Green Farmland Construction and Agricultural High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin

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The TA will have the following outcome: high-quality green agricultural development opportunities in Yellow River basin increased. The subproject is aligned with the following overall impact of the TA cluster: resilient ecological protection and security in the Yellow River basin achieved. The subproject will support the overall TA cluster outputs by (i) supporting institutional, policy, and governance reforms in the agriculture sector that will put in place the enabling environment that is required for sustainable and high-quality sector development (cluster output 1); (ii) promoting best practices from national and international experience that can introduce new technology and innovation to the sector that will balance sector productivity, market linkages, and environmental protection (cluster output 2); and (iii) promoting knowledge generation and dissemination to build capacity of national and local government, farmers, private sector, and stakeholders to enable the new approach and innovation to be adopted and scaled-up (cluster output 3). When these elements are combined, it will provide the necessary framework for high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin.Output 1: High-quality agricultural development potential assessed. This output is a diagnostic study that will use field surveys, literature reviews, stakeholder interview, and focus group assessments to collect relevant data. The study will (i) review and analyze the current situation, constraints, and requirements, including regulations, policies, institutional settings, and capacity in each agro-ecological region which are essential to promote high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin; (ii) review national and international experience and best practices associated with high-quality agricultural development, increasing private sector engagement, value chain and agribusiness development and defining agriculture's role in enhancing rural development and environmental protection to achieve ecological security; and (iii) engage with national and local government, farmers, private sector and stakeholders to validate study findings and assess attitudes, preferences, and willingness to participate in the new high-quality agricultural development models. This output will produce a research and diagnostic study report identifying the issues and actions required to enhance high-quality agricultural development. The report will be presented at stakeholder consultations and at the TA interim review workshop to validate the findings and seek peer review opportunities. The research and diagnostic report will serve as the basis for work to be done under output 2. Output 2: Strategy for high-quality agricultural development drafted. This output will propose a new strategy framework with supporting implementation action plan for how the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) can promote high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin. This will draw on findings from the research and diagnostic study (output 1) to (i) make recommendations for and improvement to current high-quality agricultural development plans and management practices, for each agro-ecological region which incorporate best practice from national and international experience, and which promote private sector participation and ecological security; (ii) provide recommendations to strengthen policies, regulations and institutional arrangements, as well as capacity required to implement the strategy and action plan; and (iii) provide recommendations for financing required and innovative mechanisms that could be adopted to implement the strategy and action plan. Recommendations will also be provided for how the new strategy can be developed into a MARA-ADB investment project. This output will produce two key reports (strategy paper and policy guidance) that will be presented at stakeholder consultations and at the TA final review workshop to validate the findings and seek peer review opportunities.This output will directly contribute to the TA cluster output 1: Strategic institutional, policy and governance reforms on key Yellow River development issues promoted and output 2: Innovative technologies, approaches, and solutions to address development constraints in Yellow River basin proposed.Output 3: Knowledge dissemination and capacity enhanced. Under this output, a knowledge product (e.g., report, policy brief, etc.) that captures and summarizes the experience and lessons from the studies reviewed under the TA subproject will be prepared. This will support capacity building efforts to strengthen the design of high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin. Specific capacity-building activities will be targeted to meet the needs identified under output 1 which are essential to promote high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin; and these activities will include training workshops and conferences led by the consultants covering experiences from the research and diagnostic study and new strategy and action plan with supporting policies, regulatory and institutional framework to achieve the targeted high-quality agricultural development in the Yellow River basin.This output will directly contribute to the TA cluster output 3: Knowledge sharing, strategic partnerships for multi-stakeholder and private sector engagement supported.