Catherine YONDO TOCO
Tanko DOMBO
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Ernestina ASSEBRI
Emmanuel K. APIAH
Josiane GAVEH
Opoku
Thomas YEBOAH
Eunice Abadamkia CLARK
Boniface
Prosper AGBLEY
The workshop is a continuation of the discussions held at a Dakar workshop in early September 2007.
The CG, in partnership with other organisations, will also deliver a series of capacity-building processes on adaptation research communications targeted at research partners supported by the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) programme. The ultimate objective is to share knowledge, secure learning and build capacities to facilitate adaptation to climate change among Africa’s most vulnerable people.
Thevan NAIDOO, learning and sharing manager
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Information ServicesLinking Climate Adaptation (LCA) Project
A project investigating the most appropriate frameworks for linking locally determined climate change adaptation upwards to national and international policy. At the centre of the project is the LCA Network, a web and email-based network for all those with an interest in climate adaptation in developing countries to share their relevant experiences and knowledge. The network provides an online discussion space for close to 700 members and has covered discussion topics such as Preparation and Implementation of NAPAs, Climate Change and Disasters and Future Adaptation Policies. It has also coordinated a set of case studies and convened a workshop of African researchers to generate and link research ideas.
LCA Project: http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/pvty/ClimateChange/adaptationlca.html
LCA Network: http://www.linkingclimateadaptation.org/
Community Based Adaptation Exchange(CBA-X)
An online resource initiated by the International Institute for Environment and Development and hosted by IDS to support the exchange of up-to-date information on community based climate adaptation, including definitions, case studies and tools for implementation. The resource is hosted by through ELDIS and the LCA website.
CBA-X: http://www.cba-exchange.org/
The SPIDER Network (Science and Policy Interfaces for Disaster Risk Reduction)
A network established to re-evaluate the role of science in disaster management. Through a series of meetings and activities six UK-based academic departments from different universities and disciplinary traditions have been exploring the interface between more community centred approaches to DRR and the ways in which traditional hazard-related scientific knowledge is generated. The meetings are generating conference reports documenting the discussions and emerging research questions. The network intends to publish a series of working papers and annotated bibliographies of interdisciplinary DRR related research.
SPIDER Network: http://www.spidernetwork.org/index.htm
Poverty and Adaptation Seminar Series Network (PASSNET)
This seminar series on pro-poor climate adaptation seeks to develop co-operative partnerships between researchers and development specialists to explore the theoretical and policy challenges related to making climate adaptation work for the poor. By hosting meetings in the UK, Africa and in the wings of the UN Climate Conference, the research network will engage and involve policy-makers, academics, practitioners, and members of industry, while retaining a core community of researchers.
Other Relevant IDS Knowledge Services:
Ø ELDIS Climate Change Adaptation Resource Guide
ELDIS provides an online gateway to thousands of documents, resource guides, country profiles covering all aspects of development, policy, practice and research. Eldis climate change adaptation guide provides a summary of current thinking on climate adaptation issues with access to relevant and up to date resources and publications for researchers, practitioners, and policy formers. http://www.eldis.org/climate/index.htm
Ø Climate Change on ID21
An online database communicating UK-sourced international development research for policymakers and practitioners worldwide including the latest in climate change and development research. http://www.id21.org/zinter/id21zinter.exe?a=l&w=a3
Ø Livelihoods Connect
An online database for information resources related to sustainable livelihoods. www.livelihoods.org/
Ø Siyanda (Gender and CC)
An online database of gender and development materials from across the world including tools, case studies, policy papers and research to support practitioners in implementing gender programmes and in mainstreaming gender equality concerns. The site includes resources on Gender and Climate Change. http://www.siyanda.org/ http://www.siyanda.org/archive/july06_siyanda.htm
Dr SAKARA-FOSTER is principal advisor Coordination of Technical Collaboration on Agricultural Service Delivery in Africa, Sub programme of FAAP (Framework for African Agricultural Productivity)
Profile of Dr Michael Abu SAKARA-FOSTER
Dr Michael Abu SAKARA–FOSTER worked in technical, scientific and management roles in three international organizations over the last 21 years. Stationed in five countries (Nigeria, Mexico, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda) on long-term assignments and visited over 28 countries on four continents in relation to Agriculture and Development.
He holds a B. Sc. Soil Science from the University of Reading, United Kingdom; an M. Sc. Applied Plant Sciences at Wye College, University of London, United Kingdom; and a Ph.D. Applied Agricultural Botany at the University of Reading, United Kingdom (with a Thesis work at CIMMYT, Mexico).
Michael is married 23 years to Mary Lily Foster (B.A Economics & MBA) and they have four children; ages 22, 19, 15, 14 years.
Dr. MAKINDE gives us an insight in his long experience which has lead him to start working for AGRA and how this is the fulfillment of a childhood's dream.
