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The agrarian activity has been playing a major role in Brazil's economic growth for many years and as a consequence the country is one of the largest exporters of agricultural products. The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) is an important instrument that contributes to the positive result; however, it is currently fragile due to absence of coordination and cooperation between the actors, in addition to the reduction of resources. In this context the Centre for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE) has proposed an alternative arrangement for agricultural research which includes a platform organization that will enable articulation, alignment and synergy between the actors involved in the agricultural research process and innovation in the Country in the medium and long term. The objective of this study was to present a proposal to be implemented, in the short term, in order to achieve the model formulated by the CGEE. A case study on the NARS was performed through a brief theoretical review of concepts relevant to the needs of analysis of the System. The main events of the NARS trajectory that occurred between 1972 and 2015 were described in order to understand its functioning and dynamics. The analysis of the System was conducted through articles, books and theses review and, in particular, through interviews conducted with different actors representing the System: academics, managers and contributors of the State Agricultural Research Organizations (OEPAs), leaders of representative councils, public officials and representatives of the private sector. We found that, in order to be possible in the short term, an institution that held a major role in the NARS should implement the model, and that already had legal, technical and operational capacity mechanisms required to validate and implement the new model. There was also the need for institutional and organizational innovations of the System, especially to meet the producers and society demands. Ultimately, one of the most relevant findings is that the effectiveness of the new arrangement will only occur if the involved institutions and actors recognize each other as co-authors, be proactive and realize their roles and responsibilities. A agropecuária há muitos anos vem desempenhando um papel de grande relevância para o crescimento econômico brasileiro, possibilitando ao país ser um dos maiores exportadores mundiais de produtos agrícolas. Uma importante estrutura que contribui para este resultado positivo é o Sistema Nacional de Pesquisa Agropecuária (SNPA), que atualmente se encontra fragilizado devido à falta de coordenação e cooperação entre os atores, além da redução de recursos. Neste contexto, o Centro de Gestão e Estudos Estratégicos (CGEE), propôs uma alternativa de arranjo para a pesquisa agropecuária, que compreende a estruturação, no médio e longo prazo, de uma plataforma, que possibilitará a articulação, alinhamento e sinergia entre os atores envolvidos no processo de pesquisa e inovação para a agricultura do País. Este trabalho objetiva apresentar uma proposta de implementação, no curto prazo, para se alcançar o modelo formulado pelo CGEE. Realizamos um estudo de caso sobre o SNPA, por meio de uma breve revisão bibliográfica de conceitos pertinentes às necessidades de análise do Sistema. Descrevemos os principais eventos da trajetória do SNPA ocorridos entre 1972 e 2015 para entender seu funcionamento e sua dinâmica. A análise do Sistema foi realizada por meio do estudo de artigos, livros e teses sobre o caso e, em especial, por meio das entrevistas efetuadas com diferentes atores que representam o Sistema: acadêmicos, dirigentes e colaboradores das Organizações Estaduais de Pesquisa Agropecuária (OEPAs), dirigentes dos conselhos de representação, gestores públicos e representantes do setor privado. Constatamos que a implementação do modelo, para ser factível no curto prazo, deveria ser realizada por uma instituição que ocupasse papel preponderante no SNPA e que já dispusesse de mecanismos legais e de capacidade técnico-operacional necessários à validação e à execução do novo modelo. Foi possível identificar também a necessidade de inovações institucionais e organizacionais do Sistema, principalmente para atender às demandas dos produtores e da sociedade. Por fim, uma das mais relevantes constatações é a de que: a efetividade do novo arranjo só ocorrerá se as instituições e atores envolvidos se reconhecerem como coautores, tiverem proatividade e perceberem seu papel e suas responsabilidades.

Agriculture is among the most risk-prone sectors in the economies of Central Asia. Production shocks from weather, pests and diseases and adverse movements in agricultural product and input prices not only impact farmers and agri-business firms, but can also strain government finances. Some of these risks are small and localized and can be managed by producers. Others are the result of more severe, exogenous shocks outside agriculture that require a broader response. Failure to respond adequately to these more severe risks leads to a perpetual cycle of ‘shock-recovery-shock’ which reinforces poverty traps and compromises long-term growth. A broad-based program to improve livestock productivity is recommended to strengthen the resilience of livestock production systems and rangeland use in Kazakhstan. Proposed interventions include measures to: (i) reverse degradation of water, soil and vegetation cover; (ii) safeguard the long-term viability of rangeland ecosystems, while ensuring sustainable access to grazing land; and (iii) strengthen livestock services (veterinary, animal health, feed and fodder supply, destocking, water and grazing access, and weather and market information). These measures will enable farmers to manage their resources better, to respond to climate and market signals and to protect their resource base in times of drought. The recommendations developed under these three solution areas continue the underlying emphasis on mitigation as the foundation for risk management. They also highlight the mutually reinforcing benefits of measures to improve crop and livestock productivity for both risk management and sector growth.

Economic growth, job creation, and development are central to the decade of transformation (2015-25) and long-term security for the people of Afghanistan. The Bank and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) recognize that agriculture and rural development are a key to inclusive growth, and hence need renewed vigor and strategic long-term investments. Further, the Bank and the GoIRA acknowledge that increases in agricultural productivity and market access for smallholders are critical for rural development, job creation, and food security in Afghanistan. Sections two and three of this report describe the agricultural sector and its current and potential roles in the Afghan economy, and present the rationale for choosing certain areas and subsectors for a selective 'first mover' strategy to achieve early gains. Section four outlines the constraints and potential in each of the three value chains proposed for the selective strategy, irrigated wheat, intensive livestock production, and horticulture. Section five describes cross-cutting constraints and how best to address them, and Section six proposes measures to help the rural poor who will not benefit much from the first-mover strategy. Section seven summarizes the recommendations of the review and their expected results for jobs and incomes.

