Second day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference

Panel Discussion on: Public private partnership in m-agriculture

From left to right: 1. Jonathan Petko, Regional Alliance Builder, USAID Ghana Office,
Accra, Ghana / 2. Sean Paavo Krepp, Head, Nokia Africa & Middle East Emerging
Markets Services, South Africa / 3. Jonas Wanvoeke, Research Assistant, Learning & Innovation
Systems Program, Africa Rice Center (WARDA), Cotonou, Benin / 4. Mark Davies, Esoko and Founder of Busyinternet, Accra, Ghana

16th of July 2009. Second day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference. The second day had some lively debates on:

• Intellectual Property Rights and Open Access to Knowledge in Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
• Opening Access to Knowledge in Agricultural Sciences and Technology: International, Regional, National and Institutional Initiatives.
• Advocating for Opening Access to Knowledge in Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Africa: the Way Forward
• Panel Discussion on: Public private partnership in m-agriculture: roles and incentives of stakeholders. Organized by: The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

Inauguration of Africa Liaison Office of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)

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The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) is located in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, with Dr. Kenji Iiyama as President. JIRCAS has set up recently its Africa Liaison Office in Accra, Ghana inside the premises of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).

Its inauguration ceremony was held on 14th July 2009. During this event Dr. Masami YASUNAKA, vice president of JIRCAS was interviewed.

Recently, there has been an increasing expectation for Japans contribution to agricultural research in Africa since the creation of the Yokohama Action Plan during the TICAD IV Meeting held in May 2008, which states that Japan will provide assistance to the development of agricultural research, extension, and training services for the improvement of agricultural technologies for Africa such as for variety improvement and improvement of soil fertility.

Accordingly, JIRCAS research activities in Africa are being strengthened and its share for research in Africa has been increasing rapidly. Furthermore, JIRCAS will also join the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) as a member of the steering committee and hopes to contribute to research and development of rice technologies in Africa.

To strengthen the base and strategy of agricultural research activities in Africa hereafter, it is necessary to build a system that attaches great importance to the collaborative relationships among national and regional agricultural research organizations in Africa and research networks on both crop and subject basis.

Dr. Masami YASUNAKA answers the following questions:

1. What is JIRCAS' vision to collaborate with Africa
   
2. Why was Ghana and FARA choosen to establish a liaison office?
   
3. Is climate change one of JIRCA's research topics?
   

JIRCAS establishes its Africa Liaison Office in Ghana

14th July 2009. Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) establishes its Africa Liaison Office in Accra, Ghana -As a base station for agricultural research for Africa conducted by Japanese researchers-

Dr. Masami YASUNAKA Vice president of JIRCAS
presents the JIRCAS activities in Africa.


JIRCAS has recently set up its Africa Liaison Office in Accra, Ghana inside the premises of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). Its inauguration ceremony was held on 14th July and was attended by guests and representatives from regional offices of international organizations for agriculture, agricultural research institutes in Ghana, as well as staffs of Japanese organizations in Ghana.


A Regional Coordinator was assigned to the Liaison Office to carry out important tasks such as information collection and coordination of research activities, that are relevant to the fulfillment of its function as a base station for agricultural research for Africa conducted by Japanese researchers.

Dr. Monty Jones welcomes warmly the opening of the JIRCAS liaison office inside the premises of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.

The main tasks of the Liaison Office are as follows:


Establishment of close relationships with the international organizations located in Ghana, such as FARA, FAO Africa Regional Office, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Ghana Office, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) West Africa Office, to enable efficient collection and distribution of wide-ranging information on the present situation of African agriculture by meeting with them and by having dialogs with them.

1. Collection and distribution of the latest information on agricultural research and on the needs for collaborative research by periodic visit to national agricultural research organizations, universities, and governmental organizations in West Africa.
2. Communication, coordination of and assistance for research activities of JIRCAS and concerned organizations in West Africa.
3. To introduce JIRCAS activities and to collect information by participation in the meetings to held in Africa.

CIARD Africa Advocacy Consultation

14th July 2009. The Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD) initiative is working to make agricultural research information publicly available and accessible to all. This means working with organisations that hold information or that create new knowledge – to help them disseminate it more efficiently and make it easier to access. A consultation was organised at FARA on CIARD for the RAILS national learning teams which attended previously the RAILS side event at IAALD.

The purpose was the creation of a core group of African senior research information specialists at regional, sub-regional, and national level in Africa who are familiar with the CIARD manifesto and principles and understand the main implications/challenges of trying to achieve institutional change and implement the CIARD Checklist and actions.

