The African Growth and Development Policy Modeling Consortium is an initiative aimed at positioning African experts to take a leading role in the study of strategic development questions and the broader agricultural growth and policy debate facing African countries. AGRODEP seeks to build a dynamic research community that can respond to the emerging and long-term needs of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program’s (CAADP) growth and poverty reduction agenda. They are currently looking for qualified economists from Africa who are interested in becoming members of the African Growth and Development (AGRODEP) Modeling Consortium.
The Consortium is an initiative led by IFPRI in collaboration with African institutions including ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD, and FANRPAN.
Membership in AGRODEP is free and provides great benefits to its members including access to and training on state of the art economic modeling tools, better access to data for research and policy analysis, collaboration with leading African scientists and their peers outside Africa, and eligibility to apply for research grants.
Members will be selected following a competitive process based on their experience and academic background and training. In order to be eligible for AGRODEP membership, applicants must currently live in Africa and have obtained a Ph.D. within the last 10 years, be a Ph.D. candidate, or have a Masters degree with technical skills and experience in Economics, or in related field.
The application deadline is 2012, March 15.
For more information, please visit the AGRODEP website: www.agrodep.org.
In order to strengthen capacities as well as better utilize research, GSSP is initiating a scholarship program for supporting Master’s level thesis research. In addition to offering students resources and collaboration opportunities to build their research capabilities, the program aims to enhance the relevance of this body of research to improving the effectiveness of agricultural and rural development strategies in Ghana.
The support will be restricted to research in social sciences on topics directly related to agricultural and rural development. The scholarship will consist of a sustenance grant of $4,000 dollars ($1,000 per month) to complete the thesis. The scholarship announcement can be found here for further details regarding eligibility, the selection process for proposals, and logistics. We will post additional information on the scholarships on this blog as it becomes available.
Tentative deadlines are as follows:
- Proposals Due: August 15, 2012
- Conference: September (tentatively set for the first week in September)
- Scholarships Announced: September 30, 2012
GSSP organized a seminar today to share the findings from a recent study examining aflatoxins and quality institutions in the groundnut value chain. Aflatoxin is a toxic, carcinogenic by-product of fungi that colonizes maize and groundnuts, among other crops. More than 4.5 billion people in developing countries may be chronically exposed to aflatoxin in their diets. A team led by Shashi Kolavalli and Wojciech Florkowski conducted a survey last year of all economic agents in the groundnut value chain in order to examine production and post harvest practices that contribute to it. They also analyzed samples of raw and processed nuts in order to look at the levels of aflatoxin contamination of groundnut and its products in Ghana.
A few key findings from the analysis included:
- New crop groundnuts have acceptable levels of contamination, but the previous year’s crop, as expected, has unacceptable levels
- Very high levels were found in rejected kernels – however, these rejected kernels don’t leave the food chain and are instead often sold to dawadawa makers and other processors
- Roasted groundnuts, which may often be made from new crops, showed acceptable levels of contamination
- Informal products diluted with other materials also seem to have acceptable levels, but informal products that contain only groundnuts have unacceptable levels of contamination
- Formally manufactured products still have high levels of contamination
Regarding quality institutions, it was found that nearly all traders and vendors have criteria by which they assess the quality of groundnuts they buy, including discoloration, mold, and kernel size, but the rejected kernels, which are potentially more contaminated, still don't leave the human food chain and are simply used for other products. Although consumer education and regulation were suggested as potential strategies for reducing the quantities of aflatoxins consumed, it may be that preventative measures, such as improving cultivation practices, storage facilities, and grading and sorting procedures, may be more effective in reducing aflatoxin contamination in the groundnut chain. For more details, the presentation from today's seminar can be found here, and the final report will be shared on this blog shortly.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Borlaug Fellowship Program promotes food security and economic growth by increasing scientific knowledge, advancing the transfer of new agricultural technology, and encouraging collaborative research to improve agricultural productivity. It offers training and collaborative opportunities to agricultural scientists, faculty and policymakers. Each Fellow works one-on-one with a U.S. mentor who coordinates the Fellow’s training. After completing the U.S.-based portion of the fellowship, the mentor visits the Fellow’s home institution to continue collaboration.
They are currently accepting applications for 2012 Fellowships in Ghana. The targeted research topics vary by country and can be found HERE on their website along with the application and additional program information. In addition to their traditional program, they are also recruiting for Fellows under a special initiative, The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases to Combat Climate Change.
