Sudan-ASARECA-RAILS Stakeholders Consultation

20-21 January 2010. Wad Medani, Sudan. Agricultural Research Institute (ARC). The workshop was attended by 33 participants and some guests of honors from the Sudanese national agricultural research institutions, ministries, national information centers, universities and higher education, extension, national agricultural information networks, media, private sector and NGOs.












Dr. Rafaa Ashmalla Ghobrial, Head of Information Services and Systems, Documentation and Information Centre National Centre for Research. François Stepman (FARA) and Daniel Mwesige (ASARECA) were resource persons for the meeting.

The national RAILS Learning Team for the Sudan has been established and is now made aware about RAILS and responsibility for selected groups of the learning team to carry out RAILS activities in the Sudan.

The RAILS learning team for the Sudan selected 13 members, mainly directors of national agricultural research and information centers, library and agricultural knowledge managers, ICT and GIS professionals and extension specialists.

Members:

1. Prof. Kamal El siddig, Director, Administration of Human Resource Development and Information, ARC
2. Mrs. Ahlam Ismail Musa, Head Central library ARC, AGRIS Resource Center of the Sudan, ARC
3. Seifaldeen Abdalmagid Alkhliel, Head, GIS and Image Processing, GIS Unit. Land and Water Research Center - ARC
4. Dr. Izat Mirghani Taha, Director, Documentation and Information Centre National Centre for Research,
5. Dr. Rafaa Ashmalla Ghobrial, Head of Information Services and Systems, Documentation and Information Centre National Centre for Research,
6. Dr. Muhsin Abdalla Hashim, DIC Director, University of Science and Technology, SNAIN Consultant,
7. Abuobieda Mohamed Hamouda, Dean of University Library, University of Gezira,
8. Dr. Abdelkarim Hassan Awadelkarim, Deputy Dean, U of K Library, Electronic Library, University of Khartoum
9. Waleed Abu Elgasim Abdelgadir, IT Manager, Sudan Academy of Sciences (SAS),
10. Khalid Ayoub Mohamed, IT Manager, Ministry of Science and Technology
11. Mohamed Saad Ali Bayomi, Director Office of DG, TTEA
12. Mujahid Najmeldien Fadl, Executive Manager, National Information Centre, Ministry of the Council of Ministers
13. Aboud Mohamed Hussin, Programmer, Information Centre, Ministry of Higher Education

Related:

• Sudan: the role of scientific research in agriculture National Conference 22- 24 December 2009.
• D-group for SNAIN: http://dgroups.org/groups/fara-rails/SNAIN

Mobile-Based Livelihood Services In Africa: Pilots And Early Deployments

The paper describes a collection of initiatives delivering support via mobile phones to small enterprises, small farms, and the self-employed. Using a review of 26 examples of such services currently operational in Africa, the analysis identifies five functions of mobile livelihood services: Mediated Agricultural Extension, Market Information, Virtual Marketplaces, Financial Services, and Direct Livelihood Support. It discusses the current reliance of such systems on the SMS channel, and considers their role in supporting vs. transforming existing market structures.

This brief paper does not present an evaluation of the effectiveness of any particular service, nor does it venture an assessment of the suitability or potential effectiveness of different kinds of services. Instead it provides an overview of the range of services currently available, and, more importantly; it identifies what kinds of changes (to the enterprise or to its environment) the designers of the services intend to bring about. The task of making these intended changes explicit serves as a bridge to considering these services in light of our interdisciplinary understanding of the role of mobile communication (and ICTs) in society and in economic development.

This Mircosoft paper quotes FARA's Innovative Farmer Advisory services inventory as an excellent review.

Reference:
Mobile-Based Livelihood Services In Africa: Pilots And Early Deployments
Jonathan Donner / Technology for Emerging Markets Group / Microsoft Research India / At / Conference on Development And Information Technologies. Mobile Phones An Internet In Latin America And Africa: What Benefits For The Most Disadvantaged? / October 23-24 2009 / Castelldefels / Barcelona / 19 pp. Abstract

Will a time of plenty for agricultural research help to feed the world?

6 January 2010. Hereafter follows a short summary of the latest issue of LINK - Learning, INnovation and Knowledge.

Much more than increased spending on agricultural research is required and that what is now needed is a prominent development investor that will champion the idea of research as an integrated part of a more broadly-conceived capacity for change.

A 2006 World Bank study of agricultural innovation processes and capacities concluded that:

Agricultural innovation is rarely driven by research and is usually opportunity-driven, with entrepreneurs (micro or corporate) responding to market opportunities and threats

• Underpinning the capacity of these entrepreneurs to innovate is the network in which they are embedded and which they use as a way of accessing knowledge, information and technology — information about the changing state of the market, about new technology and about expertise to address opportunities and threats
• Poorly-developed linkages among players with complementary information are the major constraints to innovation capacity and this is often related to long

A recent analysis by the International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI, of the circumstances under which agricultural research makes a difference, tacitly makes some broadly similar conclusions about the supporting (rather than leading) role of research in agricultural innovation.

How can partnerships and consortia arrangements be financed, since these are often transient and rarely legal entities? There certainly are things that can be invested in (see the September 2009 LINK LOOK, “Rethinking Investment in Agricultural Innovation”) and this includes things like sector coordinating bodies, farmers’ associations and other areas of institutional development that nurture networking and social capital formation. This is, however, a fragmented type of investment that has high administrative costs that are ill-suited to aid wholesalers.

