A major focus of our work on Ethiopia  explores in some depth alternative policy prescriptions that have been proposed and/or are being implemented for Ethiopian agriculture.

Note that we understand agriculture to include a range of crop-based (smallholder and commercial farming of food and cash crops), and livestock-based (pastoralist and agro-pastoralist) livelihoods.

Although other components of the Agriculture Consortium will adopt a regional (multi-country) focus, the Ethiopia component will focus on the range of ‘agricultures’ that are being practised or proposed within this large and diverse country.

Ethiopian policy debates are always vigorous and passionate, and several current important issues – the Poverty Reduction Strategy, Productive Safety Nets Programme and Voluntary Resettlement Programme, among others – impact directly on agricultural livelihoods.

There are four broad pathways that a future agricultural strategy might take, which will be closely scrutinised in this work programme: intensification, diversification, commercialisation, and ‘depopulation’. {jcomments off}