311A1: Development of FAO's Capacity to Provide On-line Training in Food,
Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Planning
Development problem to be addressed:
602. Members
need to identify, formulate, implement and monitor sound agricultural and rural
development policies, including those related to investment in the sector.
However, there are still vast requirements for trained personnel in all regions,
which can be met in a cost-effective manner through provision of
distance-learning resources.
Proposed contribution to problem resolution:
603.
Through the imparted training, the formulation of sound policies would be based
on proven analytical work and knowledge, including other countries' experiences.
This would better target critical issues in agriculture and rural development,
and lead to more effective investment and other support measures in these
sectors, thereby contributing to food security and poverty
reduction.
Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:
604.
Policy makers in the public sector and other agents involved in national food,
agriculture and rural development processes including capacity building
institutions in developing countries. Enhanced skills through this process
should translate into improved policy frameworks.
Objective(s)
605. Wide availability to interested governments and
academic or training institutions of electronic learning resources for enhancing
policies in food, agriculture and rural development.
Major Output(s)
- Delivery of on-line training programmes
- Development of courseware for distance-learning
Indicator(s)
- Frequency of access to electronic learning resources by intended users.
- Adoption of learning content in policy making in countries.
311P1: Coordination of Policy Assistance
Development problem to be addressed:
606. Being
an outreach activity, policy assistance must be largely decentralized in order
to meet the needs of regions and countries. At the same time, the regional and
sub-regional teams should effectively draw upon the critical mass of normative
expertise available in Headquarters, particularly as relates to new areas where
countries are requesting policy assistance. TCA will ensure the necessary
interface between normative and operational policy work through this
co-ordination function.
Proposed contribution to problem resolution:
607.
Dispersed or fragmented policy advice, especially if also given out of context,
may be as harmful as no advice. Coordination is essential to ensure harmonious
and context sensitive guidance through the decentralized FAO units and other
players and that it leads to results. Internally in FAO, coordination permits
matching advice to diverse needs of members, drawing upon wide range of
normative policy teams, and harmony/compatibility between the general sector
policy advice of TCA and specialized assistance from technical
departments.
Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:
608.
Sector policy teams in member countries/organizations. By contributing to
coherent action by the decentralized policy teams, this entity would ultimately
lead to enhanced policy and institutional frameworks in countries able to make
agriculture and rural development effective contributors to food security and
poverty reduction.
Objective(s)
609. Coherent approach to FAO policy advisory
services to the membership.
Major Output(s)
- Policy formulation and implementation methods, tools and guidelines
- Coordination and support in preparation of national and regional
strategies and programmes for food security
- Inter-departmental thematic work on priority policy issues
Indicator(s)
- Number of regional and national strategies and programmes for food
security and agricultural and rural development under implementation.
- Effective use of policy formulation guidelines.
- Use of thematic reports and technical notes prepared.
311P2: Coordination of Field Programme Development Activities
Development problem to be addressed:
610.
Effectiveness of development efforts is hampered by inappropriate policies and
strategies more than by many other factors. Having helped to correct this
especially through 311P1, 311S2 and 311P3, FAO can through this PE (and the
related 311P1) help members initiate practical development interventions. The
outposted policy units need to ensure that the field programme address the core
issues of agricultural development and food security and takes maximum advantage
of improvements in policy/strategy frameworks. Their inputs to field programme
development needs to be well coordinated if it is to be effective.
Proposed contribution to problem resolution:
611.
Being relatively small relative to the magnitude of challenges, the FAO field
programme requires particularly good coordination for optimum impact. In
addition, co-ordination contributes to making field programme development
activities fully responsive to demands, consistent with FAO's strategic
objectives, and able to attract funding in an organized manner from increasingly
decentralized donors at regional and country levels.
Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:
612.
Rural populations and agricultural producers would directly benefit from an
enhanced field programme, as they are being encouraged to make sustainable
innovations, diversify production and better market their produce, taking
advantage of successful experiences and FAO's store of knowledge.
Objective(s)
613. Improved regional, national and local level
conditions to achieve sustainable rural and agricultural development, through
coordinated field programme development.
Major Output(s)
- Coordination and support to field programme development activities
- Country and regional level programming exercises
Indicator(s)
- Number of FAO Programme Frameworks supported
- Multi-disciplinary missions organised and supported.
311P3: Development of Training Materials and Methods in Food and Agriculture
Policy Analysis
Development problem to be addressed:
614. There
are substantial requirements for capacity building in most developing countries
and countries in transition, to improve decision making and policy formulation
in agricultural and rural development and food security. This translates into a
need for materials which can present and update concepts, supportive information
and analytical methods at various levels.
Proposed contribution to problem resolution:
615.
It is believed that limited capacity / skills in policy analysis is a major
impediment to self-reliant ability of members to guide the development of
agriculture and rural development. The PE would therefore help improve the
situation by providing training materials in formulation of sound policies based
on proven analytical work and knowledge, including other countries' experiences.
As indicated under 311A1, the material would target critical issues in
agriculture and rural development, and lead to more effective investment and
other support measures in these sectors.
Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:
616.
High-level decision makers, policy analysts and professionals in public and
non-statal organizations; leaders of rural and agricultural producers'
organizations; local level development practitioners.
Objective(s)
617. Improved policy and institutional settings in
countries for agricultural and rural development and greater national capacities
for sector, sub-sector and local policy making.
Major Output(s)
- Resource and training materials in policy and sector analysis at sector
and sub-sector levels
- Training materials in investment planning and local level development
Indicator(s)
- Adoption of learning content in policy formulation in member countries.
311P4: Coordination of Country Focus
Development problem to be addressed:
618. Members
face the challenges of globalization and trade liberalization, and should ensure
that the state's principal role of providing policy and regulatory frameworks is
conducive to sustainable development. This behoves FAO to enhance its knowledge
of country conditions and collect and update information on trends in
agricultural production, food security and technical cooperation requirements,
i.e. the essential ingredients of an effective country focus. Decentralized
activities in this respect need to be well orchestrated with Headquarters
cooperating closely with management in regional and country
offices
Proposed contribution to problem resolution:
619.
Collection, organization and analysis of information with a country focus is a
prerequisite for better orientation of approaches adopted by the decentralized
units in policy assistance and field programme development.
Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:
620.
National entities responsible for policy/planning are prime beneficiaries.
Policy assistance work benefits from effective country focus, so that
interventions are based on sound information.
Objective(s)
621. Enhanced country knowledge in order to enable
FAO to provide well-tailored technical assistance for agricultural development
and food security.
Major Output(s)
- Country analytical database and up-to-date assessment of technical
assistance requirements for sustainable food security, agriculture and rural
development
- Country and regional groupings briefs
Indicator(s)
- Use of country information system supported by this entity.
- Use of country briefs and related documents.
311S2: Technical Support to Capacity Building in Food, Agriculture and Rural
Policy Development Planning and Policy Analysis
622. As this entity largely
represents on-demand services to Members which by their nature are difficult to
plan in advance, no formulation of rationale and objective is
provided.
Major Output(s)
- Technical support to the Field Programme
- Policy Assistance Support
- Contributory Support to FAO Bodies
- Contributory Support to non-FAO Bodies
Indicator(s)
- Advisory services
- Technical missions
