Bamboo transportation in Shangzhu
village, Jiangxi Province
Source: Nico HeerinkIFPRI's China program provides support in the design and implementation of the country’s new rural development strategy that was recently adopted. As the role of government shifts from direct to indirect interventions and from investment and enterprise planning to policy planning, Chinese policymakers will increasingly need sound information generated from policy research to support effective rural development strategies. Together with its partners, IFPRI will contribute to this process by providing science-based solutions and advice for reducing rural poverty and tackling China’s emerging problems.
The program focuses on the following three pillars:
- Strategic policy research
- Capacity-strengthening
- Policy communication
Program Objectives
- Provide information to assist in the design of new strategies to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable rural development in western China
- Suggest research-based policy solutions for emerging growth and transition problems in food and agriculture
- Build and maintain strong collaborative ties between IFPRI researchers and Chinese research institutions and individuals
- Establish a policy dialogue with main government bodies and use appropriate communication channels for making joint research results available to a broad audience
- Learn lessons for other developing countries from China’s successful experiences in rural growth and poverty reduction and its transition from a plan economy to a largely market-driven economy
The program gives particular attention on the western provinces. The region has benefited the least from the past economic reforms and accounts for more than 60 percent of the total number of poor people in China.
Managed by IFPRI’s Development Strategy and Governance (DSG) Division, the program is conducted by internationally and locally recruited staff. The team works closely with the newly established International Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (ICARD), a joint initiative of IFPRI and CAAS.
IFPRI's recently expanded Beijing office is housed within the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and is responsible for coordinating research and outreach activities in China, while working closely with the research teams associated with the different projects at IFPRI’s headquarters in Washington, DC.