AU Conference of Ministers of Agriculture Preparatory Meeting

20 January 2009. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting was arranged with the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission (AUC) and NEPAD to discuss and strategize on the road map for organizing the 4th Conference of Ministers of Agriculture.

The 4th Conference of Ministers of Agriculture is scheduled to take place April 22-24, 2009 as a prelude to the AU July 2009 Summit in Madagascar.

It was agreed that since NEPAD will engage a facilitator for the process of organizing the conference and because the AUC and Madagascar must endorse a theme, the propositions should be left to the AUC and Madagascar. 3 sub-themes were accepted with the acknowledgment that they need further refinement:

• land degradation and climate change or land use and climate change;
• Regional markets on strategic products for investment and trade and
• strategies to leverage increased investment financing in African agriculture. Partnerships, capacity strengthening and policy cut across all conference themes.

An e-agriculture PPP in South-Africa for the meat market

Click to Play

Annami Bruwer of BRUBOER South-Africa explains how a Public Private Partnership is using ICT to improve a range of services to cattle farmers centered around the finishinglot . The ICT service hub includes:

• Bulk procurement  & market penetration;
• Logistics;
• Track and traceability;
• Training & capacity building;
• Micro-finance;
• Veterinary and Breeding
• Abattoir & Deboning facility
• Meat Processing Plant & Market penetration. 

There are approximately 300 small scale cattle farmers with approximately 2500 dependents who directly benefit from the ICT Livestock Hub. It empowers the cattle farmers in the area to better access markets. the inputs and services are leading to higher quality livestock and income for farmers. 

The introduction of a track and traceability service, through an animal identification system, means that these farmers can comply with international food safety requirements and penetrate lucrative international markets.

High Level Meeting on Food Security for All

On the 26th and 27th of January 2009, Madrid hosted the High Level Meeting on Food Security for All, to offer continuity to the United Nations Global Action Plan led by the United Nations Secretary-General and to design a road map that will guarantee the fulfilment of the objectives and commitments acquired during the last Rome Summit.
Olivier de Shutter. UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Food.

Representatives of national governments, civil society, trade unions, the private sector, academia, multilateral organisations and donor agencies from around 100 countries took part in the two-day meeting to discuss the Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security (GPAFS) to support Africa through CAADP.

Speaking on behalf of the African Union, Prof. Richard Mkandawire who is the head of NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) called upon the participants to use the meetings as an opportunity for kick-starting action-driven and globally-oriented attempts to end world hunger.

Within the context of Africa – African ministers of Agriculture and representatives from regional economic communities called for the GPAFS to be implemented through the already existing CAADP structures, partnerships and networks.

“In Africa, it is imperative that CAADP is located at the centre of GPAFS activities so that it can be optimally used to support the real agricultural plans of small holder farmers, women and those that are usually marginalised in African agriculture” advised CAADP’s Mkandawire.

References:

• Leaders, agencies, business and civil society call for renewed efforts to end world hunger. African Press Organisation 28/01/2009
• Final Statement of the Madrid High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All
• Contribution of the Special Rapporteur to the discussion on the Global Partnership on Agriculture and Food, submitted in advance of the Madrid High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All
• DEVELOPMENT: Food Summit – Concern Yes, Concrete Steps No IPS 27/01/09
• UK official: food security should be at world's top agenda People's Daily Online 27/01/09
• UN chief warns of food shortages in poor countries International Herald Tribune 27/01/09
• Talks and more talks about food Irin 30/01/09

Preview on the new CAADP website

The new CAADP website and blog are online since December. This website will be officially launched at a forthcoming African Union meeting.

At the Annual Meeting of the CGIAR in Maputo the site was pre-launched to allow donors and CG scientists to give feedback on what extra information is needed on the site. The search system isn’t online yet and CAADP has not uploaded all the documents in the library. But, the key text is on line.

Professor Richard Mkandawire introduced on

2nd of December the CGIAR AGM Participants to the new CAADP website

FARA Delegation Visits AU and CHFI in Addis Ababa

A FARA delegation, including the Executive Director, Monty Jones went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 14-15, 2009, to attend various meetings.

Meeting with the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture
The Executive Director of FARA gave a brief history of the establishment of FARA in 2002 and the mandate given to it by AU- NEPAD through the signing of an MOU for the coordination and implementation of CAADP Pillar IV which has four thrusts: integrated natural resources management, improvements of germplasm, developing functional markets, and developing appropriate policies.

