IFPRI Forum

March 2006

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To have a direct impact on poverty and food security in selected countries, IFPRI has launched several country and regional support programs (CRSPs) since 2004. CRSPs are intensive and sustained programs of research and capacity building undertaken within an individual country or region in close collaboration with local researchers and policymakers. Through CRSPs, IFPRI can have a direct impact on poverty reduction and food security in some countries while also generating broader lessons from the case study results. CRSPs are currently underway in Central America, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, and Eastern and Central Africa, with an additional program in Nigeria to be launched this year.

The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is a major policy initiative affecting Central America, a region that faces worsening rural income distribution trends and growing environmental degradation. In 2006, IFPRI's regional program in Central America will facilitate a series of events related to identifying policy options for helping poor and small-scale farmers benefit from CAFTA. Activities will include topical virtual meetings through the Global Development Learning Network.

The China program seeks to provide support in the design and implementation of the country's recently adopted rural development strategy. In 2006, it will host two important events: an international conference on poverty alleviation in May and the third conference of "The Dragon and the Elephant," a comparative study of China and India, in July. The program's current portfolio includes two projects in western China dealing with development strategy, resource conservation, macroeconomic policies, income inequality, and famine and malnutrition.

The Ethiopia Strategy Support Program, now in its second year, will launch major research projects in four areas in 2006: the role of information and communications technologies, safety nets and food security, innovation systems, and the development of the Ethiopian commodity exchange. It will also hold several policy-focused events in late April to disseminate research findings. Its Rural Economy Knowledge Support System, which contains the largest database on rural economy parameters in the country, will continue to be built up.

The Eastern and Central Africa Programme for Agricultural Policy Analysis (ECAPAPA) and IFPRI are responding to the development challenge in Eastern and Central Africa with a regional research program. In 2006, it will focus on policy communication and preliminary analysis of the impact of WTO negotiations on regional trade and income.

The Ghana and Uganda Strategy Support Programs, both launched in 2005, will carry out their consultations with their national advisory committees to identify priority research areas. Two new program coordinators, to be based in Accra and Kampala, respectively, will join the teams.

Finally, the Agriculture Policy Support Facility is IFPRI's country program in Nigeria. It will be launched this year to support Nigeria's capacity for policymaking in agriculture and rural development in the context of the country's implementation of its National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

For more information, contact Shenggen Fan, Director, Development, Strategy, and Governance Division (s.fan@cgiar.org).