Newsletter May 2003 - GFAR Secretariat News

		April 2003
		Issue 6/2003
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GFAR Secretariat News Editorial Dakar 2003 Agenda Poster exhibition ICT EBO GLOBAL.RAIS Facilitation Units UOC DMC Prolinnova RKS SMEs Livestock SIFAR Back to CONTENTS	Editorial In a Month, the Global Forum on Agricultural Research in Dakar The GFAR family will meet in Dakar in a month for its 2nd Triennial Conference, after Dresden in the year 2000. In my capacity as Executive Secretary, having taken up office just at the beginning of the year, I would like to firstly express how very important this first step seems to me to initially take stock and get a true picture of where GFAR is, with the expectation that this will lead to the development of an innovative action plan to be shared with all GFAR stakeholders for the next three years. In effect, some major achievements have been realised by our initiative. The development of global partnership programmes, support to research priority setting, the increasing demand for GFAR to play a facilitation function in the dialogue that brings together all stakeholders on the same platform, including civil society, are equally all elements of a growing recognition of the unique role of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research. We would like the problematic of sustainable development to mark its imprint on our collective reflections and personalities of international standing opening the conference. It is with this understanding at the back of our minds that we can collectively elaborate our plan of action 2004-2006 in the parallel working group sessions, which according to the principles of GFAR will mobilise all the stakeholders in agricultural research for development, including civil society. It is within the logic of this undertaking that I would like to underline the particular effort put forward by the GFAR Secretariat, to organise for two days before the actual GFAR conference, a workshop bringing together all the principal farmer’s organisations and NGOs from the five Regional Fora that support GFAR: FORAGRO for Latin America and the Caribbean, APAARI for Asia and the Pacific, FARA for Africa, AARINENA for North Africa and the Middle East and lastly the Forum for the Caucasus and Central Asia. We would wish accordingly that the stakeholders from civil society openly participate in our discussions. This conference will also be the occasion for discussions on different global partnership programmes in a series of sub-plenary meetings which be focused on the following five themes: rural knowledge and innovation, the development of small and medium-sized agro-enterprises in developing countries, agriculture-livestock integration, organisational partnerships in agricultural research and finally innovative policy directions and approaches for sustainable agricultural development. As foreseen, we hope that the closing ceremony on Saturday morning will be the occasion for presenting good recommendations, rich with promise for the entire international community mobilised around food security and sustainable development. This conference to be held the first time on African soil, will be opened by the President of the Republic of Senegal who as you know, has played a defining role in NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. It is therefore, now or never that our meeting responds to these challenges. I would like to conclude this invitation to participate in our meeting and our efforts, by thanking all the donors who have supported the organisation of this conference and equally also all stakeholders who have in one way or another contributed to the smooth functioning of our collective endeavours that constitute the Global Forum on Agricultural Research. O.S. Dakar 2003 More about Dakar.... Alas, the agenda for the 2003 GFAR conference in Dakar has been finalised. What we had envisaged from the very beginning was to ensure that while in Dakar, members of the GFAR family would first be treated to an Opening Keynote Address, exposing initially key elements of the global dimension of the Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) challenge by making reference to the outcomes of several of the major summits that have taken place in the last three years. Thereafter, we would endeavour to focus more attention on the agricultural development challenges of our host continent, Africa, with a presentation on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Initiative. The latter is an attempt to better inform and share the contents of what is in store for the agriculture sector within this new African initiative that has generated significant interest worldwide. The pathway from elaborating what the major ARD challenges are to what the GFAR family can do in partnership in responding to these challenges, we must first necessarily pass through consultation with our Civil Society stakeholder constituency. We cannot continue to disregard this most important group of stakeholders. We have therefore, organized a Pre-GFAR CSO Conference to give them sufficient time to interact, hopefully, reach a consensus on several issues they deemed important and which they wish to make known to the rest of the stakeholder groups. The hope is that the vital issues identified