MOTIVATION
Although priorities for agricultural research and development (R&D) in eastern and central Africa have existed for decades, they remain largely unrealized. Within the region, agricultural productivity is low, poverty is pervasive, and food and nutrition security are precarious. In collaboration with the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and other partners, IFPRI aims to spur agricultural growth in the region by increasing productivity and competitiveness. Before putting together a portfolio of networks, programs, and projects to support that objective, researchers held extensive consultations in ten countries to identify their focal agriculture commodity subsectors in ten countries.
OUTCOMES
- In a project report called Strategic Priorities for Agricultural Development and Agricultural Research-for-Development in Eastern and Central Africa, researchers offered recommendations for agricultural development and research-for-development priorities. These include fostering productivity growth, strengthening markets, improving linkages between agricultural and nonagricultural sectors in rural areas, promoting regional cooperation, and undertaking targeted investments in agricultural R&D.
- The analysis yielded findings directly relevant to policymakers. First, to achieve the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates required to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015, the agriculture sector growth rate needs to increase threefold. Second, agriculture subsectors serving domestic and regional—rather than overseas— markets have the greatest potential for agriculture-led growth and poverty reduction. Third, based on high national and regional demand for staple crops, research on these crops should be a top priority so that their production and sale can be leveraged to lead millions of eastern and central Africans out of poverty.
