partnerships for agricultural innovation in...
TRANSCRIPT
Partnerships for agricultural innovation in
Africa
AAUNSeptember 4 2017
Mellissa Wood, GM Global
• Global challenges – complex, multi-dimensional and requiring systemic change • food & nutrition security needs of 9.7 billion people - gap• resource constraints – including water, fertilizer, land, energy• climate change impacts • food loss and waste • social and environmental sustainability • changing patterns of consumption
• Agricultural innovations need to move beyond research to have impact
• Require systemic change
• Not simple – partnerships are key
Crosscutting challenges
ACIAR’s new Strategy -drivers
• Ministerial Direction (emphasised by successive DFAT Secretaries)
➢ Profile, Gender, Climate, working with DFAT/InnovationX
• Position ACIAR for growth - as a pivotal, highly skilled institution at the intersection of Australia’s innovation system and its diplomatic outreach
• Drive research investments that improve our ability to tackle cross-sectoral challenges (like nutrition and human health, climate change, water and energy security, and empowering women and girls)
• Improve alignment with and inform DFAT’s development policy and aid investments
• Create more opportunities for strategic research investment, tapping into the best of Australian science
• Catalyse co-investment from development partners in initiatives able to be taken to scale
• Build science capability strategically in Australia and our partner countries
PROPOSED 10-YEAR STRATEGY AT A GLANCE
1. High-Level Objectives
2. 3 distinctive Research Partnership Models:
• bilateral country partnerships;
• multilateral research collaborations
• co-investment with development partners
3. Reallocating resources to create more capacity for Co-investment with development partners (and Outreach)
4. Radical overhaul of PR & Communications into a new Outreach program
5. Refreshed Capacity Building program
6. More sophisticated portfolio-level Monitoring and Evaluation
New ACIAR objectives
ACIAR brokers and invests in research partnerships to build the knowledge base on which developing countries can progress crucial development objectives:
• Improving food security and reducing poverty among smallholder farmers and rural communities
• Managing natural resources and producing food more sustainably, adapting to climate variability and mitigating climate change
• Enhancing human nutrition and reducing risks to human health
In supporting these development objectives, we will ensure that our research programs pay particular attention to improving:
• Gender equity and empowerment of women and girls
• More inclusive agrifood market chains, engaging the private sector where possible
• Scientific and policy capability within our partner countries
Research alliance
Cultivate Africa’s Future (CultiAF)
• Three year CA$15 million partnership
• African NARIs as project leaders
• Youth entrepreneur & gender focus
1. Innovative applied research – post harvest loss, nutrition and food security
2. Identify innovations and business models for scaling-up
3. Support and underpin national and regional policies and programs
• 8 projects across 5 countries
• 32 partners
• 11 universities
• 9 public institutions
• 5 International Non-governmental Organisations
• 1 local Non-Governmental Organisation
• 6 Private Sector Organisations
CultiAF1 - Program Overview
CultiAF Project locations
Developing innovations and capacity building
• Improved capacity of multi-partner and multi-country project teams to conduct high quality research
• 24 innovations tested with over 25,000 smallholder producers
• Women's empowerment – e.g. Uganda, 1,418 women now have opportunities for accessing credit through 118 Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLA)
• 44 Masters scientists (52% women) trained in key areas of nutrition, economics, insect science, gender, social science and food science
• Over 25,000 (54% women) smallholder farmers and fish processors trained in innovation use, gender and marketing
• 130 Youth entrepreneurs trained
Key Results
Insect farming
• Developing the scientific basis for insect based feeds
• Understanding perceptions to use
• Private sector engagement
• Using insects in poultry and fish feed
=> reduces the protein cost of feed by up to 37%
=>potential to create 43,000 jobs especially for youth and save USD 5.9M annually
=> frees up soy for human consumption
• Standards for inclusion of insect in animal feed approved in Kenya and Uganda
• Transformational solution
Increasing production & profitability
Pre-cooked beans
• Important source of protein • Growing middle class and changing food diets
• Potential markets for beans: 30M people in East Africa
Product development • 12 bean varieties selected for precooked bean products that cook in
10-15 minutes (compared to 3 hours for non-precooked beans)
• 2 products types-Pre-cooked beans and Pop-beans
• Packaging research under way
Private sector involvement• Lasting Solutions—2 production lines
• Business models for getting the products to markets and consumers
Increasing reach and participation• 18,000 farmers engaged
• Consumer studies show low income households will increase bean consumption by three meals a week with the new products
Improving nutrition
• 10 years
• 1st 5 years $20 mill competitive call
• Builds on results and lessons from phase 1
• Signed July 2017 and launch end of 2017
• Leverage comparative advantages
Key Focus Areas
I. Reduced post harvest loss
II. Improving nutrition
III. Climate resilient agricultural systems & sustainable use of water
IV. Women and Youth to promote meaningful participation as producers, leaders and influencers
CultiAF phase 2
