Building Smarter Subsidies: Input Subsides in Africa South of the Sahara
Dec 2, 2013 by Rebecca Sullivan
Input subsidy programs—a mainstay of 1960s and 1970s international donor agendas—have regained favor in Africa south of the Sahara in recent years. Although 10 African countries spent more than $1 billion on these programs in 2011 alone, little information exists on the impacts the programs are having on households and communities.
In a synthesis article appearing in a special issue of Agricultural Economics, authors T.S. Jayne of the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University and Shahidur Rashid, Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI, review micro-level research on input subsidy programs since the mid-2000s. read more...
Cross-posted from AGRODEP.
Nov 14, 2013 by Soonho Kim
AGRODEP is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 17th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, co-organized by AGRODEP and the Center for Global Trade Analysis. The goal of the annual conference is to promote the exchange of ideas among economists conducting quantitative analysis of global economic issues. Particular emphasis will be placed on applied general equilibrium methods, data, and application. Related theoretical and applied work is also welcome. read more...
Policy options for accelerated growth and competitiveness of the domestic rice economy in Nigeria
Source: flickr (Arne Hoel / World Bank)
The Nigerian government has embarked on an ambitious plan to make the country self-sufficient in rice production by 2015 under its current Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). The plan is in response to the perceived threat to the Nigerian economy of larger volumes of milled rice imports into Nigeria, with an import bill currently exceeding US$2 billion. To reverse the growing trend in rice imports, the Nigerian government has introduced a number of key policies and investment strategies to increase domestic rice read more...
Learning to Fly: Experts Share Lessons Learned for Transforming Agriculture in Africa
Cross-posted from the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Oct 7, 2013 by Rebecca Sullivan
Africa is confronting a complex development challenge: population pressures are driving land scarcity, resulting in progressively smaller plots of land per farmer. On the land that’s still available, soil is rapidly degrading. How can Africa maintain, let alone ramp up, agricultural productivity to fuel the economic growth necessary to alleviate poverty? At a recent roundtable discussion, “Transforming Agriculture in Africa: The Insiders’ Perspective,” IFPRI convened a group of experts to share their perspectives. read more...
Assessing the potential and policy alternatives for achieving rice competitiveness and growth in Nigeria
The principal objective of this paper is to review and assess the policy implications and potential for Nigeria to transform its domestic rice sector and become more competitive with imports in order to ultimately displace them over time. Since 2011, the Nigerian government embarked on an ambitious plan to make the country self-sufficient in rice production by 2015 under its Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). This was in response to the perceived threat of larger volumes of milled rice being imported into Nigeria every year with an import bill that exceeds US$2 Billion. Aside from rising global prices, domestic demand for rice has been growing at a rapid pace due to changing consumer preferences, rising incomes, and growing urban populations. To achieve its goal of rice self-sufficiency by 2015, the Nigerian government has introduced a number of key policies and investment strategies to reduce imports and increase the competitiveness of local rice. This is being done through a combination of import restrictions, input policy and institutional reforms, and direct investments all long the rice value chain. read more...
Upcoming Research Seminar on the Preliminary Results of the Land Tenure Pilot Evaluation – November 5th in Abuja
Please join us on November 5th in Abuja for a seminar by IFPRI Research Fellow, Dr. Hosaena Hagos. In the seminar, titled "Preliminary Results of the Baseline Survey Conducted in Two LGA’s in South-West Nigeria for Impact Evaluation of the Pilot Systematic Land Tenure Regularization (SLTR) Project," Dr. Hagos will present his preliminary results from the baseline data his team collected in Ondo earlier this year. He will also provide an overview of the project and details on the methodology being used for the evaluation. For the full abstract, please see below.
Source: IITA Image Library
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Time: 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Venue: IFDC/IFPRI Conference Room No 6/Plot 1413 Ogbagi Street Off Oro-Ago Crescent Cadastral Zone II, Garki, Abuja Nigeria (Near old CBN building and behind Union Homes) read more...
