Synergies and complementarities: Step up IFCs engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa, including support for public-private partnerships and adapting the integrated trader-processor model for more effective use with small-to-midsize indigenous companies in the agriculture-based economies. Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group. Work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research and other global and regional efforts are translated into benefits in client countries, and facilitate partnerships among countries to encourage south-south knowledge exchange.
Original Response: Ongoing/Agree IFCs business model in the Region is evolving to be more active in IDA countries and IFC is extending its reach to small-scale farmers and small and medium enterprises through: (i) direct investments in larger companies with a significant development reach to farmers and SMEs; (ii) indirect financing of medium-size companies and cooperatives through financial intermediaries; and (iii) indirect financing of smaller size agribusiness farms and enterprises through risk-sharing facilities with financial intermediaries. IFC now has an agribusiness anchor in Africa with a dedicated team of 9 full-time and 4 part-time staff, which is double that of the previous year, and IFC has more than doubled its investments in African agribusiness8 in the past three fiscal years, reaching a record $270 million in fiscal 2010. Ongoing/Agree Management will broaden the existing informal World Bank Group thematic group on food safety to include agribusiness supply-chain specialists in the Bank and IFC. Bank-IFC collaboration on agriculture has increased since the 19982008 IEG review period. Recent examples of joint work include: (i) preparation of the World Bank Group Agriculture Action Plan 20102012; (ii) inclusion of both a public and private sector window in the recently launched Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP); (iii) the Responsible Agro-Investment (RAI) initiative, including the recently launched RAI Toolkit, and; (iv) preparation of a new Bank Group framework for engaging in oil palm. In addition, there is increasing Bank-IFC in-country coordination. Examples include: (i) a review of smallholder participation in the Liberian rubber sector; (ii) possible interventions in the cocoa sector in Cte dIvoire; (iii) commercial agricultural development in Ghana; iv) a first loss agribusiness finance facility in Cambodia; and (v) an agribusiness logistics study in the Philippines. Ongoing/Agree Since the end of 2008 (i.e., after the IEG evaluation period), there has been a significant reform of the CGIAR. A major mechanism to improve the effectiveness and relevance of the CGIARs science and facilitate partnerships is the establishment, currently under way, of a relatively small number of high-impact mega-programs, to replace the many, often fragmented, research programs of the past. Criteria which will guide approval of the mega programs include quantity and quality of partnerships included in design and implementation. Institutionally, the major reform is to separate the CGIAR doers from the funders, including the recent creation of the Consortium of CGIAR Centers (i.e., the doers), and the CGIAR Fund Council (i.e., the funders), supported by a Fund Office, which, like the previous CGIAR Secretariat, will be hosted by the Bank.
In 2015 additional steps were taken to facilitate collaboration on agribusiness across relevant departments and the WB and IFC in conjunction with the WB restructuring and the creation of global practices. A global lead on Agribusiness was appointed from within the Trade and Competitiveness GP, this position is expected to ensure closer coordination on agribusiness between GPs and the World Bank and IFC. In addition, in 2015, joint World Bank/IFC management retreats were instituted and are expected to meet twice per year, providing an identify opportunities for joint work on agriculture in specific countries. The management update provides examples of joint implementation plans that have been prepared in eight countries. These are positive steps but it is too early to assess if these efforts will lead to greater collaboration than what was found during the evaluation period.
Management notes that that the primary channel the Bank uses to facilitate the transfer of CGIAR research to clients is through projects in which the majority of funding is devoted to research and extension activities. Management notes that in past years 88 percent of such projects made reference to CGIAR centers in projects design. Overall figures for FY 15 projects were not available. No information is provided to understand what measures have been taken to ensure that incorporation of CGIAR research in to projects happens more frequently than what was found during the evaluation period. And no evidence has been provided to show that projects citing CGIAR research at design have successfully led to greater uptake on the ground. The IEG evaluation found that there was significant regional variation in the uptake of CGIAR research, with uptake high in Latin America and Asia but lagging in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not possible to validate the extent to which the 88 percent of projects citing are in regions were uptake was lagging or if they are concentrated in regions where uptake was already high.