The second purpose was to agree on an agenda for action to advocate the CIARD agenda amongst key audiences in African agricultural research, namely: (a) research managers and decision makers, (b) researchers and academics, (c) information specialists.

When the UK DFID (Department for International Development), aware of the value of putting research into use, commissioned FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) with the task of catalyzing efforts to ensure that agricultural research information and knowledge become public domain, it triggered the formation of a global partnership on Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD). The partnership includes FAO, EGFAR, the CGIAR, and others in the agricultural research community.

The partners in the CIARD initiative are committed to promoting the sharing of data, information and knowledge to empower the various stakeholders involved in agriculture. To begin with, CIARD outlined a checklist – the Triple A checklist that defines what is meant by ensuring your research outputs are Available, Accessible and Applicable.

CIARD pathways will help researchers identify a publisher who has more flexible policies on open access, so that they do not have to sign away all rights to their journal article. These pathways will also help a senior manager understand the value of institutional policies that enable sustainable development of repositories for their center. They will be brief and to the point. Where users like the IT unit and librarians, want more detail i.e. on Creative Commons, there would be linked resources on the web.

The pathways could broadly be clustered as:

• General – strategic and policy issues, organizational issues which need to be addressed in handling research outputs.
• Capture, Collection and Curation of research outputs – ensuring that all the outputs are described in a form that makes them available and accessible.
• Managing Web Presence – using the internet to make the information accessible to others.

First day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference

From left to right: Kevin Painting (CTA), Hon. Sherry Ayiteh (Minister for Environment, Science and Technology), Dr. A.B Salifu (DG Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Ghana), Dr. Monty Jones (E.D FARA), the representative of FAO

13 - 17 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. Second IAALD Africa Chapter Conference. The theme of the conference is Towards Opening Access to Information & Knowledge in the Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Africa:

initiatives aimed at opening access to AS & T information and knowledge including open access/archives initiatives,

the challenges faced by institutions in the agricultural sciences and technology field in Africa,

and the way forward.

Presentation of eRAILS by Myra Wopereis of FARA

The discussions of the first day focused on following sub-themes:

Access and dissemination of knowledge in agricultural sciences and technology in Africa – mapping the landscape, major challenges,

Opening access to publicly funded research – views from research scientists, policy makers, development partners/funders of research and information professionals, and experiences and lessons from the North




Opening of the IAALD confence by Hon. Sherry Ayiteh (Minister for Environment, Science and Technology), Dr. A.B Salifu (DG Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Ghana),

Background:
Programme (pdf)

Reaction of a participant at the RAILS side event at IAALD

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Issel Ould Abdatt Centre national d'élevage et de recherches vétérinaires. CNERV. Directeur General adjoint, Nouakchott Mauritanie gives his impression about his attendance at the RAILS Side-event at the 2nd IAALD Africa Chapter Conference on the theme Towards Opening Access to Information & Knowledge in the Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Africa.

He explains what the RAILS programme does in Mauritania and how the workshop has clarified the expectations and what should be done.

Participants to the RAILS side event at IAALD

12-13 July 2009. RAILS Side-event at the 2nd IAALD Africa Chapter Conference on the theme ‘Towards Opening Access to Information & Knowledge in the Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Africa’.

Participants:

JANVIER Nkunzebose
Institut Des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU),
Bujumbura Burundi.

Rachel Rege
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Assistant Director, Information Documentation Services Nairobi.Kenya

MAQALIKA MATSEPE
Agricultural Information Services Ministry Of Agriculture And Food Security, Senior Agricultural Information Officer, Lesotho

Mohammed Sannoh

Senior Communications Officer, SLARI, National Agricultural Research Coordinating CouncilFreetown - Liberia
Francois Stepman
Communications Expert

FARA

Jacqueline Nyagahima

ASARECA

Uganda

Paula Pimentel
Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique (IIAM),Researcher - Technology Transfer And Information Systems DirectorateMaputo, Mozambique

Jacky Nnam
Knowledge Sharing Officer

Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.
Accra- Ghana
Keven Nancy Principal OfficerResearch and DevelopmentSeychelles Agricultural Agency Republic of Seychelles

Ifidon Ohiomoba PSTAD OfficerForum for Agric Research in Africa. Ghana

Sostino Mocumbe Communications Officer Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique Maputo, Mozambique

Abdoulaye Aziz BANGOURA
IRAGResponsable Information Scientifique & TechniqueConakry - Guinee

Francine Rasolofonirina
Ministry of Agriculture-Livestock and fisheries -Head, Extension Service and Farmer's Training DepartmentDirectorate of Extension Service and Farmer's Support Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and FisheryAntananarivo - Madagascar

