Modelling Farm-household Livelihoods in Developing Economies: Insights from three country case studies using LSMS-ISA data

This report presents the FSSIM-Dev (Farming System Simulator for Developing Countries) model, which is one of the decision-making tools developed by the JRC to provide independent evidence-based policy analysis in the areas of food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to stimulate dialogue between scientists and policymakers, and to challenge them in better addressing the question of the ‘last mile’ between research results and concrete decision-making. FSSIM-Dev is a farm household model used to ex ante assess the impacts of agri-food policies and technological innovations on food security and rural poverty alleviation, in the specific context of low-income/developing countries. It aims to inform policymakers on how changes in prices, technology, food and agricultural policies might affect the viability, poverty and food security of heterogeneous sets of farm households that characterize the agricultural sector, which types of farm households will be most affected, where these most-affected farms are located, etc. The report provides a detailed description of the FSSIM-Dev model in terms of design, mathematical structure, data preparation, calibration process, and modelling of household (market) decisions. The rationale, theoretical background, technical specification and main indicators that can be generated from this model are also presented and discussed. The report also presents a comprehensive summary of results from the application of FSSIM-Dev to three countries: Ethiopia, Niger and Tanzania. Data from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS–ISA) ( ), which provide a national representative survey of the rural population with a focus on the farming sector, were used in these three country case studies.