AID grant to the Fundacion Instituto de Estrategias Agropecuarias to provide support for a program in agricultural sector reorientation

This grant continues activities initiated by Fundacion IDEA"s parent organization, Fundacion CIENCIA. Fundacion IDEA will conduct/contract out about 20 studies on Ecuador"s agricultural sector. Priority areas of study will include: terms of trade and relative prices between agriculture and other economic sectors, and the impact of policies in other sectors on agriculture; agricultural research priorities and methods; means of integrating agricultural marketing with production, processing, and demand; and policies to target food supplies to low-income households. Fundacion IDEA will also use its counterpart funds to award approximately 15 grants for agricultural policy research. Fundacion IDEA will organize fora, roundtables, and symposia (to which internationally recognized experts will be invited) to discuss the results of these studies, and, more generally, will disseminate the studies as widely as possible. Finally, Fundacion IDEA will: (1) select one candidate for B.S. or M.S. training in agricultural policy-related areas and 8 candidates for short-term scholarships; (2) increase the library initiated with Fundacion CIENCIA to at least 6 journals and 200 books.