by this constituency will find their way into the deliberations in the main GFAR Conference which follows immediately thereafter. A prominent part of the agenda in Dakar will be devoted to examining GFAR’s achievements since the GFAR 2000 Conference held in Dresden, Germany. This “stocking taking” will allow GFAR to take a retrospective look, while at the same allowing us the opportunity to fill gaps where they exist, so that GFAR can better develop its plan work to efficiently and effectively respond to its stakeholders in the coming years. The ball will be in your court, our stakeholders, after having heard what we have to say. Among the major outcomes we expect from the GFAR Conference are solid ideas around several pre-selected global themes, which when developed further in consultation with all ARD stakeholders will give birth to Global Partnership Programmes (GPPs). Therefore, in the Conference the five parallel ub-plenary sessions will tackle these global themes. We expect that the selected themes will peak your interest and engender some enthusiasm, so that by the time we leave Dakar, we will be well on our way to finalising and put these GPPs in action. We will close the GFAR 2003 Conference on a high note with the awarding of Best Posters on Research Partnership. We thank all those who responded to GFAR’s call for proposals on successful partnership programmes. Without a doubt, we will have a lot to share with you in Dakar. Our thanks to all who gave their time and effort in putting this jam-packed agenda together for the Dakar Conference. S.BO. Dakar 2003 Poster Session during GFAR 2003 Conference A poster exhibition of “Successful Cases of Agricultural Research and Sustainable Development Partnerships” will be organized during GFAR 2003 Conference. All GFAR Stakeholders were invited to submit proposals for a poster, based on guidelines defined by GFAR Secretariat (i.e. involvement of a minimum of three Stakeholders groups recognized by GFAR, Impact of the partnership experience..). GFAR Secretariat selected 30 submissions, responding to those guidelines, to be further developed into posters that will compete during the Conference. The two top posters selected by GFAR Secretariat will be presented also as case studies during Plenary Session II “Taking Stock and Looking Forward: Elements for the GFAR Triennial Business Plan and New Partnership Programmes”. A panel of seven judges, chosen between the seven GFAR Stakeholders families, will select three posters, among the remaining ones, that will be awarded a plaque on Saturday 24 morning. A list of all submissions and contacts of the coordinators will be distributed during the Conference, in order to allow visibility to all proposals received at the GFAR Secretariat. Besides the competitive exhibition, two other poster sessions will be organized. One for Global Partnerships Programmes and Facilitation Units (One poster for each Facilitation Unit). Another session will be dedicated to ICM/ICT activities where posters of Regional Agricultural Research Information Systems (RAIS) will be displayed, together with the ones of other relevant initiatives related to this area. F.B. ICT EGFAR Back Office System Launching EGFAR has from today a new interactive tool that will allow Stakeholders to manage, to some extent, the content of some pages and/or information contained in EGFAR database through a decentralized input process: the EGFAR Back Office (EBO). There will be two levels of input, corresponding to two degrees of decentralization: free insertion of some kind of data (Events, Institutional Links, Links to e-discussion Fora hosted by sites other than EGFAR) by any user and page management rights applied to two sections of the site (Stakeholders and Research Partnerships), for a selected number of Stakeholders (Regional Agricultural Research Information Systems Managers, Facilitation Unites Coordinators and Coordinators of Stakeholders’ Groups). What will happen practically is that anyone can insert information on a particular event, an institution/organization or an e-discussion forum, filling a set of online forms that will drive the user to the correct classification of the information. In the final step the user will be asked to confirm the information by indicating his/her e-mail address, so that in any case EGFAR Webmaster can go back to the source of the information, for quality control purposes. To be displayed on EGFAR, the information needs at that point to be validated by EGFAR webmaster who will check for its correctness and, if needed, contact the user for more explanations. The user will be notified by email about the final insertion of the information. Regarding the second level of insertion, access will be limited because it gives right to modify the content of some pages on EGFAR. As said before, the two modifiable sections will be Stakeholders and Research Partnerships. This will be possible by logging in and then select the page to update: a specific open source software (Xopus), specifically adapted to EGFAR requirements and page structure, will allow users to modify the content of the chosen page through a very user friendly interface that doesn’t require any technical skill (HTML language knowledge) and gives the user several possibilities in formatting the page content (insertion