Additional examples of the promotion of South-South knowledge exchange, continuing the strong progress noted in past MARs. This part of the recommendation has been fully implemented. IEG rates adoption of the recommendation overall as substantial.
Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group. Management notes that as pointed out in the previous MAR, this recommendation has been fully implemented, with further collaboration achieved in FY15 as part of the Bank reorganization.In addition to the community of practice of Bank and IFC agribusiness specialists described in the previous MAR, that works to strengthen knowledge exchange and collaboration, the Agriculture Global Practice (GP) has appointed a staff member from the Trade and Competitiveness GP (a joint WB/IFC GP), to function as the Global Lead on Agribusiness. The purpose is to ensure closer co-ordination and cross pollination of leanings between the departments (and the WB and IFC). The Agriculture GP and IFC investment group continues to work jointly on agribusiness investing including the generation of empirically based knowledge and the alignment of the Principles of Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems, endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in October 2014, with our operations. Collaboration has been made more systematic in 2015 with Joint WB/IFC Management Retreats twice per year to identify opportunities for joint work on agriculture in specific countries we now have joint WB/IFC implementation plans in Burundi, Cote dIvoire, DRC, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Vietnam. We also have joint activities in Cameroon, Madagascar, Uganda, Rwanda, Moldova, Kyrgyz Republic, India, Philippines, Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Examples include the following: In AFR, IFC is part of the task team for the Bank funded Agriculture Cluster Development Project in Uganda (P149286) and is exploring the development of complementary investments in the area of post-harvest infrastructure and facilities.In the Bank funded Cameroon Agriculture Investment and Market Development Project (P143417) the IFC will provide advisory services, risk-sharing of lending by local financial institutions through the provision of a guarantee fund, and crop insurance products to respond to the need of the producer organizations involved in the Project.In the Banks Nigeria Staple Crop Processing Zone Project (P148616), IFC will provide technical expertise in financial structuring, market assessment to crowd-in the private sector to the Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs), and upon request provide financing and advisory services to private investors in the SCPZs and technical assistance in structuring a PPP transaction for the implementation of two SCPZs. In EAP, the Philippine Climate Change Adaptation Project (P101076) seeks to pilot/test and demonstrate innovative climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies in agriculture, and involves the IFC in piloting/testing of a weather-index based crop insurance system for rice and maize. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, a government corporation under the Department of Agriculture, is testing this, while the IFC is implementing a parallel initiative on the same scheme but with the private sector. One example of joint work in SAR is the joint multi-agency (WB, IFC and ADB) response to the request from Government of India to prepare a report/policy note on stimulating growth of agribusiness in India. Another is IFCs Pakistan Nestle Dairy Supply Chain Development that Bank staff will be contributing to. In LCR, IBRD and IFC are jointly undertaking a Rapid Agriculture
Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group.
Management provides a number of examples of collaboration between IFC and WB staff in the preparation of specific projects and through input provided in the development of specific programs and strategies. The spirit of the IEG recommendation, however, was to establish a mechanism to enhance communication and collaboration across the WBG in a systematic rather than ad hoc manner. No evidence is provided on this front. Adoption of this sub-recommendation is rated medium.
Work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research and other global and regional efforts are translated into benefits in client countries, and facilitate partnerships among countries to encourage south-south knowledge exchange.
Efforts have been made to reform the CGIAR with the aim of improving the relevance and effectiveness of its research. Notably the formulation of larger CGIAR Research Programs to reduce the fragmentation of past research effort and the promotion of partnerships to draw on comparative advantage in research. The Bank is also supporting regional research programs and has promoted knowledge exchanges between Brazilian and African organizations. However, it isnt clear to what extent these efforts have led to greater use of research results on the ground to provide benefits in client countries.. Adoption of this sub-recommendation is rated medium.
