Is the European FP 7 programme a good model for Africa?

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Interview with Dr. Kevin Urama African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS Kenya) at the NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue FARA Secretariat 28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana.

He thinks that the modus operandus of the European Framework Programme is very useful because:

1. it is trying to forge partnerships and collaborations both between disciplines and across cultures and countries. Currently ATPS is working on a Manifesto for Science and Technology involving Indian, European and African partners.
2. Work packages allow African institutes to take the lead and in this they can set their own research priorities.
3. The multilateral research platform is a guarantee for quality control. Such types of collaboration should happen more in Africa.
   

He gives as an example the banana tissue culture which was developed in Kenya but now involves researchers from Cameroon, Nigeria and other places. The requirement of involving policy makers, researchers, the producers and the civil society allows for innovation to develop and forces researchers to think critically about their research.

Dr. Kevin Urama answers following questions:

• ATPS is currently developing a Donor Watch initiative. Will newcomers like Japan, China and Brazil foster Africa-Africa collaboration ?
  
• Will we have one day an African Union FP7 type of programme?

Contributing to the NEPAD agenda of agricultural research networking

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Interview with Professor B.K. Ahunu, Provost of the College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences of the University of Ghana in Legon/Accra. Professor Ahunu explains how the University of Ghana contributes to the NEPAD agenda of agricultural research networking with some concrete examples. He answers the questions

• Whether the prestige of studying abroad is not an impediment for regional PHD programmes
  If present agricultural research is relevant for national needs

Investments in agricultural research highly depend on external partners

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28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue. Interview with Dr. Monty Jones (ED FARA).

Dr. Jones thinks this NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue comes at an appropriate moment. But he is worried by the fact that agricultural research is highly dependent on the support of external partners with very few of occasional support from the national governments.

He nevertheless trusts that as suggested by Dr. Mayaki (CEO of NEPAD) a paradigm shift is taking place where planning and planning is replaced by more operational activities. But he wonders when this will be fully realised

The NEPAD paradigm shift on agricultural research

28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue. Interview with Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (CEO NEPAD).

According to Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki policies used to be defined by the binoom of African governments and external partners. Today there is a need to include the civil society, producers and research institutes/universities in the elaboration of sectorial policies.

He answers following questions:

• Is the lack of research done in the African universites not a problem?
• What are the present big challenges of agricultural research?

Participants at the NEPAD Tertiary Dialogue

Overview of the participants at the NEPAD Tertiary Dialogue: FARA, Accra 28-30/07

Dr. Monty Patrick Jones
Executive Director
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana
Remi Kahane
Global Hort
Arusha Tanzania



Lynette Chen
Chief Executive Officer
NEPAD Business Foundation ( NBF)
South Africa





Abdirahman Ismail
Deputy CEO
NEPAD Kenya Secretariat
Nairobi, Kenya

Prof. Richard Nkandawire
Head of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme
(CAADP) NEPAD Secretariat
Midrand, South Africa
Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki
Chief Executive Officer
New Partnership for Africa’s Development
( NEPAD) Secretariat
Midrand Johannesburg , South Africa


Leo Pekkala
Faculty of Education, University of Lapland. Rovaniemi, Finland









Joyce Maina
Department of Animal Production,
Ccollege Agriculture & Veterinary Sciences,
University of Nairobi

Angelinna Rudabukana
AU-NEPAD Johannesburg

Sheryl Hendricks
African Centre for Food Security :
University of Kwa Zulu-Natal
Pietermaritzburg , South Africa

Charles Mkoka
Science and Development Network London(SCIDEV.NET)
Regional Correspondent
Lilongwe, Zambia

Sloans K. Chimatiro,
Senior Fisheries Advisor,
NEPAD Secretariat,
Midrand, South Africa

Benjamin Ngatunga
Tanzanian Fisheries Research Institute
Dar es Salaam , Tanzania

