Policies, Institutions, and Markets: Why they matter in Africa now, & what researchers can do to help - Dr Karen Brooks, Director, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

1. Policies, Institutions, and Markets
Why they matter in Africa now, &
what researchers can do to help
Karen Brooks
Director, CGIAR Research Program on Policies,
Institutions and Markets

2. Value of Agricultural Exports and Imports,
SSA, 1970-2009
Worldbank and FAOSTAT
South Africa excluded

3. Yearly Cohorts Entering Rural and Urban Labor Markets
and Rural Population Share in SSA, 1955-2050
Losch, Fréguin-Gresh and White, 2012

4. Development of Improved Varieties Lags in Africa,
but Adoption Lags Even More
Total genetic
Estimated
Share area improvement Share area
number of
to modern contribution to to modern
Region variety
varieties, yield growth, varieties,
releases,
1998 1965-1998 2010
1965-1998
(%/year)
LAC 3146 0.51 0.66
Asia 2229 0.83 0.88
MENA 715 0.56 0.69
SS Africa 1157 0.23 0.28 0.35
All 7246 0.65 0.72
Renkow and Byerlee, 2010;
Tom Walker, Communication from author

5. Policies, Institutions, and Markets That Matter
PIM with African Partners
 Foresight to inform the African Science Agenda
 Incentive regimes friendly to production and trade
 Identifying priorities for public spending
 Facilitating wider adoption of better technologies
 Social protection for building & protecting assets of the poor
 Tools for good management of common property
 Improving governance of rural services
 Freeing up the productive potential of women
 Creating attractive opportunities for young people
 Value chains accessible to smallholders
 Working with partners and building capacity