IFC's engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa (AFR). IFC RESPONDING SEPERATELY
Collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC. Management has broadened informal links with the IFC. In addition to the examples provided in the original response, new examples of joint Bank-IFC work include: (i) Preparation and implementation of the IFC Agribusiness Strategic Action Plan FY12-14, (ii) Preparation of the forthcoming World Bank Group Agriculture Action Plan:2013-2015; (iii) Completion of The World Bank Group Framework and IFC Strategy for Engagement in the Palm Oil Sector; (iv) Regular joint meetings on the IFC's agribusiness strategic action plan and implementation practice which includes Bank staff and staff from both the advisory and investment arms of the IFC; (v) Cross institution learning between staff from the agriculture and private sector development sectors of the Bank and staff from IFC in the development of several new Bank agriculture commercialization projects (for example in Ghana , Burkina Faso , Senegal and Tanzania ) (vi) Inclusion of both a public and private sector windows in the recently launched Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP); (iv) The Responsible Agro-Investment (RAI) initiative, including the recently launched RAI Toolkit; and (v) Preparation of the Ukraine Agriculture Investment Policy Note.
CGIAR research translated into benefits in client countries. The CGIAR continues its reform process with key components being: (i) the formulation of a research portfolio consisting of larger CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) to reduce fragmentation of effort; (ii) promoting partnerships to draw on comparative advantage in research efforts; and (iii) improving research relevance by better alignment to country. Implementation of an agreed Strategy and Results Frameworks for each CRP is underway. As of end of 2011, a total of 11 CRPs have been approved by the CGIAR Fund Council. Each approved CRP involves a broad range of partners that include not only research institutions, but also national agencies that are engaged in development activities. The Global Rice Science Partnership Program (or Rice CRP), the first CRP to be implemented, involves over 300 research and extension agencies as partners in developing countries. The program not only generates technologies but also serves as a hub for knowledge exchange on rice.
The Bank is supporting or participating in other global and regional research programs that benefit client countries. World Bank projects are supporting regional research in West Africa, through implementation of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program), and in Southern Africa, through the preparation of the Agricultural productivity program for Southern Africa.
South-South cooperation and knowledge exchanges in agriculture between Brazilian and African organization is being catalyzed and supported through the Development Grant Facility (DGF), DIFID, IFAD and the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation
Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group: Management notes the continuation of collaboration between IFC and WB staff in the preparation of specific projects and through their input in the development and implementation of specific programs and strategies that it noted in past MAR updates. No new evidence is provided to demonstrate that communication and collaboration across the WBG has been enhanced in a systematic rather than ad hoc manner. Adoption of this sub-recommendation remains medium. Work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research and other global and regional efforts are translated into benefits in client countries, and facilitate partnerships among countries to encourage south-south knowledge exchange: Several examples have been provided of results of components of CGIAR Research Programs being used at the country level. However, IEG seeks to understand the Bank's role in facilitating this process. The evaluation stressed the need to strengthen links between CGIAR centers and national programs as well as the need for CGIAR research results to be mainstreamed consistently in country-level Bank projects. No evidence has been provided of increased mainstreaming of CGIAR research into World Bank operations. IEG acknowledges the Bank's continued efforts at promoting South-South knowledge exchange. Adoption of this sub-recommendation remains medium.
Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group.
Management continues to deepen links with the IFC through several formal mechanisms. First, through the development of the World Bank Group Agriculture Action Plan that was a systematic corporate level undertaking across the Bank Group. Second, through the IFC and World Bank two monthly meetings on implementation of the agribusiness elements of the Action Plan, in particular on the IFCs Agribusiness Strategic Action Plan. These meetings (community of practice) are comprised of senior agribusiness supply chain specialists and management from IFC and across the Bank. It was formed two years ago and reviews the WBG agribusiness portfolio pipelines, discusses issues of mutual interest, identifies opportunities for collaboration, and peer reviews each other's knowledge products. This group also works to jointly implement to Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investments, including alignment with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests, endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in May 2012. Third, the formally financed thematic/community of practice (Bank-IFC Rural Infrastructure Services, Markets, and Finance Thematic Group) brings together WBG staff (e.g. task team leaders) to facilitate learning, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Fourth, a representative of IFC is a member of the Agriculture Rural Development (ARD) Sector Board. This increased collaboration between the IFC and World Bank has led to a better alignment of activities and engagement in agriculture across the Bank Group (with the recent specific example of palm oil).
