| Programme Entity | Title | Type | Lead Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 312P1 | Enhancement of Country Focus | Continuing Programme Activity | TCA |
Rationale
- Development problem to be addressed: as coordinated by entity 311P4, this entity covers country focus activities carried out by the TCA outposted units, especially the collection of information on situations and trends, including local specificities and opportunities for sustainable agriculture and rural development at the national level.
- Proposed contribution to problem resolution: FAO cannot provide valuable policy advisory and technical cooperation services at country level, unless these are grounded in reliable and comprehensive information on country conditions and requirements.
- Intended end beneficiaries: the information collected under this entity will feed into policy assistance work and field programme development, ultimately benefiting national development and food security.
Objective
- Enhanced country knowledge in order to enable FAO to provide well-tailored technical assistance for agricultural development and food security.
Indicators
- Use of regional country information systems.
- Effective inputs of country task forces.
2004-05 Implementation Progress - Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt
- The main outputs of this programme entity were country briefs, country profiles and issue papers for FAO member countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Near East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Activities were performed in collaboration with FAORs, and the TCA decentralized units provided support to their participation in country processes such as the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) Network, CCA, UNDAF, CDG and PRSPs. In addition to reviewing the situation of the agriculture sector, country priorities and donor programmes and policies, some of the country profiles formulated technical assistance frameworks (including project profiles), which were subsequently discussed and agreed with the concerned government. A Country Information System covering the member countries in the different regions was also managed and systematically updated by the Policy Assistance units. This Information System facilitated the provision of policy assistance and the development of FAO's field programme. The units also contributed to the Field Programme Management Information System. The main lesson learned through this programme entity is that not all country offices are always able respond to requests for updating briefs in a timely manner. There is consequently a need for OCD to sensitize FAORs to the importance of contributing actively to such updates and to consider measures to strengthen their capacities to do so.
| Major Output | Biennial Output | Title | Type | Contributing Divisions (Lead Division in bold) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Country task forces, analytical database and up-to-date assessments of technical assistance requirements. | ||||
| 401 | Country task forces, analytical database and up-to-date assessments of technical assistance requirements at national level | Information (products, systems, databases) | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| Programme Entity | Title | Type | Lead Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 312P2 | Field Programme Development | Continuing Programme Activity | TCA |
Rationale
- Development problem to be addressed: FAO needs to respond to increasingly diversified demands from Members for technical cooperation programmes and projects addressing their national (and regional) food security and agricultural and rural development objectives. This should translate into concerted and proactive efforts by the Organization to identify critical constraints and to design cost-effective projects. In this context, FAO needs to participate actively in country-level programming exercises to ensure the full reflection of agricultural development concerns and interests.
- Proposed contribution to problem resolution: the entity covers the many activities of TCA decentralized teams, which are directly relevant to field programme development.
- Intended end beneficiaries: national authorities and the specific beneficiaries of the programmes and projects so formulated.
Objective
- Generation of a dynamic field programme, attuned to the requirements of recipient countries and the expectations of funding sources.
Indicators
- Regional strategies and biennial action plans for field programme development.
- Multi-disciplinary programming missions.
- Use of Project Identification Facility (PIF).
2004-05 Implementation Progress - Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt
- The main outputs under this programme entity were the preparation by TCA decentralized units of strategies for field programme development in selected countries within Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East. At the country level, the approach to field programme development relied upon matching FAO's understanding of a recipient's requirements (taking into account in-country capacity), the interests of donors in terms of their geographic and thematic programme priorities and the appropriateness of involving FAO. Within these processes, a central role has been progressively given to the National Medium-Term Priority Frameworks (NMTPFs). This was accomplished through multidisciplinary exercises, including missions to various countries with the objective of identifying and agreeing on FAO's technical assistance and formulating project profiles. The implementation of this programme entity involved updating the existing pipeline of projects and their management from project conceptualization until approval, including discussion with governments. It also involved appraisal of a number of project proposals aimed at responding to the technical assistance needs of FAO member countries. Projects in agricultural policy analysis and planning were also formulated for various countries. This set of activities contributed to the establishment of a field programme that responds effectively to the identified needs of the countries. In terms of lessons learned under this programme entity, the multidisciplinary missions were particularly successful in a number of countries undergoing the SWAP process, specifically because all relevant stakeholders, including governments and key donors, were involved and the process was well coordinated. The fact that governments retained full ownership was also a major factor in ensuring their success.
| Major Output | Biennial Output | Title | Type | Contributing Divisions (Lead Division in bold) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Development of field programme and projects in countries. | ||||
| 401 | Updated regional field programme development strategies | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| 402 | Resource mobilization support to national/regional technical assistance programmes | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| Programme Entity | Title | Type | Lead Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 312P3 | Advice, Support and Training in Agricultural Policies | Continuing Programme Activity | TCA |
Rationale
- Development problem to be addressed: Many Members need to address serious weaknesses in policies, or even redress the total absence of an enabling policy environment and appropriate institutional arrangements to ensure sustainable agriculture and rural development.