Meeting with the AU team in the Department of Human Resources Science and Technology (HRST)
The meeting focussed on the African Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy Platform (ABBPP) and Building African Scientific and Institutional Capacity (BASIC) initiatives of FARA that are currently being submitted to the EC through the AU.

Meeting with the Economic Commission for Africa team at the United Nations Office
This meeting was conducted to determine areas of collaboration on Pillar IV activities. The ECA team was updated on FARA activities, the progress made so far and FARA's path to achieving the Pillar IV objectives.






Meeting with the Celestial Humanitarian Foundation International, Inc (CHFI)
The Director of Network Support Function 3 (Regional Policies and Markets) met with a team from CHFI to discuss the work of the foundation and possible collaboration with FARA.

Background: CHFI
The CHFI is a charitable and religious foundation registered in the United States to operate in Africa. Its mission is to eradicate poverty through productive agricultural and social development. CHFI uses a “One Village at a Time” approach modeled after the Korean Saemaul Undong approach.
Related blogpost about Korean Saemaul Undong approach:
Expert Group Meeting on SMART Indicators and Lessons

CAADP’s Food and Nutrition Security Advisor Boitshepo Bibi Giyose talks to New Agriculturist

CAADP’s Food and Nutrition Security Advisor Boitshepo Bibi Giyose talks to The New Agriculturist edition 2009-01

We are living in very challenging times, times of several crises. It has been referred to as the "crises of the four 'F's": food, fuel, fertiliser and now, finance. When we look at these together, the challenge they bring is that they continue to push people over the poverty line; this means that more and more people are suffering and are going to be suffering in terms of food insecurity and malnutrition. But I believe this situation can be prevented.You can listen to the interview here.

Podcast - Listen to the New Agriculturist’s Interview with CAADP’s Bibi Giyose

To save this audio file to your computer right click here and choose "save target as"
Podcast: Play in new window Download

ASTI Consultation Workshop on Supplementary Indicators

20 January 2009. Entebbe, Uganda. Eighteen (18) participants from global, regional, sub-regional and national agricultural research organizations participated in the consultation. The workshop focused on the improvement and expansion of quantitative information provided by the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) Initiative.

The presentations included an overview of the ASTI initiative, GFAR’s perspective on the ASTI initiative, innovation system perspective, agricultural research and development input, output and process indicators, and complementing the national perspective.

Background:

The ASTI initiative is managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The initiative compiles, processes, analyzes, and publicizes data on institutional developments, investments, and capacity in agricultural R&D at national, regional land global levels. ASTI outputs describe trends (progress of agricultural R&D human and financial capacity over time at the national, regional and global levels) and comparative information (performance of a country or region compared to others). The initiative entails a large amount of original and on-going survey work focused on low and middle income countries, but also maintains access to relevant data for developed countries. Download the ASTI brochure: (PDF 150K)
Nienke Beintema, Head, Agricultural Science and Technology indicators (ASTI) initiative

Over the past years, the work has mainly focused on developing and maintaining the ASTI website : building a network of collaborators at the national and regional levels; and initiating institutional survey rounds in Africa (2001-04), Asia (2002 – 07), the Middle East (2004 – 07) and Latin America (2007 – 08).

Good knowledge sharing practices in the field of agricultural development and food security

Bioversity International, the CGIAR ICT-KM program, FAO, IFAD and WFP jointly organized a 3-day event entitled Knowledge Share Fair for Agricultural Development and Food Security to at FAO Headquarters on 20 – 22 January 2009.

The Share Fair provided an interactive experience, allowing participant to:

• share and learn from each others good practices;
• experiment with tools and methodologies for knowledge sharing;
• create linkages and networks for future collaboration between the organizations;
• develop ideas to support and enhance knowledge sharing within and across our organizations.

The purpose of the event was to showcase examples of good knowledge sharing practices in the field of agricultural development and food security.

Rome, 22 January 2009 - Watch hereunder the Closing Ceremony of the first Knowledge Share Fair (FAO headquarters, Green Room). Follow Peter Ballantyne's recap and see what made the Fair "an event for you, made by you".

