Strategic assessments for SAT futures

It is well documented in literature that despite the remarkable advances made by agricultural research in recent decades, poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition still remain as the most critical challenges facing the semi-arid tropics. The SAT is a harsh, risk-prone, fragile environment. Drought is a constant threat; water scarcity is a growing problem; soils are poor; and land degradation is increasing. Risks are pervasive and greater than in any other important food production system. Poor infrastructure and inadequate policy contribute to the lag in transformation into vibrant diversification and commercialization. Agriculture remains the backbone of SAT economies.

This global theme undertakes strategic assessments to examine the changes taking place in the SAT. The region has changed significantly in the past three decades, and some conditions pervading when the Institute began no longer hold true. This theme seeks to identify major changes, emerging trends, and their implications for ICRISAT's research priorities, in order to ensure that the Institute remains focused on key issues influencing agricultural development and poverty reduction. The major findings from the literature survey, data analyses and stakeholder consultations, conducted by the theme as a part of exercise to monitor changes highlight a number of implications for agricultural R&D strategies and priorities.

The strategic assessments currently underway include:

Asia:

• Policy study on adverse impact of input subsidies on rainfed agriculture
• Has green revolution bypassed coarse cereals?
• Diversification of agriculture- role of urbanization & infrastructure
• Revitalizing agriculture sector in Andhra Pradesh: Role of agricultural diversification and agro-processing
• Rainfall insurance in India: Policy brief
• Nutritional orientation, access and strategies: ICRISAT perspectives
• Building collaboration towards a multi-sectoral strategy on “Food, Livelihoods and HIV/AIDS”
• A bioeconomic modeling approach: methodology to analyze impact of technological and policy interventions for micro-watershed in Semi-Arid India (Linked with GT-AES, Sub-project 3)
• Development of a dynamic non-linear bioeconomic model with crop-livestock integration (Linked with GT-AES, Sub-project 3)

WCA:

• Why is agricultural transformation lagging behind in the SAT?

ESA:

• Adaptation of IFPRI's IMPACT model for analyses of alternative futures for dryland agriculture
• Strategic analysis and knowledge support systems
• Green revolution in Zimbabwe (linked to GT-CI and GT-AES).

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