Vidéos “Lutter contre le Striga” développées par l’ICRISAT

Farmers on film in the fight against striga

Juliana Toboyee from Ghana, gives the go ahead sign for action
© Marcella Vrolijks

With the widespread scaling back of agricultural extension services in Africa, those with a responsibility to deliver information to rural communities are learning to follow new channels. In West Africa, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has built on experiences gained by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) in developing a series of ten farmer-to-farmer videos. The ten films are now being widely shown to support rural learning on practical and affordable ways to control one of Africa's most serious weeds - striga.

You can watch either with live streaming, downloads onto your computer, or mobile device, or order for local delivery by VCD or DVD. AccessAgriculture are also developing a facility for audio files to be downloaded by radio stations.

Les vidéos “Lutter contre le Striga” ont été développées par l’ICRISAT et ses partenaires, avec le support de Agro-Insight et Countrywise Communication. Il y a 10 vidéos sur des sujets différents concernant la gestion intégrée du striga et de la fertilité du sol pour les producteurs de mil et de sorgho. Pour avoir une idée du contenu, vous pouvez les visualiser ou télécharger du site http://www.accessagriculture.org/fr

• Maïs
  • La biologie du striga
  • Approche intégrée contre striga
  • Cultiver ligne par ligne
  • L'arrachage manuel du striga
• Sorgho et mil
  • La biologie du striga
  • Approche intégrée contre le striga
  • Réussir avec des semences
  • Du compost contre le striga
  • La micro dose
  • Animaux, arbres et cultures
  • Stockage des semences de niébé
  • Cultiver ligne par ligne
  • L'arrachage manuel du striga
  • Parlons d'argent

Comme les producteurs n’ont pas access à l’internet, actuellement nous avons prévus de multiplier et distribuer 25,000 DVDs (qui sont déjà attribués aux différentes structures) aux Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger et Nigéria. Chaque DVD a toutes les 10 vidéos en 8 langues: Anglais, Français, Bambara, Bomu, Mooré, Haoussa, Fulfulde et Zarma.

Pourquoi s’investir à multiplier un grand nombre de DVD? Et bien, l’objective principale d'Acces Agriculture est de mettre la plupart des DVDs  à la disposition des communautés, des OPs, des paysans, des radio rurales, etc. Bref, partout ou le mil et le sorgho sont cultivés et ou les producteurs ont des problèmes avec le striga, la pauvre fertilité du sol (ou les deux).

Measuring aid to agriculture and food security

Measuring aid to agriculture and food security ODI Briefing Papers 72, 29th February 2012.

This Briefing Paper discusses flaws in the system for identifying and classifying aid to agriculture and calls for a purposeful (policy-relevant) measure that addresses global commitments on transparency, accountability and results-based aid.

There is a prevailing view that aid to agriculture has suffered a steep decline since the 1980s and is only now beginning to recover its share of total aid, following concerns over food price rises and volatility. While this is broadly true, the extent of the decline has been exaggerated by the limitations of the method used to classify aid to agriculture, and the recent recovery has been exaggerated by the merging of this type of aid with broader efforts to address food insecurity. There are two main causes of such statistical inaccuracies. First, the difficulty of capturing policy changes in the way in which donors support agriculture. Second, the difficulty of isolating the agricultural component in aid programmes.

This Briefing Paper explores the flow of aid to agriculture and reviews how it is measured and counted in terms of overall Overseas Development Assistance. Based on this analysis, the researchers argue:

• Recent aid pledges to agriculture reveal flaws in the system for identifying and classifying such aid;
• A purposeful measure of aid to agriculture is required to improve transparency and accountability;
• The different policy objectives behind aid to agriculture need to be separated to help establish results-based aid.

ECOWAS, COMESA, EAC, SADC and the regional implementation of CAADP

March 5th, 2012. Brussels, ECDPM Office. Organizers: Dutch MFA and ECDPM.
In preparation of the 8th Partnership Platform at the end of March, this meeting was organized by the Dutch MFA and ECDPM and aimed at discussing and exploring how to facilitate and support greater involvement of all CAADP partners at the regional level and more effective harmonization of their interventions.

A mapping exercise, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on regional issues relating to CAADP, was recently completed by the ECDPM. The research focused on ECOWAS, COMESA, EAC, and SADC. Key findings and messages are compiled in a specific document for each REC, plus a condensed summary of cross-cutting messages relevant to donors supporting regional integration. The research findings include regional linkages horizontally with other RECs, and vertically with countries.