Please join us on October 24th in Abuja for a seminar by IFPRI Research Fellow, Dr. Michael Johnson. In the seminar, titled "Analysis of the policy options for expanding output and improving performance of the rice milling sector in Nigeria," Dr. Johnson will present his current research on rice mills in Nigeria, focusing on Nigeria's domestic potential to compete with imports and the policy options to reform the milling sector to increase the quality of domestic rice. For the full abstract, please see below. read more...
Upcoming Research Seminar on Agro-dealer Financing – October 31st at IITA in Ibadan
Missed our last presentation on agro-dealer financing? Live in Ibadan? If either of these scenarios apply, join us on October 31st as the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture hosts IFPRI Senior Economist/Consultant Dr. Aderibigbe Olomola for a seminar. In the seminar, titled "Issues Influencing Agro-dealers' Participation in the Loan Market in Nigeria," Dr. Olomola will cover the determinants for agro-dealer participation in loan markets, as well as policy recommendations for improving agro-dealers' access to finance. read more...
Agricultural mechanization patterns in Nigeria: Insights from farm household typology and agricultural household model simulation
Anecdotal evidence indicates labor costs for farming in Nigeria are rising while levels of mechanization remain low. Information is scarce regarding the types of farm households that use mechanization in Nigeria and the potential demand for mechanization services among farmers. We apply cluster analysis to data from the Living Standards Measurement Study—Integrated Surveys on Agriculture project in Nigeria to identify associations between mechanization and farm household types. We then simulate an agricultural household model to assess the potential demand for mechanization services in southern Nigeria. We find the following: read more...
AgPER Nigeria Validation Workshop this Thursday, September 26th in Akure
IFPRI Researcher Dr. Tewodaj Mogues and Senior Economist/Consultant Dr. Aderibigbe Olomola have been working with the World Bank on an Agriculture Public Expenditure Review (AgPER) at the state level in Cross River, Niger and Ondo States. The World Bank is working on a similar review at the national level. The purpose of the review is to get a better understanding of how public funds are being spent on the agricultural sector at the state and national level. This understanding will feed into the Agriculture Development Policy Operation (AgDPO) in support of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA). read more...
Upcoming Webinar Featuring Dr. Yaya Olaniran, chair of the Committee on World Food Security
Please join us on Thursday, September 26th for a live webinar titled, "Transforming Agriculture in Africa: The Insiders’ Perspective," featuring Nigeria's own Yaya Olaniran.
Source: IFPRI Nigeria
Upcoming Research Seminar on Rice Seed Policy – Tuesday, August 24th in Abuja
Please join us for a research seminar presented by IFPRI Research Fellow, Dr. Hiroyuki Takeshima, titled "Ex-ante Assessment of Rice Seed Policies: Implications from a Farm Household Model Simulation." In this seminar, Dr. Takeshima will draw upon other countries' experiences with developing rice varieties, with a focus on the implications for Nigeria. In addition, he will present the results of a simulation of seed subsidies and other seed policies in Nigeria. For the full abstract and bio, see below.
Source: IFPRI Nigeria
Date: Tuesday, September 24th, 2013
Time: 1:00PM - 2:30PM
Venue: IFDC/IFPRI Conference Room
No 6/Plot 1413 Ogbagi Street
Off Oro-Ago Crescent
Cadastral Zone II
Garki, Abuja
Nigeria
(Near old CBN building and behind Union Homes)
RSVP: Please email a.y.bashir@cgiar.org by the 23rd of September to confirm your attendance read more...
We document that structural change accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total change in labor productivity in Nigeria between 1996 and 2009. Labor moved out of the agricultural and wholesale and retail trade sectors into manufacturing, transportation and communications, business services, and general services. read more...
The Nigerian Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) provides an in-depth assessment of the food security situation within Nigeria. This is very important as it equips policymakers with timely and relevant information that will aid the targeting of interventions. Some of the most pertinent findings of the study are listed below:
• Food insecurity and poverty are intricately linked. Some 29 percent of households in the poorest wealth quintiles have unacceptable diets (9 percent poor and 20 percent borderline) compared with 15 percent in the wealthiest (2 percent poor and 13 percent borderline). read more...
