Books & Reports

× This is a joint IFPRI-WFP study on the drivers, profile, and risks of irregular migration in the West Africa context. By taking a route-based approach to irregular migration in West Africa, the study examined migrants’ origins, their transit experience, and the situation where their journey stalls or ends.
Drawing on a mixed methods approach the study includes case studies in Mali and Libya, representing an analysis of the migration route of the Ténéré desert crossing of the south-central Sahara.
The overall analysis features the profiles of irregular migrants and the primary factors influencing their migration decisions. It also examines links between food insecurity and irregular migration to understand the risks and address the needs of this increasingly vulnerable population.

× Research since the 1990s highlights the importance of tenure rights for sustainable natural resource management, and for alleviating poverty and enhancing nutrition and food security for the 3.14 billion rural inhabitants of less-developed countries who rely on forests and agriculture for their livelihoods. The specific rights or combination of rights held by an individual, household, or community affects whether they have access to land and resources, as well as how those can be used and for how long. Equally important is the degree to which landholders perceive their tenure to be secure. Landowners are more likely to engage in land and resource conservation if they perceive that the likelihood of losing their land or resource rights is low. Between 2013 and 2021, the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) supported researchers to explore the drivers of tenure insecurity and their consequences, as well as mechanisms that can enhance tenure security. Their work focused on rights held by individuals and households, as well as collectively held rights. Studies found that tenure insecurity has a variety of negative consequences for natural resource management, agricultural productivity, and poverty reduction, but the sources of tenure insecurity differ for men and women, and for individual, household, and collective lands. Statutory recognition of customary rights, multistakeholder processes (MSPs) such as for land use planning, and organized social alliances such as Indigenous peoples’ groups have emerged as important mechanisms for securing rights or enhancing access to collectively held lands. Long-term partnerships, ongoing engagement, and training for actors at multiple scales increase the likelihood of successful implementation of tenure reforms. Further research on tenure security can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially by clarifying how customary tenure can provide security and how tenure affects decision-making in multistakeholder platforms.

× Africa, a continent of immense potential, stands at a crucial juncture. Home to some of the world’s most fertile lands, abundant resources, and a burgeoning young population, it remains paradoxically ensnared in the grip of food insecurity, malnutrition, and challenges such as climate change, post-harvest losses, and inefficient supply chains. The urgency to empower and transform African food systems is not merely an agricultural or economic imperative but a moral, social, and ecological one.
The 2023 report, “Empowering Africa Food Systems for the Future,” highlights the ways in which Africa is uniquely positioned to redefine its future and pave a sustainable and resilient path for generations to come.
In delving into the assessment of food systems failures, the report confronts some harsh truths. Despite being home to nearly 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, Africa remains a net food importer spending billions annually to meet its food demands. A large fraction of its population still grapples with chronic hunger and malnutrition. Yet, it does not stop at just assessing failures; it moves forward to take stock of the robust and diverse food systems that form the lifeblood of the continent.

× Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread in many low- and middle-income countries, but tend to be most severe in children and in pregnant women, who have higher micronutrient requirements. Micronutrient deficiencies stem from inadequate intake or absorption of vitamins and minerals which are required for normal functioning of the body; they cause specific conditions and also affect overall health, growth and development, resistance to disease, cognitive function, and energy and productivity. Common micronutrient deficiencies include those for iron, vitamin A, iodine, folate, and zinc. The most widespread micronutrient deficiency at the global level, iron deficiency causes anemia and contributes to maternal deaths and impaired child development. Vitamin A deficiency is the primary cause of preventable childhood blindness and a major contributor to child sickness and deaths from other diseases. Iodine deficiency in pregnant women can lead to lifelong neurological and cognitive issues in children. Folate deficiency during pregnancy also affects fetal development and can cause low birth weight and neural tube defects. Zinc deficiency impairs overall growth and development and is believed to be a leading contributor to overall disease burden in developing countries.

