Bruce Byiers, ECDPM30 November 2015

Agricultural Growth Corridors An Overview and Key Research Areas for

Impact

• Independent non-partisan knowledge broker

• Informing and facilitating EU-Africa relations• EU external action• African change dynamics• Peace & security• Economic transformation & trade• Food security

• From Policy to Practice…

• Bridging different policy communities

ECDPM

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Implications of the rise of corridors as a tool for inclusive agricultural development…?1. Context2. Dimensions:

• Geographical scope• Objectives• Governance

3. Risks & opp.s for agricultural transformation4. Future research areas?

• Impact• Implementation• Institutions

Overview

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Malabo declaration 2014

“to triple intra-African trade in agricultural goods and services by

2025 and to establish public-private partnerships to develop

strategic agricultural value chains with strong linkages to smallholder

agriculture.”

The challenge:

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Rise of the corridors!

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• ‘Africa Rising’Next investment frontier, risks &

rewards

• 'Win-win-wins in a post-2015 world’ ☺Development, econ. & comm. diplomacy

• Exploitative neocolonialismLand-grabs, human rights abuse,

• 'Jobs-jobs-jobs’Economic transformation, more and better jobs, agricultural transformation,

indust. policy, + value added

…competing narratives

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A conceptual, programmatic and investment framework to develop a

territory and/or link regions and countries along a physical backbone of transport infrastructure (e.g. Healey

2004)

What is a corridor approach?

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• Structural features

• Corridor Objectives

• Corridor Governance

Key characteristics

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Building on historical linkages to connect:• Hinterlands to ports (& global markets)

Wealthy ports to poorer hinterlands (AOC, SAGCOT)

Poorer ports to wealthy hinterlands(e.g. MDC, WBC)

• Different agro-ecological zonesSurplus to ports and/or deficit regionsMinerals to ports

• Domestic and regional hinterlands1 or several countries (shares may be important)Networks (e.g. Greater Mekong Sub-region, Indonesia MP3EI, CAREC, Asia, NSC…?)

Structural features

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• Hard infrastructure investment• Soft infrastructures – policies, regulations,

controls, tariffs and NTBs• Investment promotion• Multi-use, multi-user• Multi-stakeholder partnerships

• Activities to overcome:• Transit costs, time-delays, mkt structures• Invest. information & coordination failures• Isolated markets – linking small-scale

producers to input and output mkts• Policy barriers – targeted or holistic piloting,

joint approaches

Objectives & breadth of activities

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Objectives: From transit corridors…

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• 70% of African population >2km from all-season road (Raballand & Trevaninthorn, 2009)

• 6-12kmph effective speed of SADC road transport (Ranganathan & Foster, 2011)

• USD300 per day delay costs for 8 axle truck• 4kmph rail from Durban to Kolawesi

…to agricultural corridors…

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…to transformational corridors?

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• Where and why?• Who leads?• Who manages? (in which phase?)• Who watches?• What results framework/targets?• How to adapt to the political-economy of the

context?• Financed by…?• Beyond?

Governance

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Governance – who leads?

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Governance – organisation roles

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Risks and opportunities

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Indirect• Corridor vs non-corridor areas• Corridor competition vs cartels• Lower transport costs = + imports?• Competing with or connecting smallholders

Direct• Farming systems - Large-scale vs land-grabs• Impact, accountability & enforcement• Measurable, scalable, replicable success…?• Aligned political-economic interests?• Habitats impacts

Balancing risks & opportunities

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• Corridor implications for transformation• Rural Poverty• Improving food security• Nutrition and health• Sustainably managing natural resources

• Impacts – type, scale, distrib’n/ inclusivity

• Implementation means – partnerships etc

• Institutions – approaches and policies

Research needs

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Impact research

• Impact distributions – risks & opportiunities• Productivity• Market accessibility• Food security• Land rights, policies farm sizes• Contract relations• Habitat & resource use• Nutrition – availability, access, awareness…• Gender

• Innovation systems & technology piloting• Investment targeting for pay-offs e.g.

productivity vs post-harvest loss reduction• Information asymmetries• Transformative & Sustainable?

Research: Impact

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• A holistic, systems-based approach• Partnerships• Private sector engagement• Production vs consumer focus• Different business models: PPPs, BoP,

business-CSO partnerships etc• Stakeholder engagement • Shared visions - ss-chain security & de

• Impact of private vs public led?• Costs of smallholder engagement?• Corridor-connected innovation systems?

Research: Implementation

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• Crop-specific NTBs e.g. rice or livestock in West Africa

• Investment policies and guidelines• Land tenancy and land rights• Business policy environment• Standards enforcement• Research uptake• CAADP-CGIAR role?

Research: Institutions

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Thank youwww.ecdpm.org

www.slideshare.net/ecdpmTwtter: @brucebyiers

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