In 1993, economists operating in southern Africa under specially funded regional research and development projects for the International Crops Research Institute for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT) created a cereal grains Policy Analysis Initiative (PAI). This Initiative was established as a two year pilot project designed to promote policy analysis on cereal grains by economists in the National Agricultural Systems (NARS) of the Southern African Development Community (SACD). In addition, the PAI aimed to provide analytical training for policy analysis, promote the establishment of a network of NARS-based economists working on related policy issues, and facilitate communication between economists based in the NARS and their counterparts in Ministry of Agriculture policy and planning units. Following the end of the initiative's 2-year pilot phase in 1992, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) sponsored a regional review to assess economic research capabilities in the NARS in order to identify opportunities for improving the long-term contributions of this kind of initiative. This report summarizes the findings of that review. Most, though not all, of the NARS in the SADC region now employ economists. Many of them were first employed under farming systems research progammes and are still guided by the broad mandates of such programmes. A minority have post-graduate degrees, and more graduate training is merited. Links with economists in planning or policy units of Ministries of Agriculture and with economists in universities tend to be limited. Staff turnover rates for economists do not appear unuaual at regional level, but are worryingly high in some countries.

Text in English