of images, choice of a number of styles, hyperlinks insertion…). As for the first type of insertion, the user will be asked to confirm his modifications by entering his/her email address and as final step EGFAR Webmaster will check the correctness of the modification before validate it. GFAR encourages all Stakeholders to test EBO and to send back comments/inputs to EGFAR webmaster to improve it or better adapt it to users needs. You will find the access to EBO in the toolbar on EGFAR top menu (The brown bar), just beside “Newsletter”, or by clicking here. F.B. ICT GLOBAL.RAIS update As announced in the previous issue of the newsletter, GLOBAL.RAIS (GLOBal ALliance of the Regional Agricultural Information System - RAIS) Project has officially started on February 2003, with the AARINENA Meeting “AARINENA-ICT Expert Consultation Meeting to Strengthen RAIS of the WANA Region” held in Cairo, Egypt, on February 25 to 27. You will find later in this issue specific results of the meeting, while all background documentation, outputs of the meeting, as well as the preparatory e-discussion hosted on EGFAR are already available on EGFAR and AARINENA website. F.B. Facilitation Units GFU on Underutilized Species Some of the major activities that have recently engaged the Global Facilitation Unit on Underutilized Species are the following: Agricultural Fair “International Green Week”, Berlin (Germany) - 17 to 26 January 2003 GFU successfully participated in this major event with the purpose to draw the attention of the general public visiting the fair to the important role underutilized species play with regard to increased food security, food quality and the potential they possess to create income for poor people in many parts of the world through processing and marketing. A stand, with information purpose, was organized for the entire period of the fair and Public Awareness activity consisted in the following: Display of Books/Publications/Information sheets/Poster on the GFU and its mandate/Video: the documentary “Comeback der alten Pflanzen” (The return of the old plants) in German and realized by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) in cooperation with IPGRI was projected. Also the IPGRI/IFAD project “Enhancing the contribution of neglected and underutilized species to food security, and to incomes of the rural poor” was presented with informative material. We facilitated the participation of Edson Gandarillas, representing the Bolivian NGO PROINPA (http://www.proinpa.org/), who shared our stand for the display of a variety of Andean Grains (Quinoa, Kañawa, Amarantus and Tarwi) packed and processed in different ways and presenting PROINPA’s activities with rural communities. During the event many visitors, belonging to the general public, academic environment (teachers and students of all levels), to the scientific and marketing world, showed great attraction to the subject presented. The general public was particularly interested on tasting the products displayed, fresh or transformed, were can they buy them and how to prepare them. People belonging to the academic environment where interested in the following: Who carries out research in the field of underutilized plant species and what partnership collaborations could be built. Nutritional characteristics and marketing opportunities. A publication request sheet was compiled by interested researchers and informative material (a poster) further to various publications where sent via surface mail to the concerned people. We took the opportunity also to lobby for the GFU visiting targeted stands such as food exporters/importers, Government representatives from developing countries, food processors various environmental organizations and journalists. International Workshop on Underutilized Species, Leipzig (Germany) - 6 to 8 of May 2003 The GFU, in a joint effort with GTZ (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) and InWent (Capacity Building International), is organizing an International Workshop on Underutilized Species. The event is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the International Fund for agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The objectives to pursue are the following: Identify strategic elements for the promotion and sustainable utilization of under-utilized plant species Identify potential actors for implementation Recommend next steps Over 50 participants traveling for the occasion from 34 different countries are involved to tackle the expected outputs of the event. This venue addresses its efforts to policy makers, research institutions, extension services, networks, NGOs, food industry and development organizations and donors. It looks at nutrition and health issues, cultural implications, economic and development aspects as well as environmental issues. Due to the high interest in the workshop and the fact that only a limited number of people can attend, a virtual platform has been established (www.inwent.org/ups). Here all interested people can virtually participate in the event, making contributions, accessing the information deriving from the workshop, establishing contacts, obtaining proceedings, downloading presentations, etc. GFU Web Portal The internet communication tool that is being developed will be based on STS Technology (Share Point Team Services). This will enable us to perform the following on-line: Discuss Projects Schedule Events Share Documents Assign and Monitor Tasks Store Contact Information Conduct Surveys Post Links to Other Web Pages Collect Customer Data with Live Forms Exchange Data with Other Applications Hoping to meet with your expectations and to deliver a useful and interesting service to the community dealing with underutilized species. IPGRI has generously offered to host the Web site. An agreement establishing the details regarding this proposal being finalized; this will enable to be soon on-line, keep you informed about us and matters related to underutilized species. Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon Coordinator GFU for Underutilized Species Facilitation Units Direct Sowing, Mulch-based and Conservation agriculture The DMC (Direct Sowing, Mulch-based and Conservation agriculture) is one of the Global Partnership Programmes (GPP) under the aegis of GFAR. It aims to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders in developping DMC systems and to accelerate its wide adoption. Since March 2002, this Program has carried out case studies aimed at better understanding factors that constrain the adoption of DMC systems. By comparing experiences from decentralized initiatives, by synthesizing lessons learned, identifying and filling gaps, DMC practices can be harnessed by a wide range of stakeholders. These case studies have been carried out Bolivia (ANAPO, CIMMYT), in Tanzania (FAO, IFAD) and in Ghana ( S.F.S Project, GTZ, ICRA). These studies are being used in in improving DMC projects in these countries. More case studies are being planned for in the near future covering other countries. Plans are also underway to turn over the coordination of the DMC Facilitation Unit to IAPAR, the Agricultural Research Institute of the State of Parana in Brazil. Currently, the Facilitation Unit is being hosted by CIRAD in Montpellier, France, with Ms Fatima Ribeiro of IAPAR as coordinator. For further information, please visit the DMC website Fatima Ribeiro DMC Coordinator Facilitation Units Progress with Prolinnova Prolinnova, the NGO initiative to PROmote Local INNOVAtion in ecologically-oriented agriculture and natural resource management, is now in a participatory design process to build a GPP from the bottom up. At country level, inventories of stakeholder collaboration in promoting farmer-led experimentation and innovation are being made, so that the partners can recognise what has been achieved and what needs to be done to scale up this approach. In each country, stakeholders will gather to design Prolinnova programmes tailored to their specific experiences and needs. The planners of the country programmes will then meet in an international workshop to learn from each other’s cases of multi-stakeholder partnerships, define common needs and design their GPP. Activities include documentation of farmer-led experimentation and innovation, capacity building, participatory innovation development, curriculum development, policy dialogue, networking and knowledge management. In each country, the coordinating units are NGOs, and the Steering Groups include people from NGOs, bilateral projects and government institutions of agricultural research, extension and education. Also international research institutes will be involved in the planning workshops. There is still no core funding for a facilitation unit, but IFAD has provided funds for Prolinnova design activities in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda. Some other country-level and international activities are being supported by small amounts from various sources – a “mosaic” model of funding with many missing pieces. For example, funds for the international workshop in Ethiopia are still being sought. For further information: www.prolinnova.net Ann Waters-Bayer PROLINNOVA Coordinator Facilitation Units Facilitating the Development of a GPP on Rural Knowledge and Innovation A small group discussion among institutions involved in knowledge management was convened by the GFAR Secretariat on 13-14 March 2003 in Rome. The meeting aimed to initially discuss what could be the elements of a Global Partnership Programme on Rural Knowledge and Innovation. It was participated by CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture), CAB International, ENDA (Environmental Development Action in the Third World); ISNAR (International Service for National Agricultural Research), and IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). Following a brief presentation of each organization’s activities related to knowledge management, the ensuing discussion focused on the on the concept of Rural Knowledge System (RKS) and of knowledge itself, being highly contextualized, as powerful tool to tap potentials, facilitate change, and community empowerment. The importance of demonstrating the direct impact/relationship between poverty alleviation and improved knowledge systems by increasing the capacity of identified vulnerable groups to tackle and deal with complex issues while improving their resilience to rapid change in their livelihood systems (e.g., market) and their natural environment (soil, water utilization) was pointed out. As well, the need to identify good principles on