Richard AWAH NCHE
Director, Department of Communication and Documentation,Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD),Yaounde - Republic of Cameroun

Issel Ould Abdatt
Centre national d'élevage et de recherches vétérinaires. CNERV. Directeur General adjoint. Nouakchott Mauritanie

Dady Demby

Forum for Agric Research in Africa. RAILS Program OfficerAccra- Ghana

Hadiza Gabey
INRAN, Chef De La Division Information. Valorisation et Documentation. Niger, Niamey

Justin Chisenga
Information Management SpecialistFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO - Regional Office for AfricaAccra, Ghana

Jocelin Makoko
INERA-Chef deDivision Biométrie & Informatique Président du Comité National de Pilotage (CNP) du Réseau Régional de l'Information Agricole (RAIN ) RD Congo

Claudine Umukazi
Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR)

Kigali Rwanda

KONE Yékéminan Anatole
Information/Communication Manager

CORAF/WECARDDakar - Senegal

Myra Wopereis
Forum for Agric Research in Africa. Director, Access to Knowledge and TechnologyAccra- Ghana

Kedro Diomande
Centre national de recherche agronomique, directeur des systemes d'informationAbidjan Cote-d’ Ivoire

Emmanuel Mbembe
Chef de service de la Communication et de la Vulgarisation,
Délégation Générale à la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique/Centre National de Documentation et d’Information Scientifique et Technique ( CNDIST),
Congo-Brazzaville

Frank W Dulle
Sokoine University of Agriculture,P.O.Biox 3158, Chuo kikuu,Morogoro-Tanzania.

Krishan Bheerninck
Regional Information, Communication and Training Officer,Implementation & Coordination of Agricultural Research & Training(ICART) projectFood, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) DirectorateSADC Secretariat, GaboroneGaborone, Botswana

Goliath Leon Mwale
ZARI Lusaka, Zambia.

Davy Simumba
Zambia Agriculture Research Institute -Mount Makulu Central Research StationChilanga - Zambia

Joel Sam
Deputy Director
CSIR-INSTIAccra-Ghana

AHLAM ISMAIL MUSA
Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Central Library,Head Librarian And Manager Agris Resource Centre Of The Sudan,Agricultural Research Corporation (Arc)Sudan

Rafaa Ashamallah Ghobrial
Information Research Assistant Professor Head of Information Services and Systems Documentation and Information Centre National Centre for Research Ministry of Science and TechnologyKhartoum, Sudan

RASOANINDRAINY Andrianjafy
CAETIC-IT & Project Management specialistAdministratorCAETIC DevelopmentAntananarivo, Madagascar

Grace Kamau
Head - InfocentreInternational Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)Nairobi Kenya

RAILS Side-event at the 2nd IAALD Africa Chapter Conference

Launch of the new e-RAILS platform on 13th of July 2009

12-13 July 2009. FARA/RAILS organised a pre-conference workshop on the theme: ‘Opening access to Agricultural Information and Knowledge: sharing the experience of the NARS’ in conjunction with the IAALD-Africa, CIARD, the SADC ICART project and ASARECA and CORAF.

The debates revolved around:

1. Advocacy for increased investments in ICT for AR&D ( infrastructure, content management and networking)
2. Methods for finding synergies and establishing cohesive information systems
3. Using novel Web tools for ARD Information exchange
4. Networking and establishment of Learning Teams
5. The subsidiarity principle: SROs Panel Discussion: Managing RAILS related interventions through sub-regional platforms
6. eRAILS launching
7. Opportunities to further mobilize resources in support of RAILS, developing proposals

L'Aquila Food Security Initiative

U.S. President Barack Obama, right, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, center, attend a meeting at the G-8 conference.

10th July. L'AQUILA, Italy -- The Group of Eight leading industrial democracies pushed many priorities of their summit to larger groups of countries, placing the next moves in trade negotiations, climate-change talks and containing Iran's nuclear program in front of the so-called G-20 and the United Nations in September.

The nations gathered in L'Aquila did achieve one parting success, a $20 billion pledge over three years to overhaul food and agricultural assistance to the poorest countries. Only about half that pledge is new money, according to the White House, but it roughly doubles nonemergency agricultural assistance.On Thursday, it had seemed that the total would be only $12 billion, below the level intended just days before. Instead, last-minute pledges came from Canada and the European Union, among other countries.

Mr. Obama, in a Friday morning session, made an emotional, personal appeal, saying richer nations had an obligation to act. But he also said recipient nations had to acknowledge that they were complicit in their poverty, through corruption, a lack of transparency and other barriers to growth.