Profile of Dr Kehinde MAKINDE
Dr Kehinde Makinde is an Agricultural Economist with over 20 years of progressive experience in national and international agricultural research and development including market-led smallholder agricultural commercialization. His professional background encompasses diverse research-for-development projects, with primary concentration on developing programs that links low-level agricultural production issues to the potentials for market-led agricultural commercialization. At the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Makinde implemented programs that transferred improved agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers in different agroecologies of SubSaharan Africa for close to two decades. In addition, he also has demonstrated ability in coordinating multi-stakeholder USAID initiatives responding to the needs of smallholder farmers, traders and private sector actors. He designed and implemented real time market information system for smallholder farmers alongside linkages to credit, input and output markets in Nigeria. Prior to joining AGRA as Program Officer, AgroDealer Development, Dr. Makinde was the Agricultural marketing specialist and business manager of the southern business promotion office of USAID funded MARKETS project where he facilitated markets for selected agricultural commodities and stimulated production to meet established demands as a strategy to increase rural incomes, sales and jobs in Nigeria. He is a consultant to several international organizations including CIAT, FAO, DFID, CTA, IFDC, Rockefeller Foundation and Winrock International. He has authored several publications in scientific journals, proceedings, book/book chapters, and technical reports.
Dr. TOURE explains what the PAS sub programme (Programme Africain pour le systeme semencier) entails inside the AGRA programme.
1. To create a new generation of experts in seed selection. Lagon university was choosen to train youth at PHD level. A number of training centres in other countries are supported at masters level.
2. Improvement of crops which are essential for nutrition: identify potential experts in selection and cultivate improved varieties.
3. Production of improved seeds: poor peasants get access to seeds available in the public and private sector.
4. Better organisation of imput sellers.
Dr. TOURE is personally motivated by the strong vision of PAS.
Profile of Aboubacar TOURE
Aboubacar TOURE is AGRA Program officer for Crop improvement and variety adoption for West Africa (August 15, 2007). He obtainded his Post-doctorat at the Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas US with a study on la Biotechnologie de sorgho. In the same state he completed successfully in 1992 a PhD. in Plant Breeding at the Texas A&M University USA. Before this he acquired in 1985 a DEA about l'Amélioration et développement des végétaux, at the Université d'Orsay Paris XI France. Aboubacar originates from Mali where he studied at the Institut Polytechnique Rural de Katibougou to become an Ingénieur des Sciences Appliquées spécialité Agriculture. His professional experience can be listed as follows: Sélectionneur principal Sorgho-IER, Chef Programme Sorgho; Coordinateur du Réseau Ouest et Centre Afrique de Recherche sur le Sorgho; Coordinateur du Projet INTSORMIL (International Sorghum and Millet) pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest.
Wikis: Facilitating CGIAR Teamwork
(…) In a bid to prepare the team for any possible changes and to increase access to and visibility of information related to managing the CGVlibrary Project, Luz Marina and her colleagues at IFPRI have established the CGWiki.
Team members can now log on to this collaborative online workspace to participate in programmed activities, suggest new resources, report problems, track solutions and implementations, and stay current on usage statistics.
Previously, team members had expressed frustration over having to search through personal hard drives and e-mail inboxes to retrieve the latest versions of Project documents and found it difficult to keep track of specific activities and the people responsible for working on them.
With the wiki, they now have around-the-clock access to the latest Project information via a single website and can easily keep track of the activities of other team members.
The CGWiki works because the team members have agreed to update information related to their own activities. And in the process, they are creating a knowledge base of the entire Project in one place.
Aissetou DRAME YAYE, interim SCARDA Progamme Officer, explains the activities of SCARDA (Strenghtening Capacity for Agricultural Research and Development in Africa). She also answers the question what she learned from FARA as she accepted the post of Executive Secretary at ANAFE (African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education).
The interview was saved on a Video for ISDN (48 Kbps) file to enable those with a dial up modem (with a relatively low bandwidth) to view the video. But as a consequence there is a loss of quality (the sub titles are not always easy to read, the image is not always clear and also the sound is less). I guess we will have to live with it for the time being.
Portret of Aissetou DRAME YAYE
Born in Mali, Aissètou Dramé Yayé is Senegalese by birth and Nigerian by adoption. She holds a B.S. in Forestry (from the Academia of Agriculture of Krakow in Poland), two Master degrees respectively in Animal Biology (from the Faculty of Science of the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal) and in the Use of New Information and Communication Technologies in Education (Distance learning Master from the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, France), and a PhD in Entomology (obtained at the Zoology Department of the University of Ghana). She worked in forestry development projects in Senegal and in Niger before coming to tertiary education. She started as a training expert in Entomology at the AGRHYMET Center before becoming, since 2000, a lecturer in Forest Management, Agroforestry and Forest Entomology at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University Abdou Moumouni of Niamey in Niger. At the same time, she did several consultation studies for the Economic Community of Africa (on Sustainable development), for Action Aid and ROPPA (on food Security), and for the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) (on the evaluation of tertiary Education in West Africa). She will be joining ANAFE as the Executive Secretary with effect from 1st November 2007 based in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Integrated rural development approach has the handicap
that you get over surveyed because every sector (health, education, nutrition,
infrastructure, agriculture, …) want to be captured for its impact”"Thank you also for the productive working meeting. As discussed during the meeting and now that potential areas have been identified, it would be good to continue working, via email, on defining objectives, mechanisms and next steps."
Dr. Jones comments on how this FARA Staff blog can be used as a forum:
(a) on how we exchange ideas and
(b) on how we promote relationships.
