DONORS CORNER

Agriculture and poverty reduction: unlocking the potential T DFID

by Jonathan Wadsworth

he United Kinglittle and has prioritized Department for doms Department the need to identify and International for International adopt practical measures Development Development (DFID) is that will unlock the the government departpotential of agriculture ment responsible for for poverty reduction. The promoting sustainable international developdevelopment and reducing ment community needs poverty. The central focus to work together to find of policy, explained in approaches that can two white papers of 1997 work in situations far less and 2000, is to achieve favorable to smallholder by 2015 the internationfarming than those expeally agreed Millennium rienced in the first Green Development Goals. These Revolution in Asia. seek to: Eradicate extreme Partnerships poverty and hunger, Even in the past deAchieve universal cade, when funding for primary education, research became much Promote gender tighter, DFID mainequality and empower tained its support for women, international agricultural Reduce child mortality, research. Total contriDR. WADSWORTH, rural livelihoods adviser in the Central Research Department of DFIDs Improve maternal butions in 2002 to the Policy Division, adapted for this column a DFID policy paper with the same title published health, Consultative Group on in December 2003 and available under Publications at www.dfid.gov.uk. Combat HIV/AIDS, International Agriculmalaria and other tural Research (CGIAR), big regional disparities. In Southeast Asia, diseases, IRRIs parent organization, were around Green Revolution technology saved millions Ensure environmental sustainability, 15 million, making DFID one of the of lives and lifted millions out of poverty by Develop a global partnership for devellargest donors after the World Bank. In providing a platform for diversified econom- addition, many CGIAR centers already opment. ic growth. In contrast, agricultural producAgriculture, in its broadest sense, participate in research conducted tion declined by 5% in sub-Saharan Africa is responsible for making the connecthrough bilateral research programs. It between 1980 and 2001, and the number of tions among these areas, especially in is anticipated that such productive partpeople suffering hunger increased by half. the poorest countries whose economies nerships will continue under the new Even in Asia rates of productivity growth have not yet diversified and where the research strategy that DFID is currently are slowing, and many people have never great majority of people still live in rural developing. areas. Furthermore a study on agricultural benefited from Green Revolution technolRecent work by the International ogy. In India alone some 300 million people productivity and poverty alleviation that Food Policy Research Institute, partly still live in extreme poverty. appeared a few years ago in Development supported by DFID, has shown the Basically, agriculture has performed Policy Review showed that growth in widespread and diverse impact of badly in areas where it needs to work well. agriculture benefits the poor more than international agricultural research by Consequently in recent years donor fundgrowth in any other sector, and that yield the CGIAR, much of which has directly ing for agricultural research investments increases of just 1% reduce the proportion benefited the poor. An important finding in rural development has declined draof people living on less than $1 per day by is that increased returns for farmers matically in real terms, and the relevance 0.6-1.2%. often make up only a small proportion of of agriculture has been called into question. the benefits, the main gains arising from DFID has been working on policy options Regional disparities lower food prices due to supply increasto harness renewed interest in agriculture Since 1970, largely due to technical es, which benefit both urban and rural by developing-country governments and advances made by agricultural research poor. Such impacts were an influential organizations throughout the world, global international agencies. factor in the decision to increase DFID The U.K. recognizes that more aid food production outstripped population support to the CGIAR by 30 million spent on agriculture will on its own achieve growth, but the average figures disguise over the next 3 years.

Rice Today April 2004