The proposed research program will provide strategic inputs to strengthen the institutional and infrastructure base that is necessary to support enhancement of the competitiveness of smallholders in rural areas in the production and marketing of their products.

It will include three dimensions in its analysis:

• the heterogeneity of small farmers,
• the complementarities of investment in rural institutions and infrastructure (capital intensive and post-harvest technologies) may have in market development and in reducing poverty, and
• the level of market accessibility.

The program applies a common approach to: Tanzania, and Peru, with a more restricted set of activities being conducted in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Central America. In each country the work:

• Addresses a range of policy issues with respect to infrastructure and institutions and their role in linking smallholders to markets,
• Captures the heterogeneity among smallholders,
• Is based on quantitative and qualitative individual, household and community level data and when possible panel data,
• Assess potential of replicability of what is found in each country to other developing countries,
• It includes an impact evaluation framework for each of the projects implemented
• Is undertaken in partnership with local institutions, and
• Includes a suite of capacity strengthening and communication work with research collaborators, policymakers, and technical personnel in government research institutions that are influential in policy discussions.