Agriculture Policy Support Facility

This project aims to strengthen the capacity of the federal and selected state governments and researchers in Nigeria to design and implement agriculture and rural development policies and strategies that are economically sound gender-sensitive and environmentally sustainable. Through policy research the project enhances knowledge information data and tools for the analysis design and implementation of agricultural and rural development policies. The Agriculture Policy Support Facility (APSF) also strengthens data collection analysis and strategic management capacities. In addition the project improves linkages and consultations on agriculture and rural development policy issues between policy makers policy analysts and policy beneficiaries at all levels - horizontally and vertically amongst different government agencies related to agriculture and rural development and between the public private and civil society realms. The APSF is implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It also works closely with Nigerian agriculture research institutes and universities. In the long-term the project aims to reduce poverty by contributing to an environment conducive of rural agricultural investments; improved agricultural productivity particularly of low-income male and female farmers; and pro-poor rural economic growth.