2009 FARA Secretariat Annual Program Planning and 4th Executive Board meeting

23-28 March. FARA Secretariat Accra. The Annual Program Planning Meeting was divided into 3 sessions i.e. sub-committee meetings, SRO-CSO-FARA retreat and Board Meeting to endorse the Secretariat’s 2009 program.

The subcommittee meetings (23-25 March) were further subdivided into programs, Audit and finance and nominations. It reviewed the previous’ years outputs and expenditures against planned activities and budget, highlighting key challenges and lessons learnt. The 2009 annual workplan was also discussed and presented for approval to the Board.

The SRO-CSO-FARA retreat on 26 March, looked at the activities in the subregional organizations and civil society organizations. Discussions identified areas that require continental interventions and support. It looked into the current challenges and lessons learnt while implementing the regional initiatives and improving accountability, ownership and sustainability.

Solutions and the way forward were proposed for endorsement by the Board. The Board meeting held on 27-28 March reviewed the Secretariat’s 2008 achievements and expenditure against its planned activities and budget. It reviewed and approved the Secretariat 2009 workplan based on the recommendations of the subcommittee meetings and SRO-CSO-FARA retreat.

Knowledge-based food democracy, the way out of the African food crisis: realising the potential of the NARS, SROs and FARA

A paper Knowledge-based food democracy, the way out of the African food crisis: realising the potential of the NARS, SROs and FARA was drafted by FARA as a lot is being spent on yet another World Food Summit: this time, to consider what should be done about the global food crisis. [hereunder some extracts]

It is possible that delegates now have a better sense of urgency because the unprecedented rapid rise in food prices has caught everybody’s attention. In developing countries 100 million people are threatened with hunger but the crisis is no longer ‘somebody else’s problem’ even for citizens of the wealthiest countries, who are grappling with inflation in their cost of living. (...)

To have a lasting impact the proposed remedies must be developed and owned by those who are expected to implement them. This is not an easy task because there are many actors involved in Africa’s agricultural development: farmers and their associations, government ministries, cooperatives, international centres, non-governmental organisations, and private businesses, to name just a few. (...)

To cope with this a structured evidence-based approach is needed which links the producers to the consumers into which other actors can fit efficiently and effectively. Fortunately, there are models of success, such as smallholder dairying in Kenya, which can be up-scaled.However, the responses to today’s crisis cannot rely on what was done in the past. Firstly, because the sum of past successes did not change the livelihoods of the majority and secondly, the circumstances in which they succeeded no longer exist and the rate of change is accelerating. Radical innovations in agricultural production and marketing are needed, which are adapted to the prevailing socio-economic and environmental circumstances, and which above all are owned by those expected to implement them. (...)

Conclusion
Africa has not been standing idly by letting the food crisis unfold. It has been engaged in difficult wide ranging institutional restructuring involving farsighted reforms. Within the limits imposed by huge demands on limited budgets, African governments are increasing their investment in agricultural research, development and capacity strengthening. However, to avoid a continent wide calamity Africa also needs the support of its development partners to facilitate the engagement of all stakeholders in true knowledge-based food democracy in line with their commitment to increased better harmonised and better quality development assistance.

Reference:
Knowledge-based food democracy, the way out of the African food crisis: realising the potential of the NARS, SROs and FARA May 2008 6 pages Download as PDF file

FARA Secretariat Annual program planning

25-30 March. Seven days were allocated by the FARA Executive Board, its technical advisory group, FARA development partners and the Secretariat to reflect on 2007 operation and lessons learnt to guide the planning of activities for 2008. The programmatic approach of FARA activities will be fully implemented in 2008. The week was divided into several sessions i.e. FARA subcommittee meetings, SRO-FARA retreat and the Executive Board meeting.

FARA Management training workshop

"If you think you can do a thing or that you cannot do a thing in either case you are right" (G. Ford)

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" (T.S. Elliot)

Between 10/03 and 14/03 some 30 senior managers of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and Sub Regional Organisations (SRO) gather in Accra in order to attend a workshop on Leadership and Team Management.