× The importance of a resilient agriculture sector in providing food security, livelihoods, and household income was highlighted in many countries by the recent pandemic, as was the capacity of the sector to cushion the negative impacts of the subsequent economic slowdown. This has been the case in Egypt, where agriculture has been resilient to the health crisis in comparison with the service and industry sectors (Breisinger et al. 2020). However, the sector’s resiliency is gradually being corroded by climate change, with lasting, harmful effects for agriculture and food systems.

× Agricultural research and development (R&D) investment is positively associated with high returns, but these returns take time—often decades—to develop. Consequently, the inherent lag from the inception of research to the adoption of new technologies calls for sustained and stable R&D funding. In 2016, Africa invested just 0.39 percent of its agricultural GDP (AgGDP) in agricultural R&D, down from 0.54 percent in 2000. Even though in absolute terms total R&D investment has increased since the turn of the millennium—after a period of stagnation—most of the funds have been directed toward research staff expansion, salary increases, and rehabilitation of derelict research infrastructure and equipment, rather than actual research programs. In fact, in a large number of African countries, the national government funds the salaries of researchers and support staff, but little else, leaving nonsalary-related expenses highly dependent on donors and other funding sources.

× Researcher–implementer partnerships are frequently mentioned as key components of agricultural research for development (AR4D) programs. However, there is little information about what these types of partnerships look like, how they perform, and what factors facilitate and/or constrain their performance. By documenting and analyzing two partnerships in detail, including their history, formation, outputs, and outcomes, this study seeks to raise awareness about and improve understanding of long-term researcher–implementer partnerships. The lessons learned from these partnerships can be used by both the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and its implementing partner organizations, as well as other research and implementing organizations interested in engaging in or supporting such partnerships for AR4D in the future.
The study was carried out through four case studies. Case 1 focused on a long-term partnership between IFPRI and Helen Keller International (HKI), documenting how it was formed, how it operated, and what outputs it produced. Case 2 looked at the evidence generated by this partnership on the effectiveness of homestead food production (HFP) programs on nutrition-related outcomes and its use by funders, implementers, and researchers. Case 3 looked at how and to what extent the approaches developed by the partnership for the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs — specifically the program impact pathway (PIP) approach — have influenced the broader field of program evaluation. Case 4 examined a partnership between IFPRI and the World Food Programme (WFP), documenting how it was formed, how it operated, and what outputs it has produced to date. The four case studies were completed through a series of in-depth interviews (IDIs) with key informants from a number of research, implementer, and funder organizations. Data from the IDIs were complemented by document and literature reviews.

× Meat, Milk & More: Policy Innovations to Shepherd Inclusive and Sustainable Livestock Systems in Africa highlights options for sustainably promoting growth in the livestock sector, drawing from what four African countries—Ethiopia, Mali, South Africa, and Uganda—have done successfully in terms of institutional and policy innovation as well as programmatic interventions. By adapting these lessons to countries’ specific contexts and scaling them up across the continent, African governments can meet their national and international commitments to agricultural growth and transformation.

× Co-chair organizations of the Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa (IFNA), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Eastern African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) jointly held the IFNA Virtual Regional Meeting on 12 August, 2020. The objectives of the meeting were to familiarize the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and nonIFNA participating countries with IFNA, including approaches, achievements to date, and IFNA’s 3-year strategic direction; therefore, laying the foundation for future collaboration between IFNA, RECs, and their Member States in nutrition improvement initiatives. A total of 71 people participated in the meeting. The meeting program is attached as Appendix 1.

× This paper examines the economic and food security implications of climate change in Africa with a focus on population and income growth, agricultural livelihoods and food security, and the role of gender and youth. Food security impacts include climate change risks to food production and agricultural value chains in Africa. The paper then identifies key entry points to address climate change and socioeconomic challenges, including the role of investment in agricultural research, irrigation investment, climate-smart agriculture, the role of ICT, trade as a buffer to climate change, crop insurance, as well as safety nets for the poorest and most vulnerable.

