The Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC) is an alliance of research organisations that aims to encourage debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa.
It was established in 2005, is funded by DFID, and managed from a secretariat at the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex. It works with partners in 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa on issues such as commercialisation of agriculture, land grabs, pastoralism, climate change and agriculture, and youth and agriculture. Using a combination of field-based research and policy dialogues, the Consortium contributes to improving public policies for pro-poor agricultural growth.
Our role
DFID’s Research and Evidence Division (RED) contracted us to conduct this mid-term review. We used a team of three people – Julian Barr (Itad Director), Prof Frank Ellis (University of East Anglia, UK), and Godfrey Bahigwa (Director of the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture Secretariat, Government of Uganda). We assessed the quality of research published by FAC members; the uptake of FAC evidence into policy processes, including CAADP; FAC’s value for money; the capacity building of junior African researchers; and the management of the consortium, including its plans for moving to an African base and obtaining sustainable funding.
