Impacts of anticipatory cash to small-holder farmers and livestock owners in Northeast Nigeria

With funding from Google.org, the IRC is working with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Center for Disaster Protection to pilot and evaluate the use of early warning systems &anticipatory cash as a method to protect agro-pastoral livelihoods that are threatened by an increasing occurrence of severe flooding in the Northeastern state of Adamawa, Nigeria. Our central hypothesis is that when climate-vulnerable communities have timely access to information and the financial and social resources to act upon that information, they will avoid negative coping strategies and build more diversified and climate resilient livelihoods.

The increasing frequency and severity of sudden and slow onset climatic shocks devastate communities – destroying infrastructure and production, weakening markets and access to basic services, and forcing large scale displacement of populations, compounding vulnerabilities and worsening humanitarian crises. This innovative pilot presents a solution to the lack of effective systems that resource-constrained communities experience. First, by disseminating real-time information about climate risks and their severity. Second, by distributing cash assistance at critical and pivotal moments before communities face disaster.

Our impact evaluation will compare the effect of pre-shock cash transfers (treatment group) to post-shock cash transfers (business-as-usual control group) on economic well-being, food security, and engagement in climate resilient activities. A total of 1,450 households will receive cash transfers, with even split between the treatment and control group.

Results from the impact evaluation are due in early 2023.