New EIARD website

There is a new EIARD website @  www.eiard.org

This site will bring you updated information on 

• The strategy of The European Initiative on Agricultural Research for Development (EIARD) 
• membership and governance 
• Agricultural Research for Development related reports 
• thematic studies and policy documents (generated by EIARD or by its members 
• Example: a series of DFID impact studies 
• and much more like: Interviews with EIARD members

Jonathan Wadsworth (EIARD chair) (Senior Agricultural Research advisor DFID)
reflecting on EIARD achievements, challenges in ARD and the value of EIARD 

(Uppsala, Sweden, October 2010.)

Coordination of European agricultural research programmes for mitigation and adaptation actions to climate change

17th December 2009, Brussels . ERA-ARD, SCAR and EIARD, with a special support of CIRAD, the French agricultural research centre for international development, the ERA-ARD Coordinator, co-organise an international conference entitled: « Dialogue between Europe and its Southern partners on agricultural research and climate change ».

This conference aimed at facilitating the identification and initiating coordination of European agricultural research programmes for mitigation and adaptation actions to climate change for mutual benefit of Europe and its Southern partners.

Dr. Sabine Gundel consultant International Institute for Environment and Development IIED presents the first results of the EIARD report : Climate change and ARD policy review: Lessons from Africa (left: Mike Collins, Science Strategy and International Division, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair ( DEFRA).

The conference focused on three major themes:

What are the challenges and why a dialogue between Europe and its Southern partners is necessary?

Initial mapping of on-going and planned agricultural research programmes related to climate change in Europe and the Southern regions.

Priorities for the future: What are the research priorities and coordination mechanisms to be put in place for reducing the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector?

What could be the agenda of a European joint programme initiative in this field?

Reference: International Conference ERA-ARD

Related FARA blog posts:

• 14/12/09 AfricaAdapt at COP15
• 28/05/08 Report on how climate science could be better used for supporting adaption in african agriculture
• 19/05/09 World bank institute workshop on climate change adaptation in agriculture

Announcement: FP7 Africa Call Information days

18 September. Brussels, Accra. Simultaneous information Days on the EC DG Research Africa call.

The publication of the Africa call from the 7th Research Framework Programme which was released on 31st of July represents a great opportunity for strengthening Africa’s base in research areas addressing the complex issues of Water and Food Security and Better Health for Africa. The DG Research Biotechnologies, Agriculture and Food will hold in Brussels on September 18, 2009 the Africa Call Information Day. FARA will simultaneously organize a Africa Call Information Day in Accra for agricultural research scientists.

Venue: European Commission (Opposite Aquinas Secondary School‐ Cantonments)
Date: 18th September 2009
Hour: 09 ‐ 12 h
Number of participants: 20 (on a first registered basis)
Programme:
• Opening by Dr. Monty Jones
• Simultaneous video conferencing of pre‐recorded video interview of the opening speech of
Janez Potočnik, EU Commissioner for Science and Research
• Power Point on FP7

Related:
BIO CIRCLE NET
The BIO CIRCLE NET is a two year project that aims to reinforce the network of National Contact Points (NCP) for the Seventh Framework programme (FP 7) under Theme 2 “Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology” (FAFB) and extend the network to include National Information Points (NIP) for major Third Country partners in two years.
BIO CIRCLE NET is to increase African participation in FP 7 call for proposals. FP7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. This is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe, which runs from 2007 to 2013. The 4th Call of the FP7 Theme - Food Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology was launched in July 2009 and the deadline for submission of proposals will be January 2010.

CAAST-Net
CAAST-net is aimed to foster both the sharing and discussion of general information about FP7, opportunities under FP7, and the best conditions for successful participation by African entities in FP7.

PAEPARD
PAEPARD is one component of a series of global, European and African programmes focusing on:

• increased coordination of European and global financial and technical support to ARD in Africa, and
• the fourth pillar on Agricultural research and technology dissemination and adoption of the NEPAD Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), supported by the EU and other development partners.

