A properly written research proposal is crucial for major academic writing projects, such as research papers, journal papers, master’s theses, and dissertations. Proposals provide you with a roadmap to follow when completing your project.
What is a research proposal?
A research proposal is a document that provides a simplified and condensed summary of a planned project. It serves as a roadmap for the academic writer in terms of providing a layout for carrying out the project.It also provides a chance to let your supervisor know how you plan to conduct your research project.
A research proposal can be written for a range of academic projects including:
Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation
Research paper
Grant project
Research project
Since it is a condensed version of these projects, it usually has more or less the same sections or parts. Below we provide an example of a research proposal for a master's thesis.
Example of research proposal |
Abstract
Background: Agricultural bio-fortification programs promote the cultivation of crop varieties that are naturally fortified with micronutrients, and they are widely seen as a cost-effective method of solving the problem of micronutrient deficiency or hidden hunger in developing countries. However, the sociological (political, cultural, and economic) contexts of these programs are rarely examined.
Objectives: In this research, we propose to study the factors that affect the success of agriculture-based bio-fortification programs in The Gambia in relation to biofortified sweet potato varieties. We plan to achieve the following objectives: 1) determine the characteristics of the farmers most likely to adopt bio-fortified crops; 2) determine the policy approaches most effective in determining adoption; and 3) determine how farmers benefit economically, if at all, from these programs.
Methods: We plan to use a mixed methods approach to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. Thirty extension officers and 200 Gambian extension officers who participated in the study will be interviewed. Additionally, key individuals responsible for formulating and overseeing the policy will also be interviewed.
Expected results: We expect that the results of this research will provide useful information on 1) the farmer attitudes and 2) farmer characteristics that increase the likelihood of participating in bio-fortification programs in The Gambia. We also plan to determine 3) how these programs can be improved in terms of increased adoption rates and enhancing the economic benefits derived by farmers.
Introduction
Agriculture-based bio-fortification has been promoted as a solution to the twin problems of food insecurity and hidden hunger, which is prevalent throughout subSaharan African countries, such as Gambia (Qaim, Stein, and Meenakshi 2007; Bouis et al., 2011; Saltzman et al. 2013; Heise, 2018). Gambia within the past three years has adopted and is in the process of implementing food fortification programs for orange-fleshed sweet potato, cassava, and maize (Heise, 2018). In our research, we propose to investigate the factors that motivate Gambian farmers to adopt or participate in this strategy and how successful these strategies actually are.
In order for bio-fortification programs to be successful, proper evaluation of fruitful or even failed programs need to be carried out in order to improve or learn about what works or what is most effective. In this study, we seek to determine how factors such as age, gender, education, and income influence the propensity of farmers to adopt maize, cassava, and orange-fleshed sweet potato farming in regard to Biofortification programs. In addition, we also hope to investigate how the adoption of these bio-fortified staple crops have been incorporated in the current farming technologies and strategies of Gambian farmers and how it affects them socio-economically.
Background
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa continue to suffer from food insecurity and hidden hunger. Food insecurity stems from the inability of a country to produce enough food to satisfy local need or demand; hidden hunger refers to a situation where individuals get access to food but suffer from nutrient deficiencies because their food sources lack sufficient nutrition. Biofortification has been introduced throughout a number of African countries as a solution to these twin problems. Biofortification refers to including missing nutrients in food products to make for nutritional deficiencies that a country may suffer from. Examples of crops used for biofortification programs in sub-Saharan Africa include maize, orange-fleshed sweet potato, and corn; countries that have participated in these programs include
Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia (Asare-Marfo et al., 2013).
Literature Review
Hidden hunger refers to micronutrient deficiencies. These are nutrients that are only required in tiny amounts but which are nevertheless vital in fundamental bodily functions and the maintenance of health. Deficiencies of these nutrients leads to all sorts of health conditions, such as rickets (vitamin D deficiency), anemia (iron deficiency), and blindness (vitamin A deficiency). Micronutrient malnutrition affects two billion people worldwide and is commonly the result of low quality diets that rely too heavily on staple foods, such as rice and maize, and where consumption of foods rich in micronutrients, such as fruits and vegetables is severely restricted (Alloway, 2008; Asare-Marfo et al., 2013).
Common micronutrient deficiencies include vitamin A, vitamin B, iron, and Zn (Baine et al., 2013). These conditions primarily affect pregnant and lactating women and children. In the particular case of the Gambia, hidden hunger has been a longstanding issue (Powers & Bates, 1987). Even today, a quarter of children under five and three quarters of women of child-bearing age suffer from malnourishment and anemia (Heise, 2018). The government of Gambia recognizing the severity of problems has undertaken a number of programs to solve it.
Bio-fortification has been widely accepted as solution to hidden hunger (Paarlberg, 2012). Bio-fortification refers to the process of breeding and delivering staple food crops with higher micronutrient levels. The crops chosen for bio-fortification are often bio-fortified varieties of crops that already serve as staples in the target country (Qaim, Stein, & Meenakshi 2007; Bouis et al. 2011; Saltzman et al. 2013). Bio-fortified crops are recognized as an efficient and cost effective solution to the problem of hidden hunger, and a number of studies has demonstrated its effectiveness in that regard (Stein et al. 2007, 2008; Meenakshi et al. 2010; de Steur et al. 2012). As a result, a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have undertaken biofortification programs via agriculture; they include countries such as Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia; the target nutrients include vitamin A, iron, and zinc; and the crops targeted include sweet potato, pearl millet, cassava, beans, maize, rice, and wheat (Asare-Marfo et al., 2013).