Work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research and other global and regional efforts are translated into benefits in client countries, and facilitate partnerships among countries to encourage south-south knowledge exchange.
Management continues to work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research is translated into benefits in client countries through both regional and country level projects. (i) Regional projects: The World Bank's expanding regional agricultural programs are providing a useful mechanism to link research with constituent countries. For example: in Africa, using CGIAR's elite wheat germplasm, new wheat rust resistant and high-yielding varieties were developed by the national wheat breeding programs in collaboration with CGIAR Centers and quickly disseminated through the World Bank's East Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (which includes 3 countries), and the World Bank's West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (which includes 13 countries) is supporting local improvements in key crops drawing on technologies from the CGIAR centers. In LCR, in collaboration with the CGIAR (International Center for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT), the World Bank and Global Environment Facility implemented a regional project to build countries capacity for compliance with the Cartagena Protocol. It strengthened technical capabilities on biosafety risk assessments in participating countries, and established a platform for south-south learning and knowledge exchange. (ii) County level projects: example include Kazakhstan, where the CGIAR conducted research and supported adoption of the conservation agriculture/no-till crop management system in wheat production, with the further adoption being supported and scaled-up through the World Bank-funded Agriculture Competitiveness Project; and Zambia, where the CGIAR has developed biofortified maize, rich in vitamin A, and local millers are provided incentives to sell this biofortied maize through the AgResults Project. To date, three varieties have been released, and three companies are producing and marketing seeds.
The World Bank has also been helping to systemize joint priority setting between CGIAR and African institutions. In 2011, the World Bank, CGIAR and development partners launched an initiative to ensure that products and services of the international agricultural research community directed towards Africa will be aligned with the needs and priorities articulated through CAADP-led processes and national agricultural investment plans. Toward this end, CGIAR and the Bank are collaborating to systematize joint priority setting and programming between CGIAR and CAADP institutions and, in conjunction with other partners, to formulate an African owned and led Science Agenda for African Agriculture in research, extension, and education. This framework will identify where advances in science and technology are most needed (e.g., to increase crop yields and livestock and water productivity; improve environmental resilience, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and risk management in farming; and address gender inequities). For example, the CGIAR and the World Bank have worked closely to develop a prototype mapping tool that summarizes all relevant planned or ongoing agricultural research programs and activities in the Horn of Africa and have mapped these against research priorities in the region. Once fully developed, the mapping exercise will be a fundamental element of alignment in terms of priority setting, and it will inform the Science Agenda for African Agriculture, as well as joint programming between CAADP, African agricultural research institutions, and the CGIAR Research Programs.
Management will continue to facilitate South-South cooperation by strengthening a new trend in development cooperation in which emerging economies play an increasingly important role in global development practice. In the last three years, the Bank helped clients by catalyzing the sharing of country experiences between practitioners. For example, Mali sought to draw lessons from India's dairy revolution, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic have learned from China's experience with agricultural value chain development, Nepal and Ecuador have learned from the Philippines experience with risk-sensitive land use planning, and Brazil is fostering technical cooperation and knowledge exchange between Brazilian and African organizations in agriculture. Many Middle-Income Countries (MICs) are also benefiting from Bank brokered MIC-MIC exchanges, including Romania and Mexico on biogas from animal waste management, Brazil and Indonesia on forest management, and Turkey and China on watershed management. Such South-South cooperation is a key instrument for scaling up impact of successful agricultural development initiatives.
Additional progress has been made on the implementation of this objective over years past:
With respect to the first sub objective, new examples have been provided of collaboration between IFC and Bank staff resulting from initiatives noted in previous MARs that are intended to improve collaboration among agriculture sector departments across the World Bank Group.