Upcoming Research Seminar on Agro-Dealer Financing – Thursday, August 22nd in Abuja
Please join us for a research seminar presented by IFPRI Senior Economist/Consultant, Dr. Aderibigbe Olomola, titled "Business Operations of Agro-Dealers and their Participation in the Loan Market in Nigeria." The seminar will cover the challenges and opportunities for agro-dealership financing and proffer policy measures to improve the situation in Nigeria. For the full abstract and bio, see below.
Source: IITA Image Library
Date: Thursday, August 22nd, 2013
Time: 2:00PM - 3:30PM
Venue: IFDC/IFPRI Conference Room read more...
IFPRI VACANCY POSTING
LOCALLY RECRUITED POSITION
Position # FO-13-023
TITLE: RESEARCH ASSISTANT/ SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT
LOCATION: ABUJA, NIGERIA
REPORTS TO: KWABENA GYIMAH-BREMPONG – PROGRAM LEADER, NSSP
DIVISION: DSGD
POSTING DATE: 20 JULY, 2013
CLOSING DATE: 15 AUGUST, 2013, OR UNTIL FILLED read more...
IFPRI Nigeria Teams Up With NAERLS and IAR to Present Seminar on Extension Reform
Want to learn more about extension reform? Fancy taking a trip to Zaria? Join us next Tuesday as IFPRI Nigeria, the National Agricultural Extension Research & Liaison Services (NAERLS) and the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) collaborate to bring you a seminar titled, "Evaluating Extension Reforms – Implications for Nigeria." Joining us from Washington, DC to present is IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Dr. Suresh Babu. The event will be chaired by Ismaila Y. Ilu, Director of NAERLS. Discussants include Dr. A.M. Falaki, Executive Director of IAR and Professor Tunji Arokoyo, Director of the Federal Department of Extension. We hope to see you there!
Date: Tuesday, July 16th, 2013
Time: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Venue: Conference Hall, National Agricultural Extension Research & Liaison Servicesm, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B. 1067, Zaria Nigeria. read more...
Upcoming Research Seminar – A Research Roundup – Wednesday, July 17th in Abuja
We are pleased to announce that three of our research staff are presenting new research at conferences in Africa this month. What better way to help them prepare than to offer them your feedback! Please join us to for a roundup of their presentations, moderated by Dr. Gyimah-Brempong, IFPRI NSSP Program Leader. During the seminar you will have a chance to learn more about IFPRI's current research on rice, the effect of agriculture on the economy, social networks and technology adoption, and youth unemployment. For the full abstracts, please see below.
Source: IFPRI Nigeria
Date: Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Venue: IFDC Conference Room
IFDC/IFPRI
No 6/Plot 1413 Ogbagi Street
Off Oro-Ago Crescent
Cadastral Zone II
Garki, Abuja
Nigeria
RSVP: Please email u.nischan@cgiar.org by Tuesday, the 16th of July to confirm your attendance. read more...
GISAIA Nigeria Launch: One Small Step for the Project, One Leap Forward for Evidence-Based Research
Source: IFPRI Nigeria
On Monday, 17 July, 2013, Michican State University (MSU), International Food policy Research Insitute (IFPRI), University of Ibadan, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a launch of the project, - “Guiding investments in sustainable intensification in Africa (GISAIA)." During the one-day event participants learned more about MSU's role in international agricultural research, an overview of the GISAIA project, the importance of fertilizer in ensuring food security, a new fertilizer called Urea Deep Placement (UDP), and the read more...
IFPRI Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Dr. Hosaena Ghebru Hagos, will present his working paper; titled "Gender-Differentiated Demand for Certificates of Occupancy (CO) in Rural and Urban Areas of Nigeria: The case of Kano and Ondo states."
Please join us to learn more about IFPRI's current research on land policy and gender in Nigeria. For the full abstract and bio read more...
