The African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), in conjunction with the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), have signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration on improving Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.
The Executive Directors of the three organizations: Dr Silim Nahdy (AFAAS), Dr Enock Warinda (ASARECA), and Dr Cliff Dlamini (CCARDESA), signed the Tripartite MoU during a strategic meeting held at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, on 3rd June 2022. The three organizations agreed to develop a partnership strategy and collaborative framework to operationalize the MoU, whose implementation will be coordinated by Dr Cliff Dlamini. The signing ceremony was officiated and supported by the Chairpersons of the Boards of Directors: Mr Paul Fatch (AFAAS), Dr Geoffrey Mkamilo (ASARECA); and selected Board Members of the three organizations: Dr Jeff Mutimba (AFAAS), Prof. Patience Mshenga (ASARECA), Dr Catherine Senkoro (CCARDESA), and Mr Isaac Chiundira (CCARDESA).
The purpose of the MoU is to provide a framework for strong partnership and collaboration among the three organizations to enable them to serve their clients with distinction both individually and collectively and enhance synergy and harmonized programming of AR4D initiatives.
The three organizations agreed to implement cooperation initiatives in the following areas:
Commissioning of joint studies to inform policy and practice and sharing results in relevant fora;
Development of joint programmes and strategies for agricultural research for development and extension services to enhance impact at scale;
Undertaking joint planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, sharing of lessons learnt and responding to issues relating to projects that are being implemented jointly by the Parties;
Undertaking joint advocacy and influence for desired AR4D policy changes;
Conducting institutional consultations to improve operational and economic efficiency;
Sharing of capacities, technical information and general information using established mechanisms among the Parties; and
Convening joint proposal writing and resource mobilization.
The MoU will remain valid for ten years and will be extended further as agreed among the Parties. Amendments to the MoU will be made as and when necessary.
The uptake of research evidence in the policy-making process has become the front burner of global discourse on approaches and strategies for development. It is therefore not surprising that international development agencies and other research funders, are placing increasing emphasis on the need to communicate research evidence to policy makers.
This has resulted in a flurry of activities aimed at supporting knowledge management and communication of research evidence to policymakers. For example, a study commissioned by UNESCO in Tanzania in 2002 assessed the research–policy linkages of science-related ministries and their research organizations, with the objective to understand mechanisms for interacting with policymakers, and users of research outputs. In the agricultural sector in Ghana, the USAID Agriculture Policy Support Project is being implemented with the purpose of increasing the capacity of the Government of Ghana (GOG), the private sector, and Civil Society Organizations to contrivance evidence-based policy formation, research, and advocacy implementation, and rigorous monitoring and evaluation of agricultural programs, implemented under the Medium-term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP).
While efforts are being made to devise mechanisms for bridging research policy gap, it is important to note that policymaking is inherently a political process. Hence, many factors jostle with evidence to take center stage in policy formation, at an individual level and organizational level. For example, time constraints will affect the mechanisms available to mobilize.
On May 27th, 2022, the Ghana KM4AgD Implementation Joint Team in collaboration with the CSIR-Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (CSIR-INSTI) and Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA ), partnering with The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), held knowledge talks with leaders and CEREMONY FOR THE DONATION OF AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT in the CSIR-INSTI conference room towards strengthening Capacities, outreach and Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) Agenda in Ghana.
Through TAAT Africa initiative, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), procured audiovisual equipment with smartphones for strengthening capacity for technology, Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development Agenda delivery, and outreach in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Rwanda, Mali, DR Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. This equipment comprises five Samsung Galaxy A5l smartphones, one hand-held projector (DCS 1000) with accessories (solar panel, Bluetooth speaker, keyboard, power bank, tripod stand and a projector screen).
During the opening remarks for the ceremony, Dr. Seth Manteaw (Ph.D.)Director, of CSIR – INSTI Ghana noted, “There is no doubt that Internet penetration will continue to grow among farm communities. What is perhaps more important for EAS providers, funders, researchers and universities is to provide enterprise mechanisms using the Internet that maximize all technology use. Essentially, the Internet remains the cornerstone because it can connect the more educated participants in EAS throughout the world so that these participants do a better job working with farmers. Moreover, Benjamin Abugri , Lead specialist for Knowledge Management , Learning and Communication at FARA also stated that “The researchers and policymakers are coming up with a variety of solutions to help farmers to manage risks but the outreach and promotion of these solutions need a well-structured and effective medium. In this context, agricultural extension services play a very crucial role in bridging these gaps, through effective capacity building and awareness creation as highlighted in the #KM4AgD agenda. The KM4AgD agenda emphasizes the need to curb Fake News and ensure Quality information standards in empowering stakeholders to take informed action.