Reference:

The joint statement on global food Security by world leaders gathered in the Italian town of L'Aquila for the G8 summit

The Joint Statement on Global Food Security ("L'Aquila Food Security Initiative") is endorsed by the G8 and by Algeria, Angola, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Libya (Presidency of the African Union), Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Commission of the African Union, FAO, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, OECD, The Secretary General's UN High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, WFP, The World Bank, WTO who attended the food security session at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila on 10 July 2009 and by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bioversity/Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Global Donor Platform for Rural Development , Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).

Agribusiness and Innovation Systems in Africa

Agribusiness and Innovation Systems in Africa. This book (Published May 2009) examines how agricultural innovation arises in four African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda – through the lens of agribusiness, public policies, and specific value chains for food staples, high value products, and livestock.

Determinants of innovation are not viewed individually but within the context of a complex agricultural innovation system involving many actors and interactions. The volume is based on qualitative interviews with agribusiness representatives that were designed to shed light on their experiences on public policies that either enhances or impedes innovation in Africa’s agriculture sector.

This book will be of interest to policymakers, agribusiness leaders, farmer organizations, NGOs, and researchers.

The Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) framework is being seen increasingly as a very useful way of analyzing and understanding the extraordinarily complex group of actors and interactions needed for agricultural innovation and growth. The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and its constituent subregional organizations in Africa promote this framework through the application of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D).Where the book adds value is by addressing the evolution of agricultural innovation in four African countries within the context of AIS, with a focus on the roles of agribusinesses and public policies. I strongly recommend this book to policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmer organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers in research institutes and universities who are interested in agricultural innovation in Africa." - Dr. Monty Jones, Executive Secretary,Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

Reference: World Bank Publications

Why is quality of video productions for farmers so important?

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Interview with Josephine Rodgers of Country-wise communications/UK.

She explains:

1. Why quality of video productions for farmers is so important?
2. How video can help extension workers?
3. Which type of training is needed in Africa ;
4. Can agribusiness networks can be used for video dissemination?
5. What are new technologies to watch videos?

Randomisation to measure impact of the SSA-CP programme

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Dr.Kwaw Andam, Post Doctoral Fellow Impact Assessment of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Addis Ababa - Ethiopia explains

1. what the SSA-CP programme wants to demonstrate with the impact research;
2. how difficult it is to demonstrate impact;
3. the problem with representativiness when doing randomisation;
4. the need of a substantial data collection to demonstrate impact

The support of the SSA-CP programme in Zimbabwe

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Dr.Paul Mapfumo, Soil Scientist SOFECSA Coordinator / TF Leader of SOFECS-CIMMYT in Harare, Zimbabwe explains how the SSA-CP programme in Zimbabwe benefited from a lot of support.

He identifies some problems to demonstrate impact and the major sources of pressures to deliver.

The challenges of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development

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Prof. Moses Tenywa Director Agricultural Research Institute at the Makerere University - Uganda elaborates on the challenges of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development.

He says the SSA-CP workshop of 29th June - 3rd of July 2009 was timely. He explains why this new IARD approach is only now adopted in Africa. He recognizes the expectations towards the SSA-CP programme are very high. He does not see a contradiction between the need for researhers to publish and participating in multi stakeholder platforms.

Specific challenges for SSA-CP in Kivu

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Dr. Pamela Pali Lake Kivu Post Doc ISAR Rwanda explained during the SSA-CP Workshop on the Strategy Development and Lessons Sharing workshop what the specific challenges are of the IAR4D approach (Integrated Agricultural Research for Development) in the Kivu region (involving Uganda, DRCongo and Rwanda) and how the Sub Saharan Africa Cahllenge Programme tries to respond to it.

She admits the expectations towards the program to deliver practical results are high.

Participants to the FARA SSA-CP workshop

29 June-03 July 2009. FARA Secretariat Accra. SSA CP Strategy and Lessons Sharing Forum.

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Dr.Vernon Kabambe
Senior Agronomist
TF Scientist
Bunda College , University of Malawi

Mrs .Vesta Nunoo
Senior Accountant-Projects FARA Ghana

Dr. Johannes Roseboom
Senior Consultant Innovation Policy Consultancy
Veere, The Netherlands

Dr .Mikkel Grum
Scientist , Genetic Diversity
TF Leader
Bioversity international Nairobi-Kenya

Mr.Mphatso Gama
Agricultural Officer
TF Scientist
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security-Balaka District Liwonde - Malawi