Thomas Theisohn Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD)
Vauvenargues, France

Ekaya Wellington
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda


Florence Nazare
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Capacity Development : Coordinator
Johannesburg, South Africa

Millicent Seganoe
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Johannesburg, South Africa

Samuel Cudjoe
NAPRM – Governing Council Secretariat
Accra, Ghana




John Makumbe
Mass Public Opinion (MPOI)
Board Member
Harare, Zimbabwe

Samira Hotobah-During
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana


Emmanuel Tambi
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana

Kevin Urama
African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
P.O. Box 10081, Nairobi, Kenya


Elizabeth Omino
Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA)
Nairobi , Kenya

Odularu Gbadebo
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana

Tetsuji Oya
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)
Accra, Ghana


Unami Mpofu
InWent Capacity Building International
Johannesburg , South Africa

Arne Schuffenhauer
German Technical Cooperation Pretoria , South Africa


Rawda Omar Clinton
United Nations Economic Commission For Africa (UNECA)
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia

Kane Alioune
University Cheikh Anta Dior (UCAD)
Dakar , Senegal

Ashagrie Gibtan
Addis Ababa University (AAU)
Department of Biology
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia


Rufaro Madakadze
Alliance for A Green Revolutions in Africa (AGRA)
Nairobi , Kenya
Prof. Ben Ahunu
University of Ghana
Legon,Ghana
Panduleni Elago
Inland Aquaculture Centre Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources (IAC)
Namibia
Jurgen Hagmann
Institute for People,Innovation and Change in Organizations (PICO)
Pretoria, South Africa

Professor Wilson A. Rajerison
Université d’Antananarivo – Institut of Water
UA-LISTE
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Eddie Kofi Abban
CSIR-Water Research Institute
Accra , Ghana

Isabel Omar
National Institute for Aquaculture Development- Ministry of Fisheries Mozambique (INAQUA)
Maputo, Mozambique

Antoine Chikou
Faculté Des Sciences Agronomiques Université D’Abomey-Calavi (FSA/UAC)
Cotonou, Benin

Kachaka Sudi Kaiko
University of Kinshasa/ DRC Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Kinshasa , Democratic Republic of Congo

Christophe Lesueur
HUB Rural , Platform for Rural Development in West and Central Africa
Dakar , Senegal

Edosa Omoregie
Department of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences , University of Namibia
Windhoek, Namibia


Hlami Ngwenya
SA Institute for People Innovation and Change in Organizations (PICOTEAM-SA)
Pretoria , South Africa

Irene Frepong
SCARDA progam officer
FARA
Accra, Ghana
François Stepman
Communication Expert FARA
Accra, Ghana

NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue

Participants at the NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue with Dr. Monty Jones (ED FARA) in the middle and Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (CEO NEPAD) at the extreme right.

28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue. NEPAD, in collaboration with the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE), the Regional Forum for Agricultural Capacity building (RUFORUM), the African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the University of Ghana, the Maseno University of Kenya, the University of Malawi and CTA, is organizing a workshop at FARA.

This workshop is a follow-up to the NEPAD-SADC Regional Stakeholder workshop held in Johannesburg (4-5- December 2008), which recommended the need for a “Road Map” to outline the interaction and collaboration between NEPAD and African Centres of Knowledge. While the agriculture core group has taken shape, interaction of this group with other disciplines at the forthcoming platform will assist in bringing them into motion for important objective of harnessing Africa’s human resource.