RIU projects in Africa are experimenting with ways of strengthening innovation capacity by connecting up different pieces of the innovation systems in which they are working. The programme struggled initially to work out how to explore the research into use question. It is now starting to build evidence that suggests that rather than simply promoting researchproducts what is more valuable is linking the research process to activities led by entrepreneurs and other users of new ideas.

But while the contemporary views outlined above point to the need to view research as acomplementary tool to development activities, development practice still maintains firmadministrative and operational distinctions between the two. There are signs that some development investors can see that the problems of food security and coping with climate change require more than just research.

Reference: Will a time of plenty for agricultural research help to feed the world?

Related:
Multi-stakeholder processes for knowledge-based rural innovation
25 January 2010 - 30 April 2010
International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture - ICRA
This course is a professional capacity strengthening programme for enhancing performance in rural innovation.

Announcement: The farmer voice initiative

December 2009. The Farmer Voice Initiative is an initiative of ALINe. ALINe is a non‐profit project run by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and Keystone, with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Currently in its pilot phase, ALINe is exploring new approaches to improving thinking and
practice around impact planning, assessment and learning in agriculture with a special focus on
farmer voice.

The farmer voice initiative aims to build learning around the question:

• how can development agencies make sure they listen and respond to farmers, systematically, across different places or activities?
• How do agencies ensure they listen enough to farmers? Which farmers are involved in dialogue with agencies – do they include poor and disempowered people? How can ‘listening enough’ be defined in different contexts?
• How can agencies ensure that they respond to what farmers say?
• How do agencies support and encourage staff to listen and respond to farmers –
• and how do they assess whether all this is happening to a high enough standard?

The awards are for innovations that agencies are using to listen systematically to farmers. The awards are open to any size or type of development agency working in agriculture in
developing countries. The closing deadline for all applications is: 29th January 2010. Awards will be announced on 25th February 2010.

Reference:

Announcement: ALINe’s Farmer Voice Innovation Awards. Open Invitation for Applications

Research into use best bets for agricultural research in Africa

A new approach to making the best use of agricultural research findings has resulted in grants being made to four projects in East, Central and Southern Africa.

During the first round of RIU Best Bets, eight potential projects were short-listed from over 100 proposal submissions. Selection of the finalists was made at a meeting in Nairobi by an independent panel made up of four African business, finance and research and development experts.

The projects selected by the panel, and accepted by RIU for funding, include:

• improved access to NERICA rice seed;
• farmer-applied biocontrol seed treatments;
• safe and affordable armyworm control tools;
• and resources and information for farmers and young people. A total of US$2.5 million will be invested by RIU to support the promising partnerships between researchers and private sector entrepreneurs.

The next round of RIU Best Bets will be held in Ghana, West Africa in March 2010. A call for proposals is available on the RIU website.

Irish Aid increases collaboration with Irish universities and international research centres to reduce global hunger

7 January 2010. The Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power T.D., announced significant funding for collaborative research between Irish universities and CGIAR international research centres to combat hunger.

In Ireland the research which Irish Aid is funding will play an important role in raising the profile of agricultural research for development within Irish universities and developing a cadre of scientists who are focused on development.

The funding will be dispersed as follows:

• Nearly €150,000 will be allocated to support two PhD research projects on plant breeding which will be conducted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s facilities in Uganda and Nigeria, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and University College Cork. The first will investigate approaches for improving productivity of East African Highland bananas, a major staple crop of the poor, grown by many small farmers. The second will conduct research to elevate vitamin A levels in varieties of yellow maize consumed by the poor. This will reduce malnutrition as vitamin fortification of staple crops enhances the health and nutrition of children.
• In addition, just over €210,000 will be provided to each of the three following research institutes; the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI); and to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Reference: Irish Aid Press release

UK: Only greater agricultural science co-operation will deliver production and sustainability gains

4 - 6 January 2010. Oxford. UK. For more than 60 years the Oxford Farming Conference has been THE way to start each year. The Oxford Farming research has become an important part of the conference probing some of the fundamental issues facing the British farming industry. Oxford’s speakers are of the highest calibre, from Royalty to agribusiness leaders and from international politicians to entrepreneurial young farmers.

Farmers, scientists, the food industry and the Government must work more closely if UK agriculture is to increase production while protecting the environment.That was a key finding of two pieces of unique research into future agricultural science needs revealed at the Oxford Farming Conference.

An estimate of current funding on agricultural research prepared for the conference suggests that there is a significant mismatch between who is perceived to do the research and who is actually doing it. In contrast to the farmers’ perceptions, annual funding of agricultural research by the Government is currently worth £264M – 75% of the overall total of £350M. Funding by the agricultural supply industry is worth £56M – 16% and by farmers ( largely through the AHDB ) is £29M – 8%. Public funding for research is also expected to increase by around £16M a year as the Government has committed £80M over the next five years through the Technology Strategy Board.

Farmers also suggested that science research needs to be more applied and simpler to understand if they are to derive the greatest value from it. Communication of research is seen as key with around 80% saying that the press is the most important means of communicating scientific developments.

Climate change adaptation in Africa: COP 15, what [was] at stake for Africa?

This paper addresses the four key areas under negotiation at the 15th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 15) in Copenhagen — mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology transfers/capacity building — providing an African perspective on the issues at stake and the positions advanced by various parties. The publications in this series are designed to fill gaps in current research and explore new directions relevant to climate change adaptation in Africa.

Reference:
Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) working paper no. 1 View full document [PDF 932.11 KB]

Source(s): Department for International Development (DFID); International Development Research Center (IDRC)
Publication date: 2009. Author(s): Kaere, Alioune Badara. Number of pages: 18 p.