PAEPARD II will nurture partnerships to increase the quantity and quality of joint proposals (leading to more funded initiatives). It will not only focus on FP7, but will include other EC (EDF, EC Budget through the FSTP) and bilateral funding instruments supporting ARD that might be mobilized for emerging ARD partnerships. The Forum for Agricultural Research for Africa (FARA) has been selected as the leader of the implementing consortium, which is composed of partners from Europe and Africa, representative of the key PAEPARD stakeholders.

Platform for African-European Partnerships for Agricultural Research for Development

A two days workshop was held in Accra 30th of September - 1st of October, preceeded by the PAEPARD Steering Committee meeting on 29th September to further develop the Platform for African-European Partnerships for Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD) proposal.

PAEPARD I was implemented in partnership between FARA (the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa) and EFARD (the European Forum for Agricultural Research for Development), through ECART (the European Consortium for Agricultural Research in the Tropics) and NATURA (the Network of European Agricultural - Tropically and sub-tropically oriented – Universities and scientific complexes). PAEPARD I made good progress in identifying constraints to increase African-European research collaboration through consultations, and in developing an “Information and communication strategy for promoting partnerships of ARD stakeholders from Europe and Africa”, which will feed into PAEPARD II.

The workshop produced a revised project document for PAEPARD II. Below is an overview of the the participants (excluding FARA staff members).

Catherine Guichard
Delegate General COLEACP
Rungis, France

Judith Francis
Senior program Coordinator, S&T Strategies CTA
Wageningen, the Netherlands

Francis Hale
Communications Consultant FANRPAN
Pretoria
South Africa

Ndao Babaccar
Appui Technique ROPPA
Reseau des Organisations Paysanes et des Producteurs Agricoles
Christian Hoste
Director ECART-EEIG
Paris, France
Jacky Ganry
Charge Cooperation Internationale Hort
CIRAD,
Montpellier, France

Stephen Muchiri
Chief Executive EAFF
Nairobi, Kenya
Achancho Valantine
Sub- Director MINADER
Yaounde, Cameroon

Marek Poznanski
Delegate General CONCORD
European Food Security Collective
Brussels, Belgium

Mohammed El Nahraway
Director General
Agricultural Research Center
Egypt
Marcel Nwalozie
Director of programs CORAF
Dakar Senegal

Prof. Anne Sorensen
Chief Coorinator, DDRN
University of Copenhagen
Denmark

Jon Daane
Director ICRA
International centre for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture
Wageningen / The Netherlands

Jean- Luc Bosio
International Direction Program Officer
SUPAGRO
Montpellier, France

Babara Adolph
Consultant
Triple Line Consulting Limited
London, UK

FARA & EFARD Consultation on Agricultural Research Programming

The European Commission (DG RTD and DG AIDCO, with DG DEV and DG RELEX) prepares the annual programming of FP7 and FSTP for 2009 and beyond, and is willing to coordinate these programmes.

As a starting point, the Commission began with the coordination of the Thematic Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology of FP7. To do so, the Commission convened 14 - 16 April a workshop in Brussels of European & African experts.

This workshop was organized by FARA and EFARD (European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development), making use of their existing Platform for African – European Partnership on Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD). The workshop was supported and facilitated by CTA (ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, based in Wageningen, the Netherlands).

The general objective of the consultation is to establish priority areas of cooperation to increase the impact of agricultural research and knowledge systems on rural productivity, poverty reduction, food security and sustainable management of natural resources. More specifically, it is to identify targeted research topics and activities, taking into account the 10 broad priority areas to be funded in 2009 and beyond by FP7-FAB and the FSTP global non-CGIAR components in order to assure coherence, complementarily and synergy among the two programmes.

The participants were 40 African and European experts from Africa and the EU.

Brussels, 18 April 2008. Paolo Sarfati, DG Development, explains the importance of agricultural research for the EC and the areas where it currently focusses.


Reference:
CTA: FARA & EFARD Consultation on Agricultural Research Programming for FP7-FAB and FSTP

New Chair EIARD

Jonathan Wadsworth has been elected by EIARD Members (European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development) as their new Chair during the Annual Meeting in Firenze on November 12th and 13th.

Jonathan Wadsworth is also Senior Rural Livelihoods Adviser at the Central Research Department fo Department for International Development (DFID-UK).