Link To IFC Home Page
Link To IFC Mission
Link To IFC People
Link To IFC Services
Link To IFC Projects
Link To IFC Partners
Link To IFC Contact Us




Natural Resource Development and Health in the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia

Project Dates: 1996-2000
Project Collaborators: World Health Organization.

The purpose of this project was to study the benefits and costs of microdam development projects in Tigray. Dam projects bring a source of fuelwood and irrigation to households, but the standing water has led to fear that these projects might increase water borne disease. Disease reduces household productivity by increasing time spent caring for the sick or time spent not working. A household econometric model is used to evaluate the benefits and costs of these dams, using data from a 1998 sample of 26 villages and 800 households. The results will be useful in the future targeting of development projects designed to increase productivity but that could have spillover effects on disease in developing countries.

Technology Adoption by Small Rural Households

Project Dates: ongoing
Project Collaborators: World Health Organization and others

A series of projects have examined the incentives for households to adopt improved technologies for both agriculture and home fuel use. The importance of external markets for home products and health to this adoption has also been examined. An important aspect of adoption behavior we study is the sequential nature of adoption, where households adopt technologies in related pieces,gathering information prior to adoption of a full technology package. The results will be useful in the future targeting of means to reduce fuel use from primary and public forests. Adoption has been studied in Pakistan, Nepal, and Ethiopia.

Fuelwood Collection Patterns in Orissa India and Tigray Ethiopia - welfare impacts

Project Dates: 2001-2002
Project Collaborators: University of Goteborg, Sweden

The purpose of this project is to consider the welfare impacts of location in fuel collection, factoring in the amount of time households spend traveling to various fuel collection sites. The choice of site will be modeled, as well as the time spent foraging and traveling. A welfare analysis will be performed to assess the benefits of policies aimed at improving access to fuelwood.