Objectives: This workshop aims to:

• Identify concrete ways to assist NEPAD to engage with universities and research institutions in Africa; and sensitize them on NEPAD and its programmes, with particular reference to the NEPAD/AU Capacity Development Strategic Framework (CDSF);
• Brainstorm on NEPAD and how regional Centres of Knowledge can effectively contribute to this vision “…to determine our own destiny and call on the rest of the world to complement our efforts”;

Kenynote speaker Dr Monty Jones (ED FARA) on "Championing the NEPAD vision for Africa's future through Science, Technology and Innovations"

• Develop strategies to create a collaborative platform to encourage a change of mindset toward training in capacity development, in a way that pays attention to both “tangible” (evident/hard) and “intangible” (Less evident/soft” skills) in order to consolidate and improve on the relevance of networks and institutions allowing them to work together in multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary ways, and to share knowledge at the local, national and global level;
• Support national governments, regional and continental organization to determine the capacity requirements and identify existing gaps necessary to provide technical expertise to implement CAADP more efficiently at all levels; and
  Identify the market (production) and non-market (policy; institutional) challenges necessary to create an enabling environment for countries in Africa to attain the critical mass required to deliver the desired output in enhancing sustainable development.

References:

• 12 August 2009 ScienceAlert Research must reach farmers
• 3 August 2009 SciDev.net Get agricultural research to farmers, universities told

Promoting agro-businesses in Africa’s industrialization efforts

22-24 July. An eperts meeting at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have called for the promotion of agro-businesses as an essential element of Africa’s industrialization efforts.

The expert meeting conclude with the preparation of a draft document on using public-private partnerships as a vehicle for promoting agro-industry and agribusinesses. Some key issues addressed by the experts included: the increasing disconnection of African farmers from both input and product markets; the extreme fragmentation of the African food and agricultural markets; how to improve the conceptualization of regional agricultural value chains; and inter-institutional collaboration for promoting regional value chains.

Reference:
Afrol News 28/07/2009. Agro-industries essential for Africa’s development – experts

Update edition of infonet-biovision is online

15th of July 2009. An update edition of infonet-biovision is now online. http://www.infonet-biovision.org/ is a web-based information tool offering trainers, extension workers and farmers mainly in Africa a quick access to up-to-date and locally relevant information in order to optimise their livelihoods in a safe, effective, and ecologically sound way.

The information presented is specifically relevant for the african continent and its inhabitants, many examples and case studies are from Kenya or East African countries, but can be useful for other tropical countries as well. The topics presented on infonet like crop managment, diseases, pests and environmenally sound technologies are focused on the ecology and the species that are prevalent in East Africa.

Hereunder follows an interview with Gladys Nyambura who gives trainings to farmers about the use of Infonet in Kenya. She tells about the difficulties for farmers to access information on CDroms and on Internet. But once they are able to do this http://www.infonet-biovision.org/ is recognized as a unique and very rich source of information.

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Using the mobile to create social groups around a value chain

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16th of July 2009. Interview with Mark Davies, Esoko and Founder of Busyinternet, Accra, Ghana after the panel Discussion on: Public private partnership in m-agriculture at the end of the second day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference.

Mark explains how social groups can be created around a value chain or a specific commodity - similar as social groups on Facebook.

He recognizes that this has yet not be tried out but he expects this will be the future as long a this can be done in a very cheap way. This can initially been driven by companies like Unilever of Nestle because they have their networks and need to be able to communicate more quickly and more effectively with the small distributers. This is presently very expensive. Using the mobile for data exchange is an obvious solution.

"The value change we think of is probably more around successful commercial businesses to start with"

Why M&E is crucial for mobile phone use in agriculture

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16th of July 2009. Interview with Mark Davies, Esoko and Founder of Busyinternet, Accra, Ghana after the panel Discussion on: Public private partnership in m-agriculture at the end of the second day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference.

Mark explains why Monitoring and evaluation is so crucial for the use of mobile phone in agriculture, that it is not fair towards Ministries of Agriculture to expect they would remain abreast of the latest mobile phone technological developments. He also shares his thoughts about the potential of videos for farmer extension messages. But he wonders whether the mobile phone screen is the most appropriate format?