× Africa’s digital transformation is underway, creating opportunities for the continent to leverage the potential benefits of digitalization for agriculture, particularly smallholder farmers. This report looks at seven African countries on the forefront of progress in digitalization of the agriculture sector, analyzing the role of institutional and policy innovations as well as private sector actions that increase farmers’ access to information, services, and markets using digital tools. Numerous examples shed light on what works and what does not. The case study analysis—covering Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal—supports recommendations for public and private sector innovations to foster digitalization for growth and competitiveness in Africa’s agricultural value chains.

× Since 2006, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has provided policy research and capacity strengthening support to guide the planning and implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Endorsed in 2003 by African heads of state and government, CAADP is a continentwide framework for accelerating growth and progress toward poverty reduction and food and nutrition security through an agriculture-led growth strategy. IFPRI expert support for CAADP includes three main program areas: the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), the African Growth and Development Policy (AGRODEP) Modeling Consortium, and the Malabo Montpellier Panel (MaMo Panel).

× Depuis 2006, l’Institut international de recherche sur les politiques alimentaires (IFPRI) soutient la recherche et participe au renforcement des capacités dans le cadre de la planification et de la mise en oeuvre du Programme détaillé de développement de l’agriculture en Afrique (PDDAA). Le PDDAA a été approuvé en 2003 par les chefs d’État et de gouvernement africains désireux de créer un cadre continental d’accélération de la croissance et des progrès en matière de réduction de la pauvreté et d’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle grâce à une sratégie de croissance axée sur le développemen de l’agriculture. L’IFPRI met son expertise au service du PDDAA à travers trois principaux programmes : le Système régional d’analyse stratégique et de gestion des connaissances (ReSAKSS) ; le Consortium Modélisation des politiques pour la croissance et le développement en Afrique (AGRODEP) ; et le Panel Malabo Montpellier (Panel MaMo).

× "Energized: Policy innovations to power the transformation of Africa’s agriculture and food system" – new report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel highlights the promising energy-related strategies, policies and technologies emerging across Africa's agricultural value chain. The report identifies both successes and challenges in improving the rural poor’s access to energy as part of a broader agriculture sector transformation. Drawing on the government actions of six African countries that were identified as leaders within this space, it also makes recommendations for policy and program interventions that can be replicated across the continent to accelerate this progress.

× The report Transforming Agriculture in Africa and Asia: What Are the Policy Priorities? showed that successful agricultural transformation has depended on interacting agricultural policies as well as the broader economic policy environment. A key finding was that agricultural transformation succeeded when governments removed the policies and addressed the market failures that disadvantaged the agricultural sector relative to the rest of the economy. We referred to this relative disadvantage as the anti-agricultural bias. To explain how these policies interact and which policies affect different aspects of the overall economy, we developed a policy taxonomy, with a focus on those that affect prices
in agricultural markets (see A Policy Taxonomy for Agricultural Transformation). The policy taxonomy came from an inventory of policies collected from over 250 articles and is derived from the policy framework used in Transforming Agriculture in Africa and Asia: What Are the Policy Priorities?

× The global burden of malnutrition is unacceptably high. Animal-source foods are important components of diverse diets and provide high-quality proteins and other essential nutrients that promote optimal growth and development. The global demand for animal-source foods is projected to increase substantially, particularly in many low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs). However, cost is a significant barrier to access and meeting this growing demand through livestock production will be highly resource intensive. As such, sustainable, high-quality alternatives to protein from livestock have the potential for significant transformative impact for both people and the planet. Through a process known as fermentation-based cellular agriculture, animal proteins found in milk and eggs can be produced without animals. According to this method, a gene encoded with an animal protein is introduced into a starter culture of microflora (e.g., fungi or yeast). This culture is grown in controlled fermentation tanks, where it expresses the desired protein. Finally, the protein is separated from the microflora, generally producing a purified protein powder. These resulting “cultured” proteins are designed to be identical to the corresponding animal-source proteins produced through traditional livestock farming and can be used as ingredients in existing or new food products. Although there are many potential sustainability and nutritionrelated benefits of these innovations, they also face several challenges to commercialization and market uptake. This report assesses the current policy and regulatory environment for cultured proteins and their potential applicability in LMIC settings. Specifically, this report focuses on geographies where cultured proteins may be produced, procured, and/or consumed: the United States, the European Union, and two select LMICs (Ethiopia and India).