Reference:

On knowledge sharing in general in the field of agriculture you can watch a number of interviews which were tkaen prior to the conference at http://sharefair.blip.tv/

Equipping Africa’s Farmers with Location-specific Information

Recognizing the importance of geospatial information to agriculture decision making and the inadequate access to data, tools, and analyses, especially in Africa, a Geospatial Technology Program was initiated. The Geospatial Technology Program is under the administrative oversight of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CGIAR, in partnership with CH2M HILL and ITC, will design and develop a comprehensive program to provide smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and other agricultural stakeholders with access to geospatial data, services, tools, and methodologies to help them make more informed decisions.

What Will the Program Accomplish?

CGMAP will help you find answers to questions like: What CGIAR centers are conducting research on chickpea? How many projects are contributing to genetic enhancement of selected species?

Farmers like Mary will have access to higher-quality, location-specific information to make better decisions. They can use this information to decide which crops to raise and when to harvest; receive pest and disease information via cell phone; and apply changing technologies to boost productivity. They will also be able to help other farmers by reporting pest and disease conditions. Developing countries will benefit from collection and dissemination of agricultural data; analysis and communication of geospatial information; and monitoring and evaluation of agricultural development efforts.

Reference:

An ICT-KM Resource for you

Farmer First Revisited

Farmer First Revisited (forthcoming March 2009) returns to the debates about farmer participation in agricultural R&D and looks to the future.

With over 60 contributions from across the world, the book presents a range of experiences that highlight the importance of going beyond a focus on the farm to the wider innovation system, including market interactions as well as the wider institutional and policy environment. If, however, farmers are really to be put first, a politics of demand is required in order to shape the direction of these innovation systems.

This calls for a major rethinking of agricultural R&D, the boosting of the knowledge and capacities of farmers’ organizations to innovate, the strengthening of networks and alliances to support, document and share lessons on farmer-led innovation, and the transformation of agricultural higher education.

PART ONE
Farmer First Revisited
Challenges to strengthening Agricultural Innovation Systems
Fostering Farmer First methodological innovation
PART II: SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION
PART III: THE POLITICS OF DEMAND AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
PART IV: NEW PROFESSIONALISM, LEARNING AND CHANGE

Reference
future-agriculture

Related FARA blog post 12th December 2007
Farmer Participatory Research and Development Twenty years on

UNDP Climate Change Country Profiles

Country-level climate data summaries were prepared with funding from the UNDP National Communication Suport Programme (NSCP) and the UK government Department for International Development (DfiD) in order to address the climate change information gap for developing countries by making use of existing climate data to generate a series of country-level studies of climate observations and the multi-model projections made available through the WCRP CMIP3.

A consistent approach has been applied for 52 developing countries in order to produce an ‘off the shelf’ analysis of climate data, and also make available the underlying data for each country for use in further research.

For each of the 52 countries, a report contains a set of maps and diagrams demonstrating the observed and projected climates of that country as country average timeseries as well as maps depicting changes on a 2.5° grid and summary tables of the data. A narrative summarises the data in the figures, and placing it in the context of the country’s general climate. A dataset containing the underlying observed and model data for that country, is made available for use in further research projects. The files are smaller and more manageable than the global fields made available by the PCMDI, and in text format which can easily downloaded, read and manipulated. Visit list of available country data.

Related:

• The Climate Change Project An activity of the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research
• New Danish Website on climate change dialogue Agrobiodiversity and climate change 24/01/2009
• The Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation for Land and Water Management was launched in November 2008. On 24-25 February 2009, The Danish Development Co-operation will organise a Regional Workshop in Bamako, Mali. The workshop will focus on the regional priorities and challenges in Africa regarding adaptation in land and water management.
• Climate change threatens the fight against poverty. Perspectives on climate change from Norway and Sweden. See Elids

High Level Taskforce Meeting on Food Security

12 January 2009. Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting was organized to discuss implementation of CAADP in the COMESA region. It included representatives from COMESA, FARA, NEPAD and the World Bank.

The meeting first discussed how CAADP is being implemented in the COMESA region and how COMESA countries are participating in FARA region-wide initiatives. Discussion then focused on the World Bank’s proposed schedule for the completion of the East African Agricultural Productivity Programme and the World Bank-CAADP Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is expected to support the following initiatives with the COMESA region: a) completion of the regional compact; b) fast tracking of the CAADP round table process in the region; c) engagement of a Pillar IV focal person at the COMESA office; d) provision of support for Pillar IV coordination meetings; and e) development of a long-term work plan for CAADP implementation in the COMESA region.

