Participating countries:
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam

Period:
April 2003 – October 2006

Funding:
Government of Japan – (US$590,403)

Project Officer:
Tomohide Sugino

The objectives:

1. To review historical development and current status of diversity in agricultural production and of marketing systems focusing on CGPRT crops
2. To critically review historical policies that may affect CGPRT crops consumption and utilization, agricultural systems and environment
3. To assess the impact of economic transformation and trade liberalization on CGPRT crops-based farming system, diversified agriculture system and the rural economy, welfare, and environment
4. To investigate nutritional and/or industrial importance of CGPRT crops as well as diversified ways of consuming them and to explore the potential of product diversification to meet changes in demand
5. To examine constraints and potential factors (economic, agro-ecology, socio-cultural) that determine the coexistence of sustainable development and diversified agriculture
6. To formulate policy options and recommendations to enhance sustainable diversified agricultural production

The activities:

1. The AGRIDIV project began operationally in April 2003.
2. The project was implemented in collaboration with partner institutes from the eight participating countries:
   • Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute
   • Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
   • Indonesian Center for Agriculture Socio Economic and Policy Studies (ICASEPS)
   • National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), Lao PDR
   • Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI)
   • Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development, Irrigation and Fisheries, Sri Lanka
   • Bureau of Agricultural Economic Research, Office of Agricultural Economic, Thailand
   • Viet Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), Food Crop Research Institute (FCR), Centre for Agrarian Systems Research and Development (CASRAD)
      
3. The country studies were conducted by the respective national experts. The studies were implemented in two separate phases: national level and local/farm level.
   • Phase I
     Descriptive and quantitative analysis of current status of CGPRT crops agriculture and identification of its development constraints
   • Phase II
     Descriptive and quantitative assessment of performance of CGPRT crop-based farming system and its integration in relation to private sector processing and institutional arrangements
4. The planning meeting for Phase I (5-6 August 2003), the draft meeting for Phase I and the planning meeting for Phase II (20-22 July 2004), and the draft meeting for Phase II (19-20 July 2005) were held at CAPSA.
5. Country and regional study were implemented during August 2003 to July 2005. Based on the country study results, policy recommendations to realize poverty alleviation through agricultural diversification were formulated by country study teams in the eight participating countries. The recommendations cover the fields including 1)Technological development, 2)Marketing, 3) Infrastructure and information, 4) Credit, 5) Processing, 6) Price and trade, 7) Input, 8) Regional cooperation, 9) Farmers group, 10) Land policy.

The outcomes:

1. The first and second country reports were published as Centre’s Working Paper series (WP) as follows::
   
   CAPSA Working Paper No. 80
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Bangladesh

   CAPSA Working Paper No. 82
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in India

   CAPSA Working Paper No. 83
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Sri Lanka

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 85
   Enhancing the sustainable development of diverse agriculture through CGPRT crops in Myanmar: current status of CGPRT crop agriculture and identification of its development constraints

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 86
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Viet Nam

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 87
   Secondary crops based farming systems and their integration with processing and marketing in Bangladesh

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 88
   Identification of pulling factors for enhancing the sustainable development of agriculture with special reference to maize in India
   
   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 89
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Lao People's Democratic Republic

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 90
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Thailand

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 91
   Identification of pulling factors for enhancing the sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Myanmar

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 92
   Pathways out of poverty through maize and job's tear in Lao People's Democratic Republic

   CAPSA Working Paper No. 93
   Pathways out of poverty through cassava, maize and soybean in Thailand (Phase II)

   CAPSA Working Paper; No. 95
   Pathways out of poverty through secondary crops and private sector processing as well as institutional arrangements in Viet Nam

   CAPSA Working Paper; No. 96
   Secondary crops based farming systems and their integration with processing and marketing in Sri Lanka

   CAPSA Working Paper; No. 97
   Enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Indonesia

   CAPSA Working Paper; no. 98
   Secondary crops based farming systems and their integration with processing in Lampung, Indonesia

   CAPSA Working Paper; No. 99
   Integrated report of the project "Identification of pulling factors for enhancing the sustainable development of diverse agriculture in selected Asian countries"
    

2. The proceedings of the regional workshop “Rural prosperity and secondary crops towards applied pro-poor research and policy in Asia and the Pacific” (RUPSEC) held on 6-9 December 2005 in Bogor, Indonesia were published as CAPSA’s Monograph series:
   
   CAPSA Monograph; No. 48
   Farming a way out of poverty: forgotten crops and marginal populations in Asia and the Pacific
    
3. In-country seminars to disseminate study findings to policy planners were organized in all the participating countries and policy recommendations were discussed by the participants.
    
4. Leaflets about policy recommendations are published in all the participating countries to formulate national policy platform among stakeholders.
    
5. The brochure “Agricultural Diversification: Pathways out of Poverty through Secondary Crops” was published drawing attention to the driving forces and constraints and disseminating the result of projects.
    
6. Parts of research results of the project were presented in publications as below:

• Sugino, T., 2003, Identification of Pulling Factors for Enhancing the Sustainable Development of Diverse Agriculture in Selected Asian Countries (AGRIDIV). Palawija News (CAPSA Newsletter), 20(3).
• Sugino, T. and Parulian, H., 2004. Tips for Realizing Sustainable Diversified Agriculture with Optimal Profit through Exploitation of CGPRT Crops. Palawija News 21(1)..
• Sugino, T., 2006. Prioritization of Technological Development Goals for Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable and Diversified Agriculture. Asia-Pacific Development Journal (Accepted).