The application deadline for the 2012 Borlaug Fellowship Program for Ghana is February 7, 2012. Please visit their website for more information.
April 1-4, 2012 at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
The “African Local Summit” secretariat calls government agencies, civil society, private entities, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, media, traditional and community leaders, artisans and artists, youth groups, social and popular movements from all across Ghana, Africa and the World at large to join the process that will lead to achieving sustainable and equitable development, attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana and Africa at large and also ensuring maximum participation of Africans in The Global Summit 2012.
Call for proposals on Paper Presentations on Innovative Solutions for achieving the MDGs are now being invited on the following tracks - environment, information communication technology, natural resources, good governance, poverty reduction, health, education and culture, private sector development, agriculture, science and technology, youth development, women empowerment, economic and social development, population, peace and security.
For more information on submitting papers or participating in this event, please go to their website: www.africanlocalsummit.org
The Ghana Agricultural Production Survey (GAPS), a pilot being implemented by SRID and supported by GSSP, has made significant progress over the past year. Last month, SRID and GSSP invited a team to participate in an assessment to review the pilot survey, determine the potential for scaling it up to include more districts, and develop recommendations on how to proceed in 2012. The review team was co-chaired by a representative from the Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPMED) at MoFA and a staff member of CIDA, representing the Agriculture Sector Working Group. Other stakeholders included in the team were the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP), the University of Ghana, the Human Resources Directorate at MoFA, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), SRID, and GSSP.
On December 14th and 15th, the review team visited the field, met with SRID staff and other stakeholders, reviewed documents, and analyzed various technical, organizational, and financial issues associated with the pilot. The team’s overall objective was to assess both the institutional and financial feasibility of scaling up the pilot survey and develop recommendations for how to proceed. The review team is compiling information from the 2 day review and will present its findings to a larger group of stakeholders for discussion in February.
IFPRI, in collaboration with the World Bank and FAO, organized a workshop on farmer based organizations (FBOs) in Africa that was held in Dakar, Senegal from December 8-9, 2011. The workshop brought together stakeholders to draw on their experience and knowledge as well as establish a shared and up-to-date diagnostic of past programs in support of African FBOs.
Participants for this stakeholders’ workshop included policy-makers, FBO representatives, private sector and researchers to provide evidence regarding the successes and failures of previous support to FBOs and their micro-level impact on smallholder farmers in Africa. In particular, three programs from Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon that provided support to FBOs were presented and evaluated at the workshop. The three programs examined were the Millennium Development Authority’s Commercial Development of Farmer-Based Organizations Program (Ghana), FAO’s Agricultural Commodities Program (Cameroon), and the World Bank’s Programme de Services Agricoles et Organisations de Producteurs (Senegal).
GSSP sent a team including GSSP staff, leaders from three FBOs and the Chief Operating Officer of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) to discuss the genesis, conduct, and impact of MiDA’s support to FBOs. For more information, please read our brief note on discussion and findings from the workshop.
Agricultural research and development (R&D) is critical to increasing smallholder productivity and generating agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). National agricultural research systems (NARS), however, must organize around very complex research agendas, operate under very limited budgets, develop scientific talent, and in general face all of the constraints of small, agrarian countries. A range of regional approaches to organizing agricultural research have been initiated, in particular under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) process. Programs of the CGIAR, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and USAID’s Feed the Future initiative, among others, have contributed to a significant increase in international funding for agricultural development in the region. However, these programs will all require effective adaptive research capacity in individual NARS in order to have an impact on smallholder productivity.
Last week, ASTI/IFPRI and FARA jointly sponsored a conference on Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africa's Future at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra. The conference complemented an analysis of three decades of data on agricultural research systems in SSA collected by ASTI with a series of commissioned papers that will suggest a policy road map for strengthening African NARS. The conference provided a focused set of policy alternatives around the themes of sustainable financing, efficient organization of NARS supported by regional and international capacities, options in training the next generation of agricultural scientists, and processes for effective performance evaluation of research institutes and R&D systems. An overview of the conference can be found here along with a program from the event.
Four programs implemented by MoFA (AMSEC, fertilizer subsidies, block farms, and NAFCO) account for the bulk of the Ministry’s expenditures. Upon recommendation from the Joint Sector Review, the Ministry asked a team of researchers from IFPRI, GIMPA, and Smartteam to carry out an assessment of these 4 initiatives to guide government policy and improve their performance. A draft of this report was completed this week and MoFA is circulating it for feedback. A few key findings and recommendations are shared below and the full report can be found here.
