Skip to content
  • KIT
  • Sustainable Economic Development

Sustainable Economic Development

Articles overview

  • Financial Inclusion for Strengthening Climate Resilience

    • Institute
    • Publication

    In collaboration with Tecnológico de Monterrey, KIT Institute is implementing a project funded by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, entitled “Financial Inclusion for Strengthening Climate Resilience: Exploring Adaptation Strategies and Supply Chain Impacts on Latin American Coffee Farmers.” As part of this project, KIT Institute conducted a comprehensive literature review to examine existing adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture, with a particular […]

    Read more : Financial Inclusion for Strengthening Climate Resilience

  • Learning Brief: Lessons from implementing the Cocoa Household Income Study (CHIS) for living income measurement

    • Institute
    • Publication

    The Cocoa Household Income Study (CHIS) is a sector-wide initiative providing a harmonised methodology for monitoring and assessing living income in the cocoa sector. Published in 2024, the CHIS Methodology offers guidance for collecting representative and comparable household income data across all cocoa-producing households. Since its publication, the CHIS approach has been adopted across the […]

    Read more : Learning Brief: Lessons from implementing the Cocoa Household Income Study (CHIS) for living income measurement

  • Endline Evaluation

    • Institute
    • Publication

    This endline evaluation assesses the two-year impact of the EnRoute programme, a partnership between ETG–Beyond Beans Foundation, Oxfam Novib, and KIT Institute. The programme set out to test practical, scalable approaches to closing the living income (LI) gap and reducing child labour (CL) among 599 farming households.  The programme tested three intervention models among cocoa-farming […]

    Read more : Endline Evaluation

  • Alternative Income Generation

    • Institute
    • Publication

    As the majority of cocoa producers in West Africa continue to earn far below a living income, the concept of living income has become central to discussions on sustainable cocoa. While efforts have traditionally focused on increasing cocoa productivity, there is growing recognition that income diversification is essential to reduce vulnerability to price volatility and […]

    Read more : Alternative Income Generation

  • What is the development impact of vertical coordination in agricultural value chains in LMICs?

    • Institute
    • Publication

    This literature review examines how vertical coordination—tighter corporate control across agricultural value chains—affects development outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.  Having reviewed 19 academic studies on evidence-based outcomes of vertical coordination, the focus of the analysis is on three main impact areas: (1) local economic development, (2) local job creation, and (3) the inclusion of […]

    Read more : What is the development impact of vertical coordination in agricultural value chains in LMICs?

  • EmpowHER

    • Institute
    • Project

    Through tailored training and support, this programme aims to equip VSLAs to meet the criteria for formal financial institution approval, enabling farming households to access essential savings and loan services that could drive income growth and economic resilience.

    Read more : EmpowHER

  • Business-to-Business (B2B) Organisational and Marketing Innovations in Nigerian Horticulture

    • Institute
    • Publication

    The HortiNigeria programme, implemented by IFDC in partnership with Wageningen Research, East-West Seed International and KIT Institute, is strengthening Nigeria’s horticulture sector across the entire value chain—from production to marketing. This new learning brief explores how local actors drive innovation within Business-to-Business (B2B) linkages in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo states. Using Actor-Network Theory, it […]

    Read more : Business-to-Business (B2B) Organisational and Marketing Innovations in Nigerian Horticulture

  • Understanding the Income-Child Labour Nexus in Agricultural Commodity Sectors

    • Institute
    • Project

    Child labour remains widespread in agricultural commodities. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where much of the world’s cocoa, coffee and cashew is produced, the number of children in child labour rose from 70 million in 2016 to 87 million in 2024. At the same time, cocoa, coffee and cashew farming families from West and East Africa earn […]

    Read more : Understanding the Income-Child Labour Nexus in Agricultural Commodity Sectors

  • Addressing child labour risks and living income gaps in global value chains

    • Institute
    • Publication

    This policy brief provides practical guidance for companies in the cocoa, coffee and cashew sectors, and beyond, on how to reduce child labour and close living income gaps in their supply chains.

    Read more : Addressing child labour risks and living income gaps in global value chains

  • Addressing the income – child labour – gender nexus

    • Institute
    • Publication

    Child labour is a persistent global problem which adversely affects children’s physical and mental well-being. The problem is especially prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa: recent estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2024a) reveal an increase in child labourers from 70 million in 2016 to 87 million in 2024. Many of these children work on smallholder […]

    Read more : Addressing the income – child labour – gender nexus

  • A Comparative Review of Living Wage and Living Income Benchmarking Approaches

    • Institute
    • Publication

    This paper offers a systematic review of leading living wage (LW) and living income (LI) benchmarking methodologies to help users select the most appropriate approach for their specific context and purpose. Drawing on criteria developed by the Living Income Community of Practice—such as data quality, local adaptability, and stakeholder ownership—the review highlights the strengths and […]

    Read more : A Comparative Review of Living Wage and Living Income Benchmarking Approaches

  • Living Income Benchmark for the Eastern Province and Living Income Reference Price for the cocoa sector in Sierra Leone (2024)

    • Institute
    • Publication

    This study, commissioned by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as part of its effort to support the cocoa sector in Sierra Leone, compute two important  indicators: the Living Income Benchmark (LIB) for the cocoa-growing areas located in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone and the Living Income Reference Price (LIRP) for the cocoa sector.  To bridge […]

    Read more : Living Income Benchmark for the Eastern Province and Living Income Reference Price for the cocoa sector in Sierra Leone (2024)