1. ICRAF has a long history of policy research but it has become more diffuse in recent years, with research focusing more on documenting policy constraints rather than testing policy options. 2. Common broad policy constraints affecting agroforestry include low policy awareness of agroforestry, issues around land and tree tenure including forest regulations, and lack of recognition of environmental services. 3. Moving forward, ICRAF's policy research would benefit from more strategic thinking at both the program and institutional levels to identify clear policy outcomes and coordinate research efforts accordingly. The Agroforestry Policy Initiative aims to facilitate this but its objectives and pathways for supporting policy reforms require further discussion.

1. Policy and Agroforestry: Key
Constraints and How ICRAF Might
Respond
Frank Place
March 2012

2. Outline
• A very brief history of policy research at ICRAF
• Policy constraints on agroforestry
• Ways forward for ICRAF – your ideas

3. Importance of Policy Research
• Policy changes are potentially game changers
– huge impacts, both direct and indirect
• But:
– Likelihood of success?
– What is our role as CGIAR researchers?

4. I was here when….
My 1st day at ICRAF
• More and coordinated from the mid 1990s to early
2000s – managed under a single theme;
a new region gave it vibrancy
• In mid 2000s we received flexible EU funding for policy
first used in Environmental Services Theme and then
GRP6
• But policy research was to be diffused in different GRPs

5. Where we are now…..
• Policy relevant research is prolific at ICRAF, but
research on policy effects and policy options less
so, as noted by a 2009 EU review:
“However, cutting-edge, theory-based yet
potentially applicable policy research has to be
implemented at scale in the Centre. In particular
there is need to deepen research on policies and
institutional arrangements and options……”

6. Part 2
Policy Constraints Affecting
Agroforestry

7. Policy Constraints – How do We Know?
• There are many documents listing
policy constraints for agroforestry
• Where is the hard evidence?
• Lacking a systematic body of
quantitative evidence ….. from a
variety of stakeholders….

8. Collaborative effort to synthesize
information
• In 2011 ICRAF joined efforts with
FAO, CIRAD and CATIE
• To review, compile and generate
evidence on policy related constraints
to agroforestry
• Case studies from 17 countries and 66
key informant interviews

9. Common Broad Policy Constraints
• Low policy awareness of agroforestry
and focus on conventional agriculture
• Land and tree tenure, including
forest regulations
• Neglect of tree germplasm
• Lack of recognition of environmental
services
• Agroforestry as an orphan across
sector and administrative level

10. 1. What is the
problem?
2. Who is affected?
Who is to blame?
Policy research questions follow
Who’ll have to pay?
along different phases of policy
3. What behavioural
change by whom is development
desirable, or needed?
4. Through what
policies could such
behaviour-al change
be manda-ted or made
Studies often are related to a
attrac-tive? single segment
5. What existing rights,
responsibilities and
incentives have to
change and who has
authority to change
them?
6. Why would this
work? Why didn’t it
work before?
7. How would we
define, monitor and
measure success?

11. Unpacking ‘the problem’ related to
tenure in an African context
• The complexity of the issue is evident:
• pluralistic rights systems
• state laws, interpretations and implementation
• national vs local level authority
• varying degrees of authority by customary leaders
• cumbersome procedures for acquiring titles
• new policies and instruments that are not fully
disseminated
• various primary and derived modes of acquisition
• unclear / varying dispute resolution procedures
• informal land markets operating to varying degrees
• some vulnerable groups like women, migrants
• different rights over land and trees on the land

12. Researching importance of tenure and tenure
security
Tenure related variables used in African research at ICRAF
Security variables
Perceptions of land rights –
breadth, keystone
rights, bundles, individualization /
restrictions
Incidence of dispute
Mode of land acquisition
Possession of formal title or certificate
Other tenure related variables
Access to land / farm size
Fragmentation of holding
Land market activity
Use of land as collateral

13. Tree tenure is particularly interesting
• Customary Systems:
– Rights to trees may differ by method of
establishment, inheritance system, functional
use, season, species
– Tree planting still used to claim long-term rights to some
lands
• Legal Systems
– Tree management often governed by forestry regulations
which are inhibiting

14. Just imagine the discussion held about
rights over this tree

15. What would we say to African leaders about
tenure and its effect on investment?
There are some results that seem to hold consistently –
link between weak rights and tree planting of women
There are many results that are country or site specific –
effects of titling and rights on investment
Some results are in opposition --- difficult to make
conclusions

16. Identifying Problems is one thing…
• Finding good solutions is another…
• We often have a long list of things not to do, but
policy makers will ask what can be done….
• And contributing to policy outcomes is yet
another major challenge….but now we
are to be scrutinized more closely
for policy outcomes

17. ICRAF Policy Successes
ICRAF has contributed to policy reforms in the
past, witness:
• Tenure reform pilots in Indonesia
• Local level by-law reforms in Africa
• Various decrees related to agroforestry in
Africa
• Climate change policy in
UNFCCC and Philippines

18. Part 3
Towards More Strategic Policy
Research at ICRAF

19. Strategy / Opportunism
• In the realm of supporting policy
processes, opportunism is a reality; but what should
be our criteria here?
• Strategic thinking is needed at the same time –
beginning with what policy outcomes are of highest
priority
ICRAF
GRPs
At Which Level (s) ?
Regions
CGIAR Research Programmes

20. Our Current Policy Structure
• The Agroforestry Policy Initiative - ICRAF wide
• Some policy foci, notably in GRP6 and ASB
thematically and southeast Asia regionally
• Engagement with CRP6 and CRP2 which have
strong policy emphases

21. API Proposed Objectives
• Objective 1: contribute to knowledge on the potential of
agroforestry to improve livelihoods and the environment at global,
region and national levels and, raise awareness on the influence of
policies in the attainment of agroforestry goals to improve
agriculture, increase incomes and generate ecosystems services
• Objective 2: Facilitate policy reforms that support the widespread
practice of agroforestry at different scales
• Objective 3: Facilitate the exchange of information among
institutions and individuals with an interest in agroforestry policy
and stimulate efforts to review and analyze policies that affect the
practice of agroforestry

22. API Proposed Outcomes
• Stimulation of policy reform and new policy formulation
processes that consider agroforestry, especially at national
level
• Greater articulation of the role of agroforestry in policy
making under global conventions
• Increased inclusion of agroforestry in global and regional
agricultural initiatives and increased funding for
agroforestry in national programmes
• Greater use of agroforestry science in the reform of
national policies, regulations and guidelines
• Agroforestry research priorities that are better prioritized
and coordinated towards meeting policy needs

23. Facilitating Policy Reforms has Multiple
Pathways…….
• Policy constraints which are global and of
particular importance to agroforestry – tree
tenure, PES, tree germplasm…..
• National policy environments of particular
countries of importance --- e.g. India
• Key international policy processes – e.g. the
UNFCCC, CAADP/Comesa

24. Let’s Discuss
• How can we best advance strategic thinking on
policy research?
– Which levels? What process is needed? Who
coordinates?
• What do you see as main weaknesses to
overcome? How can we foster better synergies
within ICRAF?
• How can the API best help ICRAF and GRPs and
regions achieve policy goals?