× This baseline report is part of a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to evaluate the Feed the Future Egypt, Food-Security and Agribusiness Support (FAS) and the Improving Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Services (IMCHN) projects. The evaluations of FAS and IMCHN are conducted in two main phases: (1) the baseline study, and (2) the evaluation study. This report presents the results of the baseline study. For the baseline study, IFPRI in collaboration with El-Zanaty and Associates conducted a household listing survey from March 29th to April 2nd, 2018 followed by a farm household baseline survey from April 9th to May 8th, 2018 in six Upper Egypt governorates (Assiut, Beni Suef, Luxor, Menya, Qena, and Sohag). A total of 40 enumerators, 10 technicians (for the collection of anthropometry data within the Farm Household Survey) and 10 supervisors were involved in the data collection. Data for both surveys was collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) technology. This baseline report summarizes the findings of both surveys. The results of the listing survey analysis serve to inform USAID about farm households’ project participation and treatment by FAS and IMCHN, in addition to establishing the sampling frame for the baseline study. The results of the farm household baseline survey analysis determine the baseline indicator values against which FAS and IMCHN will be evaluated in Phase 2. In addition, the analysis of the farm household baseline survey provides new evidence that can help to improve policy and program design and implementation to better leveraging agriculture-health-nutrition linkages in Upper Egypt.

× The agriculture sector is key for economic and social development, but the sector’s potential has not received enough attention from policy makers and stakeholders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Political transitions, instability, and the resulting refugee crisis have shifted focus away from other pressing development challenges, including slow progress in economic diversification, high unemployment, and persistent high food insecurity and rural poverty. Despite its small contribution to GDP, agriculture is strategic for sustainable development in the MENA countries. Agriculture, for example, is central to achieve food and water security in a region characterized as one of the most food insecure and water scarce in the world. The sector’s role in employment is also central, given the region’s high structural unemployment. However, it will not be possible for MENA countries to develop agriculture without a pathway to structural economic transformation. The region has already started the process of transformation but longstanding challenges remain. This report aims to examine the drivers, constraints, and social implications of agricultural development in MENA and to explore possible cornerstones for new and sustainable development strategies in the context of economic transformation. More specifically, the report provides answers to the following questions:

• What development strategies and policies did governments in MENA put in place over the past three decades and how did they affect the performance of agriculture?
• How did the structural characteristics of the MENA countries affect agricultural development and the economic transformation process in the region?
• What did we learn from the past performance of agriculture? What should be the central elements guiding future agricultural policies?
• What are elements of a new and sustainable development strategy in MENA countries?
• What is the role of agriculture and agro-industries for development in MENA?

× This is the final report for an evaluation of the use of one of the flagship programs of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI). In addition to identifying who has used ASTI and how, this report aims to go a step further and examine outcomes. An outcome may be defined as “a change in knowledge, skills, attitudes and/or relationships, manifest as a change in behavior, to which research outputs and related activities have contributed” (CGIAR MEL CoP 2018). In the CGIAR Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) context, the outcomes are usually changes in policies, programs, or investments. The recognition or use of outputs by partners in decision making or capacity strengthening can also be considered as an early, less mature, outcome. We first review previous reports that evaluated ASTI work. Then we describe the methods used for this study to develop an evidence base for ASTI outcomes. We summarize results from stakeholder surveys, citation searches, and downloads. Next, we present results from the survey of authors who have cited ASTI work.

× Cost studies were conducted in conjunction with the impact evaluations of these two PM2A (Preventing Malnutrition in Children under 2 Approach) programs to provide information on the total cost of the programs and estimate the cost of alternative versions of the programs. Providing cost-related information along with the benefits of alternative program versions can be useful for informing future programming activities. It is important to note that the cost analysis took into account the full scope of each program and not just the program costs related to the communities where the impact evaluations were conducted.

× Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) are integral parts of project management and play a crucial role in assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of investments in research and development interventions. Inadequate planning and capacity for timely collection, analysis, and dissemination of data are among the challenges usually faced during the M&E of programs, outputs, and outcomes. This document provides a guideline on M&E data requirements for Africa RISING (hereon after AR) to ease some of these challenges. The successful implementation of the guidelines herein requires a strong collaboration and follow up by the M&E team, AR researchers, chief scientists, and program managers as summarized in Table 1 below. The rest of the guide is organized as follows. Section 1 outlines data needs regarding different types of program beneficiaries and sustainable intensification (SI) innovations. Section 2 discusses Feed the Future indicators data requirements. Notes about the indicators of SI developed by Michigan State University researchers as part of the SI Indicators Framework (SIIF) are in Section 3. Section 4 discusses some guidelines for agronomic and socioeconomic data collection.

× This report assesses trends in investments and human resource capacity in agricultural R&D in WANA, focusing on developments during 2009–2012. The analysis is based on information from a set of country factsheets prepared by the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) program of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), using comprehensive datasets derived from primary surveys targeting over 300 agencies in 11 countries during 2013–2014. Accounting for about two-thirds of the region’s total agricultural gross domestic product (AgGDP), the 11 sample countries do not provide a complete overview of agricultural R&D expenditures and staffing in the region as a whole. Yet, these countries are representative of the region’s diversity in terms of income level, country size, and agroclimatic characteristics.

× This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) baseline survey results, summarizing both findings from the WEAI survey and the relationships between the WEAI and various outcomes of interest to the US Government’s Feed the Future initiative. These poverty, health, and nutrition outcomes include both factors that might affect empowerment and outcomes that might result from empowerment. The analysis includes thirteen countries from five regions and compares their baseline survey scores. WEAI scores range from a high of 0.98 in Cambodia to a low of 0.66 in Bangladesh.

× This Food Policy Report explains why there is a need to place even higher priority on food security-related policies and programs in conflict-prone countries, and offers insights for policymakers regarding how to do so. To understand the relationship between conflict and food security, this report builds a new conceptual framework of food security and applies it to four case studies on Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It argues that food security-related policies and programs build resilience to conflict insofar as they are expected not only to help countries and people cope with and recover from conflict but also to contribute to preventing conflicts and support economic development more broadly: by helping countries and people become even better off.

× With support from the Government of Spain, and in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) evaluated four pilot projects to assess the comparative performance of cash transfers, food payments, and vouchers on household food security and other outcomes of interest to WFP. The studies in Ecuador, Uganda, Niger, and Yemen were carried out over the period 2010–2012.

× This report is the final impact evaluation of the World Food Programme’s Cash and Food transfer program in Yemen. The program operated in Hajjah and Ibb governorates within the larger Emergency Safety Net (ESN), which provides assistance to qualifying households in rural Yemen. The report details the relative effectiveness of each modality at alleviating food security among the targeted population.

× his report aims to inform and stimulate the debate on key policy priorities for poverty reduction and food security in light of the Arab Awakening. Its findings are based on an innovative combination of datasets and rigorous economic analysis. Results suggest that poverty and income inequality in the Arab world are likely higher than official numbers have long suggested. Given that poverty indicators seem to be misleading for many countries in the region, the report introduces a new welfare measure reflecting food insecurity risks at both national and household levels to classify Arab countries into five risk groups. Regression analyses further show that, unlike in the rest of the world, manufacturing- and service sector–led growth, rather than agriculture-led growth, is most pro-poor in Arab countries. In addition, high levels of public spending in the Arab world do not do as much to stimulate growth as in other world regions, particularly in the case of education.

