The "Southland case study" is designed to provide an opportunity for a group of participants in a course on agricultural policy to mobilize their knowledge and skills on a fictitious country simulating many of the problems faced by developing countries.
Based on realistic information on the country, presented in a set of documents collected from various sources and on a set of statistical tables, participants are asked to prepare a note outlining the key policy and institutional issues faced by the country and make proposals on how they can be addressed. This assignment is to constitute a key input into a stakeholder consultation workshop that will discuss the agricultural chapter of the poverty reduction strategy paper for Southland.
The case study, developed in the early nineties, has evolved as the history of the fictitious "Southland" unfolded, following patterns similar to those of many developing countries.
The material presented includes a note for trainers, terms of reference of the work to be done by course participants, a background note on the current situation of the country, a series of notes presenting the country, extracts from various survey results and studies conducted in the country, household budgets, a description of the main institutions of Southland and material on the history of the country since its independence. Lastly, a glossary of economic and institutional terminology is also presented to facilitate the work of case study users.
