This paper presents an innovative approach to prioritizing development policy research in Sudan with the specific objective of informing the research agenda of the Sudan Strategy Support Program (Sudan SSP) of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The key steps in this process were: A review of relevant priority setting methods and existing government strategies, Pre-selection of research themes, Selection of national and international experts, Design and conduct priority setting workshop; and Priority matrix construction and paper writing. The paper suggests key research priorities for Sudan, which are both highly relevant to Sudan’s current and future development policy agenda and consistent with IFPRI’s own comparative advantage and strategy. It identifies research areas and topics under five main themes, namely: 1. Agricultural production, 2. Markets and trade, 3. Livelihoods and nutrition, 4. Development strategy and investment planning, and 5. Increasing resilience of farming under growing climate challenges. Tackling the priority research tasks identified in this paper, for these five themes, is expected to help reduce poverty and improve food and nutrition security in Sudan. However, strengthening the links between policy research and decision-making will be crucial to ensure that evidence-based solutions are relevant and have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Amidst jubilant celebration in July 2011, the new Republic of South Sudan entered the international stage albeit as one of the least developed countries in the world. Against a backdrop of chronic under-development, the country is acutely vulnerable to recurring conflict and climatic shocks. South Sudan is a context that challenges normal development paradigms and fits awkwardly in the humanitarian relief recovery post-conflict development continuum. This complexity has not always been reflected in the strategies of either donors or implementing agencies. Enormous challenges remain, and humanitarian and development actors face multiple, competing priorities: meeting emergency humanitarian needs; strengthening community resilience; addressing the underlying drivers of conflict; promoting the development of sustainable livelihoods; ensuring that humanitarian and development assistance promote equitable development; supporting the government to protect vulnerable groups; strengthening civil society; and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery while simultaneously strengthening national institutions and ultimately empowering the government to assume responsibility for meeting the needs of its citizens. Over the coming years, donors have a window of opportunity to support the fledgling government to tackle chronic poverty and insecurity and make meaningful progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. This paper highlights ten priority areas for action that, in the view of NGOs operating in South Sudan and based on lessons learnt during the CPA interim period, must be prioritized by donors in the first years of the country's independence so as to ensure the best possible results for the people of South Sudan.

This paper focuses on Sudan’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRPS). I-PRSP will support existing planning and budgeting instruments, including the 3-Year Salvation Economic Program (SEP) 2012–2014 and the 5-Year Development Plan (2012–2016), by strengthening the prioritization of actions and targeting poverty. The 3-Year SEP is an emergency plan to deal with the adjustment to new political and economic realities following the decision of the South to secede. I-PRSP will also help to fine tune the preparation and implementation of the SEP and a new 5-year Plan, and provide a foundation for the full PRSP.

This report presents the findings of the Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment of Sudan and provides detailed recommendations for follow-up action. The sectors investigated include natural disasters and desertification, linkages between conflict and environment, the impacts of population displacement, urban environment and environmental health, industry, agriculture, forest resources, freshwater resources, wildlife and protected areas, marine environments, environmental governance and international aid.--Publisher's description.

This Joint Staff Advisory Note focuses on the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP) for Sudan. I-PRSP provides a useful stock taking of the socioeconomic situation in Sudan and offers a good basis for the design and monitoring of growth and poverty reduction policies. It is the first comprehensive policy document that assesses the challenges of and opportunities for poverty reduction. This strategy lays out a clear policy approach for the Government of Sudan to accelerate poverty reduction and provides a foundation for a roadmap to a full PRSP, but timelines and concrete next steps need to be urgently defined.

"Over the years, the Sudanese Diaspora across the world has given rise to a large body of literature that has mobilized the interest of scholars on a wide range of issues relating to the Diaspora both within the Sudanese community and internationally. In this context, the role of the Sudanese Diaspora in technology transfer and achieving sustainable development (SD) in Sudan has been discussed and documented in the first International Diaspora conference in 2009.This book includes the best papers presented during the 2nd Sudanese International Conference of World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD), hosted by SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom in the period 11th to 12th June 2015. The different chapters selected have tremendous scope in both focus and source, covering a broad geographical spectrum from across the world focusing on how we can manage knowledge effectively to achieve a sustainable inclusive growth in Sudan.The main objective of the Diaspora conference is to provide a forum for researchers, professionals and scholars of diverse interests and backgrounds to engage in discussions on innovative approaches to the challenges facing the future of Sudan and the Sudanese Diaspora across the world. The conference brought together intellectual and practice-based contributors who have examined the concepts of science and technology as an innovative approach to achieve a sustainable inclusive growth in Sudan. Participants also explored the full range of Sudanese Diaspora across the world in charting the way forward."--Provided by publisher.

Unlike a simple h̀ow to' guide, Research Skills for Policy and Development provides a critique of various methods and situates these approaches within r̀eal life' organisational settings, enabling those working in or studying development to locate, evaluate and use relevant information quickly but rigorously. The successor to Finding Out Fast (SAGE, 1998) it reflects the changes in development management theories and practice over the last seven years, and includes new material and advice on critical use of the web as a resource and research tool.

Agricultural mechanization in Africa south of the Sahara — especially for small farms and businesses — requires a new paradigm to meet the needs of the continent’s evolving farming systems. Can Asia, with its recent success in adopting mechanization, offer a model for Africa? An Evolving Paradigm of Agricultural Mechanization Development analyzes the experiences of eight Asian and five African countries. The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies. Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed. The book’s recommendations and insights should be useful to national policymakers and the development community, who can adapt this knowledge to local contexts and use it as a foundation for further research.