Where We Work : Tanzania : Research and Evaluation

BRAC in Tanzania benefits from a regional research and evaluation unit for our programme’s in East Africa that we established in Kampala, Uganda. In its second year of operation, the unit grew significantly in terms of staff and projects undertaken, shifting its focus from data collection in 2008 to analysis in 2009. The unit is an in-house but independent facility supporting BRAC’s existing development programmes in Uganda, Tanzania and Southern Sudan with continuous and rigorous evaluation. The unit provides analysis of emerging issues so we can continue to innovate and become more effective.

With the addition of two researchers in 2009, there are now five on staff, plus a field manager, a survey quality controller, a data manager and 30 data entry operators. BRAC’s data centre in Kampala, which receives all the data from the three countries, went to two shifts a day in 2009 to handle the workload.

In sub-Saharan Africa, BRAC is pioneering the use of hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs) and global positioning system (GPS) receivers to maximise the speed of data capture. So far, we have conducted one mid-level and two large-scale surveys using PDAs. Similarly, GPS devices have been used to collect geographical coordinates in various research projects.

In 2009, the unit conducted three impact evaluations to measure the effects and extent to which programme goals were achieved. It ran 5 formative studies to help create programmes specific to the needs of target groups and to ensure programme acceptability and feasibility and conducted 11 operational studies to aid in programme operations and improvement.

The research findings are a critical means of communicating with wider audiences about BRAC experiences on what works and what does not. In 2009, we presented papers at conferences in Washington, DC, and Kampala and shared findings with BRAC staff as well as partners and academic institutions. In 2010 we will implement the results of a scorecard drawn up by BRAC, which assesses our microloan borrowers’ progress out of poverty, in Tanzania.

We conduct studies in collaboration with researchers from partner research institutions such as the World Bank and the Makerere Institute for Social Research in Uganda.

Agriculture Research and Evaluation

BRAC’s agriculture research and development programme began tackling Tanzania’s many farming challenges in 2007 and the seed production programme followed in 2008. Our goal is to increase farming income, improve food security and reduce poverty by promoting and delivering high-quality crop varieties to Tanzanian farmers.

BRAC’s research evaluates local and imported crop germplasms (seeds and other genetic material, such as plant cuttings). We have started producing maize, rice, sunflower and vegetable seeds by using government-released varieties. At the same time, we are trying to develop our own varieties through research.

The objectives of the programme are:

• To evaluate different crops’ germplasms through on-farm and on-station trials
• To select promising exotic varieties for release and registration in Tanzania
• To introduce exotic hybrid and high-yielding varieties that can survive the Tanzanian climate along with local high-yielding varieties
• To develop and disseminate appropriate and environmentally friendly technologies to farmers at the grassroots level

We are conducting a number of seed trials and demonstration projects. In Arusha, in northern Tanzania, we have leased land from the Tengeru Horticulture Research Institute for maize and vegetable research. Rice research is conducted at Morogoro in the southern highlands. BRAC’s goal is to establish a seed business in Tanzania once all of the government's requirements have been met. In Bangladesh, BRAC is a pioneer in maize and vegetable seed production. We have been producing high-quality seeds for distribution to farmers since 1996. We currently have 23 seed production and processing centres and sell 80% of the maize seed in Bangladesh. By producing high yielding variety seeds in-country, we can supply low income farmers directly and help reduce their costs. Maize is the principal food and cash crop for millions of people in Tanzania and throughout eastern Africa.

Our research has had particular focus on identifying varieties of maize which produce high yields for low income farmers. As a member of the Tanzania Maize Working Group, BRAC is involved in conducting regional maize trials. We have been able to develop promising entries for conducting multilocation trials.

For vegetables crops, we have already submitted seed samples for tomato, eggplant and okra to the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute for distinctness, uniformity and stability tests. Farmers’ assessment trials have been implemented under supervision of the Horticulture Research Institute. We also have strong ties with other national and international agriculture research organisations.


Examples of Current Research in Tanzania

1. Evaluation of Adolescent Girls Programmes in Tanzania, Uganda and Southern Sudan: This impact evaluation measures the effects of the programmes on the socio-economic well being of the girls and their households. In these pilot programmes, we try innovative approaches, measure the results and provide evidence for possible scaling-up of similar interventions. By the end of the project, we will have invaluable evidence about what works for promoting the empowerment of the adolescents.

2. Evaluation of BRAC Health Programme:  A Sustainable System for Defeating Children’s Diseases.  BRAC aims to establish a system that reduces mortality and morbidity for children under five by at least 15%, and has the potential to be replicated throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. The research in Tanzania and Uganda includes measuring the effects of BRAC Community Health Volunteers on health awareness, behaviour and outcomes. The impact evaluation report for Tanzania will come out in 2010.

3. Evaluation of Microfinance Programme: The impact, in Tanzania, of BRAC’s integrated approach needs to be assessed. But separate evaluations of each service are required to assess our expansion policies. With microcredit central to BRAC in Tanzania’s operations, it is necessary to evaluate its effectiveness in changing economic lives. We have conducted surveys and will be analysing the data.

4. Study on Microfinance Participation: To assess the poverty outreach of our Tanzania microcredit operations, we surveyed participants and non-participants. We found that those with even limited access to formal sources of finance among the population with low penetration by banks are getting into microcredit. Participants are not only more likely to be the major household earners but they also have greater control over their income than those from non-participant households.

5. State of CHVs in Tanzania and Uganda:  In 2009, a cross-sectional survey studied the financial and economic sustainability of BRAC’s Community Health Volunteer model. CHVs in Uganda are significantly more educated, have more children of their own or are responsible for larger family sizes, and are more likely to be the head of the household than those in Tanzania. Significantly more Ugandan CHVs (25%) reported that increasing household income was the main reason for becoming a CHV, compared to only 1% in Tanzania.

6. Environmental Management for BRAC Microfinance:  We have prepared a baseline survey on the environmental impact of BRAC’s microfinance programme so we can observe changes over the years. This means looking at degradation in terms of not just pollution but also issues such as occupational hazards and child labour. As a result, we have incorporated guidelines for members, training staff, branch managers and the monitoring department. We will continue to evaluate and report on our progress.