Tashkent, Uzbekistan April 4th, 2006

1. The scope for food and
agriculture policy research in
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Joachim von Braun
Director General
International Food Policy Research Institute
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
April 4th, 2006

2. Overview of the presentation
1. The Problems and Opportunities of Food and
Agriculture Policy in Central Asia and the
Caucasus
2. Food and Agriculture Policy Research:
Potential Contributions in Central Asia and
the Caucasus
3. Some Priorities for the Next Years

3. Interlinked Challenges for Policy Attention
1. Lack of market and technology driven growth
2. Slow development of the rural non farm sector
linked to agriculture
3. Management of natural resources
4. Institutional and capacity constraints in food
system and agriculture
5. Food and nutrition problems of the poor persist

4. Challenge 1:
Lack of market and technology driven growth
• Countries had adopted food self sufficiency as
strategy to achieve food security
• Focus on comparative advantage and high value
agriculture an option
• Connecting farmers to processors to retailers
needs information, cooperation, and organization
• Opportunities for regional cooperation in CA and C
not yet sufficiently used

6. Challenge 2: Slow development of the rural non farm
sector that is linked to agriculture
• Develop rural infrastructure ( but of which kind
and where?)
• Promote legal and regulatory environment,
• Provide training in relevant technical,
entrepreneurial and management skills for
modernizing the rural economy (incl. on
devolution of government to local levels);

7. Example of IFPRI research:
Regional income multipliers from agricultural growth
• Asia: 1.6 – 1.9 (i.e. each additional $1 of income
generated in agriculture leads to another $ .6 to .9 of
income in the local RNFE)
• Africa: 1.3 - 1.5
• Latin America: 1.4 – 1.6
And in CAC?

8. Challenge 3:
Management of Natural Resources
• Faulty irrigation patterns and maintenance
• Food production increase mainly through land
area increase
• Leaching of fertilizers into the soil

9. Challenge 4:
Institutional and Capacity Strengthening
• Flexible decision making needed for a modern
agriculture (over regulation?)
• Land reform not adequately accompanied by
other market reforms
• Often little transparency and accountability in
food and agriculture systems organizations
• The small garden and household plot based
agriculture not well serviced

10. 5. Under-nutrition in Central Asia and the
Caucasus
Proportion of undernourished population, 2000-02 vs. 1993-95
Uzbekistan + 18%
Turkmenistan -4%
Tajikistan + 40 %
Kyrgyztan - 15 % 2000-2002
Kazakhstan
1993-1995
Georgia -12 %
Azerbaijan - 19 %
Armenia - 18 %
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Source: FAO 2004

11. Overview of the presentation
1. The Problems and Opportunities of Food and
Agriculture Policy in Central Asia and the
Caucasus
2. Food and Agriculture Policy Research:
Potential Contributions in Central Asia and
the Caucasus
3. Some Priorities for the Next Years

12. Food and Agriculture Policy Research: Potential
Contributions in Central Asia and the Caucasus
1. Development strategy and agriculture
2. Natural resources policy (water, soils, bio-
diversity)
3. Market and trade policy and regional
cooperation
4. Consumer safety and nutrition policy

13. Need for a strategy
Beyond agriculture; must connect to the whole economy and
interests of society
Strategy for society and the economy
Strategy for the food and agriculture system
Strategy for the agriculture research system
Strategy for the organizations of agric. research

14. 2. Development Strategies and the Role of Food
and Agriculture
FROM 1. Growth linkages between agriculture
Growth Linkages and rest of the economy
2. Political economy of food policy
3. Public investment
4. Governance and devolution
TO
Economy-wide
Policy Analysis

15. 2. Research on Natural Resources Policy
FROM
1. Prospects for less favored lands
Land and Water
2. Long term implications of environmental
problems for food security
3. Lack of tenure over property and poverty
4. Institutional reforms for water allocation
TO
Institutional
Innovations for NR-
policy

16. 3. Research on Markets and Trade Policy
FROM 1. Agricultural price policy in the context of
technological and institutional changes
International 2. Exports of non traditional products
Commodities and
3. Regional trade agreements
Trade Policy
TO
Analyses of
Domestic and
Regional Markets

17. 4. Assuring Food-Safety and Food Security
FROM 1. Food –safety regulation for healthy food
systems
Subsidies
2. Indirect policies to improve food security:
Insuring the income of the poor, protecting
assets
3. Innovative approaches to social protection:
conditional cash transfer programs
TO
Safety Nets and
Insurance

18. Overview of the presentation
1. The Problems and Opportunities of Food and
Agriculture Policy in Central Asia and the
Caucasus
2. Food and Agriculture Policy Research:
Potential Contributions in Central Asia and
the Caucasus
3. Some Priorities for the Next Years

19. Priorities ? Must be few
1. Regional cooperation in food and agriculture
(markets, water, science, etc.)
2. Exploring the high value agriculture opportunities in
(small) farm and processing sectors (incl. livestock)
3. Structural issues: the property rights reforms
4. Genetic resources policies and bio-safety / bio-tech
5. Policy research capacity in CAC: Strengthening
organizations of research, and teaching / training in
agriculture and food system
Must be an outcome of open dialogue among the
partners in the region