In 2024, the CGIAR Research Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS) strengthened global policy coherence, co-created innovative solutions, and informed high-priority reforms in food, land, and water systems. Collaborating with governments, research institutions, and stakeholders, NPS developed Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered policy tools, guided fiscal and social policies, and enhanced value-chain strategies. Its research influenced key decisions, from Kenya’s tax policy to Egypt’s food subsidies, and Nigeria’s import duties. As NPS transitions into CGIAR’s Policy Innovations and Scaling for Impact Science Programs as part of the CGIAR Portfolio 2025-2030, it continues to drive transformative, partner-driven policy solutions for resilient systems.
In 2024, the CGIAR Research Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS) continued to co-create policy solutions, share institutional capacity, and foster policy coherence globally. Its on-the-ground presence, policy research excellence, and trusted partnerships with governments, research institutions, and stakeholders expanded the impact of this work.
While major crises that NPS helped to address, such as the Ukraine- Russia war fallout (2022) and the cost-of-living crisis (2023), have stabilized, NPS focused on building resilience and driving policy innovations for the transformation of food, land, and water systems. To help address future crises, NPS co-created and institutionalized quick-to-deploy Food Security Simulators in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia that enable rapid crisis impact assessments. Leveraging the Political Economy and Policy Analysis (PEPA) Sourcebook, NPS also developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered PEPA microsimulation tool to identify critical policy innovations in food systems. Interviews with 350 partners across 12 countries emphasized the potential of AI in supporting policy responses, provided it is coupled with human oversight.
NPS research informed several high-priority policy reforms. In Africa, it contributed to the Nairobi Declaration on Fertilizer and Soil Health via a high-level policy conference and a special issue of the Food Policy. It supported Kenya’s decision to integrate the private sector in public fertilizer distribution and assessed the progress of several countries (including Ethiopia) in meeting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) goals amid market shocks. Studies in Malawi and Nigeria shaped debates on fertilizer price surges and public subsidies and work in India helped support the development of effective leadership training to support groundwater security policy implementation.
NPS also played a role in fiscal policymaking. In Kenya, it analyzed the negative implications of an agricultural withholding tax, informing the government’s decision to withdraw the proposal. In Nigeria, it assessed the temporary (150-day) removal of import duties on staple foods, confirming the policy’s role in moderating food price inflation. As inflation eased in December 2024, policymakers, informed by NPS, explored long-term domestic food security strategies.
Social and gender policies remained a key focus. In Egypt, NPS research highlighted the successes of the Takaful cash transfer program and identified targeting challenges in the Forsa graduation program, which led to a redesign of livelihood programming by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. NPS research also revealed the macro- nutrient distortions caused by staple-heavy in-kind food transfers, informing policy discussions on transitioning Egypt’s food subsidy system – serving 64 million beneficiaries – to cash transfers. In Ethiopia, NPS guided policy priorities for rebuilding communities impacted by conflict and other crises, emphasizing women’s empowerment and the strategic use of social safety nets to drive post-conflict recovery. In India, NPS research informed interventions that enhanced the participation of thousands of women in the governance of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), improving their aspirations and increasing inclusion.
“Looking ahead, NPS is transitioning into CGIAR’s Policy Innovations and Scaling for Impact Science Programs. As part of these larger Programs, it will continue to foster partner-driven innovations and collaborative solutions for stronger policies and institutions.” – H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON. Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Nigeria
NPS supported governments in developing value-chain-specific strategies. Ethiopia and Nigeria adopted National Potato and Sweet Potato Strategies to boost production and livelihoods of farmers, rural communities, and the overall economy. Rwanda incorporated NPS research into its five-year livestock development plan, while Nigeria designed a National Fisheries and Aquaculture Strategy with NPS assistance. In Lao PDR, NPS supported national think tanks and the National Agriculture and Forestry 10-year strategy (to 2035).
Policy coherence remained a cornerstone of NPS’s work. The PEPA Sourcebook guided country-level analyses and policy dialogues in Colombia, Egypt, India, Kenya, and Nigeria, promoting cross- ministerial collaboration. PEPA tools informed Nigeria’s cowpea seed policy and Colombia’s food, land, and water policy landscape. In Lao PDR, NPS established a high-level community of practice, fostering interministerial policy dialogue on agroecology and food systems transformation. The eight episodes of the Policy Pathways podcast series, based on NPS research, underscored how policy coherence enhances climate resilience and development outcomes. This work also informed discussions within the OECD Water Governance Initiative, reinforcing OECD Water Governance Principle 3 on policy coherence.
NPS responded swiftly to the GenZ protests over youth unemployment and lack of opportunities in food systems transformation. By hosting dialogues in Kenya and Ethiopia, the research highlighted key challenges for African youth, leading to partnerships with governments, CGIAR, and local organizations to address the two most important issues: unemployment and limited public representation.
Header image: Green pepper harvesting in an Farmer Field School in Yakpondi, near Yangambi, Tshopo Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR-ICRAF