The meeting then discussed future evaluations of the CAADP agricultural agenda to determine how much progress has been made on key targets such as the proposed 10% budget allocation by governments to agriculture and the 6% agricultural growth rate.

FARA, NEPAD, the World Bank and COMESA then called on the Honorable Minister of Agriculture responsible for Livestock to brief him on FARA-CAADP related issues. Each member of the visiting delegation took turns briefing the Minister on CAADP Pillar IV implementation in the COMESA region.

NEPAD SADC Stakeholders Engagement Workshop

4-5 December 2008. Pretoria, South Africa. Eight SADC countries were involved in the sub-regional process focusing on NEPAD implementation at national level. The workshop which was attended by FARA was supported by the Belgian Government and the process leading up to it was conducted by the NEPAD Secretariat with the support of Southern Africa Trust (SAT).

More than 100 delegates and stakeholder partners from the Southern African Development Community region and beyond were present. The objectives of the two-day workshop were for SADC countries to share their experiences on NEPAD implementation; explore collective mechanisms for regional level engagement for NEPAD implementation, linking it to the national; consolidate lessons learnt from the engagement process based on national experiences and identify practical interventions; and device guidelines for future engagements with national and regional processes and structures on NEPAD implementation.

References:
"SADC regional workshop focuses on NEPAD implementation" NEPAD Dialogue, December 5, 2008
Remarks by Deputy Minister Fatima Hajaig at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) stakeholders' engagement on New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Development Bank of South Africa, Midrand, Gauteng

Community of Practice for Conservation Agriculture (CA-CoP)

During a Soil Health Workshop last July at the FAO in Rome there was strong support for the establishment of a global network of 'Community of Practice' (CoP) in support of Conservation Agriculture (CA) as a foundation for sustainable agriculture and facilitating the acceleration of farmers' uptake of CA.

As a first step towards making the Community of Practice operational, an e-mail Listserv has been set up at the FAO to facilitate communication amongst the stakeholders of this global CA Community. The quality and value of this communication facility will very much depend on the subscribers. There will be a regular CA-CoP Newsletter which will be distributed through the Listserv.

Reference:
“Investing in sustainable agricultural intensification. The role of conservation agriculture: A framework for action,” FAO, 10 August 2008

Launch of the African Crop Science Society Website

The CGIAR Gender & Diversity program has recently launched the African Crop Science Society (ACSS) website. The ACSS was established in 1993 with the overall objective of promoting crop production and food security in Africa. The activities of the Society include the convening of congresses, symposia, workshops and training courses, publication of the African Crop Science Journal, publication of regular newsletters and organizing general or special general meetings of the Society.

For more information on the Society, contact the ACSS President, Prof. Kasem Zaki Ahmed at acss8@yahoo.com

Reference:
African Crop Science Society

FAO Ministerial Conference on Water for Agriculture and Energy in Africa

15-17 December 2008. Sirte, Libya. The aim of the Conference was to examine all aspects of water resources in Africa in the context of rapidly increasing demand from the agriculture and energy sectors and climate change. Presentations and discussions were focused on three key thematic areas: prospects for food and energy demand by 2015 and projections for 2030 – 2050; investment needs and management issues of harnessing water and irrigation; and financing mechanisms and implementation strategies.

Side meeting with NEPAD, AUC and FARA: A side meeting was held with the NEPAD Agriculture Adviser Prof. Richard Mkandawire and the AUC Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy to strategize on how FARA, NEPAD and AUC could work together on key issues of common interest to the three institutions. Also present at the meeting were Mr. Martin Bwalya, NEPAD Land Expert and Mr. Eugene Kanyegirire NEPAD Communications Officer.

The meeting was wrapped up with a pledge to work together in promoting water development throughout the continent and to fully exploit Africa's agricultural and hydropower potential.

References:
Declaration of the Ministerial Conference on Water for Agriculture and Energy in Africa, Sirte, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, 15-17 December 2008
“African ministers adopt $65b fund to develop water infrastructure," The Guardian, Nigeria. Dec 22, 2008

Expert Group Meeting on SMART Indicators and Lessons from Korea

17-19 December 2008. UNECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The objectives of the meeting were to review the unique particulars of African agriculture and the related implications for the achievement of a green revolution and rural transformation; review approaches of agricultural and rural development in Africa; develop a common Sustainable Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Transformation (SMART) index using indicators of SMART potential and readiness; and review “Saemaul Undong”, the Korean successful approach to rural development and discuss the applicability of “Saemaul Undong” approaches as a viable model for agricultural and rural transformation in Africa.

