NITI AAYOG AND IFPRI SIGN STATEMENT OF INTENT
Strengthening policy frameworks for agricultural transformation and rural development
New Delhi, 13 December 2023: The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) today aimed at strengthening policy and programme frameworks that will contribute towards the achievement of the country’s developmental objectives. Through the SoI, IFPRI will provide policy analytics and needs-based support to NITI in mutually identified areas within the broader space of food system transformation. The initial focus will be on agriculture, rural development, trade, and climate change policies in India.
To ensure a sustainable and inclusive agricultural and rural transformation, NITI Aayog has been conducting periodic monitoring and evaluation of India’s development programmes with active policy guidance from its Agriculture Vertical. The SoI, which will be in effect for a period of five years, stipulates a broad mandate for IFPRI to support the Agriculture Vertical in the aforementioned areas, especially where IFPRI has the core competence.
IFPRI, headquartered in Washington DC and with its South Asia Regional office in New Delhi, works in over 70 countries (over 50 of them in the global south) and drives the CGIAR Systems Transformation Science Group. Its engagement with the Government of India from the period of Green Revolution has evolved to generate evidence across areas of agriculture and food systems, rural development, public expenditure, technology, and innovation.
Reaffirming IFPRI’s commitment to India’s developmental goals, Dr. Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI and Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR said, “Through this SoI, we plan to engage on a wider range of issues related to ‘Systems Transformation’, building a multi-disciplinary approach towards ensuring a sustainable food system for the country.” He also added that the SoI will serve as “a platform to share a vast array of knowledge and experiences from IFPRI and CGIAR’s global partnerships with various think tanks, research institutes and centers of excellence, to help achieve the desired outcomes.”
IFPRI has been working with the NITI Aayog for over a decade on issues of nutrition and health under the Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonize Actions for Nutrition (POSHAN) project. This SoI will see further engagement across a broad range of areas that are integral to food systems transformation, such as agriculture, trade, and climate change.
The Chief Guest, Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, on the occasion said, "In India's development trajectory, agriculture will play a central role. Increasing productivity of agriculture, coupled with a shift towards natural and soil-friendly practices, is crucial. Strong rural demand support manufacturing and economic revival and is critical for India's transformation over the next 25 years. IFPRI's hallmark is addressing important issues with methodological rigor. Tackling challenges in agriculture, climate change, and trade is a shared responsibility for meaningful cooperation."
Dr. Shahidur Rashid, Director-South Asia, IFPRI said, “IFPRI’s partnerships with NITI Aayog and regional bodies like BIMSTEC, SAARC, and ASEAN ensure that our research stays relevant for policymaking and the lessons learnt are of relevance to countries in the global south. Bringing together different economic, social, and environmental linkages within this SoI will not only help generate strong empirical evidence for policymaking but also will lead to greater outreach and dissemination to regional and global audiences.”
Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, while attending the event stated, “I feel this SOI will lead to collaborative work between NITI Aayog and IFPRI that can generate new insights into the role of agriculture in shaping economic development in India and other emerging economies.”
The activities under the SoI will include the development and tracking of Rural Transformation Indicators, providing support for design and evaluation of flagship programs, policy analytical tools for strategic areas of importance, and in particular, generation of evidence on India’s agri-food trade in regional and global contexts.
This Press Release was first published on the Press Information Bureau website.
Media Coverage
Business Standard Agriculture to play important role in development trajectory: NITI VC (business-standard.com)