× his report aims to inform and stimulate the debate on key policy priorities for poverty reduction and food security in light of the Arab Awakening. Its findings are based on an innovative combination of datasets and rigorous economic analysis. Results suggest that poverty and income inequality in the Arab world are likely higher than official numbers have long suggested. Given that poverty indicators seem to be misleading for many countries in the region, the report introduces a new welfare measure reflecting food insecurity risks at both national and household levels to classify Arab countries into five risk groups. Regression analyses further show that, unlike in the rest of the world, manufacturing- and service sector–led growth, rather than agriculture-led growth, is most pro-poor in Arab countries. In addition, high levels of public spending in the Arab world do not do as much to stimulate growth as in other world regions, particularly in the case of education.

× The first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in 2010 catalyzed a plan to transform agricultural research and development (R&D) around the world. The resulting GCARD Roadmap states that such transformation can only be achieved by greatly increasing institutional, human, and financial resources; moreover, it recommends a regularized process of monitoring these resources on behalf of all stakeholders (CGIAR and GFAR 2011). The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators initiative (ASTI), facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), is the only international initiative dedicated to fulfilling this need. ASTI, with contributions from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS), has prepared this global assessment of agricultural R&D spending as an input into GCARD 2012. The findings are of particular value because they incorporate new primary data for 2000–2008.

× This report examines the impact of trade liberalization on non-oil-exporting countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with particular emphasis on its impact on the poor. First the report describes the basic characteristics related to agriculture, trade, and poverty for eight MENA countries and reviews previous studies examining the impact of trade liberalization on these countries. The eight are the developing countries in the MENA region that are not major oil exporters: Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and the West Bank and Gaza.1 Second, the report uses household survey data and computable general equilibrium models to simulate the effect of trade liberalization on low-income households in four of these countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and Morocco.