Nokia and the quest for relevant farmer content

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Interview with Sean Paavo Krepp, Head, Nokia Africa & Middle East Emerging Markets Services, South Africa after the panel Discussion on: Public private partnership in m-agriculture on 16th of July 2009 at the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference.Accra, Ghana.

Sean explains:

1. why relevant content for farmers is so important,
2. why it is important to collaborate with the public sector,
3. if funding for re-packaging of agricultural information and research findings is not a big problem.

He also shares his thoughts about civil servants in Ministries of Agriculture who feel they can not cope with the quickly evolving mobile phone technology

Nokia Tune Arabic Re-Mix !

The consequences of climate change for poor farmers in Africa

Two new IFPRI research papers focus on the consequences of climate change for poor farmers in Africa and provide policymakers with adaptation strategies.

Two new IFPRI research papers focus on the consequences of climate change for poor farmers in Africa and provide policymakers with adaptation strategies.

Economywide Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa analyzes two possible climate change adaptation options for the region. The paper uses two scenarios: the first doubles the irrigated area in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 but keeps total crop area constant; and the second scenario increases both rainfed and irrigated crop yields by 25 percent for all Sub-Saharan African countries. Due to the limited initial irrigated area in the region, an increase in agricultural productivity achieves better outcomes than an expansion of irrigated area. Both scenarios help lower world food prices, stimulating national and international food markets.

Soil and Water Conservation Technologies: A Buffer against Production Risk in the Face of Climate Change? investigates the impact of different soil and water conservation technologies on the variance of crop production in Ethiopia to determine the risks of the different technologies for different regions and rainfall zones. The results show that soil and water conservation technologies have significant impacts on reducing production risk in Ethiopia and could be part of the country’s climate-proofing strategy. However, one-size-fits-all recommendations are not appropriate, so policymakers will have to use careful geographical targeting when identifying appropriate agricultural practices to act as a buffer against climate change.

Refererences:
IFPRI blog 22/07/09

Funding trends in agricultural research for development

A June 2009 paper (GFAR, 26 pages) takes an in-depth look at funding trends in agricultural research for development.

In this briefing paper Ruben G. Echeverria and Nienke M. Beintema examine past and current trends in the funding of agricultural research and analyze various agricultural research funding mechanisms that have been used in the past and should be explored today in order to increase agricultural research outputs in developing countries. Much was discovered through their research and analysis.

Despite recent increased international awareness of the importance of agriculture as a generator of income, employment, foreign exchange and tax revenues as well as its association with poverty reduction and the preservation of natural resources, there is still a need for increased awareness of the important role that agricultural research for development (AR4D) plays in the above issues.

The great potential of AR4D in issues of food security, poverty reduction, and preservation of natural resources must be emphasized in order to overcome the perpetual under-investment in public agricultural research in developing countries.

CGIAR gets itself a climate change blog

The Communications Team in the CGIAR Secretariat launched a new blog a few weeks ago called “Rural Climate Exchange: Connecting Agricultural and Environmental Science to the Climate Agenda.” It looks nice. It seems to have all the requisite bells and whistles.

The Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and their partners generate a wealth of knowledge that can better enable rural people in developing countries to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts. The purpose of this blog is to help bring such knowledge to light, so it can better serve global efforts to cope with climate change.

E-farmer

14th July. The Microsoft Imagine Cup, an international student technology competition, now in its seventh year, aims to identify and reward those operating at the forefront of technological innovation, namely students. This year’s finals were held in Cairo in Egypt and drew more than 300000 entrants from more than 120 countries, with the top 444 students descending on the city to compete in the final round.

Team Uganda devised a two-tiered system for farmers called E-Farmer; a mobile auction system that allows farmers to trade produce before making a costly and time-consuming trip to the market as well as allowing them to seek advice on weather patterns and other agricultural issues. The second makes use of high-end imaging software to analyse diseased crops and make suggestions as to how best to combat blight, especially for the widely cultivated cassava plant, currently afflicted by disease.

e-Farmer provides access to relevant agricultural information, prevailing market prices, online produce auctioning, weather forecasts and expert advice via SMS messaging on virtually any mobile phone.

