Presentations made at the PSSP First Annual Conference - December 13, 14, 2012 - Planning Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan

1. The Road Ahead for PSSP
By
Steve Davies
Program Leader, PSSP

2. Cooperative Agreement
 Based on a flexible four year Pakistan
country led and country wide program,
IFPRI through the PSSP will:
◦ Better inform policy decisions by improved policy
analysis and advocacy
◦ Promote science and innovation in agriculture
◦ Build capacity, leadership and networks of select
GoP and non governmental entities
◦ Support implementation of the New Economic
Growth Framework

3. Change balance of policy research
by IFPRI and local researchers

4. Building a culture of policy research and
collaboration; a new generation of analysts
 Through incentives such as:
◦ Competitive grants; joint teaching development ;
Collaborative research
 Organizations
◦ Consortia of university/ research institutes being formed
 Electronic Delivery of Courses
◦ Design course with local and ex pat professionals
◦ Deliver and video it
◦ Play later at various universities/research institutes
◦ Include potential faculty/analysts from other universities

5. Demand-Driven, Policy Relevant Research
 Ask partner entities what is important to them
 Evaluations at annual conferences and other
events
 Use commissioned research to uncover policies
needing evidence and with opportunities for
change in the medium term
 Build advocacy/research working groups

6. Evaluating Research and Policy Influence
 Identify beneficiaries and decision makers for
relatively narrow policy issues
 Determine where information and research
enters the process and can make a difference
 Assess distribution of benefits and limits to
change
 Evaluate potential for and encourage advocacy
 Achieve policy change

7. Examples from PARC
 Benefits of Investment in Agricultural Research:
Pakistan spends least in region; must tell success
stories and impacts
 Adoption of GM Crops: Pakistan lagging in adoption
of GM crops; spending on hybrids should go to new
bio-tech products. A failure of advocacy?
 Preparedness for Climate Change: Advocacy and
analysis needed to encourage work on impacts of
climate change. Flood-resistant rice varieties; seed and
germplasm protection during flooding.

8. Training and creation of
partnerships
 Example from GIS Training
 Helena Tilahun working in Ethiopian SSP
◦ Used in public investment, regional policy making
 Matched with local trainer (Ahmed Waqas)
 Included University of Faisalabad professor
 Had trainees from regional universities and
various Federal and Provincial Agencies
 Need to create incentives, find policy issues

9. Evaluating Policies
in Agricultural Market Regulation
The Domestic Studies Program will provide
roadmaps for:
 Reforms in the Market Act 1976
 Reforms in the Seed Act 1976
 Evaluation of quality based output auctions
 Limiting government intervention in wheat
procurement
 Developing commodity specific storage
infrastructure

10. Finding Linkages Across Topics
 Organize focus on periurban dynamics?
◦ Work/capacity building in GIS;
◦ Migration analysis
◦ Nonfarm employment;
◦ Land markets;
◦ CGP and Domestic Studies program on
economic clusters, agent based models
◦ Supports Economic Growth Framework

11. Final Comments
 The PSSP is designed to be a demand driven
responsive program
 Capacity building programs -- part of a
systematic structure with local and international
input
 We are working to strengthen links with a
broad range of institutions and government
departments.