The newly established Socioeconomics Program (SEP) held a strategy development meeting in Addis Ababa 14-17 December 2009. The social scientists of CIMMYT from the different regions convened for the first full meeting since 2005 to discuss the future directions of the program. The purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm on Program revitalization. This included taking stock of achievements, reviewing existing and emerging challenges, and identifying new opportunities for growth and development of the research program. This provided the foundation for rethinking and determining strategic directions, within the goal and mission of CIMMYT, to identify and define research thrusts. Specific objectives of the meeting included:
- Assessing the global and regional challenges for maize and wheat systems and identifying key research issues.
- Defining priority research themes by region and identify goals, outputs and outcomes.
- Identify potential research projects under each of the strategic priority themes and develop the log-frame.
- Beginning to develop a strategy document, later to be reviewed internally and externally.
The meeting also identified major selling points or flagships of the SEP. The strategy will be reviewed both internally within CIMMYT and externally by donors and other stakeholders. Participants were Pedro Aquino; Hugo De Groote; Olaf Erenstein; V?esh Krishna, Roberto La Rovere, Mulugett a Mekuria, Girma Tesfahun, Jon Hellin, Bekele Shiferaw, and Kai Sonder.
Nutrition, health and food security 