A broad survey of expert opinions in was conducted July 2000 to February 2001, with over 1,000 questionnaires mailed to experts within and outside Africa on nominations of African agricultural success stories and the rationale for selection of success stories, and factors determining success.

With guidance from our External Advisory Group, our analytical team adopted the following definition of "success":

In order to common ingredients and processes that underlie these earlier successes, we selected a dozen cases for in-depth review and dispatched joint IFPRI-African case study teams to investigate. Together with our External Advisor Group (hot link), we selected the following set of case studies:

1. Cassava
   1. Nigeria and Ghana, 1900-2000
   2. Malawi and Zambia, 1960-2000
2. Dairy, East Africa 1900-2000
3. Horticulture Exports, Kenya and Ivory Coast 1970-2000
4. Maize, East and Southern Africa 1900-2000
5. Cotton, West Africa 1960-2000
6. Sustainable Natural Resource Management
   1. planting basins, Burkina and Zambia, 1975-2000
   2. improved fallows, Kenya and Zambia, 1990s

Together, they provide a series of important contrasts among private as opposed to public instigators of change, points of intervention, levels of subsidy involved, food and export crops, regional diversity, duration and scale of impact.

• Increased maize production from hybrid maize development and adoption, across Africa
• Cassava production from breeding for resistance to mosaic virus for cassava and for higher yield, across Africa.
• Rice production in West Africa
• Cotton production in West Africa
• Horticultural exports in Kenya and Ivory Coast
• Smallholder dairying in East Africa (Kenya contrasted with Uganda and Ethiopia)
• Sustainable agriculture (conservation farming, low external input systems, farmer participation) across Africa

In order to generalize and draw sensible inferences from past successes requires considerable experience, judgment and collateral knowledge. For that reason, the analytical team assembled a group of experienced agricultural specialists from government, the private sector and from across Africa to help with this synthesis effort. Conference organizers -- IFPRI, NEPAD, CTA and InWEnt -- complemented this core of agriculturalists with representation from ministries of finance and trade, key governors of agricultural innovation and growth. During the first week of December 2003, seventy professionals from across Africa met to review the case studies, assess changes in the external environment and draw inferences on how to apply lessons from the past into the future. The results of these deliberations are summarized below.