Thirty indicators of a successful SMART were identified for numerical quantification and the process of developing an index for SMART potential and readiness was initiated.

Background:
SU is a community development model in Korea that aims to empower people and raise their capacity to make decisions on their own development. It is a bottom up approach that uses diligence, self-help, cooperation and the ‘can do spirit’ in the rural community. Usually a seed (input) material is provided by an external agency or national government to help kick start the community effort. SU has recorded successful rural development initiatives in South Korea, Viet Nam, Thailand and recently, in a community in Congo-Brazzaville.

The SU model is to contribute to the SMART and Green Revolution in Africa. The Korean government, through UNPOG, will assist in the introduction of the SU concept into Africa.

References:
Saemaul Undong
Sustainable Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Transformation Project Document

Validation Workshop for 2007 AETS

4-5 December 2008. Pretoria, South Africa. A workshop of top civil servants, members of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and development partners, convened by NEPAD, endorsed the 2007 draft report on the agriculture expenditure tracking system (AETS).

The 2003 African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in Maputo, Mozambique, adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as a framework for contributing to the attainment of food security and poverty reduction goals in Africa. To increase investment in agriculture development, the 2003 AU Summit further adopted a resolution to encourage member countries to commit at least 10% of the annual national budget to agriculture and rural development by 2008.

In this regard, the AU/NEPAD is mandated to monitor and report to AU Summits the progress made achieving the 2003 AU-Maputo 10% target. Accordingly, the AU/NEPAD, with support from the World Bank and the FAO, conducted a comprehensive survey during 2008 to assess the progress African countries had made in 2007 in complying with the 2003 AU Maputo decision.

The AU/NEPAD convened a workshop for senior civil servants from 4-5 December, 2008 in Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa to review, discuss and approve both the survey report and the guidance note to implementation of the tracking system and identify the measures to accelerate national attainment of at least 10% allocation to agriculture development. The workshop also discussed the attributes and components of the future tracking system to monitor compliance with the 2003 AU-Maputo decision.

At the end of the two-day deliberations, the workshop:

• Endorsed the report, and reaffirmed the importance of increasing investment in the agriculture sector;
• Noted the inadequate progress by member countries towards meeting the Maputo 10% target. Only 19% allocate more than 10% of the national expenditure to agriculture development and most countries (57%) continue to spend less than 5%;
• Observed that the current tracking system is narrow and does not capture and analyse all key components, including budget allocations in line with CAADP priorities;
• Noted that many African countries are not submitting data to enable AU/NEPAD to monitor compliance with the 2003 AU-Maputo decision; and
• Appreciated that the current data collection methodology is inadequate to facilitate timely preparation of reports and recommendations to influence decision-making.

Professor Mkandawire addressed the participants at the Pretoria validation workshop: “What is our preparedness for international foundations who are willing to invest in African agriculture? There is a new set of players (India, China, Brazil) and targets.”

Reference:
Keeping a Check on Budget Allocations to Agriculture, NEPAD Dialogue. Issue 255, December 12, 2008

Inventory on innovative farmer advisory services or systems,

FARA has produced an inventory on innovative farmer advisory services or systems, currently in design, in existence or recently completed in Africa. The discussions started with this RAILS dgroup but has expanded through various consultations with relevant service providers or organizations.

Entries include projects using ICT solutions or implementing ICT-based activities, institutions/groups providing services using ICTs as well as ICT solutions software providers, both at the national and regional level. While many of the entries are projects with a definitive beginning and end date providing one or two services, others are national or regional information systems providing many agricultural services using ICTs.

The compilation of this inventory involved participation from many individuals/organizations. FARA would like to acknowledge the input from the RAILS e-discussion groups [Regional Agricultural Information and Learning Systems] and the Knowledge Management for Development [KM4Dev] e-discussion group who alerted us to projects that could be used in the inventory.

