Increasing productivity and resilience Messages and project examples

Recommendation 1: Key points  Strengthen long term productivity, sustainability and resilience support technological innovation for developing countries – focusing on smallholders, women, addressing climate change improve infrastructure and institutions – support agricultural productivity growth support national food security strategies – country owned provide the enabling environment to increase private investment

Pilot projects  Concrete examples of initiatives that need to be taken by all stakeholders to bring about the transformation the agricultural sectors – resilience to shocks  The areas and examples are chosen to illustrate the different dimensions of the problem - more tangible expression to the recommendations  Approaches: some innovative; others need to be scaled up require public and private investment

Enabling environment: National Development strategies  Overall development strategies will underpin agricultural growth coherent policy framework sound macroeconomic and structural policies investment in health and education good governance - promote private investment

Enabling environment: Food security strategies and agricultural development  National food security strategies all inclusive, country owned and evidence based – support the capacity of rural poor to engage  Policy monitoring and evaluation assess performance relative to objectives  Infrastructure – production (upstream) and value chain (downstream) need for investment in public goods, roads, ports, power, storage, irrigation systems and ICT – promote public private partnerships

Specific initiatives: Institutions for improved market access  Modern markets have higher requirements – exclude smallholders Market information systems – location of markets, prices, attributes Assist in meeting stringent standards, SPS – build capacity Improve access to credit and financial markets – risk management Support professional and inclusive farmers’ organizations

Specific initiatives: Productivity  Agricultural R&D becomes increasingly private - technologies being developed for larger, commercial farms Enhance availability of affordable existing technologies to increase yields Intensify extension and advisory services to smallholders and in particular women farmers to adopt technologies Support new research addressing specific needs in developing countries – climate change, water scarcity and soil problems

Specific initiatives: Increasing yields  Rice, maize, wheat improved varieties resistant to drought, heat, diseases, specific soil problems; improved production techniques  Roots and tubers and bananas improved varieties; low-cost kits for detection of major pathogens  Livestock New varieties addressing specific forage niches; improved feed use

Specific initiatives: Climate change mitigation  Research to contribute to reduction of emissions - crop management alternate wetting and drying techniques in rice changes in timing of nitrogenous fertilizer applications conservation agriculture

Specific initiatives: Extension and education  Improved investments on agricultural education – producers and managers strengthen educational institutions – eg Farmer Field Schools to address context-specific challenges and build capacity to adopt technical innovations provide the enabling environment to increase provision of advice from the private sector – strengthen the link with farmers organizations