IFPRI: Initiative to End Hunger in Africa Workshops

IFPRI: Initiative to End Hunger in Africa Workshops

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Future Opportunities for Rural Africa Workshop

November 26-27, 2001
Hosted by IFPRI and USAID

Agenda | Presentations | Materials Distributed | Participants | Proceedings

AGENDA

Monday, November 26, 2001
9:00-10:15am	Introduction Welcome by Per Pinstrup-Andersen (IFPRI) Introduction of participants Objectives of workshop, Jeff Hill (USAID)
10:15-10:45am	Alternative futures for Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent trends Rajul Pandya-Lorch, IFPRI Discussion Guiding questions Recent trends in agricultural and economic growth, poverty, food security, demography, health, environmental conditions, etc. and prognosis for the future if business continues as usual. What kinds of scenarios are possible under reasonable assumptions about changes in public policies and investments?
10:45-11:00am	Coffee Break
11:00am -1:00pm	Managing trade and market liberalization for rural growth and poverty reduction Getting markets right in Africa: The challenge beyond reform Eleni Gabre-Madhin, IFPRI Building trade capacity: What is needed for growth of agricultural and agro-industrial exports after structural adjustment Dirk Stryker, AIRD Managing trade and market liberalization for rural growth and poverty reduction in Africa Fred Kawuma, Eastern Africa Fine Coffees Association Initiative to End Hunger in Africa: The role of and challenges for regional international trade in food and income security in Sub-Sahara Africa Howard Sigwele, FANRPAN Secretariat Discussion Guiding questions What kinds of macro and trade policies are needed to promote agricultural growth in African countries? Have structural adjustment programs created the right conditions or is something else required? What kinds of domestic market reforms are still needed? Where are the market opportunities for agricultural growth? What is the scope for growth in domestic markets? What are the promising export opportunities? Why is supply response to market incentives still weak despite despite efficiency gains from liberalization? How can Africa improve its ability to compete in foreign and domestic agricultural markets How can African farmers compete against subsidized agricultural imports from the rich countries? How can African countries add value to their agricultural output? How will trade negotiations (bilateral, regional and multinational) impact on market opportunities for Africa?
1:00-2:00pm	Lunch
2:00-3:30pm	Achieving a technological revolution to increase agricultural productivity and lower unit costs of production Technology strategies for the semiarid regions: Efficiency and welfare gains John Sanders, Purdue University Agricultural productivity growth and poverty reduction Can GM crops help the poor? Bt cotton in Makhathini Flats, KwaZulu-Natal Colin Thirtle, Imperial College, London An institutional reform strategy for agricultural research financing Derick Brinkeroff, Abt Associates Inc. Discussion Guiding Questions Given the poor and declining state of national R&D systems in Africa, what kinds of reforms and investments are needed? How should national R&D institutions adjust to a changing research environment: biotechnology, IPR, private sector, etc.? What are "best bet" technology investments for African agriculture? What is on the shelf and what needs to be developed? What are the bottlenecks to getting better technologies into farmers' fields, and how can these be overcome? How can Africa harness the communications revolution to improve the welfare of rural people?
3:30-4:00	Coffee Break
4:00-5:30pm	Building the levels of public infrastructure and human capital needed for successful rural growth Investing in institutions Ashok Gulati, IFPRI Peter Hazell, IFPRI Discussion Guiding Questions Just how daunting are the needed levels of public investment? What should be the priorities among different types of rural investment? How can public rural investments be financed, especially in regions with low population density? How can they be maintained over time? What are the best institutional mechanisms for delivering public services? What are the relevant roles of the public, private and NGO sectors? How can public agencies that supply public goods be made more efficient?
Tuesday, November 27, 2001
9:00-10:30am	Making agricultural growth more equitable Income and land distribution among smallholder farmers in Africa: Implications for poverty reduction strategies Mike Weber, Michigan State University Is there a viable future for small farms in Africa? Simeon Ehui, ILR Pathways out of poverty: Access to assets and HIV shocks Lawrence Haddad, IFPRI Discussion Guiding Questions Is there a viable future for small farms in Africa? What must be done to help small farmers succeed in increasingly competitive markets? What should be done about the many less-favored areas in Africa that suffer from poor agroclimatic conditions and/or lack of infrastructure and market access? What can be done about other disadvantaged groups (women, ethni How can the vulnerability of poor people be reduced? What kinds of safety nets are needed to manage crises and poverty in Africa? How to cope with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in rural Africa?
11:00am -12:30pm	Reversing the degradation of natural resources while also accommodating growing rural populations Strategies for sustainable agricultural development in the East African Highlands John Pender, IFPRI Natural resource degradation: Productivity and maintenance of soil resources John Sanders, Purdue University Discussion Guiding Questions Under what conditions does induced innovation ("more people, less erosion") work? What polices promote it? How can Africa tap its unexploited water resources on a sustainable and efficient basis? What policy and institutional reforms (including property rights) are needed to create better incentives for rural people to manage natural resources on a sustainable basis? How can environmental, poverty alleviation, and agricultural goals be better integrated into development strategies? How should tradeoffs be managed where they arise? How will global climate change affect rural Africa? How can African farmers mitigate and cope with these effects?
12:30 - 1:30pm	Lunch
1:30-5:30pm	How should USAID position its own investment strategy for rural Africa? Initiative to End Hunger in Africa: What we know and the road ahead (Summary of proceedings sessions) Eleni Gabre-Madhin, IFPRI USAID Initiative to End Hunger in Africa Jeff Hill, USAID Discussion Guiding Questions Reactions to the proposed strategy What knowledge gaps need to be filled in order to implement the strategy? Summary of discussion on USAID strategy Dennis Weller, USAID Chris Delgado, IFPRI Next steps Jeff Hill
5:00pm	Closing of workshop

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