FARA attempted to contact each organization to receive the most up to date information on the project. We are grateful to every organization that responded and provided current information on the status of their project. Invaluable contributions came from the International Institute for Communications and Development (IICD) and The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA) who provided information about the many ICT projects they are involved in. Special thanks to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), who are working on a study entitled, ICTs and small-scale agriculture in Africa: a scoping study and were able to provide a lot of valuable information about a number of ICT projects in Africa and shared their database with FARA.

You can download this report on: http://www.fara-africa.org/media/uploads/File/NSF2/RAILS/Innovative_Farmer_Advisory_Systems.pdf

Training in WEB2.0 of Rwandan NARI at FARA

Below is an interview with Claudine Umukazi who followed during 2 weeks (8 - 19 December 2008) a training at FARA/NSF2 on the use of WEB2.0 tools which could be useful for her Institution: The Institut Scientifique de Recherches Agronomiques of Rwanda (ISAR). This training allowed her to create a ISAR Blog which you can find on http://isar-rwanda.blogspot.com



Currently, FARA is using several Web2.0 tools to which NARI trainees can be expose to, such as;
• FARA Website www.fara-africa.org
• FARA Secretariat Blog http://farastaff.blogspot.com/ (Including Vlogging)
• Vlogging: video blogging using Movie Maker
• Blip-tv for the posting of video interview (and conversion to flash) http://faraportal.blip.tv/
• MailChimp for the FARA Bulletin
• Dgroups for RAILS, SCARDA, FARA stakeholder consultation
• igoogle to manage newfeeds www.google.com/ig
• Website Watcher 4.41 for monitoring changes in agriculture related websites
• Tagging
• A common google agenda
• Zoho for travel management
• TurboDemo as screen recording software for the production of small mpeg files
• CGIAR ICT-KM toolkit: http://www.kstoolkit.org/

7th Meeting of the CTA Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for ACP Agricultural & Rural Development

Wageningen, The Netherlands, 10 - 14 November, 2008. The overall objective of the meeting was to strengthen inter and intra-regional ACP and ACP/EU ST&I collaboration for directing the ST&I policy agenda to enhance agricultural performance in the ACP Group of States. More specifically:

• To discuss the relevance and implications for building the critical mass of scientists in the ACP region and elaborate strategies for ensuring that this critical mass can impact positively on ACP agricultural and rural development;
• To strengthen collaboration and elaborate plans for enhancing linkages between the activities of the Advisory Committee within the framework of the wider ACP/EU development agenda using existing instruments to influence the ACP science, technology and innovation policy and development agenda;
• To identify strategies and priority actions for improving the outreach and impact of science, technology and innovation on ACP agricultural and rural development through enhanced networking and partnerships among the Advisory Committee members, CTA and ACP/EU partners.

During the closing remark the FARA representative Ralph von Kaufmann said:

The fact that after 7 years the AC is still vibrant and evolving is a great tribute to CTA and to all the AC members. I feel privileged to be a member of such a group. Thanks to everyone at CTA.If we can claim to be having impact we can only do so because of the determination, enthusiasm, originality and humour of one person. A person instilled with discipline and dedication to duty. If you look back in the minutes you will find that she has in past years been referred to as a Sergeant Major because when she asks you to do something - you do it, and, as she reminded us this morning, you do not waist her time in doing it. I should have guessed that her father was a policeman. He must have been a proud father and he would have been especially proud of the way in which his daughter managed this particular meeting without faltering for a moment. I ask you to join me in conveying our condolences to Judith’s mother, her son Jeremy, and all her family and as always in thanking her for the tremendous contribution she has made to establishing and sustaining this unique committee.

The Africa - US Higher Education Initiative

Higher Education for Development (HED) has launched an open competition for 20 capacity-building partnership awards of $50,000 each to be funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Applications must be received by Feb. 2, 2009. The award competition is open to all types of U.S. higher education institutions to collaborate with African institutions.


The competition grew out of a broad, collaborative effort between a number of higher education associations and other organizations involved in the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative. The Initiative supports improved instruction and problem-solving capacities of African higher education institutions, so they can address regional and national economic development priorities.


Hereunder follows an interview on 21st of November with Anne-Calire Hervy. She is the Congressional Hunger fellow: Partnership to cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa and the Chief Operating Officer: Africa-US higher Education Initiative.

Promoting Organic Farming in Africa for Niche Markets

FARA MEETING WITH AGRO ECO 18 NOVEMBER, 2008 Bo van Elzakker (BO) Director, Agro Eco Netherlands answers following questions:What is the experience with organic export crops?What are the major constraints?How can Africa be competitive?Which crops from Africa have a particular niche?Which African crops have been most successful on European markets?Will organic markets continue to grow?