“Digital extension methods have received renewed attention with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our empirical research, videos and podcasts used to deliver information and advice to farmers are key in the effort to make agriculture attractive to the youth and create more jobs. We at the extension directorate of MOFA, are most appreciative of the toolbox equipment, which presents an interactive process in which information, knowledge and skills, relevant for development are exchanged between farmers, extension/advisory services are disseminate” Mr. Paul Siameh, Director extension directorate of MOFA, noted.
It is worth recognizing the Ghana KM4AgD’s team resilience in assisting farmers and other stakeholders, to manage these risks through KM4AgD Agenda tools box need closer collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation officers at MoFA, Mr. Patrick Twumasi mentioned. For example, extension services can effectively disseminate information about climate change, and promote technologies that can help farmers to mitigate various on-farm and off-farm risks. With the above background, KM4AgD Ghana champions call for institutionalizing and mainstreaming a learning framework to improve sectoral learning.
All the participants from these institutions are committed to KM4AgD agenda, in educating and training using this AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT for sustainable and relevant knowledge dissemination practices, in the field of duty. They recognize the support by the African Development Bank through the TAAT programme.
Please find the Accra Declaration on the KM4AgD Agenda for Africa published at this link: https://lnkd.in/gR9BjBuy
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of Nigeria, in partnership with the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Brazil, will be holding the First Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship for Africa (ARIFA) Symposium to consolidate the ARIFA Partnership Platform (APP). The event will take place in Viçosa between the 25th and 30th of April 2022, hosted by the Rector of UFV, Prof. Demetrius David da Silva.
The event will be declared open by the Ambassador of Nigeria in Brazil, His Excellency Professor Mohammad Ahmad Makarfi, who will be received by Arc. Sunday S.T. Echono (FNIA), the Executive Secretary of TETFund and Dr Yemi Akinbamijo, the Executive Director of FARA.
Also expected are the President of the Brazilian Association for International Education (FAUBAI), Prof. Márcio Venício Barbosa and Dr George Forpoh – Deputy Minister – Regional Development, Research & Extension – Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Liberia.
Targeted participants expected during the symposium include over forty ARIFA scholars currently studying in six Brazilian universities, leaders from participating institutions in Nigeria and Brazil, and representatives from Liberia, Ghana, and DR Congo.
The symposium’s theme is “Pedagogic Retooling Strategy for Africa’s Agricultural Research and Innovation System: Lessons from Brazil” and aims to strengthen alignment, partnership, and coordination, among current ARIFA partners: FARA, UFV, TETFund.
Coming at a time when the conference of the Brazilian Association for International Education (FAUBI) is taking place, the symposium will lead to the development of a more robust ARIFA Partnership Platform (APP) that will guide the alignment of Graduate Cohort Compacts (GCC) with the participation of a higher number of Brazilian universities. Outcomes from the meeting will lead to institutional strengthening of TETFund Centers of Excellence (TCoE), forming ARIFA Innovation Platforms, and a scaling strategy for an Africa-wide ARIFA model, in partnership with other African Education Trust Funds, including Ghana, South Africa, and Liberia.
About ARIFA
The Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship for Africa (ARIFA) aims to produce a new generation of fit-for-purpose workforce to re-engineer the African agri-food sector to provide the change factor for rapid agricultural transformation in the next ten years. The Nigerian model of the fellowship is funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to build strategic competence to change the prevailing narrative of the waning capacity of tertiary institutions in the country. Under this partnership, TETFund supports the training of Nigerian academia to undertake tailor-made MSc programs in various fields of sciences related to agriculture at UFV.
About FARA
FARA is the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, a continental organization mandated by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) to facilitate the widescale application of science and innovation toward achieving CAADP targets. FARA promotes innovative partnerships, capacity strengthening, knowledge management, and policy advocacy. FARA has its secretariat in Accra, Ghana, as the technical arm of the AUC and AUDA.
