Monty P. JonesExecutive Director, FARA

FARA/AARINENA inter-regional Cooperation

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www.fara-africa.org

11th AARINENA General Assembly, 12-14 October 2008

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Outline

1. Update on FARA and the context of its work

2. Report on FARA’s planned collaboration with AARINENA

3. Opportunities for FARA’s collaboration with other Regional Forums and GFAR

4. Conclusions

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Emerging trends in Africa’s development…1/2

• Growing recognition of agriculture’s role in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)– Increased allocations to the sector in national budgets

(commitment by heads of state 10% of national budgets)

– Increasing support from external sources (quantity + quality)

• Increase in food prices:

– net food importers aiming for self-sufficiency;

– net food exporters aiming to benefit from the price increase:

– highlights the need for increasing productivity Research [technologies & evidence-based policies]; increased adoption of productivity enhancing options; efficient markets.

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Emerging trends in Africa’s development…2/2

• The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP)– Advancing from a plan at continental level to sub-regional and

national compacts implementation. Guidelines in place (FAAP)

– National compacts mobilise local & external resources to address national agricultural priorities holistically

• Continental agricultural initiatives with bold goals– AGRA [Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa]

– CARD [Coalition for Africa’s Rice Development]—double rice production

• A shift to systemic approaches where research, education, development & demand side are integrated greater application of knowledge & service provision

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Challenges for African agriculture

1. Starting conditions: poverty burden, limited capacity to address challenges (ecological, market, institutional, policy financial)

2. Poor infrastructure higher transactions costs lower competitiveness of products

3. Institutional weaknesses of service provision at all stages of the production-consumption system

• Limited participation of local communities and the private sector in decision making

4. Unfavourable external markets

5. Climate change projected to have greatest impact in Africa

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FARA response to emerging opportunities and challenges

…1/2

2007 & 2008 are defining years in FARA’s evolution• Developed a 10 year strategic plan (2007-2016)

– Objective: Contribute to sustainable improvement of broad-based agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets in Africa.

• Five Results of FARA’s strategy

1. Appropriate institutional and organizational arrangements for regional ARD established

2. Broad-based stakeholders have access to knowledge and technologies necessary for innovation

3. Strategic decision making options for policy, institutions and markets developed

4. Human and institutional capacity for innovation developed

5. Platforms for agricultural innovation supported

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FARA’s response to emerging opportunities and challenges …2/2

• To facilitate achievement of FARA’s results the Secretariat has:

– Reorganised its work into 5 networking support functions & expanded its capacity

– Developed a Medium Term (5 year) Operational Plan (2008-2012) with a budget of US$113m

– Entered into a joint financing arrangement with its donors:- (pooled funding)

– Intensified fundraising from African sources (governments).

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FARA’s networking support functions (NSFs)

NSF Initiative Thrust

1.Advocacy & resource mobilisation

FAAPFramework to guide agricultural productivity interventions

2.Access to knowledge and technologies

RAILS Facilitating access to information and learning

DONATA Enhancing the dissemination of technologies

3.Regional policies and markets

ABBPP Policies on emerging technologies

4.Capacity strengthening

SCARDA Institutional capacity development for ARD

BASIC Building Africa’s capacity to build it’s own capacity

5.Partnerships and strategic alliances

SSA-CP Promoting innovation systems approach to ARD

PAEPARDInter-regional collaboration between Europe and Africa

CSO Promoting participation of CS actors in ARD

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Progress on planned partnership with AARINENA

• Facilitating the creation of NASRO

– NASRO fully fledged African SRO

– NASRO countries participating in FARA’s region-wide initiatives (RAILS and CSOs)

– NASRO adding value to FARA

– Will be an important bridge in strengthening future inter-regional cooperation with AARINENA

• Agricultural information systems – Plans to strengthen linkages with regional and GFAR AIS

ongoing

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Ongoing/potential collaboration with other Regional Forums and

GFAR …1/2Result 1: Reform of ARD institutions – Expert Reference Group [advise & mentor ARD institutions to become

more effective and efficient]. Will draw on African & international expertise.

Result 2: Access to knowledge & technologies for innovation – Regional agricultural Information & Learning System (RAILS). GFAR,

EFARD, linkages to other Regional Forums

– Africa Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS). Early stages of evolution. Aims to learn from advisory services in other regions

Result 3: Agricultural Policies and markets– Biosafety and Biotechnology Policies (opportunities for all regions)

– Linking farmers to markets; making markets work for farmers [GFAR]

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Ongoing/potential collaboration with other Regional Forums and

GFAR …2/2

Result 4: Human and institutional capacity strengthening

– Strengthening capacity for Agricultural Research and Development in Africa (SCARDA). Partnering with European Inst.

– Building African Scientific and Institutional Capacity in Agriculture (BASIC). Partnering with European and US networks of universities and research institutes

Result 5: Platforms for agricultural innovation

– Platform for African-European Partnership on ARD (PAEPARD). FARA-EFARAD. Identified challenges for partnership, priorities for ARD & advocated for their funding

– Promoting participation of civil society in ARD. Strategic alliances of farmers, private sector, NGOs. GFAR support; APAARI interested

– Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme: Europe, GFAR, EMBRAPA

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Conclusions

• FARA welcomes the strengthening of its cooperation with AARINENA

• Many opportunities for inter regional cooperation with AARINENA exist

• Lessons with PAEPARD suggest that establishment of a platform is an effective way to advance inter-regional cooperation.

• Thank you for inviting FARA to this Event

Thank you