The ELDIS service for searching resources on African agricultural research

Eldis is one of a family of knowledge services from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex.
Eldis is core funded by Sida, Norad, SDC and DFID.

The aim of Eldis is to:

• support the documentation, exchange and use of evidence-based development knowledge
• communicate this knowledge effectively through a range of appropriately designed services, using the Internet (web and email) as the main communication medium for delivery
• reach audiences of researchers, development practitioners and policy formers at national and international levels
• play a role in the processes of evidence-based policy formation
• provide this information and services free of charge at point of use

What does Eldis offer?

• 26,000 full text documents free to downloadWe maintain an ever-growing collection of editorially selected and abstracted full-text, online documents selected by our editors from more than 7,500 different publishers. All documents are available free of charge
• Eldis resource guides Our 24 subject-focused guides offer quick access to key documents, organisations, research themes, discussions and other key resources
• Eldis country profiles Quick access to our database arranged by country, plus quick links to country briefing services on other websites
• Eldis email newsletters Our email news services bring the latest research to your mail-box on 35 topics
• Eldis newsfeeds Add an Eldis RSS newsfeed to your website or newsreader for the latest information on 25 topics
• News, events and jobs Our selection of recent development news, announcements, email newsletters and job adverts

Hereunder follows a FARA video interview with the Kenyan Fatema Rajabali of the ELDIS service of the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex

Fatema Rajabali explains how the ELDIS service can be useful for African agricultural research actors. The interview focused on resources on Climate Adaptation following a two-day workshop in Brighton (28-29 October 2008) between the AfricaAdapt project, the Linking Climate Adaptation (LCA)/Eldis-proejct from IDS; the WeAdapt -project from the SEI; and the Adaptation Learning Mechanism (ALM) from UNDP.

She answers the question if African authors should not be more prominent on the web with their research findings on agricultural research in Africa.

SCARDA Agricultural Research Management (ARM) Course in Kumasi

SCARDA ARM course particiants in Kumasi

1st December to 6th December 2008. SCARDA Agricultural Research Management (ARM) Course

Participants: JOBE Babou, Gambie / JOBE Lamin, Gambie / MBOGE Hassan, Gambie / DRAMMEH Sait, Gambie / JALLOW Sulayman, Gambie / Lassine DIARRA, Mali / KOURIBA Aly, Mali / NDIAYE Ibrahima, Mali / HAMADOUN Abdoulaye, Mali / KODIO Amadou, Mali / NGNING Sophie Yandé, Senegal / MABANZA Joseph, Congo Brazza / BANDTABA Pierre, Congo Brazza / NZILA Jean de Dieu, Congo Brazza MBEMBA-MAKIZA André, Congo Brazza / BANI Grégoire, Congo Brazza / WINDAPO Oladapo, Nigeria / OLADUNNI Olauemi Ajayi, Nigeria / LY Samba , Senegal

The main objective of the course, in relation to learning outcomes follow up assignments and institutional change management for agricultural research, was to increase institutional and managerial capabilities to develop and deliver relevant agricultural research in African NARS. The course content was developed in such a way as to foster and support methods of delivery that are interactive, participatory and responsive/flexible, using case studies, mock scenarios, role plays, etc….

Interview with Jean Rostand (CORAF's Head of Finance) at the Change Management training workshop in Kumasi.

Improving knowledge management, agricultural education and learning through collaboration and partnerships

4-5 December 2008. Maputo, Mozambique. FARA participated in the workshop to discuss priorities and develop an agenda for action through global collaboration in improving agricultural knowledge management, education and learning. The outcomes of this meeting will feed into a planned high level conference on improving investment in agricultural research and innovation in 2009 being organized jointly by GFAR, FAO, IFAD and the CGIAR. Read more

FARA and the SROs at the CGIAR annual general meeting

30 November - 5 December 2008. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM08) in Maputo, Mozambique, from December 1 to 5, 2008. AGM08 brought together over 700 of the world’s leading food and environmental scientists and civil society to strengthen and expand partnerships that stimulate economic growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Through dialogue and the sharing of experiences, participants explored how agricultural research, science and technology, and food policy initiatives can better improve the lives and livelihoods of poor people, and launch new initiatives that bring the benefits of modern science quicker and faster to poor farmers.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in Maputo, the experts on global agriculture warned that cuts in funding for research or programs for implementing new discoveries would be catastrophic for millions of smallholder farmers and their families throughout Africa and much of Latin America and Asia.

