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Project Specialist - Interview Exercise: Context

This document provides context and instructions for an interview exercise to analyze agricultural trial data. A fungicide trial was conducted with 100 farmers testing yields of beans with and without fungicide. The raw data is provided to calculate the average change in profit for farmers switching from the control to treatment method. The deliverables are to write a 1-2 page memo presenting the background, trial setup, results, and a recommendation on scaling the technology. Accompanying excel calculations must also be submitted.

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Muma Emmanuel
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86 views1 page

Project Specialist - Interview Exercise: Context

This document provides context and instructions for an interview exercise to analyze agricultural trial data. A fungicide trial was conducted with 100 farmers testing yields of beans with and without fungicide. The raw data is provided to calculate the average change in profit for farmers switching from the control to treatment method. The deliverables are to write a 1-2 page memo presenting the background, trial setup, results, and a recommendation on scaling the technology. Accompanying excel calculations must also be submitted.

Uploaded by

Muma Emmanuel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Project Specialist - Interview Exercise

Farmers First

This interview exercise is designed to allow us to get a better understanding of the type of work you produce. You
can consult outside resources, but the work should be your own. You will have 5 hours to complete this exercise.

Context

One Acre Fund is continually researching and testing new agricultural technologies to help our farmers get higher
yields. Suppose we have conducted a trial to determine the effect of using a fungicide to prevent bean disease and
thereby increase yields. The basic trial design was as follows:

 Sample size is 100 farmers, each of which plants a 1-acre plot using the control method and a 1 acre plot
using the treatment method, side by side.
 Control method: KK8 bean variety (applied at 32kgs/acre), DAP planting fertilizer (applied at 50kgs/acre)
 Treatment method: KK8 bean variety (applied at 32kgs/acre), DAP planting fertilizer (applied at
50kgs/acre), fungicide (applied at 125ml/acre)

The attached Excel sheet contains the raw data from this trial. Note that the bean yields in this database are given
in kgs harvested per acre planted. Suppose that KK8 bean seed costs 30 ZMW per kg, DAP planting fertilizer costs
10 ZMW per kg, and Ortiva fungicide costs 2 ZMW per ml. Suppose also that farmers choose to sell all of their bean
harvests at the market and can sell for a price of 12 ZMW per kg. Assume all labor and other costs are equal across
the treatment and control plots.

Exercise

Suppose we want to use the trial results to calculate the average change in profit that we would expect a farmer to
see if she switched from the control method to the treatment method for planting beans. Use the raw data and the
price information provided to perform this analysis.

Deliverables

1. Write a 1-2 page memo that presents the data and key findings from the trial, in particular the change in
profit for the farmer, and makes a recommendation for next steps. Try to be concise while still providing
relevant detail, and organize the memo in a logical way that helps make your case. The memo should
include these major sections: 1) Background and Context, 2) Trial Setup, 3) Trial Results, and 4)
Recommendations – should we scale this technology and why or why not?
2. Submit the excel data calculations you’ve done - be careful and clear when labeling the data, demonstrate
that you’ve used excel formulas in deriving your calculations, and use tables or graphs where possible.

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