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Policy Division

Policy Division: About Policy Division | Policy Groups & Teams | Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture Team | Organogram(15 kb) | Policy Division Teams(43 kb)

The Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture Team (RNRA Team)

Agriculture

Following an 18 month consultation, the Secretary of State launched DFID’s new Agricultural Policy Paper on 7th December 2005: Growth and Poverty Reduction: The Role of Agriculture(290 kb). This outlines seven priority areas for DFID:

• A supportive policy framework for agriculture
• Better public spending in agriculture
• Making markets work better
• Meeting the agricultural finance gap
• Realising the benefits of agricultural science and technology
• Improving poor people’s access to land and water
• Reducing distortions in international agricultural markets

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A supportive policy framework for agriculture

Policies that support rather than constrain farmers’ ability to make sound choices and improve productivity are important to realising agriculture’s potential. The RNRA Team works with DFID’s regional and country programmes and partners:

• To support national policy dialogue on agriculture, in order to strengthen agriculture’s contribution to countries’ own strategies for growth and poverty reduction. Contact Richard Moberly, r-moberly@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.
• To build the capacity of developing country policy thinkers to consider new policy innovations by supportingFuture Agricultures consortium. Contact Terri Sarch, t-sarch@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.
• To ensure that agricultural growth and social protection strategies are mutually reinforcing. Whilst there are important potential synergies between social protection and agricultural growth, weak policy linkages mean that these are often not achieved. The team will support a three year programme of work with theOverseas Development Institute (ODI), DFID country offices and other policy teams to assess how and how far complementarities can be achieved between policies designed to promote agriculture. Contact Tim Waites, T-Waites@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

The RNRA team also works with other development agencies through international groups like OECD’s POVNET and the Global Donor Platform in order to build a common approach to agriculture for poverty reducing growth.
Want to know more? Contact Daniel Bradley, d-bradley@dfid.gov.uk.

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Better public spending in agriculture

Well planned public spending in agriculture can improve agricultural productivity and reduce poverty. But in many poor countries, agriculture funds are often insufficient and poorly focused. To improve the volume and pattern of public expenditure, the RNRA Team is supporting a public expenditure review programme with the World Bank that will increase government capacity to analyse agricultural budgets. Contact Paul Mullard, P-Mullard@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

Making markets work better

Poorly functioning markets for inputs and products are a major constraint on agricultural growth. The RNRA team is focusing on grain and fertiliser markets and working to encourage private sector participation in these markets through programmes:

• With government and private sector partners to build more effective markets in Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria; and
  
• To extend networks of cereal banks and fertiliser retailers in rural Kenya and Uganda.

Contact Neil MacPherson, N-MacPherson@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

The RNRA team is working with the International Institute for Environment and Development, the Natural Resources Institute and with a range of the organisations involved in UK supermarket supply chains to find ways of improving African producers’ access to high value export markets. In Southern Africa, DFID is also working with South African supermarkets. Contact Terri Sarch, T-Sarch@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

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Meeting the agricultural finance gap

Despite the emergence of promising models for improving poor people’s access to financial services, these are often unavailable to poor farmers or for agricultural activities. DFID is helping to extend poor people’s access to rural financial services by funding the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP); and with the private sector through the Financial Sector Reform and Strengthening (FIRST) initiative (Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi). Contact Doug Pearce in the Financial Services policy team for more information.

Realising the benefits of agricultural science and technology

Technologies that meet poor farmers’ needs and are accessible will stimulate agricultural growth. The RNRA Team works with DFID’s Chief Scientist and Central Research Department to develop technologies that address these priorities, in particular through DFID’s forthcoming sustainable agricultural research.

Specific initiatives that the team supports to improve poor farmers’ access to technologies include:

• TheAfrican Agricultural Technology Foundation that works to enable African farmers to gain access to privately owned and patented agricultural technologies like striga-resistant maize
  
• TheSeeds of Development programme that works with local seed enterprises in Africa to improve their distribution of improved seed to poor farmers.

Contact Terri Sarch, T-Sarch@dfid.gov.uk for more information.

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Improving poor people’s access to land and water

Well-defined and secure property rights encourage farmers to invest in their land and in some areas can be used as collateral for loans. Land ownership remains inequitable and administrative procedures are unnecessarily restrictive in many countries. The RNRA Team’s land administration programme with the World Bank will develop policy options to improve land administration and access to land for poor people in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, India and Cambodia. Contact Daniel Bradley for more information.

Reducing distortions in international agricultural markets

If agricultural trade is to benefit poor people and poor countries, it has to take place in a global trading system that gives everyone a fair chance to compete. The RNRA team’sprogramme with FAO supports developing countries in international trade negotiations. Contact Laura Kelly, L-Kelly@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

The UK’s position on international product standards (sanitary and phytosanitary standards) also needs to reflect a reasonable balance between the needs of consumers and developing country producers. The RNRA team is helping developing countries to meet international standards by supporting the WTO basedStandards and Trade for Development Facility. Contact Terri Sarch, T-Sarch@dfid.gov.uk  for more information.

Last updated: 12 April 2007