Publication:
Use of Evidence to Inform Agricultural Policy Decisions: What have We Learned from Experience in Africa?

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (2.62 MB)
572 downloads
English Text (248.5 KB)
161 downloads
Date
2019-12
ISSN
Published
2019-12
Editor(s)
Abstract
Agricultural policymakers in Africa increasingly face the need for policy options based on evidence-based analysis to promote agricultural transformation and to adapt to climate change. Furthermore, data and analytical tools to support informed agricultural policymaking are increasingly abundant thanks to investment in these areas, mostly from external sources. Still, the use of hard data and robust analyses linked to outcomes are still rare in most agricultural policymaking in the region. Today, ministries of agriculture (MoAs) are increasingly under pressure to show ministries of economy and finance (MoEFs) both the rationale behind spending and the impact of past spending, particularly net estimated impacts on forex and fiscal balances. Even so, at present most African governments are still under-spending on agricultural public goods such as research, extension, and infrastructure. The present paper focuses on what can be learned to improve outcomes from experiences promoting the increased use of evidence in agricultural policymaking.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Delgado, Christopher; Brooks, Karen; Derlagen, Christian; Haggblade, Steven; Lawyer, Kate. 2019. Use of Evidence to Inform Agricultural Policy Decisions: What have We Learned from Experience in Africa?. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34337 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Agriculture as a Sector of Opportunity for Young People in Africa
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-06) Brooks, Karen; Zorya, Sergiy; Gautam, Amy; Goyal, Aparajita
    This paper sheds light on how to harvest the "youth dividend" in Sub-Saharan Africa by creating jobs in agriculture. The agriculture that attracts the youth will have to be profitable, competitive, and dynamic. These are the same characteristics needed for agriculture to deliver growth, to improve food security, and to preserve a fragile natural environment. With higher priority accorded to implementation of well-designed public investments in agriculture, continued progress on regulatory and policy reform, and attention to assure inclusion of young people in Africa's agricultural renaissance, the sector's handsome youth dividend can be collected and widely shared.
  • Publication
    Global Public Policies and Programs : Implications for Financing and Evaluation
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2001-06) Gerrard, Christopher D.; Ferroni, Marco; Mody, Ashoka; Gerrard, Christopher D.; Ferroni, Marco; Mody, Ashoka
    These are the proceedings from a World Bank workshop on global public policies, and programs, assembled from transcripts, and accompanying papers. The combination of market failure, and limited institutional capacity to influence economic, and social change across national borders, underlies public discontent with aid. This formed the basis for discussions, looking for new approaches to the development assistance business, taking into account the growing integration of the global economy, and arguing that, beyond supporting market-friendly reforms, aid strategies must be designed to overcome social, and structural constraints to sustainable development. The broad range of cases examined include efforts to craft commonly accepted standards for the design, and operation of large dams; they address issues of global financial instability; explore the implications of intellectual property rights protection for developing countries; describe the promotion of international agricultural research; probe the implementation of international public health programs; and, identify the dilemmas associated with the financing, and evaluation of global public policies, and programs. Such programs have become center stage because of irreversible processes associated with globalization, and, similar initiatives will dominate the development scene for years to come.
  • Publication
    Rice in the Shadow of Skyscrapers : Policy Choices in a Dynamic East and Southeast Asian Setting
    (FAO, Rome, 2014) Dawe, David; Jaffee, Steven; Santos, Nuno
  • Publication
    Reducing the Vulnerability of Uzbekistan's Agricultural Systems to Climate Change : Impact Assessment and Adaptation Options
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013-10-03) Sutton, William R.; Srivastava, Jitendra P.; Neumann, James E.; Droogers, Peter; Boehlert, Brent B.