Dr Wale Adekunle
SSA CP Coordinator FARA

Mr .Yosamu Mugarura
Accountant CIAT – Uganda

Mr.Lunze Lubanga
Coordinator, Research Program INERA DR Congo

Dr. Kefasi Nyikahadzoi
Post Doc
Faculty of Development Studies
Bunda College of AgricultureLilongwe, Malawi
Dr. KPC Rao
Principal Scientist
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT ) Nairobi-Kenya


Dr. Robin Buruchara
Regional Research Leader , CIAT -Africa & Coordinator Lake Kivu

Kawanda Research Institute Kampala , Uganda

Mr. Enoch Musinguzi
Associate Scientist-Nutrition
Bioversity International Nairobi,Kenya

Mr. Talkmore Mombeyarara
Research Associate
TF Scientist
CIAT-TSBF Harare , Zimbabwe

Dr . Marc Corbeels
Associate Senior Researcher
TF Leader
CIAT-TSBF
Harare Zimbabwe

Dr .Souleymane Abdou
Innovation Platform Monitoring Specialist INRAN Maradi, Niger

Mr. Innocent BALAGIZI KARHAGOMBA
Participatory Research in Action Program OfficerPlatform DIOBASS Cyangugu-Rwanda

Dr.Kwaw Andam
Post Doctoral Fellow
Impact Assessment
International Food Policy Research InstituteAddis Ababa - Ethiopia

Dr Fatunbi Oluwole
SSA CP Program Officer FARA Ghana

Prof Alphonse Emechebe
Coordinator KKM PLS (IAR- IITA) Kano Nigeria

Dr.Florence Mtambanenegwe
Research Fellow/Lecturer
TF Scientist University of Zimbabwe
Dpt of soil Science & Agricultural engineering. Harare Zimbabwe

Dr.Paul Mapfumo
Soil Scientist –SOFECSA Coordinator
TF Leader
SOFECS-CIMMYT Harare, Zimbabwe

Dr.Nouri Maman Kassoum
KKM-Sahel TFInstitut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN)) Maradi - Niger

Dr. Adunni Sanni
Agricultural Economist -SRF
Institute for Agricultural Research
Dept Of Agric Economics Rural Sociology Zaria Nigeria

Dr. Pamela Pali
Lake Kivu Post Doc ISAR Rwanda

Dr.Luke Olarinde
KKM Post Doc Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Kano , Nigeria

Dr. Joachim Binam
Post Doctoral Fellow Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Kano , Nigeria

Dr.Peter Muraya
Data Management Specialist
ICRAF-ILRI Nairobi, Kenya

Prof. Wanjiku Chiuri

CIAT

Rwanda

Dr. Aminu Abdu Bichi
Innovation Platform Monitoring Specialist
Institute for Tropical agriculture/ Bayero UniversityKano Nigeria

Dr. Ishaku Y. Amapu
Soil Scientist Dept of Soil Science IAR/FOA, ABU / Institute for Agricultural Research/Faculty of Agriculture Ahmadu Bello University / Samaru-Zaria ,Nigeria

Dr. Dangbegnon Constant
Social Scientist
International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural development (IFDC) North& West Africa DivisionCotonou-Benin

Dr.Joy Tukahirwa
Research Scientist
African Highlands initiative-World Agroforestry Center (AHI) Kampala-Uganda

Prof. Moses Tenywa
Director Agricultural Research Institute at theMakerere University - Uganda

Dr .Alpha Kamara
Systems Agronomist and Task Force leader ( IITA)

Kano, Nigeria

SSA CP Strategy Development and Lesson Sharing Workshop

29th June – 3rd July 2009. FARA Accra. A workshop was organsised for a strategic review and lesson sharing for the SSA CP research implementing stakeholders.

The objectives of this workshop included:

1. To remobilize and refocus the SSA CP research implementing stakeholders to the objectives of the program’s current phase.
2. To ensure that all implementing stakeholders acquire the right orientation of the need for a proof of IAR4D concept and what is required to achieve it.
3. To ensure that the planned activities leading to the proof of concept are on course in all PLSs. To stimulate knowledge and lesson sharing among the SSA CP implementing partners.

Background

The Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge programme (SSA CP) was initiated in the year 2004, with the aim of facilitating substantial increase in the impact of agricultural research and development (ARD) for improved rural livelihood, increased food security and sustainable natural resource management throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this objective, the SSA CP proposed a new approach to conduct agricultural research, named Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D).

The proof of concept research in SSA CP is currently being carried out by nine task forces (TF) spread across three Pilot Learning Sites (PLS) in eight countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The nine TFs are organized as elements of a coherent programme with unified outputs.