"Our researchers have proven in the past that just small amounts of funding can boost crop yields, defeat devastating pests, and ultimately lift farmers and their families out of poverty – allowing them to earn enough money to send their children to school," said Katherine Sierra, CGIAR chair, who opened the four-day meeting.

The FARA delegation was headed by the FARA Chairman (Denis Kyetere) and Executive Director (Monty Jones) participated in several side-events, exhibition and discussions at the CGIAR annual general meeting.

Reference:
Experts: Targeted agricultural investments will yield high results, slash poverty in Africa CGIAR press release, 1 December 2008

A triple-A approach to make research available and useful

30 November 2008. Maputo, Mozambique. Organized by CGIAR, FARA and DFID aimed to convince research oriented organizations cannot be satisfied just knowing they have produced high quality science. It is essential that the outputs of research are communicated and put to use, in the village, on the ground, in the lab or across the negotiating table.

Research-oriented organizations cannot be satisfied just knowing they have produced high quality science. It is essential that the outputs of research are communicated and put to use, in the village, on the ground, in the lab, or across the negotiating table. The session started from the premise that research outputs can – and must - be much more open and accessible. For this

• We need to give priority to the ‘accessibility’ as well as to the ‘quality’ of research outputs.
• We need a better overview of the various research products and the ways and means we can make them accessible.
• We can use a ‘triple A’ policy and action checklist to maximize both the accessibility of these outputs and the chances that they will be applied and put to use.
• We need to build communication partnerships with ‘adaptive and delivery’ agents that will take and apply knowledge from research, reinforcing their capacities as required.

The session drew on expertise from three partners – the CGIAR ICT-KM Program, FARA, and the DFID/R4D project led by CABI.

Related:
How accessible is your agricultural information? 02 January 2009

Background:
AAA framework concept to measure the Accessibility. Availability, and Applicability of CGIAR Research. (PDF document)
The ICT‐KM Triple‐A approach provides an opportunity to ensure that research outputs can be measured uniformly according to their availability, accessibility and applicability. The ICTKM Program play a catalytic role in adding value to CGIAR research outputs, putting the Triple‐A approach into force widely, rapidly and effectively through:

• promoting discussion and agreement on Triple‐A vision for the CGIAR
• advocating Triple‐A thinking to measure research performance,
• guiding and helping scientists in adopting Triple‐A thinking,
• establishing complete scientific information repositories,
• leveraging CGIAR publishing muscle,
• making CGIAR knowledge visible through partners.

Africa Caucus Meeting

30 November 2008. Maputo, Mozambique. FARA organized a forum on how African agricultural research community is 'collaborating for change'. Speakers shared their perspective on how they are contributing to the positive changes in African ARD. The keynote paper was delivered by Dr. Jones.

FARA invited lead advocates of positive change in African ARD. Discussions were led by an opening presentation by the FARA Secretariat Executive Director on how FARA is collaborating with various stakeholders to catalyze change in African agriculture. The SRO representatives on the other hand, responded by providing insights and comments on the various ARD initiatives and strategies in their regions and Africa in general.

CORAF representative and Board member Paco SEREME

Further interventions were made by international institutions such as the CGIAR, COL and EIARD, as well as regional and global fora, specifically EFARD and GFAR. Regional civil society representatives in particular, farmer organizations and agribusiness sector made pertinent interventions. They gave their perceptions on how these changes if any, can further contribute to increasing their knowledge and capacities. Various agricultural research and development stakeholder groups participated and contributed to the discussions and outcomes.

Expert Workshop on Biofuels and Land Use Change

20-21 November 2008. Sao Paulo, Brazil. The workshop was organized by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and brought together biofuel and land-use modelers, agricultural economists, policy analysts and specialists from related disciplines to develop an international discussion concerning the linkages among local drivers of land-use change, global economic trends and biofuels production.
FARA participated in the workshop and presented the West African case study of Land Use Changes and biofuels expansion: “Farmers’ Strategies and Land Use Change in the Perspective of Biofuels Development in West Africa”.

References:
Final Report
Minutes from break-out sessions