Reduce Rural Poverty

Lesotho`s Child Grant Programme: 24-month impact report on productive activities and labour allocation - Lesotho country case study report

Published:
Reports: Case Study Report

This report uses data from a twenty-four-month randomized experimental design impact evaluation to analyse the impact of the Lesotho Child Grant Programme (CGP) on individual and household economic decision-making including labour supply, the accumulation of productive assets and other productive activities. The general framework for empirical analysis is based on a comparison of programme beneficiaries with a group of controls interviewed before the programme began and again two years later, using both single and double difference estimators. The findings reveal mixed impacts of the CGP across a broad spectrum of livelihood indicators. While no effects have been detected on agricultural assets, such as tools and livestock, the programme is associated with higher use of inputs, especially pesticides that prevented major crop losses after a severe armyworm outbreak. The CGP contributed to increase production, both for the home garden and for main staple crops, including maize. The programme did not impact labour participation, apart from reducing the intensity of adult participation in paid occasional and irregular work. Finally, the CGP had a significant impact in strengthening the informal risk-sharing arrangements in the community, particularly around food.