The Future Agricultures Consortium, established in 2005, focuses on fostering dialogue, conducting policy-relevant research, and promoting agricultural policy debates in Africa. Key research themes include policy processes, commercialization, social protection, and the impact of climate change on agriculture, with an aim to strengthen agricultural performance across various countries. The consortium plans to transfer its secretariat to Africa by 2013 to enhance its local engagement and capacity-building efforts.

1. Future Agricultures Consortium
A Learning Alliance on African Agricultural Policy
An Overview of the Consortium’s
Research, Communications and
Policy Engagement Activities
September 2011
www.future-agricultures.org

2. Future Agricultures Consortium
Established in 2005….
“to encourage dialogue and the sharing
of good practice by policy makers and
opinion formers in Africa on the role of
agriculture in broad based growth”

3. Future Agricultures Consortium
Focus on…
• Producing cutting-edge, policy relevant research
linking national debates to wider regional
discussions on the new agricultural agenda in Africa
• Building on solid long-term partnerships adding
value through synergies and collaboration
• Fostering critical debate on agricultural policy in
Africa  serving as a communications and
networking ‘hub’
• Why now? Lack of focus on the political economy
of agricultural policy processes

4. X-cutting policy questions
Assuming that effectiveness of policy is a major
determinant of agricultural performance…
• Which agricultural policies get implemented
(in a particular country ) – and why?
• Why might implementation of a similar policy
prescription lead to very different outcomes
across and within countries?
• How does the political economy of agricultural
policy affect processes and outcomes?

5. Partners and countries
• UK: IDS, ODI, SOAS
• Africa: multiple
partners across the
continent
• Original focal countries:
Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi
• East & Southern Africa:
Mozambique, Rwanda, S
outh
Africa, Tanzania, Zimbab
• we & Central
West
Africa: Burkina
Faso, Congo, Ghana, N
igeria, Senegal

6. New phase – 2010-2013
• DFID grant – 3 years to April 2013 – £1.5 mil/yr
• Extending research activities into West Africa
• Expanding communications and networking activities
• Convening high-profile, policy-relevant events
• Strengthening the capacity of young researchers
• Transferring FAC’s Secretariat to Africa
• Deepening and broadening core thematic research:
(1) Policy Processes; (2) Growth & Social Protection;
(3) Commercialisations; (4) Science, Technology & Innovation
(5) Climate Change & Agriculture; (6) Land; (7) Pastoralism;
(8) Young People and Agri-Food Systems

7. Policy processes
22% 42%
Focus
• What determines which policies
and investments for agricultural
12% 17%
development are ‘politically
feasible’ in different contexts?
• How might political economy
factors influence how donors can
engage most usefully in
agricultural policy?
• How might political economy
factors influence the outcome of
CAADP processes?
• How do political economy
factors constrain/support the
policy options to promote
smallholder commercialisation?

8. Commercialisations
22% 42%
Focus
• What pathways to which types
of commercialisation are open
12% 17%
to smallholder producers?
• What market and institutional
innovation in supply chains
might help smallholder
producers?
• How do labour markets and
institutions affect agricultural
growth and poverty reduction?
• How can coordination failures in
finance, input and output
supply be remedied?
• How can agri-business be
developed and regulated?

9. Social Protection
22% 42%
Focus
• Can synergies be identified
between welfare-protecting
12% 17%
and growth-promoting social
protection and agricultural
policies?
• Are there combinations of
growth and social protection
strategies and instruments that
can promote both agricultural
and non-agricultural growth
and social protection?
• What does ‘graduation’ mean
in such intrinsically vulnerable
and unpredictable livelihood
contexts?

10. Science & Technology
22% 42%
Focus
• How does the political
economy of innovation
12% 17%
processes shape agricultural
R&D in different settings?
• What public and private actors
and interests are influencing
debates and policy decisions on
Africa’s new Green Revolution
agenda – and whose voices are
excluded?
• How can the agricultural R&D
process be governed so that it
works for poor African
producers?