Grameen Foundation and Google create mobile apps for rural Africa

On 29 June, the Grameen Foundation announced the launch of a suite of mobile phone applications developed with Google and MTN Uganda (MTN) that deliver services and information that were previously unavailable to Uganda’s poor and disadvantaged communities.

This launch makes available the first suite of applications resulting from an endeavor called the Application Laboratory (AppLab). "AppLab will give millions of Africans access to health advice, farming tips and trading services using only a mobile handset" - The Guardian"Real time information about farming, health and trading will be available to mobile phone users in Uganda with new technology services developed by the Grameen Foundation, Google and telecom operator MTN Uganda" - Seattle Times

"Working with Grameen Foundation and MTN, the big African mobile carrier, Google has begun offering a handful of services that combine text messaging, search technologies, and databases full of locally relevant information" - Business Week" The five mobile phone applications provide real-time health and agricultural information and a virtual marketplace for buying and selling goods and services" - Grameen Foundation

Reference:

IAALD blog 30/06

More AppLab videos on YouTube

Getting information and communication strategies right for climate change and agriculture

26-31 October 2008. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. CTA released its compilation document (102 pages) on the Implications of climate change for sustainable agricultural production systems in ACP countries Getting information and communication strategies right.

The Ouagadougou seminar was part of a series of CTA initiatives on climate change that include the Policy Briefs (Brussels, February 2008) and a special issue of Spore (August 2008).

CTA hopes to contribute to overall thinking on capacity-building for ACP partners, and to
the formulation of climate change information and communication strategies. This publication provides a summary of the media coverage, lessons from e-discussions, a summary of the main recommendations and conclusions of the seminar, and abstracts of the presentations. The document is available now online on the seminar’s website or as PDF document

Access of the poor to agricultural services: the role of farmers’ organizations

The Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) has published a dossier on the role of rural producers' organizations in inclusive innovation systems; it focuses on the role that farmers’ organizations play in enhancing the poorest farmers’ access to agricultural advisory services such as research, training, advice and extension.

Farmers’ organizations can play a key role in agricultural innovation, since they have the capacity to pool, aggregate and disseminate knowledge and information. Moreover, they are increasingly positioned in both service networks and supply chains to coordinate activities and promote an enabling environment for innovation.

The services that are being provided to members, whether by farmers’ organizations themselves or by third parties, include knowledge services such as agricultural research, advisory (extension and technology dissemination) and other types of farmer training.

The dossier presents an analytical framework, and the findings and recommendations from a case study.It also outlines KIT's involvement, and provides resources, a glossary, and news.

Related Links: KIT dossier - "Social Inclusion"

Launch of AGRINATURA

19 June 2009. Wageningen. During the Science Forum 2009 which took place in Wageningen on 16-17 June 2009, the launch was announced of AGRINATURA, the European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development. AGRINATURA is formed by NATURA, the former association of European universities dealing with agricultural research and education for development, and ECART, the consortium of European institutions working in agricultural research for development, in order to capitalize on their respective strengths and expertise. Wageningen UR, comprising Wageningen University and the DLO Research Centres is an active member of both ECART and Natura.

AGRINATURA’s goal is to make substantial European contributions to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Paris Declaration by:

• Playing a proactive policy advocacy role for agricultural research and education for development in Europe and worldwide
• Developing and strengthening strategic alliances and partnerships with and between the different stakeholders in development, both in the North and in the South
• Encouraging networking and partnerships between institutions, organisations and individuals
• Organising, facilitating and implementing joint participation in European and international research and education programmes and projects, including EU FP7, Erasmus Mundus, EU Food Security and Thematic Programme, EU Edulink

Reference:

Wageningen UR 19/06 ECART and Natura join hands in AGRINATURA

Farmer-Centred Innovation

16 June 2009. Talking at the Science Forum 2009, IDS Research Fellow Dr John Thompson and a distinguished panel of experts officially launched two new books that emphasise the importance of putting farmers at the centre of agricultural innovation and development: Farmer First Revisited: Innovation for Agricultural Research and Development and Innovation Africa: Enriching Farmers’ Livelihoods.

Panellists included Dr Mark Holderness, Executive Secretary of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, Professor Niels Röling, Emeritus Professor of Communication and Innovation Studies at Wageningen UR, Ms Chesha Wettasinha, Agriculturalist, EcoCulture, ETC Foundation. It was chaired by Dr Hansjörg Neun, Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU.

References:
IDS 24/06 Transforming Agriculture through Farmer-Centred Innovation
Related Audio
Farmer First Revisited launch at UK Parliament 22/04/09
Related FARA blogpost:
Africa book launch of Farmers First Revisited 12th February 2009.

