Encouraging results from a school-based agricultural education program in Liberia

The Liberian context presents an opportunity to explore new ways of spreading agricultural practices, as only 3% of farm households have access to government extension services – the process of sharing best practices with farmers (LISGIS, 2017). This is particularly striking given that agriculture supports 75% of the population’s livelihoods (World Bank, 2019). In addition, many youths working on farms miss school to assist their elders with daily chores.

To address these challenges, the SBAE offers a cost-effective way to deliver agricultural innovations in rural communities. Built on the foundation of 4-H clubs in rural schools in Liberia, SBAE integrates four key components:

• classroom teaching of new techniques and methods
• experiential learning with school demonstration farms
• home-based entrepreneurship projects
• leadership development The program is designed as a dissemination tool, aimed at empowering students with skills they are likely to share with their families and communities.

A four-year randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate SBAE’s impact on agricultural technology adoption and rural education in Liberia. The trial involved 197 schools across six counties. The consortium responsible for the implementation included 4-H Liberia, which trained teachers and principals to deliver the program, the NGO Agricorps, which has supported school-based agricultural systems since 2013, and the NGO Innovation for Poverty Action Liberia, which evaluated the program under the supervision of researchers Jimmy Lee and Christopher Udry, with support from the Ministry of Education.

The 197 selected schools were randomized into three groups:

• the first treatment arm of 50 schools randomly assigned to the SBAE program only
• the second treatment arm of 50 schools randomly assigned to receive both the SBAE program and parent and community engagement interventions
• the control group of 97 schools.

Notably, this second treatment arm produced the most encouraging results. The researchers highlighted the pivotal role of parental and community involvement in technology diffusion and rural education:

• Adoption of agricultural practices: student adoption of bed preparation methods (the main agricultural technology promoted) increased by 62.1 percent, while parental adoption rose by 14.9 percent with engagement. However, in schools without engagement interventions, SBAE had almost no effect on the adoption of technologies by students or parents.
• Educational outcomes: school dropout rates fell by approximately 20-25 percent, and school attendance increased by 24 percent in communities exposed to the engagement interventions. Yet, the SBAE program alone reduced student attendance by 31 percent when no engagement modules were included. The research team is currently exploring the mechanisms behind these effects.

As highlited by Christopher Udry in the dissemination event: « This is one of the most effective programs in encouraging adult farmers to test new agricultural technologies I have seen in 40 years. The program makes sense in a context of very under-resourced extension system and infrastructure available at school, with teachers trained to teach and a way to reach students who are motivated agents of change. The SBAE idea, when combined with efforts to engage the parents, is able to take this energy we see amongst the students and channel it to their parents. »

Additional results are available in the consortium’s policy brief, confirming that the integration of an effective school-based agricultural extension program with parental and community engagement can enhance both education and technology dissemination. SBAE can build upon areas such as teacher training and standardizing the SBAE curriculum to maximize school-level impact.

The program is now entering its second evaluation phase with further insights anticipated, particularly regarding yield gains from agricultural innovations and the cost-effectiveness compared to other extension solutions.

Ressources

1. IPA Policy Brief on SBAE : Policy brief