This document discusses improving agricultural productivity and food security through crops. It addresses how research for development can be enhanced and expanded to larger scale projects. It also discusses constraints including a lack of awareness and support at the national policy level, insufficient capacity to identify marketable crops and support systems, and a disconnect between agricultural research and national priorities. The document advocates linking crop production with marketing to improve farmer incomes and addressing policy issues to create an enabling environment for agriculture.

1. IFAD/ICARDA Knowledge Exchange Workshop, 26-29 October 2009 Knowledge and Technology Exchange for Enhanced Quality of IFAD/ICARDA Operations in the NENA region Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Presented by

2. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Challenge: How can Research for Development be Enhanced and Expanded to Larger Scale Projects Expanding the Research for Development Overlap Afghanistan & Pakistan projects are a live example Scaling up Technology Dissemination and Outreach

3. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Constraints - Enabling Policy – Lack of Awareness and Buy In at the National Level - Capacity to identify products and creating an enabling system of support linked to markets - Disconnect between NARS and the National Priorities - UG 99 example

4. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Technology need more then improvement of production link our decision making with production marketing how to improve marketing. Crops produced with high quality but it might not go to the market. They lose their value when they go to the market. Marketing very weak. Damage to the Yemeni coffee importing some varieties of coffee from outside policy issues crucial. Trade issues importing coffee.

5. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Production side if we take the presentation on poppy seeds and cucumbers under certain combinations. Markets. There are crops and technologies that give much more income then poppies. Wheat seed much higher income. Instead of wheat for food the seed price is a lot higher. Crop as normal and simple as potatoes is much higher then poppy provided right technologies. Tension between food security at national level which is a priority relies on surplus concentrating on staple foods does not have competitive value. Wheat rice and Punjab. Produced intermediary crop. Demonstrate at a large scale and leave to the farmer.

6. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Lack of awareness. Working on more Ad Hoc. UG-99 science world shaking and not as big a priority. Buy in takes time. Alternative crops – why are they still growing poppeys Poppy growers are well supported credit, institutional support, support packages. Private sector for inputs – Resource poor farmer credit the extent to which a Research institute or NARS can give the level of support that is needed. Why is this not happening at a large scale?

7. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security - Crops Policy issues central. Creating an enabling environment. Empowering added value to compete at the farm level. Just not the variety by itself but the whole chain. Policy makers are not aware of potential. Concentrate on issue of seeds. Farmer needs in developing world do not know the marketing potential of products. Link between researchers and farmers – extension services are very weak. Market people to farmers technical support. Tension between food security at national level which is a priority relies on surplus concentrating on staple foods does not have competitive value.