The rural sector, defined here as the economic sector that falls under the scope of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water (MAH), the Ministry of Animal Resources (MRA), and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), is one of the pillars of the Burkina Faso economy. Although its contribution to GDP has decreased in recent times from 35 percent in 1999 to 30 percent in 2011 due to the development of the other sectors of the economy, agricultural activity still employs approximately 86 percent of Burkina Faso s labor force and is the main source of income for poorer populations. Consequently, the rural sector is among the primary beneficiaries of public expenditures by the Burkina Faso government and constitutes one of the pillars of the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (SCADD) adopted in 2010. The goals of this agriculture public expenditure review in Burkina Faso are as follows: draw lessons from the past in terms of budget execution in the agricultural sector in order to promote the design and implementation of public expenditure programs that are more efficient and more equitable and have a greater impact; initiate the implementation of the databases and methodology required to conduct similar reviews regularly and thus contribute to the institutionalization of the process; and contribute to establishing the conditions for increased support for the sector while encouraging the harmonization and alignment of support with respect for national strategies.

The objective of this report is to assess the usefulness of providing guidance for scaling up good practices in core ARD business lines, and to test the prospects for doing so. The output of the document is a guide for a systematic discussion on scaling up of Competitive Grant Schemes (CGSs) for agricultural research and extension at key decision points during the life of an ARD project. This report addresses the other end of the state-of-practice spectrum - good practices and beyond. The preparation of this report entailed five main activities: An overview of scaling up concepts and approaches; the selection of a particular sub-area within one of ARD s core business lines - scaling up CGS for agricultural research and extension; application of the IFAD/Brookings framing questions to five World Bank projects that were identified as addressing that business line - using information provided by the project's task team leaders (TTLs) or other member of the project team; the development of sub-area specific guidance for a systematic discussion on scaling up based on the findings from a series of five case studies; and validation of the scaling up guidance for CGSs for agricultural research and extension by World Bank practitioners and other internal consultations.

Reforestation measures for degraded lands, strategies for the sustainable management of forest resources, and agroforestry practices that incorporate trees into farming systems are increasingly demonstrating their promise for producing commercialized tree products. Although the level of investment so far has remained modest, the challenge is to find ways to scale up promising investments in a way that will have a clear impact at the landscape level. These types of investments can help achieve the triple wins of climate-smart agriculture: increased incomes and yields, climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation.Market trends are promising for a wide range of tree-based technologies, including tropical fruits, cashews, honey, timber and wood products, lipids, gums and resins, tree crops, and agroforestry systems. In many cases, African entrepreneurs, farmers, civil society, and governments have responded dynamically to the widespread challenge of land degradation. The continent is dotted with landscapes where production of trees on farms and in managed forests has grown dramatically to meet market and subsistence needs; sustainable agricultural practices and revegetation have restored soils and watersheds; and key conservation areas are being protected. However, this is not happening at the scale required by societal needs in Africa. In part, this is due to a lack of strategic cooperation and coordination between private sector investors and land managers (who are focused on realizing profitable opportunities and meeting their own needs) and public and civil society actors (who are focused on restoring forest cover and ecosystem services). Such coordination is only possible when the biophysical potential for landscape restoration, private sector investment opportunity and incentives, and societal demand for multiple benefits converge. Much can be learned from examples of large-scale landscape restoration in Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Tanzania, and Zambia, and the variable roles of the private sector, farmers, government, and civil society in supporting and undertaking investment.

Agricultural investments made by developing countries and multilateral development banks (MDBs) have declined in recent decades. This decline is associated with a slowdown in the growth of agriculture productivity. Most development institutions have recognized the damage caused by this past neglect, in part evident in rising food prices, and renewed attention to agriculture and agribusiness is emerging. But this renewed interest will need to deliver results, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the MDBs have had the least success but where the needs and opportunities are enormous. This paper synthesizes recent work by the independent evaluation agency members of the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG) and incorporates lessons from related research by MDBs and from the academic literature on agriculture and agribusiness. The objectives of the paper, in addition to distilling evaluative lessons for agriculture and agribusiness, are to examine the key constraints on the sector and to provide evaluators, operational staff, and policy makers with an evaluative perspective on interventions in countries at different stages of development.

The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) was a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder assessment by about 400 experts which had four primary goals: 1) to assess the effects of agricultural knowledge, science and technology policy and institutional environments, as well as practices, in the context of sustainable development; 2) to identify where critically important information gaps exist in order to more effectively target research; 3) to make the resulting state of the art, objective, analyses accessible to decision makers at all levels from small producers to those who create international policy; and 4) to further the capacity of developing country nationals and institutions to generate, access, and use agricultural knowledge, science and technology that promote sustainable development. The IAASTD was a useful experience at the nexus of politics and science. However, agricultural technology, with its complexity, diversity and politics, proved to be a bridge too far. The process itself was instructive and there is much useful information in the reports. However, the present review concludes that, for the substantial resources used, the program did not offer sufficient new knowledge or conceptual frameworks for decision makers.