Researchers to help governments ensure that agricultural development improves people’s lives, thanks to new award

Project focuses on finding ways to assess the impact of different agricultural development projects in sub-Saharan Africa - <em>News</em>

By Laura Gallagher
Monday 8 November 2010

Researchers exploring the most effective ways in which governments and donors can support agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa have been awarded a £2.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The three-year award has been made to the Agriculture for Impact team in the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, whose work is focused on finding methods for assessing the impact of different agricultural development projects on the lives of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Agriculture is vital to food security in the region and it is also important for countries’ economies, playing a key role in reducing poverty. Agricultural growth directly stimulates overall national economic growth, on average accounting for 32% of GDP growth in sub-Saharan African countries.

The UK, France and the European commission lead the world in contributing to agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. However, researchers believe that European support for agricultural development could have more impact on the ground, especially with smallholder farmers, if there were better coordination and targeting of activities. The new grant will allow the Imperial researchers to deliver evidence-based policy advice to government decision makers in Europe, so that governments can make sure that they are putting the resources available for agricultural development to the best possible use.

Professor Sir Gordon Conway , leader of the Agriculture for Impact team from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London said: “We know that countries in sub-Saharan African can achieve much through agricultural development and it’s vital that European countries continue to provide support for this. In a time when resources are being squeezed across the world, it’s more important than ever to make sure that all the support that countries provide is making a visible difference.

“My team are working to provide the evidence that policy makers need, so that they can make informed decisions about how best, when and where to intervene in agricultural development. Ultimately, our goal is to make sure that all investments in agricultural development are tangibly improving the lives of the people living and working in sub-Saharan Africa,” he added.

European support for agricultural development could help smallholder farmers

Europe is an important partner in sub-Saharan Africa because of its long-established and extensive knowledge and experience of agricultural development in the area. This in depth expertise is crucial given the scale and variety of climate, soils, terrain, structural features, size and agricultural potential among sub-Saharan Africa countries.

The initial funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allowed the Imperial team to create a detailed review of European donor support for agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa and to understand who the largest contributors to Agricultural development support were and in which category their support was made.

The new award allows the team to continue to proactively engage with policy officials in the UK, France and the European Commission. The team recently launched the Montpellier Panel Report, chaired by Sir Gordon Conway and a team of experts from Europe and Africa, featuring recommendations and discussions on key agricultural topics that may help direct more effective investment. In addition, the researchers hope to collate a series of case studies focused on scaling up successes in agricultural development. A second edition of Sir Gordon Conway’s 1999 book ‘The Doubly Green Revolution’ is also expected to be published in 2012.

This grant is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Agricultural Development initiative, which is working with a wide range of partners to provide millions of small farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families. The foundation is working to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain—from seeds and soil to farm management and market access—so that progress against hunger and poverty is sustainable over the long term.

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