and threats to validity. These sessions served as a training opportunity for those interested, while providing a useful theoretical background on the research presented by the project.

The team then presented the project and their findings to date. Preliminary results show that cooperatives that received project encouragement and assistance were more likely to have a contracting agreement with a large buyer. They were also more likely to sell maize “on the cob” instead of as shelled maize, potentially reducing the risk of aflatoxin contamination. Preliminary results show modest effects on sales and revenues in the first season—possibly tempered by high maize prices in the market—but sizeable effects in the second season. The research team continues to collect data and will have a fuller set of results in the coming months.