Institute of Development Studies

Future Agricultures Consortium

'A Learning Consortium'

The DFID funded Future Agricultures Consortium aims to encourage critical debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa. The Consortium is a partnership between research-based organisations in Africa and the UK, with work currently focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi.

Through stakeholder-led policy dialogues on future scenarios for agriculture, informed by field research, the Consortium aims to elaborate the practical and policy challenges of establishing and sustaining pro-poor agricultural growth in Africa. Current work focuses on four core themes:

Policy processes: what political, organisational budgetary processes promote or hinder pathways to pro-poor, agriculture-led growth? What role should different actors, including Ministries of Agriculture, have in this?

Growth and social protection: what are the trade-offs and complementarities between growth and social protection objectives?

Agricultural commercialisation: what types of commercialisation of agriculture both promote growth and reduce poverty? What institutional and market arrangements are required?

Science, technology and innovation: how can agricultural technology be made to work for the poor? How are technology trajectories linked to processes of agrarian/livelihood change?

Consortium Researchers and Partners

For further information including full publications list visit: www.future-agricultures.org

• Project dates: March 2003 - Ongoing
• Project status: Open
• Funder: Department for International Development (DFID)

Researchers

• Ian Scoones
• Stephen Devereux
• John Thompson
• David Hughes
• Rachel Sabates-Wheeler
• Jennifer Leavy
• Oliver Burch
• Jeremy Lind
• Andy Newsham

Partner Organisations

• Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

Selected Outputs

• Scoones, I., deGrassi, A., Devereux, S. and Haddad, L. (2005) 'New Directions for African Agriculture', IDS Bulletin 36.2, Brighton: IDS

Selected News

• Do Small-scale Farms in Africa Have a Future?
• Maximising Fertiliser Benefits for Kenyan Farmers
• A Global Land Grab?

Selected Events

• Future Agricultures Consortium International Conference on Seasonality - 08/07/2009
  The conference will bring together 50–60 international participants, to include academics and practitioners, as well as policymakers from both governmental and international bodies. The conference will be global in scope but with a strong focus on Africa. The event aims to think through lessons from the past, examine current research, review good practice and consider policy options for the future.