Status of postgraduate training in the livestock sector in West and Central Africa (CORAF region)

26 December, 2009. Status Report by Adama Traore on Status of postgraduate training in the livestock sector in West and Central Africa (CORAF region) and priorities for ILRI’s support

Research-based capacity strengthening is one of the priority activities of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The mission of ILRI’s Capacity Strengthening Unit (CaSt) is to strengthen the capacity of the livestock research and development community to contribute to the overall mandate of ILRI in achieving livestock-mediated poverty alleviation. The purpose of Cast is to strengthen the capacity of ILRI’s partners to apply their skills and resources to accomplish their goals, satisfy stakeholders’ needs and improve performance and impact.

The overall purpose of this study was to identify areas for collaborative action to build the capacity of learning institutes in the region.

Given the different stages of development of the various universities, it may also be necessary to initiate some carefully selected national level activities to complement the regional undertakings. ILRI will make every effort to facilitate and support the national and regional initiatives in strengthening the capacities of the universities especially the postgraduate research and training in the region.

Reference:
Download the paper

Climate, agriculture and food security: A strategy for change

December 2009, CGIAR, 56 pages. The Challenge Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which will launch in early 2010, unites the world’s best researchers in agricultural science, climate science and earth system science to address the climate change–food security problem. The transformative research programme provides a framework for these communities to work together and, by doing so, to go beyond their traditional boundaries and open up new and unique possibilities in the search for solutions.

The report is organized around the six themes of the CCAFS science plan to emphasize the importance of this new strategic initiative and to show how this new Challenge Program builds on, and complements, the work already done by the centres and the other Challenge Programs.

This report describe the two key thrusts that are now under way to address the climate change, agriculture and food security problem: the existing knowledge that holds great promise for managing weather variability in agricultural systems and reducing the impacts of agriculture on the global climate, which must now be translated into action; and the future research that will close critical knowledge gaps, develop new ways of working, and build new strategies for change.

Reference

Download the report (CGIAR) Climate, agriculture and food security: A strategy for change

Sudan: the role of scientific research in agricultural development

22- 24 December 2009. Wed Medanni. Sudan.
The overall objective of the Conference was:
To maximize the utilization of research results, scientific studies and practical efforts to serve the agricultural renaissance in the Sudan for the development of society.
Prof Mohamed Galal director of the National Center of Research (NCR) in a Statement to Sudan TV

Main recommendations of the Conference: Adoption of national programmes in the following
1. Production, manufacture and marketing of medicinal and aromatic plants with a view to investment.
2. Weed control of resistant species and Mesquite control
3. Expansion of the durra crop in the Sudan and rehabilitation of infrastructure in the targeted areas of agricultural development.
4. Call on the state to adopt a contracting approach with research groups to develop practical solutions to increase production.
5. Involve the private sector in supporting research programs for researchers to achieve mutual benefit.
6. To promote research that increase and improve agricultural production and the diversity of both plant and animal care beneficiaries.
7. The provision and availability of climate information needed by researchers at nominal cost.
8. The importance of incorporating the interests and concerns of farms in the lever agenda of research and technical knowledge and develop its potential in the use of technologies and pesticides with the help of agricultural extension.
9. Emphasized that the concept of sustainable development is not only scientific research and footage of information and statistics to see what we have and build on it.
10. The use of local knowledge and benefit from the experience of farmers in the development of research.
11. Emphasis on the use and resettlement of biotechnology and genetic engineering-friendly environment in the development of varieties resistant to pests and many fast-growing and production.
12. Taking into account the rational use of natural resources for sustainability and maintenance of the deterioration in the adoption of the financing of any agricultural activities.
13. Preservation and maintenance of germplasm of Sudan and the traditional practices are harmful.
14. Pay more attention to areas of water resources taking into account the criteria of efficiency and rational use and to consider the environmental dimension in the planning and implementation of development projects.
15. Formation of a joint committee from the National Center for Research and the Agricultural Research Organization and the Livestock Research Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and agricultural development program to follow up the implementation of the recommendations above under the auspices of Mr. Ali Osman Vice President of the Republic.

Reference:
Conference website

Announcement: Strengthening resilience through improved climate information

February 15-19, 2010, CCAA will host a first multi-project learning forum in Nairobi, Kenya. The event will bring researchers together with providers and consumers of climate information to evaluate lessons learned and synthesise results from three years of relevant CCAA-supported research. Participation will be by invitation only. For further information contact ccaa@idrc.ca.

Reference:
news and events bulletin from the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa program.

Related:
International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change The International Development Research Centre, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada are partners in this funding opportunity to support research and networking on the adaptation to climate change in Canada and in low and middle income countries. Deadline: January 7, 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

Copenhagen Agriculture and Rural Development Day

12 December 2009. "Agriculture and Rural Development Day," a day-long event at the University of Copenhagen with more than 300 policy makers, negotiators, rural development practitioners, producers, civil society and leaders from the agricultural and climate change scientific community. The purpose of the event was to assemble a plan for incorporating agriculture into the post-Copenhagen climate agenda.

The event took place in parallel with the United Nations Climate Change Conference, including the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the fifth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 5), held in Denmark from 7-18 December 2008.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Day was co-hosted by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security, the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, and the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. The event was attended by over 350 participants, including representatives from governments, UN and international agencies, business, NGOs, academia and farmers.

