Philip Thornton discusses principles for effective agricultural research for development at CGIAR, emphasizing the importance of delivering impactful outcomes, utilizing strategic leverage points, and innovating in partnerships, communication, and learning. Key examples highlight successful initiatives such as climate-informed advisories for farmers and the creation of new insurance indices. The document outlines the need for a plausible theory of change and collaborative efforts to address challenges facing smallholders, including gender disparity and youth unemployment.

1. Philip Thornton
Flagship leader, CCAFS, Nairobi
What makes an effective
agricultural research for
development project?
Photo: G. Smith (CIAT)

2. Why I’m standing here
The international agricultural research system
A few principles for effective ag research for development programs
▪ The need to deliver down the impact pathway
▪ Navigate towards specific points of leverage
▪ Utilize the “three-thirds” principle
▪ A plausible theory of change and impact pathway are key
▪ Innovate in partnerships
▪ Innovate in communications
▪ Innovate in learning
Outline

3. • Worked in agricultural research for development for nearly 35 years,
mostly in the CGIAR as a researcher and research leader
• Working as a research area leader (Priorities & Policies for Climate
Smart Agriculture) for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate
Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) since 2010
• Based in Edinburgh, hosted by the International Research Institute
(ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya
• Honorary research affiliations with the School of Geosciences,
University of Edinburgh and CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia
Why I’m standing here

4. CGIAR: a global network of 15 agricultural research centres aiming to reduce poverty,
improve food and nutrition security, and improve natural resources and ecosystem services

5. … plus 8 agri-food system programs, 4 global integrating programs,
3 research support platforms
• Annual budget USD 950 million
• 10,000 staff in about 75 countries
• Centres work with multiple programs
• Programs work with multiple Centres (some
with all)
• Links to one CRP a “portal” to the rest of the
system (and to hundreds of partners)

6. Principle 1: the need to deliver down the impact pathway

7. … delivering great science as well as outcomes
Some recent CGIAR / CCAFS outcomes
• 7 million farmers getting climate-
informed advisories in Senegal
• New insurance indices being used to
protect crops of millions of farmers in
India
• USD 500 million of investments by
IFAD and the World Bank “climate-
proofed”

8. Principle 2: navigate towards specific points of leverage
Example: Agriculture in NDC mitigation priorities (nationally determined
contributions) as of March 2018
98 countries
13 countries
https://ccafs.cgiar.org/agricultures-prominence-indcs-data-and-maps

9. • Participatory scenario-guided NDC process involving decision makers across all
sectors
• Future scenarios of Costa Rica in 2030 developed to assess emissions reduction
in agriculture, energy, transport, waste and forests
• Recommendations made taking into account the major uncertainties and
sectoral synergies / trade-offs
• Formed the basis for the mitigation measures in the NDC in 2017
Veeger et al., 2015

10. Allocation of:
• Thought
• Time
• Effort
• Resources?
Principle 3: utilize the “three-thirds” principle
Vermeulen & Campbell, 2015

11. • To focus on people and
outcomes (behavioral changes)
• How are research outputs to be
used? Co-development,
learning, incentives
• Plan to revisit them, to address
unanticipated changes and
failure of key assumptions
• Sometimes, can use
assumptions as research
hypotheses
Principle 4: a plausible theory of change and impact pathway are key

12. Activities

13. How else to reach >500 million smallholders by 2030?
Up to 40% gender disparity
in agricultural productivity
in some countries
420 million youth in Africa
- two-thirds unemployed/vulnerably employed
- one in six in wage employment
Age group will nearly double by 2050
1 GT GHG reduction target (2030)
Current technologies can only do 20-40%
Principle 5: innovate in partnerships

14. Different skills,
partnerships
• Research partners:
national, international,
regional
• Public sector, inter-
governmental and policy
partners
• Non-governmental
development partners
• Private sector partners
(inputs, finance)

15. Principle 6: innovate in communications
• Make use of the growing literature on global change
communications: framing, psychology, values, attitudes,
beliefs, political ideologies, …
• Tap in to new skills in discourse analysis and understanding
gender norms (how can they be modified?), behavioural
science, marketing science
• Power of rapidly evolving info and comms technology

16. Principle 7: innovate in learning
Project (self) learning
▪ Meaningful performance
expectations (outputs,
outcomes)
▪ Measurable indicators
▪ Evaluating what is being
achieved against expectations
▪ Pragmatism: a mix of formal /
informal, quantitative /
qualitative
▪ Big research agenda: new
methods (cost & effort vs
rigour)
Monitoring,
evaluation &
learning
modules

17. Principle 7: innovate in learning
Building capacities
Link in to existing national science-policy dialogue
platforms, networks of scientists, farmers and policy
makers who regularly exchange knowledge on
adaptation to climate change
South-south exchanges: farmers from
one place visiting other farmers to learn
from and teach each other
ccafs.cgiar.org/blog/when-colombia-met-
senegal-photostory

18. p.thornton@cgiar.org
www.ccafs.cgiar.org
Thank you
Photo: An Notenbaert