Fertilizer subsidy program
- There has been increase in application of fertilizers due to the subsidy program
- Farmers who applied fertilizer on their farms obtained not only higher yields but a positive net income over those who did not use fertilizer
- The program led to an increase in the volume of trade and number private-sector actors in the market
- The overall future economic return of the program is positive, with an estimated benefit-cost ratio of 1.7
- To forestall delays in the fertilizer importation and distribution, it is recommended that government starts the negotiations with the importers early so that the fertilizers are in stock in the regions and districts prior to the planting season
NAFCO program
- The evidence shows that there was stabilization of maize price in 2010 compared to preceding years’ prices, but additional data is needed for further research on the role of NAFCO in this stabilization
- Although NAFCO is financially viable under current conditions projected in the short term, a decline in its revenue could pose problems and likely force the government to spend more on its operations than intended
- NAFCO should carefully track it revenues, make realistic projections, and find ways to minimize its variability
- NAFCO should also put in place a transparent information system about its prices, identification of its buying agents, and the location of any buying and selling depots
Block farms program
- Participating farmers have attested to the benefits they received including access to low-cost credit in the form of inputs and mechanization services, which have led to greater productivity, production, and incomes.
- Farmers need to be encouraged to pay back their loans to raise the currently low recovery rates, otherwise it is difficult to see how the government can sustain the program
- Similarly, it is difficult to see how farmers will be able to buy and pay for such inputs and services on their own
- Contrary to expectations, the youth have not been a strong focus of the program as it was conceived, because, being relatively inexperienced, the youth are considered a riskier venture in terms of being able to properly manage the farm, obtain decent yields, and pay back loans
AMSEC program
- The program has contributed to improving the access by all farmers to those services and raised the average area mechanized by the surveyed farmers from 5.3 acres per farmer in 2008 to 7.8 acres per farmer in 2010, representing a 21 percent increase per year in the area mechanized
- Because the demand for mechanization services far outstrips the demand, the program has not crowded out private-sector investments in the market
- The newer tractors associated with the AMSEC program seem to break down more frequently (17 – 64% more) than those operated by non-AMSEC agents, which is due to lack of skilled operators, mechanics and spare parts for the newer brand of tractors imported via the program
- Expanding and deepening the training offered by the Agricultural Engineering Services Directorate (AESD) of MoFA is inevitable, particularly when different brands of tractors than what is commonly used are imported on such a large scale
Program interaction effects and overall economic viability
- The presence of NAFCO seems to enhance the positive effects of the other programs.
- The important implication of this is that, by offering a fixed and assured output price when farmers make resource allocation decisions at the beginning of the production stage, it lowers farmers’ uncertainty about future prices and permits higher purchases of inputs.
- The roles of the AMSEC, fertilizer and block farms programs seem to be inherently linked to the success of the NAFCO program by ensuring higher yields and outputs
- Even more importantly, how much the fertilizer subsidy for example may also be contributing to more stable production growth to meet the growing consumer demand remains an important question to address when trying to isolate the direct effects of NAFCO activities on prices
Ghana cocoa is one of the few commodity sectors in Africa that has not been fully liberalized. Some competition was introduced in the local marketing of cocoa that allows licensed buyers to purchase cocoa from producers at an announced price. Both the minimum producer price and the margin are determined by an industry representative body. Despite the continued control over internal marketing and exports by Cocobod, the parastatal organization that has been existence since the 1940s, the producers actually receive a significant share of export prices, which is a key objective in the liberalization of commodity markets. Cocobod retained its role in maintaining quality even after the partial liberalization, which has helped uphold Ghana’s reputation as a producer of high quality cocoa that earns it a premium of nearly 4 percent. Using the growing revenues from expanding production and steadily increasing prices, the Cocobod in recent years has expanded its role in providing “public” goods, such as disease control through mass sprays and supply of fertilizers at subsidized prices, which it justifies as being essential to increasing productivity on smallholder farms.
As Ghana becomes an oil economy, there is now recognition that that the cocoa sector has to become even more efficient in order to survive. GSSP has been gathering data and conducting an analysis designed to identify opportunities for Ghana’s cocoa sector given this current context. Last week, Shashi Kolavalli gave a seminar at IFPRI’s Washington DC office to share preliminary findings on factors that have contributed to increasing the share of producer prices and declining export taxes; the costs and benefits associated with the government’s role in maintaining quality; and opportunities for market and non-market interventions to introduce incentives into the system to continually seek improvements in efficiency. The presentation can be found here.