    Agricultural production is inextricably tied to climate, making agriculture one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In countries such as Uzbekistan, the risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particularly immediate and important problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. Recent trends in water availability and the presence of drought in Uzbekistan have underscored these risks, as has the presence of agricultural pests that may not have previously been found in Uzbekistan. The need to adapt to climate change in all sectors is on the agenda of national governments and development partners. The capacity to adapt to climatic changes, both in mitigating risks and in taking advantage of the opportunities that climate change can create, is in part dependent on financial resources. As a result, development partners will continue to have an important role in enhancing the adaptive capacity of the Uzbekistan agriculture sector. In response to these challenges, the World Bank and the government of Uzbekistan embarked on a joint study to identify and prioritize options for climate change adaptation of the agricultural sector. This report provides a menu of practical climate change adaptation options for the agriculture and water resources sectors, along with specific recommendations, which are tailored to three distinct agro-ecological zones (AEZs) within Uzbekistan, as well as over-arching actions at the national level. This report is organized as follows: chapter one gives current conditions for Uzbek agriculture and climate; chapter two presents design and methodology; chapter three deals with impacts of climate change on agriculture in Uzbekistan; chapter four presents identification of adaptation options for managing risk to Uzbekistan's agricultural systems; chapter five presents cost-benefit analysis; and chapter six gives options to improve climate resilience of Uzbekistan's agriculture sector.
  • Publication
    Reducing the Vulnerability of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Agricultural Systems to Climate Change : Impact Assessment and Adaptation Options
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013-10-03) Sutton, William R.; Srivastava, Jitendra P.; Neumann, James E.; Strzępek, Kenneth M.; Boehlert, Brent B.
    Agricultural production is inextricably tied to climate, making agriculture one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In countries such as the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, the risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particularly immediate and important problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. Climate impacts can therefore undermine progress that has been made in poverty reduction and adversely impact food security and economic growth in vulnerable rural areas. In order to be effective, a plan for adapting the sector to climate change must strengthen both human capital and physical capital in their capacity. The need to adapt to climate change in all sectors is now on the agenda of national governments and development partners. As a result, development partners will continue to have an important role in enhancing the adaptive capacity of the Macedonian agricultural sector. Another key factor for FYR Macedonia's development of an adaptation plan for agriculture is furthering FYR Macedonia's work toward European Union (EU) accession, for which FYR Macedonia has been a candidate since 2005. The Macedonian government has already begun to focus on required EU reforms, including work on the agriculture strengthening and accession project with the World Bank. Along with these needed reforms, the EU encourages action toward climate change preparedness and adaptation. This report provides a menu of climate change adaptation options for the agriculture and water resources sectors, along with specific recommendations for adaptation actions that are tailored to distinct agro-ecological zones (AEZs) within FYR Macedonia. This report is structured as follows: chapter one gives current conditions for Macedonian agriculture and climate; chapter two presents design and methodology; chapter three deals with impacts of climate change on agriculture in FYR Macedonia; chapter four deals with identification of adaptation options for managing risk to FYR Macedonia's agricultural systems; chapter five presents cost-benefit analysis; and chapter six gives options to improve climate resilience of FYR Macedonia's agricultural sector.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    World Development Report 2019
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019) World Bank
    Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.
  • Publication
    Zimbabwe
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03-01) World Bank
    This report presents an assessment of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and management capacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highly exposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity to manage risk at various levels. The report shows that disaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supply chains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP. Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth, food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophic disasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, without benefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk to markets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of ‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability to plan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findings presented here confirm that it is highly pertinent for Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk at various levels, from the smallholder farmer, to other participants along the supply chain, to consumers (who require a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to the government to manage natural disasters. The assessment provides the following evidence on sources of risks and plausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that the report contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategy appropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.
  • Publication
    Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004) Zall Kusek, Jody; Rist, Ray C.
    An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.
  • Publication
    The Power of Survey Design : A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006) Iarossi, Giuseppe
    The vast majority of data used for economic research, analysis, and policy design comes from surveys-surveys of households, firms, schools, hospitals, and market participants, and, the accuracy of the estimate will depend on how well the survey is done. This innovative book is both a 'how-to' go about carrying out high-quality surveys, especially in the challenging environment of developing countries, and a 'user's guide' for anyone who uses statistical data. Reading this book will provide data users with a wealth of insight into what kinds of problems, or biases to look for in different data sources, based on the underlying survey approaches that were used to generate the data. In that sense the book is an invaluable 'skeptics guide to data'. Yet, the broad storyline of the book is something that should be absorbed by statistical data users. The book will teach and show how difficult it often is to obtain reliable estimates of important social and economic facts, and, therefore encourages you to approach all estimates with sensible caution.
  • Publication
    Supporting Youth at Risk
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008) Cohan, Lorena M.; Cunningham, Wendy; Naudeau, Sophie; McGinnis, Linda
    The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.