New Senior Officer joins GFAR Secretariat

We are pleased to announce Mr. Thomas Price has recently joined GFAR Secretariat as Senior Officer-Agricultural Innovation and Society.
 

Thomas Price joined the GFAR Secretariat this month from FAO where he led civil society and private sector relations overall and the strategy for engagement with these partners. He came to FAO after two decades resident experience working with rural communities in West and Central Africa to promote and consolidate their access to, ownership and control of local resources. Building from the local level, he contributed to informing and influencing national policies, law and legislation to match the priorities and capacities of farmers, fishers, herders and other groups.

 

As a social anthropologist, his work has focused on building institutional arrangements, consensus and policies on a range of intimately inter-related topics: dryland forest conservation and use, agroforestry, agrobiodiversity, pasture management, fisheries, sustainable use of wild species, conservation in situ of local varieties and landraces. Thomas’ institutional experience is broad and deep including applied research for development within CIRAD and the Institute for Development Anthropology, and technical programmes and policy development within IUCN, FAO and many development agencies.

 

Thomas will increase the collective strength of GFAR to reach out to farmer organizations, civil society organizations and private sector for AR4D. Given his long-term, direct experience at local, national, regional and international levels, he will be engaging these organizations around the world to raise their voice and recognise their central role in food and agriculture research. The GCARD Road Map aims to increase the inclusiveness, value and demand-driven nature of innovation systems and knowledge institutions. To catalyze change at local and national level, GFAR will capitalise on his skills in working in complex institutional environments, in particular addressing the fundamental challenges to ensure the value and relevance of agricultural innovation to women and youth. Delivering on making research and extension processes more accountable to partners and end users, notably for smallholders and in fragile states, will bring farmers and rural people back to the centre of research for development.

 

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