College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Non-AFRE Co-Principle Investigators: David Franklin, Sigma One Corporation

Project Name:           Strengthening Agricultural Marketing Research, Policy Analysis, and Capacity Building in Ecuador.
Donor:                        Agency for International Development, MSU was subcontracted via Sigma One Corporation
Contract No:               Unknown
Account No:               Unknown
Location:                    Ecuador
Duration:                    1986-1990
Budget:          

Key MSU Faculty:       Harold M. Riley, Lindon Robison, David Tschirley, Michael Weber, Department of Agricultural Economics, MSU

Documents:                (Click here to view)  

Project Goals:           To conduct applied research and capacity building efforts to support the Agricultural Sector Reorientation Project in Ecuador

Project Plans/Objectives:

• To work with staff of Sigma One Corporation and the Policy Analysis Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ecuador to provide applied research and technical assistance on macroeconomic, marketing, and other policy issues to the Agricultural Sector Reorientation Project in Ecuador.
• To provide MS and Ph.D. level Agricultural Economics training for two Ecuadorian students through an AID scholarship program.

Cooperating Institutions: Ecuador, Institute of Agricultural Strategies (IDEA), Sigma One Corporation, the Policy Analysis Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture of Ecuador (MAG),  Eng. Neptali Bonifaz, the Executive Director of IDEA

Project Summary.

With the election of Leon Febres Cordero as President in 1984, Ecuador began a period of experimentation with more market-oriented economic policies.  Exchange rates were freed, and certain interest rate ceilings were eliminated. Commercial policy, including tariffs, import and export subsidies and restrictions, and quotas, was selectively liberalized.  The liberalization push in the agricultural sector was strongly supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which designed the Agricultural Sector Reorientation Project to support and guide the process.  A Policy Analysis Unit was created in the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG) to supply timely information and policy advice to the Minister and other decision makers.  To encourage private sector participation in the reforms, the Agricultural Strategies Institute (IDEA) was created within Fundacion Ciencia, a private research foundation.  IDEA  attempted to bridge the gap between the private and public sectors in Ecuador, conducting studies and promoting informed dialogue between the two. Sigma One Corporation, a private consulting firm, was contracted to provide technical assistance on macroeconomic, marketing, and other policy issues. Sigma One sub-contracted two other institutions to support its activities. The Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University, in addition to supporting Sigma One's technical assistance and applied research efforts, provided MS and Ph.D. level Agricultural Economics training for two Ecuadorian students through an AID scholarship program.  Economic Perspectives Incorporated, another private consulting firm, provided short-term technical support to the project.

Documents From/About This Project:

• Memoria del Seminario - Estudio del Sistema de Mercadeo de Granos en la Region Costera del Ecuador. 1987.  Documento Tecnico No. 2. Instituto de Estrategias Agropecuarias, (IDEA). Quevedo, EC.
•  Market Coordination and Supply Management in the Feedgrains/Poultry Subsector of Ecuador. 1988. David. L. Tschirley. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University.
• The Financial System Supporting Rice Marketing in Ecuador. 1989. By Hugo H. Ramos.. Ph.D. Dissertation. Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University.
• La Utilizacion de Banda de Precios Para Estabilizar Los Precios de Granos Basico: Una Agenda de Cambio. 1990.  Por Dr. David L. Tschirley, Dr. Cornelius Hugo, Universidad Estatal de Kansas y  Dr. Hugo Ramos IDEA. Documento Tecnico No. 23. Instituto de Estrategias Agropecuarias, (IDEA). Enero.
• Hacia una Politica Sostenible de Comercializacion de Granos Basicos. 1990.  Por Dr. David Tschirley, Universidad Estatal de Michigan/IDEA y Dr. Hugo Ramos, IDEA. Documento Tecnico No. 24. Instituto de Estrategias Agropecuarias, (IDEA). Enero.  Publicado en el Martes Econ6mico de EI Comercio. 9 de Enero.
• A Methodological Approach for Assessing the Impacts of Macropolicies on Rural Households in Ecuador. 1995. Monica Acosta. Master's Thesis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University., 1995. Major Professor: Harold Riley.
• The Role of Agriculture in Ecuador's Economic Development: An Assessment of Ecuador's Agricultural Sector. 1909. By Morris D Whitaker,  Dale Colyer, Jaime Alzamora, and Rae Lesser Blumberg.  Instituto de Estrategias Agropecuarias (Ecuador).
• Downloadable Documents About This Overall Project From Sigma One Corp and Other Partners:  USAID/DEC