Quarterly Report No 2: Evaluating Impact, Building Capacity Project (EIBC) 2015-2020

The project aims to contribute to Egypt's economic growth, poverty reduction, food security, and nutrition. The project has three main activities: impact evaluation of USAID-funded agriculture and nutrition-related programs in Upper Egypt, capacity building of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MoALR) related to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of development programs, and promotion of evidence-based policy making through demand-driven, actionable research and policy advisory services. During the first quarter of 2016, the IFPRI team focused on setting up the necessary institutional arrangements for the EIBC project. The team conducted meetings with various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and USAID, to establish partnerships and establish the IFPRI Egypt office in Cairo. The IFPRI team also conducted a research priority setting workshop to identify specific policy research areas that inform the decision on the research focus of the Egypt Strategy Support Program (SSP). The workshop aimed to learn about Egypt's main development challenges, understand the engagement of governmental and non-governmental organizations in research areas, identify existing gaps, and explore opportunities for collaborations. The EIBC project has made significant progress in its first quarter, with the establishment of the IFPRI Egypt office and the launch of the IFPRI Egypt Strategy Support Program. The project has also conducted several meetings with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, to discuss the implementation of the project. The project's impact evaluation activity has made significant progress, with the recruitment of an Associate Research Fellow and the conduct of inception and planning meetings with IFPRI management, team members, potential partners, and experts. The project's capacity building activity has also made progress, with the conduct of intro meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and the preparation of a detailed work plan. The project's promotion of evidence-based policy making activity has also made significant progress, with the launch of the IFPRI Egypt Strategy Support Program and the conduct of a research priority setting workshop. The workshop aimed to identify specific policy research areas that inform the decision on the research focus of the Egypt SSP. The EIBC project has a strong team in place, with a clear understanding of the project's objectives and activities. The project has also established partnerships with various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and USAID. The EIBC project has a strong team in place, with a clear understanding of the project's objectives and activities. The project has also established partnerships with various stakeholders, including the Ministry