December 2003

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IARCs

GFAR Report to the CGIAR AGM 2003

The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) since it was founded in 1996, has held its statutory meetings in conjunction with and just prior to the AGM and this year was no exception. The agenda of these meetings was rich and comprehensive and included a progress report and an outline of the GFAR business plan for the next triennium year 2004-2006. In addition stakeholders had the opportunity to exchange information on their respective activities during the year, and to renew alliances. This report presents some of the outputs of those three days of deliberations and interactions, as well as some of the interactions between the CGIAR Centres and other stakeholders of GFAR.

Inter-regional collaboration was recognized as a value adding niche for GFAR. A number of strategies were discussed and will be implemented to pursue this activity more vigorously.
A favourite instrument that GFAR uses to promote partnerships around common problems is the development and implementation of Global Partnership Programmes (GPPs) by stakeholders who have common interests, objectives and goals. The instrument is serving us well, as reflected by the healthy portfolio of GPPs reported on during the meetings. Some examples of such on-going GPPs presented during the meetings are: Promoting Local Innovation (PROLINNOVA), which focused on farmer innovation in Ethiopia (PROFIET), an initiative driven by a consortium of NGOs but implemented with other stakeholders in Ethiopia, and the Under-utilized Species GPP, which is poised to move into a phase of concrete activity implementation. A number of other initiatives were reported as being close to becoming GPPs, e.g. Rural Knowledge Systems and Innovation Processes which is designed to build on and enhance the utilization of local knowledge to tackle problems facing communities. GFAR Secretariat is also implementing an on-going initiative called GLOBAL.RAIS project whose objective is to strengthen and link the agricultural information systems of our regional and sub-regional fora.
GFAR's efforts to fully engage the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in its activities are yielding some fruits, as this important group of stakeholders participated actively in all of deliberations. The NGOs, after an extensive consultation decided to accept the GFAR Vice Chair position. Ms Monica Kapiriri (Aga Khan Foundation) was nominated to serve in that capacity. The Farmers' Organizations, on the other hand, have accepted to start consultations amongst themselves in order to nominate a new representative to the GFAR Steering Committee as a replacement for the current incumbent who has served over the last three years.
The result of the Donor Support Group meeting reflected renewed efforts to broaden the donor support base of GFAR. Current and new donors were present to confirmed their commitment to accompany and support GFAR. Other potential donors present adequately directed GFAR on how to continue with on-going negotiations.
Both the Chair of the CGIAR and the Executive Secretary of the Systems Office joined towards the end of the GFAR Steering Committee meeting. Some useful and important discussion on several issues took place, engaging the Civil Society Organizations and the private sector, as well as the role of GFAR in current and future global events such as the assessment of agriculture.
The current GFAR charter was drafted in 1998, and has since then been revised only once in 2000. The consensus during these meetings was that in order to respond to new developments in the global agricultural research for development, there is a need to review and revise the charter. Some of the issues that will be examined include the transformation of Advanced Research Institutions (ARIs) of the North concept and terminology to Regional Forum, as used for our southern stakeholders. New roles for both the NARS sub-committee and Executive Secretaries of Regional Fora to promote GFAR's agenda of strengthening inter-regional collaboration.

The GFAR chair as you all know sits on the Executive Committee of the CGIAR, and has, in this capacity, brought in the perspective of other GFAR stakeholders to the decision-making process of the committee.
During the current year, the GFAR Secretariat and the Interim Science Council (iSC) sitting in the proximity of each other at the FAO in Rome, collaborated on many occasions to advance the CGIAR agenda. For example, the GFAR Secretariat participated in a number of brain storming sessions convened by the (iSC) chair to map out an appropriate procedure for carrying out the task of formulating new research priorities and implementation strategies.
The GFAR Secretariat at the request of the CGIAR systems office organized an electronic consultation of its stakeholders, to identify suitable candidates and recommend representatives of NARIs, Farmers' Organizations and NGOs to sit on the re-organized Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC).
GFAR has actively participated at the various stages of the development of the Challenge Programme on Unlocking Genetic Diversity in Crops for the Resource-Poor, and is a full-fledged member of the Programme Steering Committee (PSC), a role that GFAR takes seriously to ensure that the views of its various stakeholders are made known and accommodated. It was recently suggested that a GFAR Stakeholder Committee be established to advice the Programme Steering Committee of the CP and provide a feedback and consultative mechanism to the various GFAR stakeholders. The operationalization of this proposed mechanism is currently being examined. Other CPs have not taken full advantage of the convening power of GFAR, and the expertise it can mobilize. As such, current and future CPs were urged to liaise with the GFAR Secretariat to jointly develop strategies to ensure a stronger role for GFAR in the development and implementation of Challenge Programmes.
A number of Centres participate actively as lead, facilitating or collaborating stakeholders in the development and implementation of GPPs such as in post-harvest systems initiative.
GFAR holds its own conference only once every three years, and the last one was held in Dakar on 22-24 May 2003. GFAR is currently in the process of using some of the recommendations of the stakeholders, including the 40 participants from the Centres who met as a distinct stakeholder group and the views expressed and the suggestions made by CGIAR Chair Ian Johnson as a Keynote Speaker as input into our Business Plan for the forthcoming triennium (2004-2006).

