The African Association of Agricultural Economists holds its 6th annual conference this week in Abuja, Nigeria. Over the course of four days, economists from Africa and other regions of the world will gather to discuss the policy challenges facing African governments as they tackle demographic shifts, climate change, urbanization, and fostering “agri-preneurship.”
Throughout these discussions, IFPRI staff will be on the front lines, from organizing to participating in panels and sessions. The conference “provides a unique platform for IFPRI researchers to share policy relevant evidence that could influence decisions and policies in the agriculture sector and improve food and nutrition security in Africa,” said IFPRI Research Fellow Bedru Balana, a member of the organizing committee.
This scope of involvement is nothing new. For more than 40 years, IFPRI has been contributing to the agricultural economics profession by forging strong partnerships with agricultural economics associations as they hold meetings all over the world. For instance, in 2018, IFPRI co-sponsored and provided planning input on the 30th International Conference of Agricultural Economists in Vancouver; more than 60 IFPRI staff ended up attending and debuting 70 papers, posters, and presentations. IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan called that event “a vibrant opportunity to learn from one another and facilitate discussions on how agriculture can best support economic and social conditions globally.”
Also in 2018, IFPRI once again collaborated with the China Agricultural Economic Review (CAER) for the 10th CAER-IFPRI conference; CAER is an academic journal published in association with China Agricultural University and the Chinese Association of Agricultural Economists. IFPRI’s nearly decade-long partnership with the Ethiopian Economic Association was recognized at the 17th Annual International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy, highlighting the Institute’s role in organizing national and regional-level trainings, co-organizing conferences, providing professional grants for young researchers, and offering financial and technical support to graduate students.
IFPRI staff and board members have also historically held leadership positions at many of these associations, with several serving as president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (including incoming Director General Jo Swinnen), the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, and others.
Association events are an easy way to debate and collaborate directly on equal footing with preeminent and emerging thinkers, scholars, and practitioners within the agricultural economics profession, which has historically been a natural fit for studying the development challenges of developing countries.
IFPRI’s work depends on strong partnerships with hundreds of collaborators. Its dynamic relationships with agricultural economics associations at the international, regional, and country levels allow it to make continued contributions to research that can help improve—even in small ways—the lives of people far from conference podiums.
Sivan Yosef is a Senior Program Manager in IFPRI’s Director General’s Office.
