May 17, 2023

Climate Change and Poverty Working Paper

• Climate and Environmental Protection
• Report

Building on previous RTAC research, this working paper analyzes the impacts of climate change on future levels of poverty across various income scenarios and thresholds. Utilizing the International Futures (IFs) model, this paper draws on representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios that model alternative patterns of temperature change at a national level using established damage functions operationalized within the International Futures (IFs) tool. Based on findings, an RCP6.0 scenario projects that by 2100, more than 31 percent of the world population will be living in extreme poverty due to climate change, another 28 percent are projected to be living in poverty, and another 22 percent in moderate poverty....read more

May 17, 2023

Update on Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Brief

This brief and methodological note have updated the previous analysis of the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the future of food security. To determine updated impacts, the most recent insights on COVID-19, specifically the effects the pandemic has had on economic growth and recovery, were used to quantify development progress on food security to 2040 in three scenarios...read more

December 15, 2022

Climate-Related Migration Foresight: Migration Modeling and Climate Game Changers

• Climate and Environmental Protection
• Brief, Report

By Brooke Jardine – NORC at the University of Chicago for USAID Research Technical Assistance Center (RTAC) The Research and Technical Assistance Center (RTAC) partnered with the USAID Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning (PPL) to gather evidence on climate-related migration globally. Two reports were developed to address different aspects of this issue. One report analyzes the current state of climate migration models today while the second report discusses key climate-related “game changers” that are likely to have a significant impact on future migration patterns worldwide. Each report is accompanied by a brief which summarizes the key findings and ideas....read more

August 30, 2022

The Time is Now: Preserving the Ecosystems, Fisheries, and Cultural Heritage of the Amazonian Rivers

• Climate and Environmental Protection
• Factsheet

The Amazon Rainforest is an essential global resource, but existing dams harm river ecosystems, threaten the wellbeing of indigenous people and local communities and endanger the cultural heritage of Brazilian riverine communities. This fact sheet outlines steps that global and national partners can take to preserve Amazonian rivers....read more

August 30, 2022

GridWatch: A Low-Cost Approach to Measuring the Reliability of Power Systems

• Economic Growth and Trade
• Factsheet

Across sub-Saharan Africa, more than half a billion people cannot access electricity, while millions more live with unreliable and intermittent sources of power. Data on power quality at the customer level are limited or nonexistent in these contexts. In response to this challenge, nLine has developed GridWatch, an innovative, low-cost way to measure grid performance and provide estimates of key performance indicators for grid reliability....read more

August 30, 2022

Cooling from the Sun: Innovations for Effective Post-Harvest Cold Storage in Rural Areas of India

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Brief

Expanding access to cold storage for rural farmers reduces food waste, supports food security, and increases farmers’ income. Innovations that use solar energy and low-cost materials, such as the Farm SunFridge (FSF) model, increase access to refrigerated cold storage for rural farmers who lack reliable electricity. To make certain this innovation reaches rural farmers, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), and farming communities who can benefit from it, officials from government agencies must ensure that grants and loans for solar-powered cold storage using the FSF model are accessible through subsidies and funds that support agricultural development....read more

August 30, 2022

The Agricultural and Economic Advantage of Biopesticides: Increasing Rice Yields and Smallholder Farmer Equity in Mali

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Brief

Rice production is a key revenue generator for Mali, yet technology for biological control of rice pathogens is lacking. Since domestic production of biopesticides can generate economic savings and increased revenue, this policy brief provides recommended actions to be considered as part of a multi-prong approach to the scaleup of biopesticide use....read more

May 16, 2022

Evidence Gap Map to Assess the Effectiveness of Development Research

• Public Policy/Strategic Management, Research Translation
• Brief

The Research and Technical Assistance Center (RTAC) partnered with USAID’s Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub Research Division (ITR/R) to develop an Evidence Gap Map (EGM) to assess the effectiveness of development research in low and middle-income countries. Three evidence briefs summarize key learnings from the Evidence Gap Map and highlight recommendations for future ITR/R programming. The briefs are organized into the following themes: effective partnership approaches in international research capacity building for research translation, and research financing. The Pulte Institute for Global Development’s Evidence and Learning Division at Notre Dame has published further context on its website....read more

May 11, 2022

Toxic Arsenic in Drinking Water

• Climate and Environmental Protection, Global Health
• Factsheet

The fact sheet “Millions of People in India Consume Toxic Arsenic in Drinking Water” provides an a practical, sustainable, and profitable way to reduce arsenic in drinking water.  The fact sheet highlights ECAR technology, developed by Dr. Ashok Gadgil and a team of scientists in 2006, is a sustainable development solution that generates profitable local business while addressing inequities in access to drinking water....read more