Further progress is noted on ensuring that CGIAR research is translated to benefits in client countries. In addition to the evidence provided in previous MARs on linkages between CGIAR centers and national programs, examples have been provided of the mainstreaming of CGIAR research into World Bank operations.
Continued efforts in promoting South-South knowledge exchange are also noted.
FY13-14: Set up a knowledge network that links agriculture and agribusiness supply-chain specialists across the World Bank Group to strengthen communication and collaboration among sector departments within the Bank and IFC, as well as across the World Bank Group. Management notes that as pointed out in the previous MAR, this recommendation has been fully implemented. The IFC and World Bank systematically and formally meet every two months on implementation of the agribusiness elements of the WBG Agriculture Action Plan 2013-15, in particular on the IFC's Agribusiness Strategic Action Plan. These meetings (reflecting a community of practice) are comprised of senior agribusiness supply chain specialists and management from IFC and across the Bank. These systematic meetings review the WBG agribusiness portfolio pipelines, discuss issues of mutual interest, identify opportunities for collaboration, and peer reviews each other's knowledge products. This group also works to jointly implement the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investments, including alignment with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests, endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in May 2012. Resulting collaborations include:
In AFR, the IFC and WB are finalizing joint agribusiness plans to find systemic solutions to develop the agriculture sector in Cte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Mali, Mozambique, and Congo DRC, while integrating efforts on existing projects in Senegal, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Ghana. In the Sahel, both organizations are working to attract and incentivize financial institutions to provide financing to successful SMEs/companies that benefitted from WB's matching grant schemes under the agricultural value chain development programs and that are in need of subsequent financing.
In EAP, the Bank and IFC worked together on advising on an agribusiness FDI promotion strategy for Vietnam; agribusiness AAA and investment promotion in the Philippines, sustainability standards in Indonesia agriculture, and contributions to PISAGRO (Partnership on Sustainable Agriculture).
In ECA, the Bank is collaborating closely with the IFC on inclusive value chain development in Tajikistan under the recently approved Agriculture Commercialization Project complemented by the IFC Central Asia Agri-finance Advisory Program and the IFC Refrigerated Storage Development Program. In Bosnia Herzegovina the Bank has been collaborating closely with IFC on improving the business environment and the regulatory framework affecting agricultural trade with an emphasis on food inspection - the IFC recently financed an IT interface for the Federal Inspection Services while the Bank is providing complementary support (through the Agriculture and Rural Development Project) to help the Federal Inspection Services implement IT related activities.
In SAR the Bank, IFC and ADB produced a joint report on "Stimulating the Growth of Agribusiness Activities in India" which guided the pipeline of projects and analytical activities. The Bank collaborated with IFC on their ongoing program in India with several pulp and paper companies who are accessing pulpwood from small farmers. The Bank provided technical guidance on the feasibility of companies accessing pulpwood from communities associated with a Bank-supported community forest project in Andhra Pradesh. Under the Rajasthan Agricultural Competitiveness Project (RACP), the Bank has an ongoing collaboration with IFC to identify potential private sector partners for PPP market linkage activities. Under the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP), the project closely worked with one of the investment and advisory clients of IFC (Amalgamated Plantations Limited, a TATA enterprise). AACP's fisheries and dairy producer groups were linked with these enterprises, and IFC and the WB closely worked with the project authorities and the private sector for the collaboration to materialize.
In LCR, within the context of the preparation of a lending operation in Bolivia for the quinoa sector, IFC and IBRD worked together in the preparation of a scoping report of the sector. The IFC's initiative to enhance the productivity, efficiency and profitability of dairy farmers through innovative cooling technologies was assisted by Bank staff to engage in Mexico. In addition, there is collaborative analytical work on the development of agriculture insurance markets in Dominican Republic and Brazil, and financial contribution from IFC Administered TF (Global Index Insurance Facility - GIIF) for Argentina, Uruguay, and Jamaica.