About TETFUND
TETFUND is a scheme established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2011 to disburse, manage, and monitor education tax to government-owned tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Its focus is to provide focused and transformative intervention in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria through funding and effective project management.
About UFV
Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV)-the Federal University of Viçosa is a frontline federal university in Brazil. Its main campus is located in the city of Viçosa, the state of Minas Gerais. Founded as the Higher College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in 1922 on what would become the Arthur Bernardes campus, it transformed into the Rural University of Minas Gerais and became fully federalised in 1969. Rated as one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil, UFV offers 47 different undergrad courses in many areas, including engineering, agronomy, medicine, veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and other areas related to science. The graduate courses at UFV are highly rated by the Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). According to the QS ranking, UFV is among the 100 best universities globally in the areas of Agriculture and Forestry.
As Africa enters a critical decade, with the clock ticking on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, the multiple threats to the continent’s food, land and water systems are undermining efforts to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
The challenges Africa faces are increasingly connected to the rest of the world. History tells us that increased food insecurity can start and prolong wars, spark revolution and reverse economic development, all of which is made more likely by the impact of the pandemic, climate change and civil strife. Africa urgently needs a path forward that meets major threats to food, land and water systems with commensurate science, technology and innovation.
In a mutually beneficial manner, Africa is as important to CGIAR, the world’s largest publicly funded agricultural research partnership, as CGIAR is to Africa. For more than five decades, CGIAR has made huge contributions to shaping the science behind Africa’s agricultural development. The institutional reforms and the strengthening of Africa’s research capacities over the same timeframe have been phenomenal.
While Africa may appear to be losing ground in meeting its targets for food and nutrition security, the current scenario would be far more desperate without the impact and influence of CGIAR. Breakthroughs in upstream science including genetics, agronomy and environmental and resource management are helping farming communities better cope with today’s extreme conditions and unpredictability.
To build on this life-saving legacy and stay relevant to an Africa facing new and ever more complex challenges, CGIAR must continue to evolve. The transition to One CGIAR is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform CGIAR so it can deliver the science and innovations needed to build a food-secure future in Africa and beyond. There is an absolute necessity to continuously counter known and unknown shocks to the agrifood system whenever they are encountered. Farmers and all stakeholders must remain equipped with appropriate technologies and policy instruments to meet these challenges head on. The One CGIAR transition offers such clear benefits in reducing biotic and abiotic stressors.
From an organizational change point of view, integrating CGIAR’s governance into a more unified system provides a single entry-point for engagement and clear mechanisms to respond to locally relevant opportunities, priorities and needs – something long demanded by funders and country partners alike. In this context, while research and innovation work is carried out, as before, in a decentralized way, administration and management become streamlined in a way that engenders efficiency of resource utilization. In addition, the One CGIAR transition also aims to double current funding, unlocking more investment for its work and partners in priority regions, half of which cover Africa. In 2021, close to USD$1 billion was pledged to CGIAR by funders, a major vote of confidence in the reform.
At the same time, the drivers of Africa’s food insecurity are multi-dimensional, which means that understanding the specificities of Africa is crucial for the successful implementation, application and unpacking of the One CGIAR reform in Africa. With around half of the countries in which CGIAR works in Africa and with four One CGIAR research centres headquartered on the continent, One CGIAR can only be a success if it is a success in and for Africa.
Transformational change on the scale needed can only be delivered in the context of transdisciplinary partnerships with national, regional research and donor partners. With this in mind, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and FARA recently brought together the African Union Commission, regional economic communities (RECs) and representatives of agricultural research for development institutes, with CGIAR, at a meeting in Abidjan to ensure that the necessary One CGIAR reforms reflect the needs of African farmers.
In the space between the Abidjan meeting and high-level consultations planned in Dakar in May, there is great hope for the elaboration of a consensus position on the direction for food science and innovation coordinated by the African Union Commission, AfDB and FARA as part of ongoing consultations, CGIAR can move forward in its reforms with confidence.