× "This report assesses the impact of IFPRI's Global Research Program on The Sustainable Development of Less-Favored Areas ("GRP-5"). Initiated in 1998, the stated objectives of the research program were (a) to provide empirical evidence on appropriate development strategies and public investments for improving the well-being of individuals living in less-favored areas (LFAs); and (b) to assess the appropriate targeting of various public investments to favored versus less-favored areas. The program's research activities generally were confined to addressing the first of these objectives. The GRP-5 research was primarily undertaken in Ethiopia, Honduras, and Uganda, using quantitative livelihoods and bio-economic modeling approaches to studying constraints and opportunities for poor households in less-favored areas (LFAs). In the first section of the report, we place this research program in the context of the body of work conducted within the CGIAR that has investigated the appropriate allocation of various public investments between favored and less-favored agroecological zones. The second section of the report provides a brief overview of the program's research activities within each of the three countries of emphasis, along with the various research outputs. These research activities extended work on resource degradation and land management that IFPRI had been involved in prior to the initiation of GRP-5. Major workshops held in each country were the principal venues for dissemination of the research findings. A primary goal of these workshops was to influence individuals in positions of authority to act upon those findings, either in terms of instituting formal policies or programs, or fostering follow-up research more directly geared to implementation. The workshops were, however, by no means the only outputs from the program. Besides the workshop papers a wide range of publications was generated by the program including dissemination briefs, research reports, papers in journals (including special editions containing a series of papers generated by the project and related research), and a book published in 2006 entitled Strategies for Sustainable Land Management in the East African Highlands (Pender, Place, and Ehui 2006a). The third section of the report briefly reviews the extent to which the GRP-5 research program achieved its stated objectives. In Honduras, the operational approach concentrated exclusively on LFAs and was therefore incapable of addressing the basic issue of the appropriate allocation of resources and development effort between favored and less-favored areas. The research in both Uganda and Ethiopia did include areas of both high and low agricultural potential, and produced some results comparing the impacts of similar interventions in different agroecological domains; but the primary emphasis remained on LFAs. In part, this was no doubt related to financial constraints limiting the geographic extent of the projects' fieldwork. But additionally, it may well reflect the practical difficulties of reconciling research themes of general interest within the CGIAR and the broader donor community (i.e., geographic allocation of research and investment funds) with exigencies of engaging local policymakers whose interest lay in understanding the opportunities and constraints conditioning the appropriate development strategies for different types of less-favored lands. The report's fourth section discusses the study team's findings, based on field visits to Ethiopia, Honduras, and Uganda, regarding perceptions of the influence and impact of the GRP-5 research activities. There was general agreement that IFPRI's approach to the research was rigorous, well-conceived and well-executed, and that the information generated is highly useful as a description of the realities of agricultural households in LFAs. IFPRI researchers were uniformly praised for the care with which data collection efforts were undertaken and the rigor with which those data were analyzed. The training aspect of the research was generally acknowledged by those involved in the programs. This included both the formal graduate training and interaction with students and faculty staff at local academic institutions. Finally, there was widespread sentiment that the research had succeeded in drawing attention to, and contributing to policy debates surrounding, poverty issues in LFAs. IFPRI's research is widely held to have established important baseline information for use in monitoring changes that may occur if and when policy initiatives are undertaken in the future. Some shortcomings were identified as well. Concerns about analytical methods were expressed by some (primarily non-economists). Others indicated that there was insufficient follow-up for the wider policy community or the general public after the high-profile summary workshops that presented the research findings, and that the academic nature of the research outputs was not directly relevant to policymakers. Finally, significant concern was expressed about substantial lags—upwards of three years—between the time the research was completed and the time the main research reports were published. The final sections of the report discuss tangible indications of impact on policy in the countries of emphasis. The GRP-5 work's primary contribution was as a benchmark. There is a widespread sentiment among those with experience of the GRP-5 research program in the participating countries that it generated a useful and much-needed description of the socioeconomic conditions within which poor households operate in less-advantaged regions. This information has been of value in subsequent follow-on research in terms of problem definition, research focus, and (in some cases) site selection. It has also been useful in the design and implementation of some rural development projects as well. There was considerable variation in the extent to which the research program had a direct impact on policy or related programs. In the case of Uganda, the preliminary findings of IFPRI's research were, at least for a time, fairly closely linked to the government's agricultural priority-setting process. In the case of Ethiopia, in the early years of the research work there was a close relationship between the research team, a local university and the regional Bureau of Agriculture. As a result, research findings did inform state level policies and programs. But, as these relationships weakened over time, and particularly once the research work was completed, this influence waned. In Honduras, the high degree of collaboration between IFPRI researchers and their PRONADERS partners appeared to have set the stage for translating research results seamlessly into government policy. Unfortunately, the change in government midway through the data collection phase of the project altered the situation irrevocably. A number of factors are identified as contributing to the difficulty of translating the research findings into actionable policies and policy outcomes. First, there are several different audiences for research of the sort reviewed here, including the broader research and donor communities, the in-country policy community, and field practitioners. The information demands for each group are by no means the same, and in some cases there may in fact be little overlap. Second, the intellectual culture at IFPRI favoring academic research suitable for publication in scholarly journals can limit the relevance of the research to policy makers (and also to field practitioners). Third, limited on-site representation significantly restricts IFPRI's ability to influence policy debates.In summary, the assessment team was left with the conclusion that the sort of research conducted under GRP-5 has significant potential usefulness to other follow-on research, as well as for the design of projects aimed at improving the well-being of smallholders in LFAs. But, it is far more difficult to see clear links to policymakers who approach their jobs with their own particular agendas. This in no way diminishes the value of the research per se, but it certainly calls into question its sustained influence on the policymaking process." -- from Author's Abstract