how to make knowledge work and to have policy recommendations that will enable the process of combining knowledge (e.g., rewards and incentives/ compensation for farmers and researchers to work together); facilitate the understanding of knowledge system; and in terms of producing and sharing knowledge cooperatively was highlighted in the dialogue. To date, a Concept Note which may form the basis of a GPP on the topic is being developed. In GFAR 2003 in May, this Concept Note will be presented in the Sub-plenary Session on Rural Knowledge and Innovation to generate further discussion and to explore stakeholder interest to co-develop what could be a GPP on the topic. O.O. Facilitation Units Facilitation function at GFAR Secretariat on Rural Innovation and Agri Small and Medium sized Enterprise Development: working towards stakeholders led initiatives In the last months, GFAR Secretariat has intensified the relations with the FAO/AGS Division of FAO to follow up on the Phase I of the Global Initiative on Post Harvest (GIPh) programme.The GIPh saw the GFAR Secretariat actively involved in the organization of five Regional Workshops, held between September 2001 and March 2002 on the state of Post Harvest. This was a very important occasion to asses direcltly the needs and priorities identified by the various stakeholders. Following the phase I work has been initiated towards the implementation of the phase II of the project, that implies a Global Workshop on Post Harvest. In the efforts to attract as many stakeholders as possible, contacts have been initiated with the PhAction group ( a consortium of Research Centers) that is promoting an initiative entitled Linking Farmers to the Market. In this way, the final objective may move towards a more market oriented approach, following an explicit need expressed also by the RF/SRFs throughout the Regional Priority Setting Exercise. On the same line in the GFAR 2003 Conference, a sub-plenary session on this topic will take place. The aim is to take a further step towards the creation of a Global Partnership Programme (GPP), on agricultural SMEs Development, trying to have as many “south” partners as possible participating in the activities. A.S. Facilitation Units GFAR Livestock Focal Point In the last months, the GFAR Livestock focal point has continued the dialogue with the Institutions leading the initiative on the Control of Trypanosomoses (CIRAD, ILRI and PAAT). This is an interesting potential Global Partnership Programme; the discussion is presently focussing on the mechanism to be established to better define the role of the Secretariat in the GPP, how to manage the information and the information flow as well as how to liaise with the GPP coordinators and others. To strengthen the involvement of the stakeholders in the GFAR community, the GFAR Livestock focal point has also co-organized the so called Livestock Week, held from 24th to 28th March that included the following events: the Global Initiative on Livestock Services and the Poor (GI-LSP), the 4th Interagency Meeting of Livestock Production and Animal Health Research and the 27th Co-ordination meeting of EU Experts Group on Livestock Matters in Developing Countries – ELIDEV, held in IFAD, FAO and the Ministry of Health, Italy, respectively. A sub-plenary session on Livestock and Agriculture integration will take place in the GFAR 2003 Conference to possibly create a GPP on the subject through the involvement of R&D stakeholders. F.A. Facilitation Units Support unit for International Fisheries and Aquatic Research – SIFAR: addressing “responsive research for responsible fisheries” Fish are critically important to the developing world. Over 95% of the world’s 27 million fishermen live in developing countries and small-scale fisheries provide food and livelihood security to millions. About 70% of all fisheries are biologically excessively exploited (FAO) while broader environmental impacts pose a severe threat. Aquatic living resources urgently require effective management in order to sustain local and wider benefits. Yet world fisheries represent an extremely complex and dispersed picture. Large marine and inland watersheds and ecosystems are generally poorly understood but are being impacted by increasing degrees of use and degradation following changes in national economies as well as the global climate. Production and marketing take place in systems which vary in scale as well as in their modes of functioning. Competition for land, water, and other resources from other economic sectors is increasing. The fisheries sector also operates within complex institutional and political settings which differ considerably between regions and thus requires different approaches to sustainability. The diverse legal and institutional frameworks in which many fisheries operate also demands new approaches. Developing-country institutions face ever-increasing constraints in their ability to implement commitments under recently international conventions and instruments including: the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; UN Fish Stocks Agreement; Convention on Biological Diversity; and FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.. Article 12 of the Code of Conduct covers Research, and calls for urgent and cooperative action through FAO to