The key objectives of the meeting were to build consensus on ways to fully incorporate agriculture into the post-Copenhagen climate agenda and to discuss strategies and actions needed to address climate change adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture sector. Participants heard two keynote presentations during the opening session in the morning, and also attended four parallel roundtables before lunch. In the afternoon, there was a presentation by the US Secretary of Agriculture, and an “ideas marketplace” to provide an informal opportunity for dialogue and information exchange. The closing plenary was held in the early evening, during which a synthesis from the roundtables and a summary of the day were presented, followed by the premier of the film feature “Hope in Climate Change.”

The results of the Agriculture and Rural Development Day will be presented, along with outcomes from Forest Day and the FAO Climate Change and Food Security event, at a COP 15 Side Event on Monday afternoon, 14 December, titled: “Beyond Copenhagen: Agriculture and Forestry are Part of the Solution. How can forestry and agriculture help to mitigate climate change and feed 9 billion people by 2050?”

Hereunder is the speech of Dr Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO of FANRPAN, on agriculture and climate change:

Lindiwe Sibanda said the session had identified the key elements necessary to inform the negotiators at COP 15 on how agriculture should be addressed. She stressed that food security and climate change are inseparable, and questioned to the best way to communicate the message to ensure that agriculture is a part of the agreement. She identified priorities highlighted in the conference, such as: food provision; addressing overconsumption and waste; the role of women; sustainable land uses; the need to look at biofuels in a pragmatic manner; addressing invasive species; having small farmers and large producers accrue the benefits of the carbon trade; the need for clear communication and clean technologies; literacy; modalities to access financing; and bottom-up approaches. She said that all farmers have a stake in agriculture and climate change and need to speak with one voice, and cautioned against compartmentalizing agriculture.

Related: Africa Adapt at COP15 / AfricaAdapt à la COP15

• Voices from COP15: Clement Kalonga - Delegate for Malawi 08/12
• Voices from COP15: Dominic Walunbengo - Director - Forest Action Network Kenya 09/12
• Voices from COP15: H.E. Hon. Awudu Mbaya Cyrpian - Executive President of the Pan-African Parliamentarians' Network on Climate Change 10/12
• Voices from COP15: Euster Kibona, Director of Environmental Protection and Management Services - Tanzania 11/12

References:
IISD 12/12 Agriculture and Rural Development Day 2009

US Department of Agriculture 14/12 Vilsack highlights role of agriculture in climate change
Farmers Guardian 14/12 Copenhagen focus switches to farming
The Independent (blog) 14/12 Reversing climate change needs help from stewards of the land
Daily Nation 13/12 Food plan gives lifeline to the hungry
Reuters 12/12 Farmers must earn carbon market rewards

High level Stakeholders Meeting of the Rwandan CAADP Post-Compact

Back row/ from left to right: representatives from World Bank, DfID,

Ministers from other countries

Front row/from left to right: USAID country representative, Rhoda Thrimisu Commissioner DREA-AU, President Paul Kagame, WFP, Agnes Kabibata Rwandan Minister of Agriculture, Sheila Sisulu WFP Deputy Executive Director

December 7 and 8. Kigali. Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture has hosted a two-day high-level stakeholder meeting to discuss post-compact implementation of its CAADP Compact in Kigali.


This Post - CAADP Compact meeting, aimed to review the role of CAADP in stimulating effective and sustainable poverty reduction, economic growth and food security in Africa. The meeting mainly examined the key drivers enshrined in the CAADP priorities and frameworks and how the alignment of the Rwanda Agriculture Investment Plan to CAADP can facilitate and accelerate the achievement of sector targets and Millennium Development Goal I ( MDG I).



Rwanda presented its Agricultural Investment Plan, which is based on its medium-term strategy; Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation, 2009-2012 (PSTA II). This is a comprehensive strategic plan which provides detailed budgets for the priority programs and activities necessary in order for Rwanda to achieve the CAADP target of 6% or higher agricultural sector growth deemed necessary to stimulate the required transformation of Rwanda’s rural areas and significantly reduce poverty levels.

Dr. Monty Jones and Sheila Sisulu WFP Deputy Executive Director

This level of growth, if driven by factors that benefits the poorest households, has the potential to reduce poverty by almost 8% per year. While this is not quite sufficient to halve poverty by 2015, it would reduce poverty levels by 40% in the next 6 years.


In recognition of the central role of Agriculture in its effort to combat poverty and food insecurity, Rwanda was the first country to align itself to the CAADP agenda and to sign the CAADP Compact in 2007. Rwanda has since elaborated her agricultural investment needs and put in place mechanisms to align support and strengthen accountability.



On the second day, a half day field visit was organized to give delegates the opportunity to experience firsthand, the agricultural landscape in Rwanda through meeting farmers and visiting some interventions that gave them a chance to understand better the implementation challenges, opportunities and success stories of Rwanda in the last couple of years.




Officiating at the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Bernard Makuza reiterated the need to transform the sector and called upon CAADP countries and development partners to walk the talk by undertaking 'real actions' to ensure food security. He noted that development partners should recommit to support infrastructure development, especially in rural areas, and land consolidation programmes. "Rwanda is committed to the CAADP and we are eager to be the first African country to bring the CAADP programme to its completion," pledged Makuza.



References:
Partnership to cut hunger and poverty A Concept Note of Rwanda Post CAADP Compact: High level stakeholders meeting
allAfrica 10/12/2009 States, Partners Agree to Support CAADP

Announcement: Policy Dialogue on Promoting Access to Regional and International Markets for Agricultural Commodities in Africa

18 – 20 February 2010. Nairobi, Kenya. A workshop on Policy Dialogue on Promoting Access to Regional and International Markets for Agricultural Commodities in Africaw will be held.

The workshop is being organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in collaboration with a number of other partners (TBC).