FY13-14:Work with partners to ensure that CGIAR research and other global and regional efforts are translated into benefits in client countries. The Bank continues to facilitate benefits to client countries from the CGIAR mostly through lending operations, and most systematically through projects for which research and extension account for most of the project funding (greater than 50 percent). Of 120 new IBRD/IDA projects (excluding additional financing) approved by the Bank between FY10 and FY14 that had agricultural components, 33 projects (28%) made reference in their appraisal documents to CGIAR research. Among projects that are largely related to agriculture research and extension (those with 50 percent or greater funding going the sub-sector) eight out of 9 projects made reference to the CGIAR five projects promoted formal links between national institutions and CG centers, two used CG studies in project design and one project accessed CG technology or expertise. Projects that established formal links between national programs and CGIAR centers were in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Uganda. In addition, five sub-regional projects in AFR included CGIAR research, notably the West Africa Agriculture Production Program (includes 13 countries) and the East Africa Agriculture Production Program (includes 3 programs). Nine projects accessed CGIAR expertise (staff) or technologies in project implementation (in Cote d'Ivoire, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Liberia, and Mali). Another 14 projects used studies produced by CGIAR centers as sources of project design elements (in projects in Bhutan, Bolivia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Vietnam and Zambia).
Specific example include: the Karnataka Watershed Development Project which includes a partnership between ICRISAT and the Watershed Development Department to pilot soil nutrient testing and developing soil health cards for farmerswork that has led to significant incremental gains in agricultural productivity. The program is subsequently being scaling up by the government state-wide. The IDA-funded Bolivia Agricultural Innovation and Services Project is supporting the Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agropecuaria y Forestal (INIAF) in its efforts to develop a national agricultural innovation system. INIAF has signed collaboration agreements with CIMMYT and the International Potato Center (CIP) under which INIAF scientists will travel to these institutes for training. CIMMYT and CIP scientists will travel to Bolivia to interact with Bolivian scientists, and improved germplasm and other technologies developed by CIMMYT and CIP will be tested and adapted to local conditions. In addition, to these project level activities, there has been joint work with the CGIAR on agricultural policies. For example, Bank staff working the EAP region are collaborating with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) (and FAO) on a regional policy notes series related to rice and food security and on the rice regional strategy. The South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative has drawn on lessons and research from IFPRI on the link between agriculture and food and nutrition security and co-financed a policy conference on the issue.
Facilitate partnerships among countries to encourage south-south knowledge exchange. Management will continue to facilitate South-South cooperation by strengthening the new trend in development cooperation in which emerging economies play an increasingly important role in global development practice. Programs continued to facilitate cross-country knowledge exchange which in FY13-14 included: the African and Brazil knowledge partnership to boost African agriculture; exchanges between Vietnamese and Bolivian officials working on livelihood strengthening initiatives amongst ethnic minority groups; between Indonesian and Brazilian agriculture researchers at EMBRAPA; Indonesian and Indian agriculture extension staff on the use of cell phone technology; between Honduras, Panama, and Colombia on increasing smallholder market access; Colombia, Rwanda, and Burundi on coffee; Guatemala and Bolivia on productive alliances; Brazil and Malawi on land and rural poverty projects; between officials from Montenegro and Macedonia on EU accessions (under the Baltic Knowledge Initiative that Bank helped to launched to facilitate knowledge sharing in the region and beyond on selected areas); between officials from Afghanistan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh on agricultural productivity and market linkages in rainfed area and the establishment of agricultural producer companies; between an Indonesian team and the livelihood projects in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Nepal on community driven development to enhance livelihoods of the poor; between Rwanda and Nepal on food security. Support was provided for Pakistan to host government staff and civil society members from Afghanistan, Nepal and India to demonstrate its experience with building institutions of the poor, and financial services to the poor, community managed small infrastructure, and community led financial management and procurement. The Business, Enterprise and Employment Support for Women in South Asia (or BEES) Network was created specifically to promote South-South knowledge exchanges among civil society organizations and World Bank projects, particularly rural livelihoods projects.