Enhancing Rural Development Through South-South Cooperation in IFAD's Operational Model

1. South-south Cooperation in IFAD’s Operating Model ______________________________________________ Presented by: Thomas Elhaut, Director, Asia and Pacific Region Based on corporate review done by Thomas Elhaut and Nicoló Berghinz, SSC Specialist 15 September 2010

2. Flow of presentation • Background • Illustration of IFAD’s experience • Lessons learnt • Ways forward

3. I. Background: definition and value added

4. Definition • Long history: Bandung, 1955 • SSC is intensifying and diversifying • IFAD’s working definition of SSC: • two-way process • fluid and direct interchange • ideas, technologies and goods • between people, directly • agricultural (rural) productivity and profitability • within and across regions • leading to change, action on the ground • with win-win-win opportunities • Consistent with IFAD’s policies

5. Value added of SSC • Scouting for rural innovations • Replication • Enhance IFAD’s: • relevance: appropriate knowledge • effectiveness: probability of reaching development objectives • efficiency: reduced transaction costs, reduced risks • Sustainability • Earlier and predictable upscaling

6. SSC concretises the KM agenda • Demand- driven: south-south partnerships • sustainable (production and communication) technology • profitable rural enterprise models • inclusive institutions and pro-poor policies • enabling approaches for rural poverty reduction • IFAD as facilitator: the triangular dimension • corporate strategy objectives: areas of comparative advantage • increasingly: agricultural (rural) productivity, profitability

7. II. IFAD’s Experience

8. Typology of engagement • Dimension of IFAD’s operating model: one of IFAD’s operating modalities • Special purpose activities linked to IFAD investment programmes

9. Some examples: 13 specific activities

10. New Delhi Conference on Rural Transformation • India, Brazil, China, South Africa • Policy focus: • inclusive and sustainable rural development • effective governance • efficiency and effectiveness of public policy and programmes • Approach: • reinforcement of PPP (public, private, people/partnership) • gender issues • development of small scale producers • land reforms • financial services • ICT enhancement • efficient resource allocation • to be opened up to other developing countries • IFAD: 200 000 $; technical inputs in conference; support to follow-up (South Africa)

11. Enhancing Agricultural Competitiveness in the Greater Mekong Subregion • Cambodia, China (Yunnan), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam • Participants • policy makers • chambers of commerce • farmers and their organisations • technical experts • Content • new agricultural technologies • commodity chains • expanded trade • IFAD: 609 000 $, CPM for Laos and Vietnam ensures link to ongoing projects (supervision next month) the other triangle

12. Consortium for Unfavourable Rice Environments (CURE) with IRRI (CGIAR) • 10 South and Southeast Asian countries • NARES, IRRI researchers, farmers and extension workers • diverse rice ecosystems • on-site farmer-participatory research • multidisciplinary approach for technology generation, validation, and dissemination • broad-based capacity building • IFAD: supervision, link to ongoing projects in Laos and Bangladesh

13. Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace • Innovative technologies for smallholders (women) in Africa • Participants: • policymakers • scientists and experts • NGOs, African organizations, foundations • universities • private sector • Components: • policy dialogue • Marketplace • Africa-Brazil projects • IFAD: USD 500 000

14. China-Asia-Africa SSC Seminar • Madagascar, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Vietnam • Content: • the climate change • food quality and safety • rural technologies • community participation • multi-sectoral and coordinated investments • managed approach to poverty reduction policy planning

15. Regional Gathering of Pastoralist Women • Pastoralist women • In Asia, Near and Middle East • Components • knowledge-sharing • capacity building • regional platform • women influence local and national policies • IFAD: 200 000 $; technical support of the IFAD livestock advisor, link to ongoing projects

16. RUTAs: the learning routes in LAC • A systematised process: PROCASUR • farmers and their associations, rural organizations, technicians and private sector representatives • learning in the field • organized thematically around good practices in rural development • experiences of rural institutions, communities and families • Innovation Plan: inclusive strategy for the community as a whole • supports for subsequent on-the-ground replication and implementation • on-line platforms to serve rural development projects and their beneficiaries • IFAD: CPM for Colombia and Peru is part of the facilitation mechanism and ensures link to ongoing projects

17. Learning Routes in LAC and beyond (e.g. Rwanda, Malawi) • Examples of learning routes: • Sharing knowledge about market access in Ecuador and Peru • Successful Colombian Rural Micro-enterprises • Improving the quality of life for the community of Palenque • Talented Rural Youth: learning from their experiences in accessing land and financial and business services • IFAD: replicating the learning route approach in Asia (November, in China)

18. III. Lessons learnt • elect true champions as hosts • manage knowledge content: driven by guests’ demand with flexibility • secure financing to sustain the process • assure evidence-based KM (results) • institutions matter: • select institution that has SSC know-how • build-in sustainability in the programme

19. IV. Ways Forward

20. The future of SSC • Maintain: current diversity, flexibility, innovation, decentralisation • Add: corporate strategic dimension • a corporate window: policy and strategy in nature, to support and enhance current SSC approach • monitor the financing of SSC • systematise knowledge management

21. Increased coordination and cross-fertilisation as part of KM strategy • Corporate coordination function in the office of the CDS • Core responsibilities: • accelerate and upscale SSC • stronger direction, strategic selectivity • KM and results focus • stronger policy impact (advocacy)

22. Thank you for your attention