GCARD2010 E-News Update: Getting Ready for the Conference

The first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) 2010 is just around the corner. It will be held in Montpellier, France from 28-31 March 2010.

The meeting is part of a massive and concerted effort to better align research processes with the needs of the poor, in particular poor farmers to meet the enormous development challenges we face and can foresee around the world.

The aim is to build a series of collective actions on the ground to strengthen the value of agricultural research in development, reform research policies and institutions to be better aligned against the needs of the poor and elicit rapid change and collective action by making clear the value and returns from research to those who commit the funds required. Towards these ends, the GCARD conference has been informed by a systematic and inclusive region-by-region global consultation, which identified key themes and issues across the diverse perspectives of those engaged in the whole agricultural system.

Within this process also, the reform of the international agricultural research system, the CGIAR, is a key pillar. The CGIAR is going through rapid reform, and developing collective actions and investments, to seek to deliver more coherent and effective impacts at scale through the use of international research. Turning research into development impact requires considerably more massive investment at national level also and the Conference will address the scale of these needs and the areas in which research investment is likely to bring best development returns.

Many of you have been giving valuable input into this process, and we aim to keep everyone informed about the event and share with you regular updates. In this newsletter we invite you amongst others to get to know the Program, learn more about the GCARD process, and get practical information about the event.
 
Share your comments and check further and event updates at the GCARD blog: http://gcardblog.wordpress.com/

In this E-News 

1. Get to know and download the provisional agenda

2. Read a FAQ about the event

3. Read a media advisory that sketches out the reach of the event and issues that will be debated

4. Check out the practical information about the Conference, including accommodation, venue, and tours

5. Access key background documents by regions