Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Overcoming Policy Constraints to Achieve National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans Shenggen Fan Director General | International Food Policy Research Institute Agriculture Policy Exchange and Learning Event Dakar, Senegal | May 16, 2013

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013  African economies and agriculture are rapidly being transformed, but progress is uneven  Weak policymaking and research capacities, and poor data are key constraints  Strengthening capacities is essential for meeting agricultural investment targets Key messages

Rapid transformation of economies and agriculture, but progress is uneven

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Rapid economic growth Real GDP per capita, SSAForeign direct investment net inflows, SSA Average annual real GDP/capita growth, SSA, (%) Source: ERS, USDA 2012 Source: World Bank 2013 Large opportunities also from Agriculture Natural resources Urbanization… Source: ERS, USDA 2012

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Accelerating agricultural growth Average annual agricultural growth, SSA Value of agriculture and food exports, developing Africa Source: UNCTAD 2013 Source: World Bank 2013 New initiatives for agricultural transformation e.g. Agricultural Transformation Agency in Ethiopia; Agricultural transformation agenda in Nigeria

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 BUT poverty and undernutrition remain high Source: Ravallion (2013) Number and prevalence of poverty, SSA Number and prevalence of undernourishment in SSA Source: FAOSTAT 2013 Prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, Africa Vitamin A-deficiency Over 30% of preschool age children Anemia 60% of pregnant women Source: HarvestPlus 2011

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May % CAADP investment target remains largely unmet Average annual agriculture expenditure share in total spending, (%) Only 8 countries have met CAADP 10% investment target 26 countries have signed investment plans Source: Benin (IFPRI) 2013

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Agricultural R&D spending is volatile Agricultural R&D spending volatility, Source: Beintema et al. 2012

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013  Dominance of ideology over evidence in policymaking  Emphasis on short-term agric. investments (e.g. subsidies) over long-term investments (e.g. R&D)  Limited cooperation among countries in e.g. Agricultural research and technology development Infrastructure development Trade policy  Limited network of researchers, policy analysts, and policymakers AND many barriers to overall progress remain (policy related)

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Weak policymaking and research capacities, and poor data are key constraints

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Policymaking capacities remain weak  Weak capacity in policymaking and strategy formulation  Weak capacity in setting investment priorities and designing investment plans  Inadequate support for research for improved policymaking  Underinvestment in monitoring and evaluation Evidence-based policymaking is critical

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013  Lack of critical mass of well-qualified researchers  Long-term public sector recruitment restrictions Senior research staff retirement without clear line of succession  Low salaries and conditions of service in public agricultural R&D institutes High staff turn over and “brain drain”  Limited in-country post-graduate training opportunities  Low levels of female participation in research Research capacity challenges are high

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Large variation in food policy research capacity Full-time equivalent analysts/researchers with PhD equivalent per million rural population, 2011 Source: Babu and Dorosh (IFPRI) 2013 Publications per full-time equivalent analysts/researchers with PhD equivalent,

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Reliable and timely data is limited  Lack of investments in physical and statistical infrastructure including ICTs and national and sub-national offices  Limited incentives to build up human resource capacity for data collection and analysis  Dearth of data to understand changing agricultural environment  Inadequate feedback from data users

Strengthening capacities is essential for meeting agric. investment targets

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May Strengthen research and policymaking capacities  Improve capacities for strategy formulation, policy design, and implementation  Create incentives and opportunities to attract and retain best talents e.g. on-the-job training, merit-based promotion  Increase support for policy research  Invest in monitoring and evaluation systems  Foster partnerships between national agric. research systems and int’l ones, incl. CGIAR

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 IFPRI: Strengthening policymaking capacities Africa Wide (ReSAKSS) Support for CAADP  Provide analysis, data, and tools for evidence-based decision making  Improve awareness of role or agriculture  Fill knowledge gaps  Promote dialogue  Facilitate benchmarking and review processes

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Country Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) nodes Objective: strengthen national capacity for policy analysis, dialogue and review Country SAKSS nodes to be established include: Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Niger, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013  Promote access to and use of state-of-the art modeling tools  Facilitate access to data, improve data quality, bridge data gaps  Support collaboration among leading African scientists  Build dynamic research community that can respond to needs of CAADP’s agenda IFPRI: Strengthening policymaking capacities (AGRODEP) Key components: Shared modeling infrastructure, common database platform, network of experts, community of practitioners

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 Ethiopia Strategy Support Program Research: e.g. agricultural growth options and prioritization of public investment; determinants of food price shocks Capacity strengthening: e.g. economic modeling tools training such as GIS, CGE, micro-econometrics Ghana Strategy Support Program Research: e.g. options for enhancing rural and urban linkages; analysis of fertilizer marketing and pricing Capacity strengthening: survey and data management technical assistance to Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture Nigeria Strategy Support Program Research: e.g. drivers of public investments; improvements in commodity value chains; Capacity strengthening: e.g. research-cum-training and training courses IFPRI: Supporting development of country strategies

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May Accelerate investment in national statistical systems Increase investments in statistical and physical infrastructure incl. ICTs, statistical software, and national and regional offices Increase knowledge and learning on the changing landscape of agriculture Expand and strengthen statistical training at high-school and university levels Promote transparent codes of conduct on data collection and analysis Beef up public knowledge and awareness campaigns on the benefits of evidence-based decision-making

Click to edit Master title style Shenggen Fan, May 2013 In conclusion Evidence-based policymaking and strong national capacities are crucial for achieving food and nutrition security