11. Land
22% 42%
Focus
• What international and
national policy processes
12% 17%
influence transnational
commercial land deals in
Africa?
• What competing discourses,
interests and power relations
define struggles over
transnational land deals in
different places?
• Who wins and who loses from
such land deals, in terms of
gender, class, ethnicity?

12. Climate change
22% 42%
Focus
• What are the key policy
processes, at national and
12% 17%
international levels, that shape
the links between climate
change and agriculture?
• How are international climate
change policy goals on
mitigation and adaptation
negotiated in the agricultural
sector at the national level?
• How do government
adaptation and mitigation
policies manifest themselves in
agricultural sector strategies?

13. Pastoralism
22% 42%
Focus
• What are the key issues
influencing the future of
12% 17%
pastoralists in sub-Saharan
Africa?
• What mechanisms are
pastoralists developing to
spread innovation and what are
the opportunities and
constraints to promoting their
uptake?

14. Young People and Agri-Food
22% 42%
Focus
• How is demographic change
affecting the availability of
12% 17%
farmers in the future?
• Is de-agrarianisation
inevitable?
• What are changing perceptions,
expectations and aspirations
among youth about the future
of agriculture in different
contexts?
• How can agriculture across the
whole value chain be made
attractive as a livelihood option
for rural youth in Africa?

15. Convening policy events
• Farmer First Revisited: Innovation for Agricultural
Research and Development – IDS, Dec 2007
• Towards an African Green Revolution? – Salzburg Global
Seminar, Austria, Apr-May 2008
• African Agricultural Policy Seminar Series 1 + 2 – ODI,
2008 & 2010
• Awakening Africa’s Sleeping Giant: Agricultural
Development in the Guinea Savannah – SOAS, Jun 2010
• Seasonality Revisited International Conference - IDS, Jul
2009
• University of the Bush – Malka Bisan Adi, Kenya, Nov
2010
• Future of Pastoralism Conference – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
Mar 2011
• International Conference on Global Land Grabbing – IDS,
UK, Apr 2011
• International Conference on Young People, Farming and
Food – Accra, Ghana, Mar 2012

16. Communications for change
• ‘Communications Alliance’
 Comms Coordinator (Beatrice Ouma)
 Food & Ag Convenor (Liz Adams)
 MK4D – Mobilising Knowledge for
Development/IDS
 WRENmedia
 Communications capacity building
• FAC Publications  reaching
different audiences
 Policy Briefs
 Working Papers
 Journals, Books, Reports
 Electronic bulletin
 English & French
• FAC Website  a key
communications portal
 Research
 Publications
 News and Events
 E-debates, Hot topics…
http://www.future-agricultures.org/

17. Coordination & governance
• Secretariat – IDS  Joint Coordinators (John Thompson and Ian
Scoones); W Africa (Jim Sumberg); admin and budgets (Oliver Burch)
• Research Coordination - decentralised Theme Convenors oversee all
8 research themes - each follows a detailed annual workplan
• Country Coordination  selected focal countries
• Annual General Meeting  the key decision-making forum
• Regular reporting to DFID  meetings; formal reports against
logframe
• CAADP Engagement  CAADP Coordinator (Sam Asuming Brempong)
+ Consultant (Kate Wellard Dyer)
• Gender and Social Analysis  x-cutting focus (Christine Okali)
• Development of FAC Africa Plan  Institutionalisation Commission (6
person team; Ephraim Chirwa, Chair)

18. Why FAC Africa?
• In April 2013, Future Agricultures is aiming to transfer
its Secretariat to an African base
• A detailed review of possible locations, governance
arrangements and partnership options is under way
• Our vision is to create…
a vibrant, African-led research consortium capable of
providing high-quality, independent advice and
information based on solid evidence and cutting-
edge, comparative analysis to inform and influence
the design and implementation of national and
regional policy processes which will enhance growth,
reduce poverty and regenerate agriculture

19. Thank you
Further information:
Beatrice Ouma
B.Ouma@future-agricultures.org
Communications and Networking Coordinator,
Future Agricultures Consortium
http://www.future-agricultures.org/