August 2002
News from the Stakeholders
Non Govermental OrganizationsUganda Agricultural Research and Development Network (UARDN)
A Workshop on Research-Extension-Farmers and Market linkages in Uganda was held 14-17 May 2002.
The 3-day workshop brought together 35 participants from 23 institutions representing six categories of Actors in agricultural research for development (ARD), namely international research centers; national agricultural research institutes; local, national and international NGOs; religious sector; farmer organizations, and private sector.
The workshop, jointly convened by VeCo-Uganda and the NGO committee of the CGIAR, looked into the various organizations and initiatives in ARD that are taking place in Uganda. Participants discussed gaps in information access and involvement by the different actors in ARD. They also proposed a way forward for a more meaningful engagement by all stakeholders in ARD.
One of the main outputs is the establishment of the Uganda Agricultural Research and Development Network (UARDN). Its mission is to facilitate information exchange for improved competence in the Agricultural sector in order to improve the welfare of the people of Uganda. It will be focusing on addressing issues related to capacity building, service provision, support structure and marketing, and various constraints related to information, participation and networking.
Further queries can be addressed to Ms Co-Chair of NGOC of the CGIAR and affiliated Environmental Alert, Uganda.
Farmers' OrganizationsGFAR at the 35th World Farmer's Congress in Gizah, Egypt
These last few months have been very active for agriculture and Farmer's Organizations: the 35th World Farmer's Congress (WFC) in Gizah, Egypt; the World Food Summit: five years later and the NGO Forum for Food Sovereignty which established an action agenda and several strategy statements relating to civil society concerns on food, among others.
GFAR attended the 35th World Farmer's Congress and played a coordinating role in first session of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) Science and Technology Committee. The discussion focused on farmer and Farmer's Organization's participation in agricultural research, particularly in the context of the breakdown of the Researcher-Extension Worker-Farmer triangle. It was stressed that this time of change provides an opportunity for the farming community to ensure that any new structures that are being established will benefit farmers by increasing their participation in research and their access to relevant research results. Farmers must participate in the reforming of research processes and agendas to ensure that they are included in every step of the research process, and that the research is conducted according to their needs and demands. IFAP identified it's regional focal points for Agricultural Research for Development and GFAR looks forward to working with the committee on ARD activities and promoting people- centered research processes.
During the conference a proposal for a GFAR Initiative on Strengthening the Participation of Farmers' Organisations and of NGOs in the Global Agenda of Agricultural Research for Development was also presented. This initiative is designed to ensure that civil society, including farmer's organizations, have an active and effective representation in ARD decision-making bodies. The presentation was part of a multi-step consultation process to ensure that the potential participants of this project contributed to its design and thereby ensured that it was tailored to their needs. To find out more about the project please contact the GFAR Secretariat.
Farmer's Organisations will also be involved in the preparations and organization of the GFAR 2003 Conference which will take place in Dakar, Senegal in May, 2003. The general theme of the conference will be on the linkage among research, rural innovation and development.
There will be a change of Staff at the Farmer's Research Desk of the GFAR Secretariat in the coming months. Sara McHattie, who has held the position since September 2001, has left at the end of July (
). In September, Lani Trenouth will join the team. She will be sponsored by the Canadian government through the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Ms. Trenouth has experience working in Central and South America and is interested in Environmental Sciences and Land Management.
GFAR Secretariat
c/o FAO, SDR, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla - 00100 Rome, Italy
Tel. +39.06.5705.3413 Fax +39.06.5705.3898
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