The purpose of the Regional Policy Dialogue in Eastern and Southern Africa is to contribute towards peoples’ awareness about policy issues affecting regional and international agricultural trade, promote dialogue among policymakers and key stakeholders on these issues, and to catalyze a consensus-building process toward trade enhancing policies with a view to building up broad-based support for such policies.

The workshop will provide open space for public discussion on important agricultural trade policy issues such as subsidies, tariff and non-tariff barriers, and food safety and quality assurance.

The specific objectives are to:

• Provide space for public discussion of important trade policy issues with a view to building up broad-based support for such policies.
• Stimulate discussion and dialogue among major stakeholders including policymakers, academics, experts, representatives of regional economic communities, representatives from business community, NGOs and other civil society groups on alternative regional agricultural trade policy issues.
• Advocate for pragmatic regional agricultural trade policies that promote and facilitate access to regional and international markets.
• Identify and agree on policy options to respond to the problems of increased subsidies provided by developed countries as well as address issues of SPS requirements.
• Disseminate the outcomes stemming from the dialogue discussion to a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

The Role of ICT in Agricultural Value Chains

7 - 18 December 2009. The e-Agriculture Community is hosting a global online forum about “The Role of ICT in Agricultural Value Chains”. The forum will discuss the key opportunities and challenges of ICT interventions in agricultural value chains with a special focus on the most beneficial interventions in rural areas.

It is an opportunity for knowledge sharing on good practices, presenting expectations of future challenges and outcomes, and considering the critical role of policy makers, rural service providers, and the agricultural community at large.

Through the use of experienced facilitators and selected subject matter experts, we will develop focused discussion topics in order to achieve beneficial outcomes from the forum. We look forward to your inputs! The outcomes of this forum will be disseminated through a policy brief written for the e-Agriculture Community and used in upcoming face-to-face meetings.

Register on the e-Agriculture platform, if you haven’t already done so.

AfricaAdapt at COP15

7 - 18 December. Copenhaegen. AfricaAdapt is active at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. Some of the key activities Africa Adapt is involved in are:

• Supporting African community radio journalists: in partnership with the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Africa Adapt brought community radio journalists from Burkina Faso, Mali and Kenya to cover these important negotiations.
• AfricaAdapt daily reports from COP15: Daily reports and viewpoints from the conference which you can follow on the Africa Adapt Twitter page, YouTube page, or on the AfricaAdapt website.
• Two AfricaAdapt partner organisations, ENDA-TM and IDS, have stands at COP15. Please feel free to stop by either of these stands to introduce yourself. It would be our pleasure to meet you! We will also be attending various sessions and side events. Visit the AfricaAdapt website for full details on where we’ll be.
• The second edition of the AfricaAdapt network newsletter is now available. It includes news from the network, profiles of network members and projects, and insights on key issues related to adaptation in Africa. You can download the newsletter here:English (pdf) (French to follow)
• Joto Afrika Volume 2: Managing Africa’s Water Resources in a Changing Climate
  The 2nd edition of Joto Afrika is now available in print and electronic format. This edition focuses on water resource management and climate change. It includes a feature article on a South African project featured on the AfricaAdapt website, and several other interesting examples of adaptation in the water sector. You can download it here (pdf) (French to follow)

Related blogpost: 07/12 Nine projects win funds to engage African communities in climate change knowledge sharing

Related news: The Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) research and capacity development program CCAA staff and partners is on the ground in Copenhagen, contributing to events on climate information for Africa’s most vulnerable and on adaptation strategies for farmers and food systems.

• See a presentation by CCAA program manager Simon Carter on Africa’s vulnerability to climate change and lessons from adaptation research.
• Read more on: CCAA activities at COP 15 and CCAA media contacts
• Read an African perspective on the negotiations in this working paper by CCAA research officer Alioune Kaere.
• Read Simon Carter’s recent article, “Protecting the vulnerable in a changing climate” in Canada’s Hill Times.
• Read Stories from the Field to learn about adaptation research underway in Kenya, Madagascar, Benin, and Morocco.

Learn how traditional “rainmakers” of the Nganyi clan in western Kenya are responding to climate change in this video, photo documentary, and project profile.

Nganyi Indigenous Knowledge Adaptation Project from Will Miller on Vimeo.

Climate change is real, and it's affecting subsistence farmers worldwide. This project is trying to help people in western Kenya adapt to climate change, using both modern science and the Indigenous Knowledge of the Nganyi "rain-making" family

Information and communication management and agricultural research for development and innovation

7 December 2009 - 11 December 2009. Hyderabad, India. APAARI-GFAR-FAO-ICRISAT. The objective of this event is to identify and define concrete areas of action that address emerging challenges, and exploit opportunities for information and communication technologies (ICT) in support of Agricultural Research for Development.

The outcomes of these action agendas will be linked to major development goals in agriculture, highlighting the specific role/contribution to be made by information and communication management, bringing together all appropriate categories of actors. They will feed into the GCARD2010 process of global consultations.

Key Questions

• What new strategies and policies are needed to enhance and sustain adoption of ICM that contributes through ARD and agricultural development, especially of resource poor farmers and other actors in market and value-addition chains?
• What needs to be done to make content available, accessible, applicable, and appropriated/used effectively by at all levels and among all actors in ARD?
• How can be ICM capacities in ARD be developed sustainably across all the dimensions of enabling environment, institutions and individuals?
• How can investments be targeted effectively?

Reference Information and communication management and agricultural research for development and innovation

Agribusiness and innovation systems in Africa

2 December 2009. World Bank. A new World Bank publication 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.

The volume is based on qualitative interviews with agribusiness representatives that were designed to shed light on their experiences on public policies that either enhance or impede innovation in Africa's agriculture sector.