ICT-enabled collaboration transforming agricultural science, research and technology

16-17 June 2009. Workshop 3 at the Science Forum, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
The CGIAR’s Program on Information and Communication Technologies and Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) has been working over the past years on learning about and promoting ways of ‘connecting people, technology and knowledge for agricultural innovation’. With key projects dealing with a range of ICT and KM questions and topics in its portfolio it has amassed a wide range of knowledge, best practices, experiences and evidence on ICTs and KM in the context of (mostly CGIAR) agricultural research.

Simone Staiger-Rivas of the CGIAR advises research organizations thinking about knowledge sharing "not to start with a strategy."She suggests instead to start small with different projects and experiments. She concludes that we need to adopt the basic approach used in research - to learn, to think about, to experiment, have trials, then scale up - "that's exactly what we should do in knowledge sharing."


References:

• Knowledge sharing 'principles' for agricultural research 23 June 2009 IAALD
• More ‘impactful’ agricultural science and innovation by investing in ‘ICTs’ 22 June 2009 ICT-KM Program
• ICT-enabled collaboration: a presentation at the Science Forum 22 June 2009 ICT-KM Program - Nadia Manning-Thomas' presentation during the CGIAR Science Forum.
• Changing the Emperor: ICT's transforming agricultural science, research and technology
  22 June 2009
• IAALD blog 23/06: Knowledge sharing in agricultural research - let strategy follow actions
• Web2forDev: Web 2.0 for Development Gateway - article by Nadia Manning-Thomas, IWMI/ICT-KM : Changing the Emperor: ICT-enabled collaboration transforming agricultural science, research and technology into an effective participatory and innovations system approach.
• CGIAR ICT-KM Program (http://www.ictkm.cgiar.org/) and it’s Knowledge Sharing in Research Project (http://www.ks-cgiar.org/)

Another Portal for Tertiary Agricultural Education in Africa launched

21st-22nd May 2009. The Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) Registrar's Seminar was held in South Africa. ITOCA announced the launch of the portal for Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) in Africa. The portal was developed through funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The portal data is available on the public domain. Though still in its infancy, the portal’s online interactive database gives vital data to enable the tracking of human capital development in the tertiary agricultural education sector in Africa.

The portal will among other data give contact information of all tertiary institutions offering qualifications in agriculture and related sciences in Africa; enrollment and graduate statistics in every discipline by institutions; staffing levels and qualifications; curriculum updating information; cost involved in producing a graduate and much more.

This portal will give funders, aid agencies and other potential developmental partners vital information for possible investment opportunities in the region pertaining to agricultural education and training in Africa so as to help build capacities. Researchers, students, information specialists and anyone with an interest in agriculture education and training in Africa will also benefit from the portal.

Related:

Agriculture Research Institutes in Sub-Saharan Africa is another research facility on tertiary agricultural education. It is an online database developed by AfDevInfo (African Development Information - April 2008 issue).

See FARA blogpost: Agriculture Research Institutes in Sub-Saharan Africa

The lessons from the recent global food crisis

30 June 2009. Geneva. Interactive panel discussion on African food security during the forty-seventh executive session of the Trade and Development Board: "The lessons from the recent global food crisis". The Interactive panel discussion on African food security, entitled "The lessons from the recent global crisis", featured keynote speaker Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Vice-President for Policy and Partnerships, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

The panellists included Emeritus Professor Marcel Mazoyer, Comparative Agriculture and Agricultural Development, National Agricultural Institute in Paris; and Ambassador Jean Feyder, Permanent Mission of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Dr. David Nabarro, Assistant Secretary General, Coordinator for the Global Food Security Crisis and Avian & Pandemic Influenza, UNSIC, will be the discussant.

Related issues:
Overview
What are these lessons?
UNCTAD actions to address global food security
Quick Links:
Food security in Africa: learning lessons from the food crisis
Addressing the global food crisis
Sustaining African agriculture: organic production
Tackling the global food crisis
Food crisis among top priorities for seventeenth CSD session

Changing the use of land in the Guinea Savannah

22 June 2009, Rome – A vast stretch of African savannah land that spreads across 25 countries has the potential to turn several African nations into global players in bulk commodity production, according to a study just published by FAO and the World Bank.

The book, entitled Awakening Africa’s Sleeping Giant - Prospects for Commercial Agriculture in the Guinea Savannah Zone and Beyond, arrives at its positive conclusions by comparing the region with northeast Thailand and the Cerrado region of Brazil.

