ReSAKSS Issue Brief number 17 analyzes the feasibility of the CAADP 6 percent agricultural growth target and its potential impact on the Zambian economy. The brief shows that the agricultural growth target is attainable for the country and that it can significantly reduce poverty.

The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development has published a new Issue Paper which analyzes the latest text from the ad hoc working groups (AWG) overseeing climate change negotiations, such as the informal meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany in August, 2009. The paper identifies the issues that the meetings need to address on agriculture and poses a number of questions that need to be further considered.

ReSAKSS Working Paper No. 30 provides a quantitative assessment of the potential impacts of the formation of a COMESA customs union, specifically of having free trade among COMESA countries while imposing a common external tariff against imports from outside COMESA. Contrary to the expectations, the study reveals that the proposed COMESA customs union will not be beneficial to a majority of the member countries.

ReSAKSS Issue Briefs number 14 on Mozambique and number 15 on Ghana analyze the feasibility of the CAADP 6 percent agricultural growth target and its potential impact on the economies of the countries. Although the two countries are very different in terms of their current agricultural performance, the analyses show that the 6 percent agricultural growth target is within reach for both countries and that it can significantly reduce poverty.

ReSAKSS Issue Brief number 12

The FAO report, “The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets: High Food Prices and the Food Crisis – Experiences and Lessons Learned” examines the root causes of the recent food crisis and its impact on poverty reduction and food security.

ReSAKSS Issue Brief No. 11

Can Malawi achieve the 6 percent agricultural growth rate targeted by CAADP? If it does, will it reduce poverty enough to achieve the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG1)?

ReSAKSS Working Paper No. 29

The new IFPRI discussion paper number 873, “Economywide Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa” finds that increasing total irrigated cropland and agricultural productivity can have positive effects that are potentiall

The UN released the 2009 Millennium Development Goals Report in July, which presents an annual assessment of progress towards the goals. Due to the challenges of the past year, including the global economic crisis and climate change, progress towards key goals is likely to be sluggish and even regressive.

The full report is available for download here.