Project 1: Consensus-Building and Advocacy for Action on Adaptation to Climate Change

The viability of agro-ecosystems and future food security, particularly in food shortages of developing countries are exposed to threats from increased climate variability in the form of changes in temperature and rainfall regimes, increased drought and flooding and general shifts in the prevailing conditions required to produce food. Solutions at a global scale for adaptation to climate change and variability are needed. This requires regional and global dialogues for consensus-building and advocacy for action by policy makers, scientists, development specialists, farmers’ organizations and CSOs for a concerted global and pressing research agenda on adaptation to climate change. GFAR is well placed to facilitate this dialogue.

Project 2: Enabling Transformation in Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Systems

The globalization of agricultural trade, the degradation of natural resources, the climate change, the knowledge-based agriculture, the changing nature of societal needs, the increased role of the private sector and CSOs, are emerging forces in driving the urgent reforms for retooling the agricultural research, extension and education systems to serve the needs of the demands of today’s society and future generation. The reforms would aim at: i) a better balance between theoretical and bio-physical sciences educational content for agricultural productivity increases on one hand and more skills in inter-disciplinary and problem solving approaches on the other hand; ii) ensuring better interdependency between education, research, innovations and knowledge communication. This requires regional and global dialogues for consensus-building and advocacy for reforms. GFAR is well placed to facilitate an inclusive dialogue in this area.

Project 3: Linking Small Holders Producers to Market

This program aims at fostering collaborative partnership and institutional mechanisms for effective linkages between smallholder producers and markets to improve their income on a sustainable manner through their integration in the market chain as active partners to engage in value addition activities. The output would be to develop a global multi-stakeholder GPP and launch its implementation with secured financing by more than one donor. The research dimension and innovative features of the program relates to: 1) the institutional form and governance structure of the partnership arrangement; 2) action research linked to donors’ ongoing investment projects involving small producers and private agribusiness companies and marketing chains; 3) networking, cross fertilisation and knowledge sharing between sub-regional programs.

Project 4: Accelerated program for adaptive research and transfer to farmers of available technologies for the management of on farm water use efficiency

Most countries in the dry areas are facing increasing water scarcity. Climate variability in the form of changes in rainfall regimes is expected to exacerbate the severity of water scarcity. This project aims at accelerating the application by farmers of available research results and best practices for on farm water use efficiency such as water harvesting, supplementary irrigation, and agro-management techniques developed by farmers or generated by applied research work conducted in benchmark sites of global and regional relevance. To be led by NARS through their regional Fora, the program would built and complement on-going collaborative applied research efforts by, NARS and the CGIAR centres and particularly its Water and Food challenge program.

Project 5: Promoting Sustainable Development in Agricultural Research Systems (DURAS)

This on-going project demonstrated that in order to be highly effective agricultural research has to be driven, implemented and managed not only in consultation but in partnership with all stakeholders including the civil society and particularly farmers’ organizations (FOs) and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). The aim is to closely monitor the implementation of the project until its completion in June 2008, conceptualize and document the approaches and practices applied and replicate the project through a multi-donor second phase with global geographic coverage.

Project 6: Enabling Small Farmers’ Access to Knowledge for Innovation and Sustainable Livelihoods

Farmers now need information not only on new agricultural technologies, but also about what and how to grow and market their produce profitably to make their livelihoods sustainable. They need customized and innovative solutions for their unique problems. These solutions are increasingly based on blending knowledge and information from various sources. GFAR, with its mission and range of stakeholders, is uniquely placed to facilitate a dialogue among ARD stakeholders for building awareness and advocating approaches to mobilize and enable access to knowledge from a variety of sources that contribute to innovation in smallholder agriculture. This includes the need for transformation in agriculture-related systems, institutions and processes