Launch and Co-Creation Workshop
View event proceedings, publication on research priority setting and a suite of studies on wheat value chains in Sudan.
Yumna Kassim, Oliver Kirui and Clemens Breisinger
On Wednesday, February 9th, 2022, the Sudan Strategy Support Program (Sudan SSP) launched at the AlSalam Rotana Hotel. Against a backdrop of the timely discussion on the risk of rising poverty and food insecurity to Sudanese people, the workshop brought together a group of about 70 food security and nutrition experts from civil society, private sector and international organizations. The 3-year Sudan SSP – funded by USAID and implemented by IFPRI – draws on expertise across IFPRI and its partners to help finding solutions to some of the most pressing development challenges that the Sudanese people face. High-level opening remarks, by USAID Sudan’s Mission Director and IFPRI’s Development Strategy and Governance Division Director, stressed the momentum and opportunity surrounding the launch of the Sudan SSP and planned and developing research and capacity building activities. Among those areas that need most attention, are the main research themes of the Sudan SSP: Agricultural Production; Markets and Trade; Livelihoods and Nutrition; Development Strategy and Investment Planning; and Increasing Resilience of Farming Systems Under Growing Climate Challenges.
Besides an opening panel discussion consisting of experts in key areas of interest to the Sudan SSP, at the heart of the co-creation agenda was also participatory focus-group discussions on five key research themes. These focused discussions aimed at exploring the short- and long-term development challenges and opportunities within the thematic areas and were structured in recognition of the diversity stakeholders, including those from the private sector, local non-governmental organizations, regional organizations, research centers as well as international organizations and other stakeholder groups. Their active participation and co-creation of research priorities marked the beginning of a community of practice and identified key knowledge gaps, research demands, and key priorities are under each theme.
A Workshop Report, highlighting key findings from the thematic discussions and feeding into the development of priority areas of research for Sudan SSP for the coming three years, will be published soon on the IFPRI Sudan website (sudan.ifpri.info). Activities will provide needed analytical support and capacity building to local and international partners, strengthen related communities of practice, and share timely policy-relevant research results to support evidence-based decision-making. To ensure the program produces relevant solutions that have positive impacts, the program will also form an advisory committee and promote a research-based dialogue among agri-food systems stakeholders, while strengthening local capacities.
The workshop also launched a comprehensive study on Sudan’s wheat subsidies, markets on food security in Sudan. The study was completed in January 2022 and published in a four-part working paper series and policy note synthesizing key findings. A Policy Note synthesizing findings was distributed during the workshop while IFPRI presenters relayed key findings and messages from the study on Insights from a survey of constraints and opportunities for key actors; A co-integration analysis on wheat markets; A simulation model analysis on the distributional consequences of wheat policy; and the Political economy study on the opportunities and challenges of wheat value chains in Sudan. Questions and Answers from this session addressed some of the key opportunities and challenges for the future of wheat in Sudan, including strategies on how to address the growing wheat import dependency; how to better leverage home-grown agricultural solutions and align them with consumer preferences; and how to enhance the marketing and diversification of agricultural production.
IFPRI will implement the Sudan SSP as part of the One CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research), in collaboration with ICARDA (the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and other One CGIAR entities. Research results, by the Sudan SSP, are published in Working Papers and Policy Notes series. IFPRI’s Sudan SSP microsite also brings together News pieces and Blogs on the most recent activities as well as links to Datasets and mapping Tools and the upcoming and previous Events.
View event proceedings, publication on research priority setting and a suite of studies on wheat value chains in Sudan.