encourage"States [to] ensure that data generated by research are analysed, that the results of such analyses are published [...] and distributed in a timely and readily understood fashion, in order that the best scientific evidence is made available as a contribution to fisheries conservation, management and development". It is widely recognised that Article 12 of the Code of Conduct has hitherto been largely neglected in programmes aimed at Code promotion, dissemination and implementation. Contemporary with the Code of Conduct, the seminal Study of International Fisheries Research "SIFR" (World Bank et al 1992), recognised the need for marked improvements in both the generation and the dissemination of knowledge relevant to the sustainable development of aquatic resources. New approaches were called for to ensure knowledge from research informed effective ways of protecting vulnerable populations dependent upon these resources for food and livelihoods. A common thread running through all of these statements is the need to develop a greater understanding through research of how aquatic resources impact upon food security and livelihoods particularly of the poor, and upon national economies. Such evidence could play an increasingly useful advocacy role in informing policy making in fisheries and related sectors. In early 1998, SIFAR was established in FAO to address this point. SIFAR is an autonomous project or “Secretariat” based alongside the Fisheries Department funded by a range of donors. These, together with FAO, provide the governance framework. DFID has been funding the secondment of the Coordinator/Executive Secretary, Tim Bostock. SIFAR’s objectives focus on: Research demand: facilitating links between developing country research systems and donors, helping articulate local demand for responsive development research. Research policy and policy research: examining how research can increasingly meet sector needs for sustainable development. This concerns the ways in which research is identified, prioritised and implemented, and the effectiveness of participatory approaches. It also concerns the constraints to research uptake by national institutions and, hence, the impacts of research on development outcomes, particularly sustainable fisheries management. Research communications: SIFAR and FAO are co-developing the oneFish Community Directory, an Internet portal for the fisheries and aquatic research community (www.onefish.org). oneFish promotes discussion, networking and information sharing in development research. It assists partner country organisations in generating and disseminating research results, and in presenting research proposals. SIFAR has been actively engaged in identifying and commissioning a range of research scoping activities commissioned by several international donor agencies. All activities are designed to address the objectives laid out above i.e. to address developing country research requirements within realistic donor funding frameworks. Of particular interest over the last 6 month are the following: “Policy research: impacts of trade liberalization on poverty and vulnerabiity in developing countries”; (DFID/GTZ): The overall objective of the study is to generate a better understanding about the relationship between the existing provisions on international fisheries, as well as the changes envisaged in the WTO negotiations, on sustainable development. This is to be undertaken with a view to identifying options for national and international fisheries and trade policies which address the needs of sustainable development. “SIFR+10 – Research and Policy Outcomes” (DFID): A scoping study for a programme aimed at analysing and improving links between research and policy. Study will commission key paper, identify partners, establish a knowledge exchange network, and convene an international workshop. “Vulnerability and food insecurity in poor coastal zone communities” (FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme Phases 1 and 2): Aims to develop a flexible analytical approach to better understand the dynamics between food/livelihood security and insecurity, and serve as basis for action. Collaboration with Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme and FAO's FIVIMS initiative. “ACP Fish II feasibility study” (EC: EDF 9): A feasibility study for ACP Fish II aimed at improved institutional capacity for fisheries and aquatic resources management; addresses knowledge and institutional requirements for sustainable management in ACP countries. Focal countries will be in West Africa and Western Indian Ocean regions. Pilot management projects will be key outputs. “Lake Victoria Policy Research scoping study for a Policy Advisory Project” (EC and Govt Uganda): Design of a programme of activities to be incorporated into the new EC Lake Management project covering policy planning and advice. Generate better understanding of the policy and institutional constraints to establishing effective fisheries management on the Lake. Through engagement in such activities, SIFAR inevitably continues to have useful impact on FAO’s Fisheries Department inasmuch as these projects are seen to be fully relevant to and supportive of FAO’s mandate. Tim Bostock SIFAR Executive Secretary
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