The 2009 Imagine Cup is the second time around for development++ and their e-Farmer application. According to Joseph, last year the team had inadequate time to prepare, but this year they collected extensive user research, a required component for this year’s Unlimited Potential Design for Development Award. Joseph and his colleagues interviewed farmers, conducted focus groups, observed farming practices and, in some cases, helped around farms.

“What stood out was how much the rural farmers were being ripped off,” says Joseph. “They have no knowledge whatsoever of the prevailing market prices out there, so when the middlemen go deep into the villages, they buy the produce at ridiculous prices. And the farmers are really helpless because they don’t have storage facilities, and they can’t keep the crops around once they are harvested because they will go bad.”

Reference:
The Times 14/07/09 Students win at mind games
MicroSoft Press 09/06/2009 Imagine Cup Teams Face Off in Contest of Creativity and Technological Prowess

Third and last day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference

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17th July 2009. The last day of the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference was devoted to the IAALD Africa Chapter Business Meeting and the Conference Report & Recommendations.

Peter Ballatyne gives his impression on the conference (his take home message) and the participants. He says that the debate during the second day about Public Private Partnerships in mobile telephony use for agricultural information demystified the impression that agricultural research centres are "sitting on a lot of information" which just needs to be tapped on.

On the contrary, a lot of energy will go into repackaging agricultural information into useful formats.

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.

• Davy Simumba of the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute reported on a survey of attitudes to open access among agricultural researchers in Zambia. More than 85% of survey respondents indicated that their research is funded through public sources. Hence, it could be reasonable that the results would be publicly and openly accessible. Read more at IAALD 16th July Prospects for open access to AgInfo in Africa

Open Access Publishing: Views of Researchers in Public Agricultural Research Institutions in Zambia

View more presentations from iaaldafrika.

• Complementing Simumba’s survey, Frankwell Dulle from the Sokoine University of Agriculture reported on a survey of open access attitudes among university policy makers Tanzania. The overwhelming majority (95%) of respondents indicated that “dissemination of research outputs was a problem” in their institutions. Read more at IAALD 16th July Prospects for open access to AgInfo in Africa
  
  Fostering open access publishing in Tanzanian public universities:

  View more presentations from iaaldafrika.

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.

Reference:

News of the ceremony on the JIRCAS webpage: Establishment of the JIRCAS Liaison Office 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).

In the keynote address to the IAALD Africa conference, Monty Jones – Executive Director of FARA and World Food prize laureate - argued that open access, to transform African agriculture, must:

• catalyse innovations
• improve African knowledge management
• strengthen Africa’s capacities to build its own capactities
• promote enabling policies
• facilitate access to markets

Arguing that “all of us should be doing advocacy in one way or the other,” He also posed some key questions to attain opening access:

• Are we advocating to the right people and the right institutions?
• Do we have the right systems for the intended users?
• Do the users have the skills and infrastructure to access the Knowledge?
• Do we have the appropriate institutional policies?
• Do we have the platforms that practitioners need to share and learn?
• How do we build and how do we manage knowledge - among all the different actors?

Speaking in the opening plenary of the IAALD Africa conference, Krishan Bheenick of the SADC Secretariat traced the development of AIMS – the Agricultural Information Management System of SADC.

Facilitation of Information Sharing on Agricultural R&D in the SADC Region

View more documents from iaaldafrika.

References:

• IAALD Programme (pdf)
• IAALD 15 July 2009 Monty Jones on open access to AgInfo in Africa
• IAALD 15 July 2009 AgInfo management system for Southern Africa
• IAALD 15 July 2009 Knowledge creation and knowledge systems for African agriculture
• Ghana News - Accra,Ghana General News of Wednesday, 15 July 2009 Research and Development output to be made public - Sherry Ayittey

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