ICRISAT - ICRISAT: Medium Term Plan 2010-12 - 2010-12

Project Portfolio
ICRISAT-1: Improving policies and facilitating institutional
innovation, markets and impact to support the sustained
reduction of poverty and hunger in the SAT
Project Overview and Rationale
MTP Project 1 provides the essential social science context for ICRISAT research. This project
attempts to understand the complex challenges and emerging constraints facing agriculture in
the semi-arid tropics with the aim to identify multi-faceted interventions that encompass
innovations in policy, institutions and new technologies that improve productivity and market
access for the poor. It employs a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches to identify
livelihood strategies, technology adoption and impact pathways and analysis of pro-poor
policies and development strategies for improving productivity and marketing of agricultural
produce. The strategic assessments for agricultural and economic growth in the SAT region -
the dynamics of rural livelihoods, nature and the determinants of poverty, as well as
commodity and market trends in increasingly global markets, and input supply and access
constraints - are vital to inform and direct future investments in the SAT. The project will focus
on mapping the complex development pathways and alternative livelihood options and the
institutional innovations for improving access to agricultural technologies and markets to
identify policy options and inform interventions to address poverty, vulnerability,
marginalization and social exclusion in the semi-arid tropics. The project has the following four
specific objectives that are in line with the mandate, goals and objectives of the Center as a
whole.
1. Evaluate and develop innovative adoption and impact pathways and policy options for
expanding access and utilization of new technologies for smallholder producers, and
enhance the conduct and performance of knowledge intensive rural institutions (e.g.
extension service) through impact studies that also contribute to accountability and
priority setting.
2. Develop and promote strategies that enhance market access and competitiveness of
dryland commodities for smallholder farmers/agro-enterprises and food safety for
consumers.
3. Examine, develop and promote strategies for strengthening rural institutions and propoor
institutional change to reduce vulnerability of smallholder livelihoods.
4. Analyze the effectiveness of agricultural and rural development strategies and identify
development pathways and policies that facilitate poverty reduction and livelihood
protection under chronic and transitory emergencies.
The target eco-region for MTP Project 1 is the semi-arid tropics of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
In this project, ICRISAT is both a primary and secondary research provider. ICRISAT also plays
a bridge-broker-catalyst role in this project articulating a vision for the future of dryland
agriculture that will make a difference to the livelihoods of people in the SAT. It plays a
catalytic, facilitating, enabling or advocacy role complementary to the centers research role
and their contribution to IPGs. The remainder is unchanged from MTP 2007-2009 and MTP
2008-10.
ICRISAT is a leader in this research area and is well poised as a major player in developing
strategies, policies and innovations in the semi-arid tropics. It works in an interdisciplinary and
partnership mode and produces international public goods by using micro- and macro-level
analysis to inform policy development and decision making.
Strategic research for identifying pro-poor policy and institutional innovations to improve
access to agricultural technologies, markets and services will require a systematic analysis of
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