The Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) targets the identification and assessment of strategies for agricultural growth in Africa, particularly those contributing most to the alleviation of poverty. The program has two main components: a strategic analysis initiative targeting improvements in agricultural policy and investment decision making, and a knowledge support system that endeavours to improve access to, and the use of, higher quality data in this policy analysis. SAKSS-SA is one of three regionally focused programs for the implementation of SAKSS in Africa. Based in southern Africa, this program is being jointly initiated by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), in collaboration with a growing list of national and regional partners. Related SAKSS programs are being implemented in eastern and western Africa. In eastern Africa it is led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and in western Africa it is led by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Strong technical support is being provided to each of these regional SAKSS programs by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). This is the first issue in a SAKSS-SA working paper series summarizing SAKSS outputs. This series aims to inform policy makers about alternative strategies for linking agricultural growth and poverty alleviation. It also aims to strengthen a growing community of practitioners involved in such analyses.