Government policy and institutions are of critical importance in efforts to assure food
security for all in a manner compatible with sustainable management of natural resources.
Similarly, technological change is an essential component of such efforts. To be successful,
action by governments must be based on a comprehensive understanding of the interaction
between technology, policy and institutions. Even the best of technology may fail to achieve
its social objectives if the policies are inappropriate or if appropriate institutions are missing.
Lack of investments in rural infrastructure, low-price policies for agricultural products and
high prices for fertilizers and other inputs, poorly functioning markets, inappropriate
allocation mechanisms for water, unclear property rights and examples of policies and
institutions that may render new technology useless for the farmers and the society.
In order to design and implement appropriate policies and institutions, decisionmakers
must have access to relevant and timely knowledge about policy options and their
likely consequences. It is the role of policy research to generate such knowledge. The
specific knowledge needs and related research priorities vary across countries and over time.
The first and major part of this paper suggests a set of priorities for policy research likely to
be relevant for many although not all developing countries. The priorities are based on
consultations with a large number of individuals over a one-year period. The second part of
the paper briefly discusses options for the implementation of the policy research and the role
of GFAR.