- Proposed contribution to problem resolution: this entity groups important contributions from the TCA outposted units to country policy work, including direct support to policy formulation to meet specific requests, often in the form of discussion of options with national teams or through national workshops, thereby also contributing to strengthening of country capacities. Through these specialised policy related services provided by FAO, Members and regional economic groupings would be able to implement sound policies and institutional reforms needed for increased food security and sustainable rural and agricultural development.
- Intended end beneficiaries: policy makers in developing countries, and ultimately intended target beneficiaries of national policies.
Objective
- Enabling policy and institutional frameworks at national and regional levels, conducive to rural development and food security.
Indicators
- Effective contributions of policy advisory missions.
- Use of sector/sub-sector policy studies.
- Number of capacity building exercises supported.
- Early rehabilitation strategies developed.
2004-05 Implementation Progress - Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt
- The TCA decentralized units provided direct policy assistance to various member countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East. This policy advice covered, inter alia, regional and subregional integration, agricultural trade, multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations in agriculture, public expenditure in rural areas, and rural development at the local level. This assistance was complemented by the preparation of policy papers and the implementation of regional training workshops and seminars on the same policy issues. In Central Asia and Europe, as well as in other economies in transition, policy advice covered land reform and farm restructuring issues, and World Trade Organization accession. In Latin America and the Caribbean and the Near East, regional networks for agricultural policy were also further developed by the Policy Assistance Branches with relevant national institutions. To meet the Millennium Development Goals, many countries in the regions need national policies that adequately acknowledge the changing external (regional and subregional trade agreements, integration schemes) and domestic environments and address emerging challenges and issues. In terms of lessons learned, it is clear that in several regions, particularly in Latin America and Asia, increased national capacity has led to the Organization being increasingly required to collaborate with national institutes in providing policy advice. Such collaborative efforts with national institutes enhance opportunities for achieving a broader impact as they contribute to greater national ownership.
| Major Output | Biennial Output | Title | Type | Contributing Divisions (Lead Division in bold) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Policy advice to member countries and support in policy analysis and planning. | ||||
| 401 | Policy advice to member countries and support in policy analysis and preparation | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Postponed | |
| 402 | Policy papers, notes and reports | Studies and analyses | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| 403 | Technical support to the preparation of national strategies horizon 2015 on food security and agricultural development | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| 404 | Capacity-building workshops on policy-related issues | Training (including training courses and materials) | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| 002 | Support for the preparation of plans and strategies for rehabilitation and development following emergencies. | ||||
| 401 | Support to the preparation of plans and strategies for rehabilitation and development following emergencies | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| Programme Entity | Title | Type | Lead Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 312S3 | Technical Support to Field Programmes | Technical Service Agreement | TCA |
Indicators
- Direct policy advisory services
- Direct policy assistance missions
2004-05 Implementation Progress - Achievements, Success Stories and Lessons Learnt
- Under this programme entity, the decentralized TCA units provided technical support and backstopping to various policy projects in a number of countries in the different regions. Among others, these projects included assistance in the implementation of country strategies for national agricultural development, in particular in monitoring and assessment of the impacts of domestic and external factors on food security and poverty alleviation; World Trade Organization accession and policy reforms; water policies; preparation of regional programmes for food security in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East; strengthening national capacities for agricultural trade negotiations; agriculture sector review and formulation of agricultural development strategy; and a common agricultural policy and strategy for member countries of regional economic organizations in Africa.
| Major Output | Biennial Output | Title | Type | Contributing Divisions (Lead Division in bold) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Policy assistance to the FAO Field Programme | ||||
| 401 | Direct advice on policy to countries, including constraints analysis | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Modified | |
| 402 | Technical support to field projects (including formulation, implementation and backstopping) | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |
| 403 | Technical and organizational support to 5 FAO Regional Conferences | Direct advice to Members; field programme support | RAF RAP REU RLC RNE SAFR SAPA SEUR SLAC SNEA TCA | Completed | |