Introduction
Socioeconomics and policy research is becoming an integral
part of agricultural research projects and programs
in Nepal. The concepts, framework and methodological
tools and techniques for socioeconomic and policy research
are derived from social science disciplines. Social
science disciplines help in bringing human dimension
and issues in the research process and cover a wide
range of research issues ranging from identification
of research problems to search for solutions to complex
interdisciplinary problems and ex post evaluation of
research benefits. Social science can contribute critically
in the analysis and conduction of research in crosscutting
themes such as gender issues, poverty, food security
and natural resource management. They provide broad
framework, research methods and tools for scarce resource
allocations, identification of research agenda, research
priority setting, adoption and impact assessment studies
and can play important role by identifying policy gaps
and constraints to technology development, uptake and
scaling-up. Social science disciplines that are important
in agricultural research are economics, sociology, anthropology,
social geography and political sciences. The principle
clients who directly use socioeconomic information are
(i) biological and physical scientists (ii) research
managers (iii) extension personnel, (iv) public and
private sector institutions affecting technology utilization
such as input supply, credit, product marketing (v)
farmers, CBOs and I/NGOS (vi) policy makers.
NARC has recently established Socioeconomics and Agricultural
Research Policy Division (SARPOD) at NARC building,
Khumaltar to focus, consolidate and strengthen its socioeconomics
and policy research activities and programmes. The division
was approved by the council meeting of NARC in April
29, 2004 and it has been made functional with a new
office in Khumaltar in June 20, 2005. The main objectives
of the SARPOD are:
- Conduct demand driven socio-economics,
agricultural marketing and policy research and analysis
in agriculture
- Support NARC research planning in
prioritizing research programs / projects and allocating
resources in priority sectors based on problems, priorities
and needs.
- Conduct ex-post studies to evaluate
uptake, adoption and impact of agricultural research
- Make contribution to the formation
of a nation’s agricultural research policy and
strategy.
The establishment of Socio-Economic and Agricultural
Research Policy Division is a good step in NARC’s
ability to address socioeconomic and agricultural policy
research capacity in the changing scenario, particularly
in the changing global and local socio-economic context
and policy shifts in agricultural R & D in the country.
By encompassing policy, trade, marketing and socio-economics
as envisaged in new NARC strategic plan [Output 2],
NARC aims to broaden its research perspective to meet
the increasing demands and response of priority clients
( farmers, rural poor and private agro entrepreneurs)
and ensure increased likelihood of impact to welfare
of rural poor.
The main responsibility of this division is to lead,
coordinate and implement a substantive work programmes
on NARC socioeconomics and policy research and analysis
in agriculture. It aims to facilitate work through network
of social scientist scattered in different NARC research
divisions, programmes and Regional Agricultural Research
Stations (RA/RS). The division is supporting and providing
social science inputs and expertise to NARC R/ARS, commodity
programs and disciplinary divisions in research design,
survey tools, questionnaire development and leadership
in conducting socioeconomic and policy studies.
Currently, there are about 22 officers level social
science researchers located in NARC central Divisions
and Regional Research Stations (with 11 scientists and
11 technical officers). Among them, 6 senior research
officers are based in SARPOD at Khumaltar. Current research
activities and research areas include: technology adoption,
uptake and diffusion studies, research impact and evaluation
of agricultural programs, participatory technology development
(PTD) and innovation models, gender and social inclusion
studies, marketing of high value crops and commodities,
analysis of agricultural research policies and strategies,
poverty and livelihood assessments, socioeconomic studies
on conservation of agricultural biodiversity, economic
valuation of genetic resources, farmers rights, intellectual
property rights and farmers’ empowerment and WTO
and its effects in agriculture in Nepal.
Researchers
Contact Address
Socioeconomics and Agricultural Research Policy Division
(SARPOD)
Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal
PO Box 3605, Kathmandu
Tel: 977-1-5540818 Fax: 977-1-5521197
Email: sarpod@narc.org.np
Website: www.narc.org.np |
