agricultural research for rural prosperity: rethinking the pathways - tom tomich & preet lidder

Tom Tomich & Preet Lidder, ISPC

Agricultural research for rural prosperity: Rethinking the pathways

Agricultural research for rural prosperity: Rethinking the pathways www.scienceforum2016.org

12-14 April 2016, Addis Ababa

Steering Committee: Maggie Gill, ISPC Chair; Bruce Campbell,

CCAFS; Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University; Anil Gupta, Honey Bee

Network; Rashid Hassan, University of Pretoria; Victor Konde, UNECA;

Rajul Pandya-Lorch, IFPRI; Tom Tomich, ISPC; Preet Lidder, ISPC

ILRI, EIAR

~200 participants

Early Career Scientists - 24 selected from 79 applications

Knowledge Share Fair at ILRI campus (host to a dozen research

groups and partners)

Evaluation request sent out subsequent to the Forum - 31% of the

participants responded


Breakout sessions

Linkages between staple crops research and poverty outcomes

(Graham Thiele, RTB)

Nutrient-dense climate-resilient future crops (Shoba Sivasankar, Dryland

Cereals, Grain Legumes)

Animal agri-food systems research for poverty reduction (Tom

Randolph, Livestock & Fish)

Contribution of research on agricultural policies, institutions, and

markets to poverty reduction (Karen Brooks, PIM)

Africa (ISPC)

Asia (Mahendra Dev, IGDRI)

Climate change (Bruce Campbell, CCAFS)

Understanding impact delivery from agricultural research (ISPC)


To rethink the pathways for agricultural research

to stimulate inclusive development of rural

economies in an era of climate change.

The Forum

will marshal evidence and build on lessons learned

to date, to suggest an updated list of priority

research areas and approaches which involve more

strategic and inclusive engagement with partners.


PATHWAYS

PARTNERSHIPS PRIORITIES

RURAL

PROSPERITY


ISPC (2012). Strategic overview of CGIAR Research programs

Part I. Theories of Change and Impact Pathways

Impact pathways – Build on logic models by

giving more detail on the contribution of

each activity on its path to impact. Impact

pathways unpack the links between

outcome and impact. Impact pathways are

commonly presented graphically


MULTIPLE INTERACTING PATHWAYS

•innovations can increase smallholder productivity, raising their incomes in cash and

kind; innovations can also reduce risk of losses.

•improved marketing and policies that enhance competition and rural access to

markets can lower prices farmers pay for inputs and raise prices for goods they sell,

raising incentives for investment and production as well as smallholder profits.

•improved marketing and policies, combined with appropriate innovations and

information, also can expand and diversify smallholders’ production options, including

horticulture and livestock.

•broad-based agricultural productivity growth also can impact rural non-farm

economic opportunities (multiplier effects), in part by expanding labor demand both on-

and off-farm and, thereby, influencing rural employment and wages.


MULTIPLE INTERACTING PATHWAYS

• technological, institutional, and policy innovations can improve natural

resource management and environmental health as well as strengthen capacities to

cope with risks.

• complementary policy reforms and institutional innovations to improve access to key

public goods can help diversify income and employment opportunities.

• Investments in people and institutions can empower the rural poor and improve their

livelihoods through greater access to information and strengthened organizational

capacities.

• food policy, combined with increases in food output, can decrease prices consumers

pay for basic staples or create safety nets for the poor as well as increasing access to

more nutritious foods in both rural and urban areas.


A. Incremental

adaptor

B. Transformational adaptor

Credit: Mark Howden (ppt at SF16)


A range of conceptual boundaries is needed to

accommodate the full range of key pathways; e.g.

agricultural production, and household livelihoods, value

chains, food system, non-farm economy, rural-urban

interface, economic system.

Partnerships X pathways: contextual questions; pathways

and partnerships need to be considered jointly.

Implications for priority setting: need for context-specific

priorities; but how broad can the context be?


FOLLOW-UP TO SF16

2016-2017


INVITATION

Submit ideas for workshop topics and/or papers

for consideration to [email protected] by 15

June 2016

(must be original research; rigorous review process will be

conducted)

mailto:[email protected]

agricultural research for rural prosperity: rethinking the pathways - tom tomich & preet lidder

Science