True to its mandate of providing a forum for all stake holders in ARD, GFAR took the necessary steps to ensure that stakeholders other than IARCs participated actively in that meeting, especially the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The Secretariat also organized a pre-GFAR 2003 meeting brainstorming session of three days for the CSOs, and they seized the opportunity to refine their vision of ARD and to identify particular concerns that needed to be addressed by the larger GFAR family.
Given the particular relevance of the results of this activity to the AGM participants, , the GFAR chair shared with them some of the advice and recommendations the CSOs passed on to GFAR as outputs of that CSO consultation.
The CSOs endorsed the concept of partnerships in ARD activities but insisted that such partnerships should be based on reciprocity, mutual trust and learning, as well as on a shared vision and complementary strategies. The CSOs would like to see such partnerships - which they consider indispensable to the realization of their own vision - promote and stimulate farmer innovation, facilitate and strengthen research-extension linkages and promote capacity-building so that farmers and their representatives become true partners with essential leadership skills and analytical capacities that enable them to better express their needs.
At the end of his speech, the GFAR chair took the opportunity to thank the in-kind and financial support to the Secretariat provided by FAO and IFAD, GFAR's two facilitating agencies.

Mohammad H. Roozitalab
GFAR Chair

Farmers' Organizations

Farmers' Organization Network in Ghana (FONG) Workshop: a follow-up to the FARA/GFAR Plenaries May 2003, "Sustaining Africa's agriculture through research for development"

The Farmers Organization Network (FONG) in Ghana, with support FARA and FAO organized a workshop from 22nd-24th September 2003 at Hotel Eredec Koforidua Eastern Region, with the theme Sustaining Africa's Agriculture through Research for Development.

The FONG's, which was formed as a follow up of World Food Summit-fyl, mission is to create a platform for Farmer Based Organization engaged in Food security; to participate, contribute enhance and influence national service policies and food programmes related to Food security in Ghana.

It may be recalled that, World Food Summit-fyl was held from 8 to 13th June 2002 in Rome, the NGOs had an international parallel Forum in Rome to discuss how poverty could be eradicated to improve food security and how the 1996 goals could be reached. Two NGOs from Ghana (Ken Kinney from The DI and Lydia Sasu from DAA) attended this international meeting in Rome. DAA in collaboration with FAO organized the workshop to discuss the outcome of the meeting held in Rome with other NGO/CSOs who were not able to participate in the Rome event.

Again in May 2003 in Dakar, FARA and GFAR successively held their plenary conferences, with the respective themes Sustaining Africa's agriculture through research for development and Linking Research and Rural Innovation to Sustainable Development. Farmers, NGOs, Researchers and civil society from the world over were invited to discuss these themes. FARA is convinced that agriculture is critical to the African economy, social and rural development. FARA is taking the task to act as a facilitator between the researchers and other stakeholders and a platform for knowledge exchange. This will ensure that agricultural research do have impact on food security at poverty alleviation in Africa. Issues raised at the meeting among the participants include the following:

• Bringing researchers and farmers together to plan and work together;
• To strengthen the farmers groups;
• To enable the farmers to communicate and interact better to each other;
• Farmers to have one voice;
• Farmers to understand the researchers and researchers in turn understanding the farmers better;
• Researchers to work closer with farmers.

Among those from Ghana who attended this conference was a representative of FONG who organized a two-day workshop with support from FARA, to discuss the outcome of the meeting with other farmers' organizations, researchers, media and extension who were not able to participate on the 23rd September 2003.

The main objectives of the meeting were:

• To support the efforts of NGOs, Farmers' Organizations (FOs) involved in Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D);
• The capacity building efforts will revolve around improving communication within and between various groups;
• To improve through advocacy and sensitization efforts, the involvement and participation of FOs in IAR4D; and
• To inaugurate the FOs Network in Ghana (FONG).

50 participants being researchers, farmers, media and representatives from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture were invited to the meeting. The meeting was opened and the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture launched FONG with supporting statements from FAO representative in Ghana, FARA Executive Secretary. All of them looked forward for effective action plans for farmers, researchers, and extension to work together and fight hunger/poverty.

Experience was shared with the representatives by representatives from FARA, CSIR, Animal Research, Fisheries Research and Farmer's representative. They all agreed to work as partners and collaborate with each other, as technologies cannot be developed independently of their needs.

Representative from FARA mentioned the new institutional arrangements and extension approaches allowing farmers to participate fully in developing, demanding and accessing information will improve farmers' capacity to select and adopt appropriate technologies and the capacity of scientists and partners to respond to research needs.

After discussion, the group came out with 12 issues for the action plan as follows:

• Environmental Degradation
• Rural Development infrastructure
• Integration of Aquaculture, crop and animal husbandry
• Farming as a business
• Engagement in off-farm activities
• Enhancing marketing and processing
• Collaboration among farmers, extension officers, researchers
• Agricultural research (crops/animal, fisheries)
• Increasing access to extension service
• Capacity building for farmers
• Advocacy and lobbying
• Strengthening FOs in Ghana

To strengthen the capacity of FOs, regional representatives were selected to start its operation.

After the workshop letters were sent to Special Programme for Food Security and CSIR for representation of farmers' representatives at their programmes, which they had replied to consider at their subsequent meetings. When consideration is given, the national, regional/district levels will be considered. FONG is also planning for regional representative meeting to strengthen communication and collaborations.

On behalf of FONG, the committee members thank FARA, FAO and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for such support to pave the way forward to strengthen the organization.

Lydia Sasu
FONG

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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