Reference Agribusiness and innovation systems in Africa

Agricultural innovation in Africa: addressing climate-smart growth

2 December 2009 Belfer Center. The Belfer Center’s new Agricultural Innovation in Africa project will work to address the dual challenges of climate change and food shortages.

The project, directed by Harvard Kennedy School’s Professor of the Practice of International Development Calestous Juma, seeks to engage with policy-makers and focus information dissemination on efforts to align science and technology missions and operations with agricultural development goals in Africa's Regional Economic Communities.

Reference: Agricultural innovation in Africa: addressing climate-smart growth

ILRI Innovation platforms and networks

6 December 2009 IAALD. Peter Ballantyne recently interviewed three researchers about their research work on innovation systems:

Ranjitha Puskur (ILRI) on the DFID-funded Fodder Innovation Project

What outcomes and changes has she seen? At the farm level, farmers are changing their livestock feeding and management practices; there is an emerging demand for technologies, inputs and services that, ironically, were earlier promoted without success. "Farmers are seeing the need for knowledge and can articulate demands to service providers." She emphasizes that "getting a network of actors isn't an easy process, it takes time". Different organizations with different interests and motives have to be brought around the table to contribute and benefit.
"It needs great facilitation skills and negotiating skills which are not very often core competences of researchers like us."

Alan Duncan (ILRI) on the IFAD-funded Fodder Adoption Project. Speaking in the margins of the December 2009 SLP meeting in Addis Ababa, he introduces the IFAD-funded 'Fodder Adoption Project' based at ILRI.

He outlines the approach followed in the project - trying to strike a balance between the technological and institutional angles. The project helps groups of stakeholders - farmers, private sector, dairy coops, the government - get together in 'innovation platforms' where they can develop joint actions that address livestock fodder problems. Initially the project went with a traditional approach, focusing on technologies. As the process evolved, other issues came in, more actors joined the platforms, and the technologies - growing improved fodder - acted more as a catalyst for people to come together to discuss a wide range of other issues (dairying, health, etc).

Andre Van Rooyen (ICRISAT) on the “innovation platform” approach he uses to engage with smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

Andre Van Rooyen (ICRISAT) outlines why ICRISAT is interested in this project: "Our interest in the slp project is to understand the main drivers behind increased use of crop residues and at what point will farmers begin to buy and sell them." He sees the project playing an important role to hep ICRISAT in Southern Africa position itself to better serve farmer needs in the future.

Reference: Innovation platforms and networks

Research Into Use launches RIUtv

4 December 2009 R4D . As part of its communications strategy, the DFID-funded Research Into Use Programme (RIU) has launched an on-line television channel – RIUtv. One way of sharing research into use lessons is to identify compelling stories and present these in a way that policy makers and practitioners can readily see the benefits.

The RIUtv network involves sub-contract local cameramen and staff in each of RIU's African Country Programmes to enable them to make their own films. RIU will also place success stories with a wide range of national and international media - print, radio, television and web.

Andy Hall, Head of the Central Research Team, Research into Use, explains the programmes approach to research.

RIUtv correspondent, Nik Wood, explains the background to Research into Use, which has launched its own online TV station.

Patrick Opondo operates as a 3V Vet in the town of Dokolo, Uganda. Here he explains how his business is growing as part of a programme aimed at helping young vets to set up in private business. Patricks work also sees him involved in a project, backed by Research into Use, whereby cattle are sprayed against tsetse flies that spread the deadly sleeping sickness disease.

Prof John David Kibasa, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Makerere University in Uganda, explains how the university curriculum has been changed to teach young vets entrepreneurial skills as they prepare to operate in their communities.


Reference
Research Into Use launches RIUtv

The talking book of Literacy bridge

4 November 2009.Wageningen, Cliff Schmidt from Literacy Bridge presented the 'talking-book' (aka 'chatterbox'), a device that generated a lot of interest among the participants of the ICT Observatory 2009.

This device is designed to allow people in remote rural areas to get access to knowledge and improve literacy: basically, all that a computer can do, but without having a display. It can speak multiple languages and can play content on different topics, such as agriculture and health. It also allow recording onto it, so that users can create and document their own knowledge. Last but not least, it allow exchange of digital content when connected with another 'chatterbox'. The content is produced locally. This device is not a prototype but has been deployed on the field for one year now and it is currently produced for sale to governments and NGOs.

Background:
The Talking Book pilot project began in early 2009 and focused on spreading health and agriculture information in a remote village in Ghana in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

Literacy bridge began by collaborating with local experts in agriculture, health, and education to produce content for Talking Books. Experts included officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Education Service, and Ghana Health Service. In January, we delivered 21 Talking Books to the small village of Ving Ving. The devices were managed by a group of local leaders who were given two hours of training by a local Literacy Bridge volunteer.

Results. Six months later, Literacy bridge conducted 25 in-depth interviews to study the impact, usability, usage patterns, and response to various forms of audio content.
Impact on Learning and Behavior Change. Of the users who were interviewed, 100 percent described learning valuable information from device recordings. Nearly every user had already seen improved results from applying what they had learned.

Examples of agriculture guidance that resulted in an observed behavior change include:

• Keep animals in a confined space and use droppings as manure to make soil more fertile.
• Plant in rows instead of mounds for most efficient use of soil and moisture retention.
• Use a tie ridge pattern to reduce soil erosion from heavy rains.
• Clean animal pens everyday to prevent disease.