Meeting documents:
Agenda

ECDPM Executive summaries of regional mapping papers:
* COMESA
* SADC
* EAC
* ECOWAS

How rural communities can benefit from bioenergy development

5 March 2012, Rome - FAO has released a suite of guidance documents and policymaking tools that governments can use to help rural communities benefit from bioenergy development and ensure that biofuel crop production does not come at the expense of food security.

Materials released by FAO's Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) Project include: methodologies for assessing the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of bioenergy production, indicators that can be measured when doing so, recommended good practices, and policy measures for promoting sustainable bionenergy development.

"In a few months the international community will gather for the Rio+20 conference to explore new ways to combat rural poverty and promote sustainable development. Undertaken responsibly and where appropriate, bioenergy production can offer farmers and rural people the opportunity to take part in building a new green economy, and can help counter the effects of decades of underinvestment in developing world agriculture and rural areas," said Alexander Mueller, FAO Assistant Director-General for Natural Resources Management and Environment.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, the BEFSCI project was initiated to study the complex relationship between bioenergy and food security and help policymakers make informed decisions regarding bioenergy development.

The project has generated a number of products, including: a web-based tool for assessing potential food security impacts of bioenergy projects; a comprehensive list of methodologies and indicators to assess the impacts of bioenergy on food security at the national level; a set of good environmental practices to minimize negative environmental impacts; and a compilation of socio-economic practices currently being implemented by producers that provide examples of how bioenergy development can foster rural development and enhance food security.

The project also assembled an inventory of management and policy measures that can be used to address negative social, food security or environmental impacts of bioenergy production. And it has explored how to better include smallholders in global bioenergy value chains.

Additionally, a BEFSCI briefing paper identifies and analyzes various policy instruments that governments and planners can use to require or promote good practices in bioenergy. "The paper looks at the pros, cons and appropriateness of these various instruments, so that governments who are just beginning to wrestle with these issues can learn from the experiences of others," explained Heiner Thofern, who heads up the BEFSCI project at FAO.

FARA Weekly Update

Please find below a summary of announcements received in the week of 27 Feb. -3 March  2012. Thank you

News and Events

1.       Press release: New genomic resources for maize breeding
2.       Empowering Women in Agriculture
3.     Biennial Updates: Second Announcement and sample abstract

Opportunities for training, scholarships and fellowships

1.   International Journal of  Mechanical Engineering and Research, submissions open for Volume 1,Issue 1,Feb. - April, 2012
2.   ITOCA CEPD 2012 Short Course: Marketing for the Information Professional
3.  West African Network on Organic Agriculture Research Training
4.  Online Course March 2012 Adaptation.  CSDi Solution-Oriented Program Examples for Community Challenges in DRR, CBA and Rural Development.
5.    Formation Internationale " Comment Relier les Agriculteurs aux Marchés en Afrique" Bamako, Mali, Avril 9-13, 2012

Job Vacancies

1.       Avis de recrutement charge de suivi de projets pilote redd & adaptation

2.       Postdoc Position in Geography - Namibia - Switzerland

3.       Call for applications:

a.       Graduate Research Program on Climate Change and Agriculture.  Download application form.

b.      Graduate Research Program on Climate Change and Biodiversity.  Download application form

New Resources

1.       New EIARD policy briefs:

a.       Making ARD more “pro-poor”, improving the accessibility and relevance of ARD to the poorest.

b.      Capacity development for agricultural research for development.

Agriculture innovation systems: An investment sourcebook

Agricultural Innovation Systems: An Investment Sourcebook

by:  The World Bank

Agriculture and Rural Development Series
English; Paperback; 680 pages; 8.5x11
Published February 21, 2012 by World Bank
ISBN: 978-0-8213-8684-2; SKU: 18684
Research, education, and extension investments, while usually necessary, are often insufficient alone to bring knowledge, technologies, and services that enable farmers and entrepreneurs to innovate. Efforts to strengthen research systems and increase the availability of knowledge have not increased innovation or the use of knowledge in agriculture at the pace or the scale required by the intensifying and proliferating challenges confronting agriculture. Agricultural Innovation Systems: An Investment Sourcebook contributes to the identification, design, and implementation of the investments, approaches, and complementary interventions most likely to strengthen agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and to promote innovation and equitable growth. The Sourcebook provides a menu of tools and operational guidance, as well as good practice lessons, to illustrate approaches to designing, investing in, and improving these systems.

