Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System Annual Conference

1-3 September 2015. Addis Ababa. This conference was organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC). The theme of the conference was “Beyond a Middle Income Africa: Transforming African Economies for Sustained Growth with Rising Employment and Incomes.”

In addition to discussing findings of the 2014 Africa-Wide Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR), the Conference allowed policymakers, researchers, advocacy groups, farmers’ organizations, the private sector, development partners, and other key stakeholders from within and outside of Africa to:

• Review progress in implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and in particular, progress toward achieving key CAADP goals and targets;
• Assess mutual accountability and review processes and associated capacities as well as their effectiveness in fostering evidence based policy planning and implementation;
• Evaluate progress and challenges in establishing effective country strategic analysis and knowledge support systems (SAKSS) platforms and agriculture joint sector reviews (JSR); and
• Exchange on the technical support required for the effective roll out of the Malabo Declaration and its Implementation Strategy and Roadmap (IS and R), the CAADP Results Framework, and the Guidance Note on Government Agriculture Expenditures.

To learn more about the conference, its objectives and expected outcomes, please read the 4-page Conference Note (PDF 300 KB) and the agenda

Extracts:
Side event:  Harmonization of Methodology for Country Studies in the Program for Accompanying Research for Innovation (PARI)

• The Program for Accompanying Research for Innovation in Africa Agriculture (PARI) is a partnership initiative of the ZEF, FARA, IFPRI and other German organizations, entrenched in the “One World – No Hunger” initiative of the Germany government. 
• The PARI project aims to foster the scaling of agricultural innovations in Africa and to contribute to the development of the agricultural sector through science. The PARI activities are aligned with the works of the Agricultural Innovation Centers (AICs) in Africa countries; it addresses the needs of the smallholders and other actors along the commodity value chain through partnerships. 
• The PARI project builds on the experiences and success of the agricultural innovation systems, particularly, the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) concept and the use of the Innovation Platforms as a forum to facilitate interactions and learning among stakeholders. The interaction leads to the generation of agricultural innovation with accompanying socio-economic benefits along the targeted commodity chain(s).
• PARI is currently being implemented in 12 Africa countries in a strong partnership with the lead National Agricultural Research Institution (NARI), and coordinated FARA in close relationship with the IFPRI.
• The PARI side event provided an overview of the program, set the background for its results and update of progress; it harmonized the methodology for the backdrop studies at the country level.

Other presentations

2015 ReSAKSS Conference – Day 1 - Ousmane Badiane 

2015 ReSAKSS Conference – Day 1 - Kalle Hirvonen 

2015 ReSAKSS Conference – Day 1 - Maximo Torero 

2015 ReSAKSS Conference – Day 2 - Mark Rosegrant 

2015 ReSAKSS Conference – Day 2 - David Tschirley 

Related:
2 September 2, 2015. Washington, DC. IFPRI Policy Seminar: "Road to New York: Keeping the SDGs' Agenda in Focus." 

Part 1 and Part 2 of panel discussion + Q and A.