This conference grew out of the challenge to USAID and other development assistance agencies to find mechanisms to connect the poor, especially the chronically poor, to economic growth. Underlying this challenge is the observation that the chronically poor and food insecure are often only reached through humanitarian assistance measures in times of crisis, but are otherwise bypassed by development efforts. Are there programs, and ways of implementing programs, that will include this population in growth, and especially agricultural growth, opportunities?

To speak to this question, we convened a wide-ranging group of researchers and practitioners in Washington, DC on February 26-27, 2009. Now is an especially important time to engage the US foreign assistance community, and participants included the Acting Administrator of USAID, Alonzo Fulgham, and US Senator Richard Lugar, who has emerged as a leading legislative advocate for reinvestment in foreign agricultural assistance.

Sponsoring organizations for the conference include USAID’s Office of Agriculture, the Chronic Poverty Research Centre at the University of Manchester, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the BASIS Assets and Market Access Innovation Lab (previously hosted by the University of Wisconsin). The NGO coalition InterAction and its many members have also been extensively involved in the design of this event.

To access all of the conference presentations, please visit our Slideshare page and search for Conference on Poverty Traps.