The conference will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 8-9, 2014 hosted by the PIM’s lead center, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the University of Central Asia, to unveil IFPRI's new Central Asia Research and Capacity Strengthening Program and to engage national policymakers, researchers, and development partners in its research and capacity-building activities. The Central Asia Program is being implemented in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Programs on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) and Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), both led by IFPRI, and with the Eurasian Center for Food Security at Moscow State University.
The specific conference objectives are:
- To introduce IFPRI’s new Central Asia Program and strengthen partnerships with multiple stakeholders in the region.
- To identify knowledge gaps in agricultural and structural transformation and food security policy in Central Asia that will inform future research plans for IFPRI and researchers from the region.
- To engage government officials, development partners, and researchers from the region and abroad in cross-country dialogue on food security research being conducted and to disseminate results.
PIM Director Karen Brooks will participate in the event and the roundtable discussion on policy issues and research priorities in Central Asia.
The primary funding for this initiative comes from the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, with contributions from PIM, A4NH, and USAID.
Related links:
Event's page on the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System in Asia (ReSAKSS-Asia) web-site (available in English and Russian)
Central Asia Program (brochure)