Site selection in the Nicaragua VC An Notenbaert, Jeannette van de Steeg, Isabelle Baltenbeck, Jane Poole Impact Pathways Workshop & VCA Tools Workshop, Managua, August 2013
Jul 07, 2015
Site selection
in the Nicaragua VCAn Notenbaert, Jeannette van de Steeg, Isabelle
Baltenbeck, Jane Poole
Impact Pathways Workshop & VCA Tools Workshop, Managua, August 2013
Huge heterogeneity in bio-physical and socio-economic context
Identify a small number of representative research locations:
That capture the gradient of key variablesprovide opportunity for good research and impact
Site selection - rationale
Site selection - criteriaField Sites are selected using a combination of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ criteria
• Hard criteria
Based on maps of e.g. cattle density, poverty and market access Implemented in a Geographical Information System (GIS)
• Soft criteria
‘Ease of working’Opportunity to double up with Field Sites with other projects/programsPresence and capacity of partnersInstitutional actor presence and networksResource availability – interest from other donors
Potential for impactCurrent practices
Multi-step procedure1. Define the target zone
Different types of markets in Nicaragua2. Decide what a site is
Municipality or cluster of municipalities?3. Spatial stratification and selection of ‘potential sites’
Based on the ‘hard’ criteria Representing the different contexts/environments Our proposal: cattle density, poverty, market access
4. Scoring of potential sites
Based on the ‘soft’ criteria ‘Impact’ indicators and ‘ease of working’ indicators
5. Agreement on final set of sites
Start implementation of the project
Different types of marketsLaF (milk, meat & fish for the poor by the poor) strata to consider
Peri-urban (not in this case)
Rural to urban
Rural to rural
Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Different types of markets - 2Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Departments and municipalitiesDefine target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Why stratify into domains?Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
• To ensure representativeness and inclusiveness of the diverse environments
• To evaluate research processes etc. in different environments
• To facilitate lessons learning across the various VCs
• To facilitate scaling out of interventions
Spatial stratificationSpatial criteria:
Cattle density → high density areas
Poverty → high poverty areas
Market access → good vs. bad access areas
Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
LaF strata to consider:
Peri-urban
Rural to urban
Rural to rural
Cattle densitiesDefine target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Cut off value:60 head/km2
PovertyDefine target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Cut off value:50% of population
Market accessDefine target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Cut off value:4 hours
Cut off value:2 hours
Domains
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Meat Value Chain(< 4 hours travel time)
Milk Value Chain(< 2 hours travel time)
Rural to rural markets
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Meat Value Chain -
Rural to rural markets
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Milk Value Chain -
Rural to urban markets
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Meat Value Chain -
Rural to urban markets
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Milk Value Chain -
Selection criteria
• The spatial criteria ALONE don’t have a high enough resolution to select field sites completely, so we combine them with soft criteria AND ‘ground-truthing’ (with stakeholders) to come up with the final selection
• Under ‘soft’ criteria we understand:Partners – presence & capacityOn-going research activities Proximity and comparability to other long-term research sitesInstitutional actor presence & networksResource availabilityOthers?....
Define target zone Site definition Spatial stratification Scoring of potential sites
Example criteria
CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable across the developing world.
CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish
livestockfish.cgiar.org
Pre-selected sites and domains
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Meat Value Chain -
Pre-selected sites and domains
Cattle densities, poverty, market access- in that order -
- Milk Value Chain -