A number of studies have shown that bio-fortification actually works in reducing micro-nutrient deficiencies (Bouis & Saltzman, 2017); however, there are relatively few studies that examine the social, cultural, political and economic characteristics that influence the success of these programs. Our study provides an opportunity to properly understand the sociological context within which these programs operate. By doing so, we hope to determine what factors in terms of policy or farmer characteristics are most likely to make biofortification programs successful and how these policies can be modified to make sure farmers benefit economically as well.
Aims and Objectives
The overreaching Aims of this research include the following:
To reduce hidden hunger in Gambia using fortified purple sweet potato variety
To help improve food security in Gambia using fortified purple sweet potato variety
Improve the economic well-being of smallholder farmers in Gambia
Our objectives used to determine the aims for this research include the following:
Determine the factors that influence the adoption of sweet potato farming in
Gambia
Determine how farmers adopt sweet potato farming into subsistence farming strategies
Determine how sweet potato farming contributes to farmers’ economic wellbeing.
Research Design and Methods
To carry out our study, we will collect data from a total of 200 Gambian farmer throughout the country who have participated in this program. The farmers will be separated into two groups: one group that participated in the sweet potato Biofortification program and one group that did not participate in the program.
The investigation will be carried out between March and November of 2020. The farmers will be interviewed and made to fill in questionnaires. Information such as demographic data about age, gender (or number of women in the household), income, etc. will be collected. In addition, we plan to collect data about such factors as the effect of government policy on and access to information on decision-making.
Our methods will seek to determine the following two hypotheses:
H1: Farmers' demographic characteristics influence their propensity to participate in the sweet potato biofortification programs
H2: Government policy influences farmers’ propensity to participate in sweet potato biofortification program
We also plan to interview key players such as policymakers, extension agents, sellers, and consumers of sweet potatoes. From interviews with these key players, we hope to determine what specific or peculiar issues and challenges they are faced with in their interaction of farmers who grow this particular variety of sweet potatoes.
After all the data has been collected, analyses will be carried out to test hypotheses and determine relationships between variables. Software such as SPSS will be used to discover significant relationships through regression analyses and other methods. However, in regards to interviews with key players, we plan to carry out a quantitative analysis of the issues that stakeholders believe are the most important.
Conclusion
Food security and hidden hunger remain crucial challenges throughout subSaharan Africa. Gambia, like many other sub-Saharan African countries before it, has recently decided to address this issue using biofortified sweet potatoes.
Our research aims to provide information on the factors most likely to cause famers to adopt sweet potato for Biofortification purposes and what policies actually work in successfully implementing these strategies. This research will contribute positively in providing a scientific basis upon which to adopt more effective strategies to solve challenges of hidden hunger and food insecurity.
References
Alloway, B. J. (Ed.). (2008). Micronutrient deficiencies in global crop production. Springer Science & Business Media.
Asare-Marfo, D., Birol, E., Gonzalez, C., Moursi, M., Perez, S., Schwarz, J., & Zeller, M. (2013). Prioritizing countries for biofortification Interventions using country-level data. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Bain, L. E., Awah, P. K., Geraldine, N., Kindong, N. P., Siga, Y., Bernard, N., & Tanjeko, A. T. (2013). Malnutrition in Sub–Saharan Africa: burden, causes and prospects. Pan African Medical Journal, 15(1).
Bouis, H. E., Hotz, C., McClafferty, B., Meenakshi, J. V., & Pfeiffer, W. H. (2011). Biofortification: a new tool to reduce micronutrient malnutrition. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 32(1_suppl1), S31-S40.
Bouis, H. E., & Saltzman, A. (2017). Improving nutrition through biofortification: a review of evidence from HarvestPlus, 2003 through 2016. Global Food Security, 12, 49-58.
De Steur, H., Gellynck, X., Blancquaert, D., Lambert, W., Van Der Straeten, D., & Qaim, M. (2012). Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of multibiofortified rice in China. New Biotechnology, 29(3), 432-442.
Heise, S. (2018). Improving Food Security and Nutrition in the Gambia through Food Fortification. FAO Newsletter, [online] (2), pp.1-4. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/ca1461en/CA1461EN.pdf [Accessed 20 Jan. 2019].
Meenakshi, J. V., Johnson, N. L., Manyong, V. M., DeGroote, H., Javelosa, J., Yanggen, D. R., ... & Meng, E. (2010). How cost-effective is biofortification in combating micronutrient malnutrition? An ex ante assessment. World Development, 38(1), 64-75.
Paarlberg, R. (2012). Impact Assessment: IFPRI 2020 conference" Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health" (Vol. 34). Intl Food Policy Res Inst.
Powers, H. J., & Bates, C. J. (1987). Micronutrient deficiencies in the aetiology of anaemia in a rural area in The Gambia. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 81(3), 421-425.
Qaim, M., Stein, A. J., & Meenakshi, J. V. (2007). Economics of biofortification. Agricultural Economics, 37, 119-133.
Saltzman, A., Birol, E., Bouis, H. E., Boy, E., De Moura, F. F., Islam, Y., & Pfeiffer, W. H. (2013). Biofortification: progress toward a more nourishing future. Global Food Security, 2(1), 9-17.
Stein, A. J., Meenakshi, J. V., Qaim, M., Nestel, P., Sachdev, H. P. S., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2005). Analyzing the Health Benefits of Biofortified Staple Crops by Means of the Disability-Adjusted Life Years Approach: A Handbook Focusing on Iron, Zinc and Vitamin A.
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, November 12). Research Proposal Example. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/research-proposal-example |
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