The Ethiopia Strategy Support Program (ESSP) is a collaborative program undertaken by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI). During Phase I (September 2004 to June 2008) ESSP conducted a varied program of economic research and provided extensive technical and analytical support towards the establishment of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX). Phase II, which began in July 2008 and ended in October 2013, focused on capacity strengthening of local institutions, including the EDRI, while continuing a program of policy-relevant research and analysis. This arrangement continued into Phase III which started in November 2013 and which will end in March 2017. The next phase of the program will continue along the same vein till the end of 2019. The third phase of ESSP receives funding from two donors: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its annually updated activities are guided by the National Advisory Committee (NAC), chaired by the Chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister and Executive Director of EDRI. Other NAC members come from the federal government and the private sector. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ESSP aims to help improve the policymaking process in Ethiopia. By increasing the capacity of Ethiopian institutions to undertake sound economic analysis, and by working to improve public information and dialogue. ESSP’s approach to evidence-based policymaking effectively encourages positive change to the growing development challenges in Ethiopia. In response to these challenges, ESSP and its National Advisory Committee (NAC) focus on four key activities: 1. Collaborative research with the EDRI and the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA) with a focus on promoting poverty reduction and economic development in Ethiopia. 2. Robust knowledge management to contribute to policy dialogue, strategic priority setting, and evidence-based policy analysis. 3. Capacity strengthening and increased knowledge dissemination within the academic and policy research community. 4. Enhancing communications and institutional linkages between policymakers, policy analysts, civil society, and other policy and research actors through joint seminars and other dissemination events STRATEGIC POLICY RESEARCH AREAS ESSP’s flexible, dynamic and quality approach to topical research areas has contributed to its success at providing relevant updated information and analysis for policy makers, including:  Productivity, technology adoption and agricultural transformation  Agricultural markets, value chains, and agroindustry  Food and agricultural prices  Risk, insurance, and investment  Land and water management  Poverty, nutrition, and safety nets (e.g. PSNP)  Agricultural Growth Program (AGP) impact evaluation  Feed the Future (FTF) Program impact evaluation  Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP)  Macro-economic analysis of Ethiopia’s new Growth and Transformation Plan 2015 – 2020  Agriculture and nutritional linkages  Urbanization and food system transformation COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS ESSP achieves results through its key partners and stakeholders, including policymakers, donors, researchers, and private-sector and civil society leaders. ESSP’s major local collaborator is EDRI. In addition, the program has developed formal ties with many key government institutions and private sector associations. CAPACITY STRENGTHENING AND OUTREACH ESSP’s collaborative capacity strengthening efforts include building networks, conducting seminars, and providing training for researchers and analysts from diverse institutions. ESSP researchers work closely with organizations like CSA, EDRI and national universities to increase capabilities and skills. ESSP has undertaken significant software and impact evaluation training and knowledge transfer activities in order to facilitate many major government programs. The timely input of ESSP’s research and analyses as part of critical and strategic government programs has helped accelerate progress in many areas such as: impact assessments of large-scale rural investment programs like the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and the Agricultural Growth Program (AGP); adoption of improved technologies and understanding the constraints to increasing agricultural productivity; justifying investments in rural roads; assessments of improved land and water management practices; strategy development and investments in nutritional outcomes; and the roll-out of weather insurance products. ESSP’S OUTREACH ESSP’s research results are published in Working Papers Research Notes and Outcome Notes that describe the impact of the program in Ethiopia. The website is an important tool for bringing together all information on ESSP and disseminating its output through regular updates and newsletters. Some highlights of ESSP’s outreach in 2016:  16 ESSP Working Papers, 15 ESSP Research Notes and 5 Outcome Notes on diverse topics  More than 45 people trained  13 major public research dissemination events organized in collaboration with local and international institutions (EDRI, EEA, ATA, CIMMYT and IGC)  26 presentations on research findings delivered by ESSP researchers INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2033 K Street, NW • Washington, DC 20006-1002 USA Phone: +1-202-862-5600 • Fax: +1-202-467-4439 ifpri@cgiar.org • Skype: IFPRIhomeoffice www.ifpri.org ETHIOPIA STRATEGY SUPPORT PROGRAM IFPRI – ILRI Campus, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Phone: +251-11-617-2555 • Fax: +251-11-646-2318 Mahlet Mekuria - Senior Survey & Communications Coordinator, mahlet.mekuria@cgiar.org Bart Minten - Program Leader www.essp.ifpri.info Copyright © 2017 International Food Policy Research Institute. All rights reserved. http://www.ifpri.org/ mailto:mahlet.mekuria@cgiar.org http://www.essp.ifpri.info/