Managing the ability of agriculture to meet rising global demand and to respond to the changes and opportunities will require good policy, sustained investments, and innovation—not business as usual. Experience indicates that aside from a strong capacity in R&D, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action and coordination, exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop business, and an enabling environment. While consensus is developing about what is meant by 'innovation' and 'innovation system,' no detailed blueprint exists for making agricultural innovation happen at a given time, in a given place, for a given result. That said, the AIS approach, which looks at these multiple conditions and relationships that promote innovation in agriculture in specific contexts, has moved from a concept to a subdiscipline with principles of analysis and action.

Drawing on approaches that have been tested at different scales in different settings, this Sourcebook emphasizes the lessons learned, benefits and impacts, implementation issues, and prospects for replicating or expanding successful practices.

The Sourcebook reflects the experiences and evolving understanding of numerous individuals and organizations concerned with agricultural innovation, including the World Bank. It targets the key operational staff who design and implement lending projects in international and regional development agencies and national governments, as well as the practitioners who design thematic programs and technical assistance packages. The Sourcebook can also be an important resource for the research community and nongovernmental organizations.

Upcoming forum 5-16 March 2012: ICT and agriculture in the context of "green growth"

Upcoming forum 5-16 March 2012. This year's Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Forum, titled Green Growth for All, was held at the World Bank headquarters in late February. Panel discussions and training sessions focused on operations centered on green growth. The sessions highlighted the profound threats and opportunities created by both climate change and increased environmental awareness, making a discussion on "green growth" in agriculture urgent and critical.

Information and communication technologies hold real promise to meet these threats and opportunities in two particular areas: 1) as tools for land use planning and management, and 2) as risk management tools for climate change adaptation.

Given the importance of green growth in the agriculture sector—and the potential for ICT to contribute—ARD is hosting the second e-forum on “ICT Innovation for Green Growth” in partnership with FAO and the e-agriculture community. This forum will explore how ICT is being used to reduce the climate effects that stem from agriculture. It also explores how ICT can increase climate-smart agricultural practices. Subject matter experts, who will respond to questions and provide insights on this topic, include:

• Bruce Campbell: Director of Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security Program (CGIAR)
• Marjory-Ann Bromhead: Adviser on Natural Resource Management (World Bank)
• Ademola Braimoh: Soil scientist and GIS Specialist (World Bank)
• Rodomiro Ortiz: Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding (Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences)
• Elizabeth Dodsworth: Global Director for Knowledge Management (CABI)
• Eric Seuret: Technology Consultant (Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture)
• Pierre C. Sibiry Traore: Remote Sensing Scientist & Head of GIS (ICRISAT)
• Pai-Yei Whung: Environmental Adviser (World Bank)

Please go to this website to participate in the forum from March 5-16:
http://www.e-agriculture.org/forums/current-forum

This forum will serve as a continuation of the on-going debates during SDN week and at the World Bank, and will be linked to the content of the "ICT in Agriculture" Sourcebook.

Jamal Saghir, Director of the Sustainable Development Department (Africa Region) at the World Bank, highlights the importance of climate-smart agriculture in addressing climate change in Africa specifically in the following video:

Announcement: Curriculum Development for postgraduate Organic Agriculture Research and Training in West Africa

The “Institutional Capacity Building for Organic Agriculture in West Africa” project is a West African Network for Organic Research and Training. It is financed by the European Union and Implemented by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat under the EDUKINK programme. The partners in this network share their expertise and resources to enhance the prospects for a successful organic agriculture sector in the wider West African region.

Specifically the network partners train graduates, farmers, extension officers and civil society organisations to develop a viable organic agriculture sector. The project partners also facilitate and undertake research that underpins organic production, embed organic agriculture into the curriculum in West African universities and develop locally appropriate standards, regulations and technologies for West African organic production. The composition of the partnership reflects the different stages of development of organic agriculture in West Africa and deliberately includes both Francophone and Anglophone countries.

DVC (A), Prof. Toyin Arowolo (2nd Right) receiving
Dr. Missiako Kindomihou (Standing), Miss Koura Tatiana
(Left) and the Coordinator (WANOART), Prof. Isaac
Aiyelaagbe in his office.

A workshop and training session on curriculum development will be held in Nigeria 6 -13 March 2012at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). This will involve partners, participants from other HEIs and other important stakeholders, such as future employers of organic agriculture graduates, government agencies for higher education, and government agencies in the agricultural sector. An outcome of the workshop is expected to be an outline common curriculum for organic agriculture in tertiary institutions in West Africa, which will facilitate further teaching collaboration and exchanges. In addition, teaching materials including posters, slides, DVDs, and monographs will be developed. Access to markets will be a major issue in sustainability of organic agriculture in West Africa.