Doing policy analysis on linking farmers to markets

Doing policy analysis on linking farmers to markets

When I learned about the International Center for Tropical Agriculture’s (CIAT) mission to reduce hunger and poverty and improve human nutrition in the tropics, through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture, I found that I had a strong desire to contribute. The research theme Linking Farmers to Markets (LFM) especially captured my attention after perusing the Decision and Policy Analysis (DAPA) blog. Despite growing up in Colombia – the host country of CIAT’s headquarters – I had never heard of the dynamic research for development taking place in my country and across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.

As a matter of fact, you may have read statements on the DAPA-LFM blog like “Farmers cooperatives are increasingly asked to play the critical role while alleviating rural poverty and preserving natural resources” and “smallholders farmers are not always are successful in linking to emerging value chains. They face many constrains such as lack of assets, managerial skills, public support, etc.”

These facts resounded in my mind as I filled out a job application to work at CIAT in early 2011. While after graduation most of my friends ended up working for the private sector, in banks and marketing firms, I started a non-linear career as an economist mainly working for development organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the World Bank over 12 years ago. At the end, I got the job at CIAT and happily joined the LFM team, led by senior researcher Mark Lundy, mainly contributing through public policy analysis.

I am involved in projects that assess market access policies in Colombia. One project explores the effectiveness of the current agricultural supply chain policy. Among other interesting findings, my team and I have found that while in some cases these policies have been effective in decreasing poverty and increasing the competitiveness of farmers, often they do not reach the most vulnerable populations. Furthermore, the degree of implementation of this policy varies greatly by commodity and location. These outcomes have significant implications for public policy design and, hence, livelihood opportunities across the regions of the countr