× "Agricultural research has greatly increased the yields of important staple food crops, and for many people this has meant more food availability and trade opportunities. Yet many people in rural areas in developing countries still live in abject poverty. Therefore, policymakers, donors, and researchers are refocusing their priorities away from simply producing more food to making sure that agricultural research benefits the poor in particular. How can we ensure that new agricultural technologies are appropriate for the different groups of people who most need assistance? Furthermore, how can we assess whether these new technologies actually reduce poverty? This report provides valuable answers by synthesizing lessons learned from seven case studies from around the developing world. The studies show that measures of the direct impacts of new technologies on incomes and yields do not tell the whole story. Both economic and noneconomic factors (such as sources of vulnerability, gender roles, and the source of the disseminated technology) play an extremely important role in determining whether the poor adopt or benefit from a technology.... In addition, social, cultural, and economic factors all influence whether the poor receive direct and indirect benefits from new technologies. Therefore, it is crucial that impact assessments include a mix of disciplines and methods, and that researchers do not only focus on poverty-reducing impacts that are easy to measure. For the future, scientists and other decision makers designing new research programs need to understand all the social factors that will affect the uptake and impacts of technologies. They also need to understand poor people’s strategies for managing risk and the importance and role of agriculture in their livelihood strategies." Authors' Preface

× Egypt's food subsidy system has been a mainstay of the government's long-term policy of promoting social equity and political stability. It has also been a major component of the social safety net for the poor, guaranteeing the availability of affordable staples, helping to reduce infant mortality and malnutrition, and mitigating the adverse effects of recent economic reform and structural adjustment.The cost of the system has declined considerably from 14 percent of government expenditures in 1980/81 to 5.6 percent in 1996/97. The absolute cost, however, remains high: In 1996/97,the total cost was 3.74 billion Egyptian pounds (LE)or about US$1.1 billion.The government and various stakeholders agree that the system's costs can be further reduced and its efficiency improved with better targeting to the needy. The Egyptian Food Subsidy System: Structure, Performance, and Options for Reform evaluates the economic, political, and technical feasibility of reducing costs while improving or maintaining the welfare of the poor.The report addresses five questions: (1)How well does the present system target the poor? (2)How much leakage "of the pilferage of subsidized foods in the distribution channel”occurs? (3)At what cost does the government transfer income to the needy? (4)How can subsidies be better targeted to the needy?and (5)What are politically feasible options for reform?

× Many developing countries are in transition from a state-dominated to a more market-oriented economy. Because agriculture is of primary importance in most developing countries,the state is usually heavily involved in both input and output markets and in controlling prices and trade. However, concerns that market liberalization will result in higher consumer food prices and hurt the poor means that many countries, such as Egypt, have, at best, undertaken only partial agricultural sector reforms. It has been argued that such concerns are unwarranted and that further market liberalization is not only needed, but achievable without increasing impoverishment. IFPRI Research Report 115 sheds light on these critical issues through an analysis of wheat policy reform in Egypt.

× En este informe sobre política alimentaria se sintetizan las investigaciones en curso sobre la función que de sempeña la mujer para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria en el mundo en desarrollo. Se presentan pruebas del papel de la mujer como productora de alimentos, proveedora de alimentos a la familia y contribuyente a la seguridad nutricional de ésta. Con eso se ofrece una prueba concreta de que la reducción de las diferencias porra zones de sexo mediante el aumento del capital físico y humano de la mujer fomenta el crecimiento agrícola, el aumento de los ingresos de la mujer y una mayor seguridad alimentaria y nutricional para todos.

× This report, brings together the latest evidence on the key roles that women play in ensuring food security and examines ways to strengthen the three pillars of food security through policies and programs that enhance women's abilities and resources to fulfill their roles.

× Despite their importance, there has been little analysis and even less agreement about the effects of international remittances on the economies of labor-exporting countries. Do households with migrant workers squander the money earned abroad on newly desired consumer goods? Are remittances largely earned by the sons of already well-to-do households? Do remittances increase the degree of income inequality between richer and poorer rural households? In this report, the author examines these issues from the standpoint of a small area of rural Egypt. Adams uses income data from households with and without migrants to determine the effects of remittances on poverty, income distribution, and rural development. The study is based on a survey of 1,000 households conducted in 1 986/87 in three villages in Minya Governorate, a province about 250 kilometers south of Cairo. In a second round of the survey, 150 selected households were interviewed about their spending behavior. Although the research is based on rural Egypt, its findings are relevant for policymakers in other labor-exporting countries.