Because this pilot was a feasibility study, Literacy Bridge did not take baseline data or compare against a control group. However, many farmers performed their own experiments to test the new guidance, essentially creating their own control group of crops. They used their old methods in some sections and the new methods in others to observe the difference. The pictures to the right show an example where a farmer planted corn using traditional methods in one section (top) and then planted the same crop at the same time using guidance from the Talking Book in an adjacent section (bottom).

References:

• For more details, please download the Literacy bridge report Download the full report (PDF).
• Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have all invited Cliff Schmidt to present the Talking Book Project to their employees. Watch the Google Tech Talk, the Microsoft Research talk, or a keynote address at the KDE Conference in Belgium.
• 03 Sep 2009 United Nations Cites Talking Book as "Real Opportunity"
• 13 Sep 2009 Wireless News: Literacy Bridge Secures Grant from Amazon.com

Nine projects win funds to engage African communities in climate change knowledge sharing

7 December 2009. Dakar, Accra, Nairobi, Brighton, Copenhaegen. Nine projects win funds to engage African communities in climate change knowledge sharing

Africa’s poor and vulnerable communities have first hand experience of climate change and are eager to learn more about what they should do to become climate resilient. However, these communities can be isolated from formal exchanges of knowledge on how to build resilience. AfricaAdapt’s new Knowledge Sharing Innovation Fund has been set to reverse this and has just announced the winners of its 2009 call.

The winners are nine groundbreaking projects led by research groups, community-based organisations, co-operatives and other local institutions in close partnership with poor and hard-to reach communities.. Each project will receive up to US$10,000 and pilot new practical ideas and strategies to promote valuable exchanges across stakeholder groups that have so far been working in isolation. These projects were selected from almost 500 applications from across the continent.

‘In Angola, oral testimonies by members of rural communities in isolated parts of the countries will fill a critical gap in meteorological data allowing scientists to produce climate change scenarios urgently needed to help the country to build climate resilient policies’ says Jacqueline Nnam from AfricaAdapt.

‘In Ghana, slum dwellers affected by flooding, erosion, and other climate-related impacts will have the opportunity to learn about how to ease the impact of weather related shocks. This project will address their vulnerability to climate change, which currently goes unrecognised by Government’s policies.’

‘In Morocco, testimonies from elders on how the climate has changed and of local farmers on how lives in the oasis has changed as a result will help documenting local knowledge on climate adaptation. This initiative will both encourage the sharing of knowledge across generations and revive the collective memory of the community.

Learn more about the winning projects. Summaries available

The next generation of mobile phone e‐service delivery

2 to 4 November 2009. Wageningen. The ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), together with its partners, held its 2009 meeting of its ICT Observatory on ICTs on the theme of “mobile services” for agricultural and rural development. The next generation of mobile phone e‐service delivery using web technologies can only become a reality if a number of conditions are met :

• Making usable mobile web browsers;
• Defining guidelines on how to make usable web content and applications for people without previous computer experience;
• Defining guidelines on how to identify needs and requirements of communities for ICT based services.

The meeting gathered some 20 experts around the discussion paper: The potential of mobile devices in wireless environments to provide e-services for positive social and economic change in rural communities. By Pete Cranston.Download in PDF format (35 pages, size: 620 K). An open session at the start of the meeting was addressed by a number of international speakers.

During the CTA ICT Observatory 2009 Mark Davies from Esoko, in Ghana was interviewed. Esoko is a software platform licensed to facilitate the flow of market information between farmers, governments, researchers and other stakeholders involved in agriculture and rural development. It is used to share information on prices, offers, price of fertilizers etc.

It is managed by the web, but delivered via mobile phones. Mark underlines the potential positive effects that Market Information Services such as Esoko can bring about, both in agriculture as well as in for other sectors. He then concludes talking about the difficulties he has encountered in this initiative, such as the lack of content available and the lack of right capacities to build and develop such software.

For Kafui Amenu (One Village Foundation, Ghana) the second day on the Observatory offered great opportunities to discuss business models, how these can be leveraged, and how ICTs can be applied in different situations. He concludes with a note of appreciation for the participatory and interactive approach adopted by the facilitators, which make possible for people to engage at a different level and really think out of the box.

For Edna Karamagi from Brosdi the first day of the ICT Observatory 2009 offered quite some interesting topics for discussion and ideas. In particular, for Edna the issue of sustainability of ICTs initiatives should be really at the center of the debate. Further, she underlines the importance of the quality of information that is made available through ICTs.

Jacqueline Nyagahima from Asareca took few minutes of her time to share some ideas with us on ICTs and agricultural research. In her views, research has the role to validate information: the current ICTs however might allow also some information not yet validated to circulate and people might take decisions upon this same information.

Dorothy Okello presented the work of WOUGNET in Uganda. Her organisation has been using mobile services to enhance the outreach of ICTs, to reach also rural and remote areas. However, there are also some challenges: the costs are still high; access to power and energy is an issue, and innovation in this field is very much needed; there's also a lack of skills in using these technologies; lastly, the policy environment needs to support the development of these services She concludes with some reflections on the day discussions.

Other presentations:

• Developing, Deploying and Accessing ICT services on Mobile Phones Presentation by Stéphane Boyera

References:
CTA ICT Observatory 2009

AGRA launches micro dosing fertiliser project

5 december. Ouagadougou. AGRA has initiated an $8.9 million fertilizer project for smallholder farmers in West Africa’s desert margins.

The funding will be implemented by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and national partners. The project will enable 300,000 farm households to tackle the challenges of harsh climate and depleted soils.

