The scope for food and

agriculture policy research in

Central Asia and the Caucasus

Joachim von BraunDirector General

International Food Policy Research Institute

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

April 4th, 2006

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

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

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

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);

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?

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

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

5. Under-nutrition in Central Asia and the

Caucasus

Proportion of undernourished population, 2000-02 vs. 1993-95

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyztan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

2000-2002

1993-1995

Source: FAO 2004

+ 18%

- 4 %

+ 40 %

- 15 %

-12 %

- 19 %

- 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

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

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

2. Development Strategies and the Role of Food

and Agriculture

FROM

Growth Linkages

TO

Economy-wide

Policy Analysis

1. Growth linkages between agriculture

and rest of the economy

2. Political economy of food policy

3. Public investment

4. Governance and devolution

2. Research on Natural Resources Policy

FROM

Land and Water

TO

Institutional Innovations for NR-

policy

1. Prospects for less favored lands

2. Long term implications of environmental

problems for food security

3. Lack of tenure over property and poverty

4. Institutional reforms for water allocation

3. Research on Markets and Trade Policy

FROM

International

Commodities and

Trade Policy

TO

Analyses of

Domestic and

Regional Markets

1. Agricultural price policy in the context of

technological and institutional changes

2. Exports of non traditional products

3. Regional trade agreements

4. Assuring Food-Safety and Food Security

FROM

Subsidies

TO

Safety Nets and

Insurance

1. Food –safety regulation for healthy food

systems

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

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

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