Changing the use of land in the Guinea Savannah to agriculture will inevitably bring some environmental costs, the study found, but that agriculture can also benefit the environment. As agricultural intensification takes place, governments must take care to monitor environmental impacts and implement measures to reduce or avoid damage. “Fortunately, there is a wealth of experience from other countries on which to draw,” said Guy Evers, Africa Service Chief in the FAO Investment Centre. The publication is a shortened version of a larger study drawn up by officials from the World Bank with technical advice from FAO experts and funding from Italy.

Reference:
FAO press release 400 million hectares of Guinea Savannah land ripe for commercial farming

Weather Info for All

18 June 2009 – About 5,000 new automatic weather stations are set to be deployed across Africa, under a climate change initiative announced today by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Global Humanitarian Forum, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and mobile telecommunications companies Ericsson and Zain.
The innovative public-private partnership launched the “Weather Info for All” initiative to improve Africa’s weather monitoring network in the face of the growing impact of climate change.

The 5,000 automatic weather stations will be installed at new and existing mobile network sites throughout Africa over the coming years, aiming to increase dissemination of weather information via mobile phones that can reach the continent’s most remote communities.

At the launch in Geneva, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, said “This is a great example for twenty-first century collaborative humanitarian and development work between public and private sectors.”

Through its Mobile Innovation Center in Africa, Ericsson will develop mobile applications to help communicate weather information developed by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) via mobile phones.

Reference:

Press release UN 18/06 Africa weather information network launched by UN, public-private partnership

Press release Ericsson 18/06 Mobile communications to revolutionize African weather monitoring

CAADP DAY

FARA stand at the CAADP day

27th of June 2009 . Tripoli, Lybia. The African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) convened a ‘Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’ “CAADP DAY” prior to the start of the 13th Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of African Union to be: “Investing in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security”.

The following sub themes will be discussed during the 13th Session:

• Climate Change: Opportunities for enhanced investments and growth of African Agriculture
• Regional Agriculture trade and market systems: Issues and challenges for stimulating economic transformation and growth in Africa
• Investment Financing: Making African Agriculture a viable investment option
• Stimulating participation of the ultra-poor in rural economic activities.

In his address, Mr. Richard Mkandawire, Agriculture Adviser to NEPAD, underscored the need for African countries to develop this important sector in their respective governments, as it will help fight hunger and improve the living standard of Africans. The CAADP DAY is meant to act as a conversation day between African political leaders, farmers, private sector representatives, leaders of think tank institutions, representatives from the diaspora and the development partners. This CAADP Day will afford our leaders, the AU-NEPAD and even the development partners an opportunity to engage each other on progress achieved in the implementation of CAADP since 2003 and also explore the challenges that will delay the process, if not addressed.

More than 200 participants participated including the CEO of NEPAD Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Commissioners from the AU, African Ministers of Agriculture, development partners and farmers organisations.

During the Thematic Session (II): The African non-state sector and the CAADP Agenda, Dr. Monty Jones of FARA presented: The role of academic and research institutions in advancing CAADP: Past and future.

Dr Jones with Madam Hope Mwesigye, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Republic of Uganda.

References:

See Agenda +the speeches are posted on the AU website: http://www.africa-union.org/

• Organisation de la Presse Africaine 29/06 CAADP Day / African Union Promotes Agricultural Development in Africa
• Organisation de la Presse Africaine 29/06 African Ministers renew their commitments to CAADP
• Organisation de la Presse Africaine 29/06 CAADP Day / Striving to place agriculture as top priority on ...
• Le Mali en ligne 28/06 'Africa needs cross-border markets to stem food insecurity'
• Le Mali en ligne 27/06 AU: Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme opens
• Le Mali en ligne 27/06 AU: Peace pleads for more investment in African agriculture

Do farmers' organisations need the expertise of researchers and speak in one voice?

Click to Play

Interview with Ajaykumar Manubhai Vashee honorary president SACAU Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions & Vice president of IFAP International Federation Agricultural Producers at the Start-up workshop Support to Farmers' Organisations Programme 17-18-19 June 2009 Johannesburg.

Ajaykumar Manubhai Vashee explains how farmers' organisations, in particular SACAU, need the expertise of researchers.

Becuse of regional differences it is not easy to speak in one voice: there is a different history and the African sub-regions have different trade relations with the outside world.

How farmers' organisations can benefit from the FAO training on climate change

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Interview with Thomas L. Price Senior Programme Officer Strategic Planning Unit Office of the Director-General Food and Agriculture Organisation Rome Start-Up Workshop Support to Farmers' Organisations in Africa 17-18-19 June 2009 Johannesburg, South-Africa.

Thomas explains how How farmers' organisations can benefit of the FAO training on climate change.