The workshop is to provide the NARS/SRO with:

• concrete mechanism and tools for delegation of authority while ensuring accountability
• a better understanding of how to attract, influence and motivate key employees
• provide new ideas as to how to best manage meetings for value-creation and decision making
• improve inter-organisation communication tools
• improve the use of appropriate decision making mechanisms
• opportunities to discuss best practices around management
• increase self-awareness as to each parcipant's leadership styles
• analyse personal time managment skills
• identify sources of resistance to personal and organisational change and means to over-ride them in order to better manage change
  
  Mr. Mark Hollingworth (SETYM) is facilitating the workshop
  
  Senior Managers from following institutions participate:
  
• INRAB (Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Benin) Porto Novo, Benin
• INERA (Institut de l'Environnement et Recherches Agricoles) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• SPROPAC/CNOP CAM (Sub Regional Platform of Farmer's Organization in Central Africa Yaoundé, Cameroon
• PROPAC, Cameroon
• ICRA (Institut Centrafricain de la Recherche Agronomique) Bangui, Central African Republic
• CRAL/DGRST (Centre de Recherche Agronomiques de Loudima) Brazzaville, Congo
• INERA Kinshasa, DR Congo
• ANOPACI & ROPPA Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
• ANAFE Nairobi, Kenya
• KARI Nairobi, Kenya
• INRAN Maradi, Niger
• Centre Regional AGRHYMET Niamey, Niger
• INRAN (Institut National de la recherche Agronomique du Niger) Niamey, Niger
• CORAF/WECARD Dakar-Yoff, Senegal
• NARCC/SLARI Freetown, Sierra Leone
• ADAF-Galle Bamako, Mali
• EAFF Kenya
• NARO Entebbe, Uganda
• Department of Soil Science Makerere University Kampala, Uganda
• SSA NGOC - Development Facilitator Kampala, Uganda
• RUFORUM Kampala, Uganda
• ASARECA (Association for Strengthening Agricultural Resaerch in Eastern and Central Africa) Entebbe, Uganda
• CORAF/WECARD Dakar, Senegal
• INRAT Tunis, Tunisia
• FARA NSF directors

IF YOU FACE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VIDEOS HEREUNDER GO TO http://faraportal.blip.tv/#746821

Interview with Dr. Denis Kyetere, FARA chair

"There is a tendancy in managing to do the things right, rather then leading to do the right things"
Denis Kyetere gives his appreciation on the FARA Management Training Workshop and answers the question whether this workshop contributes to a long term vision on what management is all about.

Interview with Assetou Kanoute Director General of ADAF/Gallé, Mali.

ADAF/Gallé is a local NGO that supports women's grassroots organisations. Assetou Kanoute thinks the concepts and principles of leadership clarify in which direction change can occur. If African values are taken into account she does not expect resistance to change as everybody recognizes change has to come.

Interview with Dr. Ephraim Mukisira, Director General KARI, Nairobi, Kenya

Dr. Ephraim Mukisira explains why he thinks FARA organised the Management Training Workshop and the needed change in how leaders have led their agricultural research institutes.

Interview with Dr. Desire Porquet, Vice president of ANOPACI & ROPPA - Ivory Coast -

Dr. Desire Porquet - who is responsable for a major farmers organisation - explains why the concept of leadership applies also to farmer organisations. The biggest challenge is to face bureaucracy of research institutes and have a close follow up of the farmer to continue to motivate him at the field level.

Prof. Paul Mafuka (Director General Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Kinshasa, RDCongo)

Paul Mafuka (INERA-DRC) highlights the shortcomings of the Management Training Workshop. The facilitator has put the stress on PEOPLE management and not on the unlying VISION and IMPLEMENTATION. He quotes the facilitator saying: "A vision without implementation is worthless and an implementation without competent people is worthless".

Une opinion sur le FARA de l'INRAT (Tunisie)

Interview with Dr. Mohsen Kaabia, Assistant Director of the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique from Tunisia

Dr. Mohsen Kaabia values the unique role which FARA plays in gathering all agricultural research scientists. His participation to the FARA Management Training course is a good opportunity to meet colleagues. He thinks one of the priorities for FARA is to convene an international meeting on Natural Resources to highlight the serious problems Africa is facing about soil depletion and its importance for nutritional self sufficiency.