Transforming Africa’s food systems can only be achieved as a joint effort. That is why CGIAR is embracing the opportunity and invitation to boost its engagement with its country and regional partners. Its leadership is committed to ensuring that the perspectives of all its partners are meaningfully reflected in the One CGIAR transition and future, leveraging shared history and relationships to respectfully build on the important legacy of the first fifty years.
Ultimately, people do not survive on MoUs or partner agreements, they survive on functioning food systems that provide safe, sustainable and equitable diets and livelihoods. As leading agricultural research organisations, whose success depends on country and regional partnerships, CGIAR and FARA are unwavering in their pursuit of a united and successful way forward for Africa.
Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
Dr. Claudia Sadoff, Managing Director, Research Delivery and Impact of the CGIAR System Organization (CGIAR)
“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform “(Reid, 2020). The quote’s creator, Diane Mariechild, emphasizes a woman’s enormous potential. On this year’s International Women’s Day, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) acknowledges women in their full circle by advocating for gender-responsive policies to go beyond production issues. The entrepreneurial dynamism of women should be incentivized and not undermined by policies. Women play vital roles throughout the entire agricultural value chain, including agri-finance, agro-processing, and agro-allied industries with improved access to inputs and research.
On the other hand, women still have fewer educational opportunities than men. 14 percent of young women between the ages of 15 and 24 do not complete primary school. This group accounts for 58% of those who do not complete their primary education. Women account for 23% of the world’s illiterates. When girls are not educated to the same level as boys, it has a significant impact on their prospects and chances. Another key driver of gender disparity is a lack of equal opportunity in the workplace. Only six countries in the world grant women the same legal rights as men in the workplace. In truth, most economies only provide women with 34% of men’s rights. According to studies, leveling the playing field in the workplace has a favorable domino impact on other areas prone to gender disparity (Soken, 2022).
Given these challenges, we need to train the next generation of researchers to bring a gender lens to their research as well as promote gender-sensitive technologies that meet women’s needs, are labor-saving, cost-effective, and simple to operate by non-educated or preliterate women, girls, and youth. The division of labor is one of the factors that contribute to gender inequality in the workplace. There is an underlying idea that men are more prepared to perform specific tasks than women. For the most part, those are the highest-paying positions. Women’s incomes are lowered as a result of this prejudice. Women are often the ones who bear the brunt of unpaid labor. Therefore, even while working full-time, they do unpaid work. Despite years of improvement, women continue to be chronically underrepresented in policy making and the political process. As a result, issues raised by female lawmakers, such as maternity leave and childcare, pensions, gender equality laws, and gender-based violence, are often not given the attention they deserve.
Everyone gains when women are given the opportunity to lead their lives, express their thoughts, and make decisions about their futures. When we battle gender inequality, history shows that civilizations become more stable, safe, and rich, with happier, better educated inhabitants. Gender disparity is a problem in both affluent and poor countries (Duflo, 2012). To achieve this, we need to spotlight the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequalities. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day presents an opportunity to break these deliberate or unconscious biases that make it difficult for women to contribute meaningfully to development. We must re-enforce commitments to integrating gender in African AR4D simultaneously with increased budgetary allocations, since it is not possible to mainstream gender effectively and sustainably without a gender budget. We must also shift from the current gender training and/or sensitization approaches to creating gender awareness within organizations, to gender conscientization and gender consciousness awakening, and finally to unlearning the long-held gender ideologies and stereotypes.
References
Discrimination Causes Inequality Between Girls and Boys Around the World. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/how-gender-discrimination-impacts-boys-and-girls#:%7E:text=Gender%20inequality%20is%20discrimination%20on,violated%20by%20gender%20based%20discrimination. Reid, S. (2020, January 26).
The Most Empowering, Inspirational Quotes for Independent, Sassy Women. Retrieved from https://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2015/the-most-empowering-inspirational-quotes-for-independent-sassy-women/ Soken-Huberty, E. (2022, March 9). 10 Causes of Gender Inequality. Retrieved from https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/causes-gender-inequality/
Doubling the agricultural productivity target is fundamental to the CAADP’s goals of eliminating hunger, substantial reduction on poverty, creation of wealth and jobs and improved management of the continent’s natural resources. Knowledge Management was highlighted as one of the key drivers to the achievement of the Malabo targets. This led to the development of a continental knowledge management strategy including the FARADataInformS as an observatory for Africa Agriculture.