Through the program, farmers will use targeted, minute amounts of fertilizers to increase crop productivity, combined with strengthened farmer organizations, and improved access to credit and to agro-dealer shops. The program aims to sustainably boost farmers’ grain yield by 50% and their income by 30%, the statement said.

Commenting on the project, Dr Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA said “dry lands need not be barren lands. We have seen farmers pilot the use of microdosing to nourish their crops and grow their incomes. Our new partnership will scale-up these efforts, to reach hundreds of thousands of farmers.”

According to the statement, microdosing applies small amounts of fertilizer with the seed rather than spreading it over an entire field. It is affordable and gives plants a quick start by boosting their root growth, which enables the plant to capture the small amounts of water that fall in West Africa’s dry lands.

Reference:

AGRA supports West Africa's farmers with $8.9m fertilizer project

Transformer et promouvoir les produits locaux au Burkina

27 Novembre au 06 Décembre 2009. OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO. Le Thème de cette 5ème édition des Journées Agro-Alimentaires (JAAL) appellait à une prise en compte de la contribution du secteur pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire et réduire la vulnérabilité de l'économie du Burkina face aux chocs exogènes.

Les Journées Agro-Alimentaires sont organisees par la Fédération Nationale des Industries Agro-Alimentaires et de Transformation du Burkina (FIAB) offrent un cadre de promotion des produits alimentaires « made in Africa » , valorisant au mieux les matières premières locales. Elles favorisent la création de réseaux d’échanges Sud-Sud actifs dans le cadre des Politiques Agricoles Communes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre.

Objectifs:

• Renforcer la promotion des produits agro-alimentaires locaux
• Favoriser la concertation et les échanges entre les entreprises du Burkina et celles de la sous région en créant un réseau commercial actif des entrepreneurs de l’Agro-Alimentaire de la Zone UEMOA-CEDEAO-CEMAC
• Créer un cadre d’échanges entre les professionnels du secteur de l’agro-alimentaire à travers l’organisation d’un salon professionnel de l’agro-alimentaire
• Renforcer le partenariat avec les pouvoirs publics et les partenaires au développement dans la conception des politiques de développement du secteur de l’agro-industrie
• Primer l’innovation en matière de transformation des produits locaux

Reference:

Programme de la 5ème édition des Journées Agro-Alimentaires

Findings of the Feasibility study for AfricaConnect FEAST

1 December 2009. A new FEAST PROJECT brochure - A feasibility study on the interconnection of African research and education networks to each other and to global research and education resources via GÉANT - giving an overview of the results and outlook from the project has been published. The brochure provides a summary of the highlights.

The FEAST project was a one-year feasibility study to prepare a roadmap for the AfricaConnect Initiative, one of the nineteen projects of the EU-Africa Partnership for Science, Information Society & Space (8). FEAST explored the options of deploying sustainable and extensible regional backbone networks in Africa, exclusively dedicated to research and education, to connect National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) to each other, and to global research and education resources via the GÉANT backbone network.

The FEAST partners announced the publication of the ROADMAP of the work to be carried out and the issues to be dealt with in establishing a sub-Saharan regional research and education network (REN) between the NRENs of the countries identified to be in a position to participate in such a regional network.

An updated readiness table has been prepared since the publication of the roadmap.
The countries identified to be in a position to participate in such a regional network are Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Related:
12 – 13 November 2009 Kampala, Uganda Opening New Frontiers for Research and Education Networking in Africa

Blogpost of FARA West and Central African Research Education Networks

ICTs Transforming Agricultural Science and Innovation

16-20November. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. CTA convened its 8th meeting of Advisory Committee on S&T for ACP Agricultural and Rural Development.

Investments in physical infrastructure and human resource development must increase if the ACP region is to fully participate in the global knowledge system. There is need to overcome the barriers to making optimum use of science and technological innovations. Over 60 senior officials and scientists from the ACP region and Europe met at CIRAD, Montpellier, France from to deliberate on the future of agriculture and science and the opportunities and challenges for ICTs for improving ACP knowledge systems to enhance agricultural performance.

The objectives were among others:
(i) To identify and discuss windows of opportunities within the emerging evolution in the field of ICTs which can support the ACP region in improving the environment for agricultural science and innovation? What are the priorities and options for policy intervention?
(ii) To identify and discuss investments that are needed in infrastructure to realize the potential of ICTs in transforming agricultural science and innovation for meeting present and future needs.

Speakers related to ICT:

• ICT - Its role in Fostering Learning, Knowledge Generation through Research and Dissemination: Current Status, Lessons and Future Implications - Dr Towela Nyirenda-Jere, Programme Manager, NEPAD e-Africa Commission, South Africa
• ICTs and Agricultural and Rural Development in the ACP Region: Experiences of CTA – Mrs. Oumy Ndiaye, Manager, Communication Services Department, CTA, The Netherlands
• Opportunities, Priorities and Possible Investments for ICTs in Agricultural and Rural Development: Lessons from India and Finland – Dr. Silvia Galvani, Research Fellow, University of Joensuu, Finland
• Networking for Improving Data Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing in Agricultural Research: Experiences from CIRAD - Dr. Joel Sor, Head, Department of Information Systems, CIRAD, France
• SupAgro/ University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) Cooperation: Lessons from a joint North/South University Course using ICT – Dr. Dominique This, Lecturer, Department of Plant Sciences, CIRAD-SupAgro, France
• Information Technology Initiatives for Improving the Nigerian University System: Prof. Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Nigeria

Reference:

Final Programme 8th Advisory Committee Meeting November 2009.pdf