May 2016 | Issue 5

Dear colleagues,

2015 was a busy year for PARM and an important one for the development agenda. With the Conferences in Sendai, Addis Ababa, New York and Paris, the international community has outlined an ambitious pathway to sustainable development.

Agricultural Risk Management is at the heart of this agenda, as we strive to promote a more resilient community, able to withstand extreme events, the impact of climate change, a community in which food security is achieved and everyone, including smallholder farmers in developing countries, can invest in agriculture without fear for the future.

The PARM team has started 2016 with renewed enthusiasm and determination, with new activities in Mozambique, Senegal, Cabo Verde, and Cameroon, and continued progress in our other partner countries.

I hope that you will enjoy reading this newsletter. As always, you can reach out to our team at parm@ifad.org, for any question or comment.

Warm Regards,

The PARM Team

Agricultural Risk Management: 2015 Highlights

The PARM team looks back at the main risks which affected 2015.

MAIN NEWS

In early 2016, PARM has been active in strengthening its partnerships and looking for new areas of work: the CAADP Partnership Platform was an opportunity to meet with our partners and country focal points, and to further advocate for the holistic approach to agricultural risk management to be at the heart of the rural development agenda. PARM is also contributing to shaping the research agenda in agricultural risk management, in the field of impact evaluation.

PARM meets in Ghana in occasion of the 12th CAADP Partnership Platform

PARM had a central role in this year's CAAPD Partnership Platform, with a specific side event dedicated to PARM and presence as a panelist during the plenary.

Impact evaluation of Agricultural Risk Management

PARM contributed to a workshop on the Impact Evaluation of Agricultural Risk Management Projects organized by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation In Nairobi, on April 19-20.

LATEST FROM PARM...

Senegal: Capacity Development Seminar and Technical Meeting on Information Systems

Senegal: Capacity Development Seminar and Information Systems

PARM held a successful Capacity Development Seminar in Saly, Senegal, to strengthen the holistic agricultural risk management (ARM) approach in the country, and to exchange views on the prioritization of agricultural risks according to the main national stakeholders. In Dakar, a technical discussion brought together national and international experts on Agricultural Risk Management Information Systems.

Mozambique: Launch of the PARM process

In February, PARM traveled to Mozambique to get the official commitment of the Government of Mozambique and to develop a road map to initiate the discussion on the integration of agricultural risk management into national rural and agricultural strategic development policies, plans and budget.

Ethiopia: Risk Assessment Workshop

Agricultural development in Ethiopia is threatened by vulnerability of farming households to various risks as a result of which investments in long term development can be undermined by considerations of short term shocks and expectations of disasters. To achieve the Government of Ethiopia’s ambitious developmental targets for the agricultural sector, it is therefore important to include initiatives for better management …

LATEST FROM THE LIBRARY...

PARM 2015 Annual Report COMING SOON!

REPORTS

Reports from the National Stakeholder Workshop held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December 2015 for the Validation of the Draft Risk Assessment Study:

• Ethiopia National Stakeholders Workshop Volume I: Main Report

• Ethiopia National Stakeholders Workshop Volume II: Presentations

STUDIES

Study on Appropriate Warehousing and Collateral Management Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa:

• Volume I: Key Findings

• Volume II: Technical Country Reports

• Volume II: Review of Applicable Laws

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

FARM-D (World Bank) latest practical guidance on holistic risk assessment that provides a stepwise approach to conducting risk assessments.

• Agricultural Sector Risk Assessment: Methodological Guidance for Practitioners

UPCOMING EVENTS 2016

2016 will continue to be a busy year, with many events planned in the coming months, as PARM strengthens its Capacity Development activities and progresses in the PARM process in all countries.

MAY | Setting-up Mission in Liberia

The PARM Team will organize its first visit to the country in May 2016 to get the official commitment of the Government of Liberia and to develop a road map for the PARM process.

MAY | Information Systems workshop in Ethiopia

The Platform for agricultural risk management (PARM-IFAD) and CEIGRAM launched a study in 2015 on information systems across six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. According to the PARM methodology, each analysis and activities represents itself a pillar in the process and, for this reason, a technical workshop with national experts is organized in Addis to share the results of …

MAY | Information systems workshop in Uganda

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries (MAAIF) with the support of the IFAD hosted Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) has carried analysis on the current status of information systems in the country and is now looking for ways on how to improve the use of information for agricultural risk management (ARM) purposes. The upcoming workshop, that will …

JUNE | Capacity Development Seminar in Cameroon

PARM is organizing its first Capacity Development Seminar in Cameroon in June 2016, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and NEPAD.

JUNE | Capacity Development Seminar in Cabo Verde

A first Capacity Development Seminar is planned for the 23-24 June 2016, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and NEPAD. It will provide national stakeholders from government agencies, farmers organizations and private sector an introduction to the holistic approach to Agricultural Risk Management, the methodology of PARM to assess risks, and an overview of tools used to manage agricultural …

JUNE | Risk Assessment Workshop in Senegal

A National Stakeholder Workshop will take place in late June 2016 in Senegal, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and NEPAD. The objective of the workshop will be to present and discuss the Draft Risk Assessment Study currently on-going and identify priorities on risks and tools.

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