Metrics for Agricultural Transformation: Update on Recent and Ongoing Developments April 19, 2013 Washington, DC

1. Measuring policy impacts in Africa:
Lessons from MAFAP
Jean Balié and Mulat Demeke
Agricultural Development Economics Division
FAO, Rome
Washington DC , 19 April 2013

2. 1. The importance of policy
2. What we have learned with
MAFAP
3. Key conclusions

3. 1. The importance of policy
Harvesting teff in Ethiopia (photo © FAO/Giulio Napolitano)

4. Source: FAO (State of Food and Agriculture 2012)
• Importance of private decisions
• Importance of enabling environment
• Need for information and analysis to
support policy dialogue and decision
making

5.  A very active field, but with a gap in terms of a system of
quantitative indicators of policy impacts in developing countries
 Motivation for MAFAP
Many related initiatives…

6. 2. What we have learned with MAFAP
Carrying maize in Mozambique (photo © FAO)

7. Key contributions
• System of indicators to inform analysis, dialog, policy,
resource allocation
• A new market development gap indicator
• Systematic and comparable across commodities, countries
and over time
• Presence in 10 + countries in SSA
• Partnerships to build capacity, ownership and sustained use
• Evidence-based policy dialogue in on-going policy processes
and primarily CAADP

9. Key findings
• Policies and market development gaps reduce prices
received by farmers for most commodities
• Market access is a significant constraint
• Agri-business and value chains are underdeveloped
Indicates opportunities for improved policies and
expenditures
Requires improved data, analysis, capacity and
buy-in

10. Partnerships
Project
team
at FAO
BMGF
FAO
USAID
Institutional
partners
(typically in the
Ministry of
Agriculture)
Technical
partners
(typically
research
institutions)
At country level
NEPAD/CAADP, OECD, ReSAKSS and others

11. 3. Conclusions
Training course in Burkina Faso, photo © FAO/Giulio Napolitano

12. What we have learned
Ascertain country buy-in and commitment
1. Seek country ownership
2. Embed in existing policy process  CAADP
3. Build capacities
4. Support institutionalization
Work in partnerships
5. Build on others strengths Ex. OECD to
develop methodology
6. Add something to what exists
7. Build and use a coalition to have impact

13. For more information: www.fao.org/mafap

14. More on what MAFAP contributes?
Livestock production in Burkina Faso (photo © FAO/Giulio Napolitano)

15. The MAFAP methodology
Price
Incentives
Public
expenditures
Policy
coherence

16. Next steps
• Consolidation and “graduation” in initial
countries
• Expansion to additional countries
• Methodological improvements
• Expanded policy dialogue
• Continuing role of FAO