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Dear all Welcome to debate on the role and contribution of agriculture within growth and poverty reduction, and on ways in which DFID's programmes and policy might best provide support. We are looking forward to a lively set of contributions. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to look at the note on the website for theme 1: http://dfid-agriculture-consultation.nri.org/theme1/theme1.htm You are invited to address this theme in whatever way you see fit, but you may want to frame the discussion initially around three main questions, taking into account some subsidiary ones, as follows: 1. Looking forwards in a changing world to the contribution that agriculture can make to reducing poverty, what are the opportunities and threats? * How is the context changing? * Overall, is the conventional wisdom that 'agriculture is the primary motor of growth and poverty reduction in the poorest countries' still valid, and will it remain so? Which aspects of agricultural (or rural) development need emphasis in the coming years? 2. What are the implications for the types of intervention that are appropriate at different levels (global, national and local) by different types of actors (public, private and civil society)? * If agriculture is so important, why did it fall off the map - and how can this (or should it?) be prevented from happening again? * What do we know about what works? What are the approaches, and even specific examples, that offer positive lessons? * What are the main institutional or other weaknesses at the global level that need attention? What positive changes can be proposed? 3. How can DFID be more effective in getting poverty-reducing agriculture going? What should it do, or not do, to support policies, programmes, investments and processes? * Should DFID give greater priority to agriculture, and, if so, what principles and considerations should guide it? * How does, or should, DFID relate to those other elements of the international system that have a role in promoting agriculture's role in poverty reduction and economic growth? * Are there new ways in which DFID might work in priority countries and regions? Depending on your responses and contributions, after a week or two the moderators (Gareth Williams and I) will suggest priority areas for further rounds of the discussion. Many thanks. Alex. Alex Duncan Senior Associate Member St.Antony's College 62 Woodstock Road Oxford OX2 6JF. Visiting Professor Department of Agricultural Sciences Imperial College London.
Please visit dfid-agriculture-consultation.nri.org.