1st Science Week Resolutions
Producers and end-users at the center of agricultural research
For CORAF/WECARD the year 2008 was mainly one for organising the 1st West & Central African Agricultural Science Week. This important event took place in Yaounde, Cameroon from 9 to 11 June 2009, parallel to the eighth General Assembly of the institution. It was enlivened by fruitful discussions and presentations on research findings.
For the organisers of the First Agricultural Science Week, it was a question of establishing an arena for discussions that it enabled the members of CORAF/WECARD to meet to evaluate the progress made since the Special General Assembly of May 2007. From the lessons drawn from this Agricultural Science Week, it thus became possible to draw up an agenda for a development-oriented agricultural research in West and Central Africa. The Agricultural Science Week set aside a day dedicated to Cameroon, during which agricultural innovations were presented.
This Agricultural Science Week was aimed at awakening the conscience of the participants and the public on the pertinence of research in resolving problems of poverty through the promotion of food security and environmental protection.
Among the main topics discussed during this Science Week, one can note: Agricultural productivity in West and Central Africa in the context of the challenges of climate change, biotechnology and biosafety, marketing agricultural research, management of knowledge in agriculture, plant reproduction and the challenges of the fight against poverty.
At the opening ceremony, after the welcome statement by Dr. Simon Zok, Director General of the Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Cameroon (IRAD) and Prof. Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, Chairman of the Governing Board of CORAF/WECARD and Director General of CSIR (Ghana), representatives of CEEAC, CEMAC and WAEMU stressed on the progress accomplished and praised the ongoing reforms within CORAF/WECARD to make it an Institution of quality. Cameroon’s Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, the Honourable Dr. Madeleine Tchuinte, welcomed the participants.
She notably emphasized the relevance of the topics for the occasion, recalling that, just a few months earlier, several African countries had been shaken by hunger riots and that a wave of violence and protests hit the entire African continent due to shortages and the sharp increases in the prices of food items. Confronted with the global food crisis, which is quite real as it calls for the attention of all of us, she added: “it is up to us therefore to find the suitable solutions to guarantee each citizen the minimum essentials which guarantee social peace.” She also emphasized that these deliberations “have come to make a contribution to the global reflection and the choice of programmes and research priorities” selected by CORAF/WECARD.
The central theme of the Week, on which all the presentations were centered was: “Producers and end-users of agricultural research and development challenges.”The presentation that introduced the events of the Week was made by Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, Vice President of IFAD. Recalling the pertinence and impact of research for development, he considered that “sustainable growth in agricultural productivity is necessary for improving food security.” In this connection, investments must be increased for a sustainable agricultural development.
Organised in seven sessions, the Week, for each session, helped to reflect on a specific topic:
Session 1: Improving agricultural productivity in Africa: shifting to a new paradigm,
Session 2: The role of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety,
Session 3: Agricultural productivity in West and Central Africa in the context of climate change,
Session 4: Agricultural research marketing,
Session 5: Agricultural knowledge management
Session 6: The role of livestock in poverty reduction,
Session 7: Science Day on Cameroon.
Session 1
Improving agricultural productivity
The main presentation of this session was made by Dr. Monty Jones, Executive Director of FARA, who treated the “Subsidiarity principles in regional and sub-regional agricultural research cooperation.”
After recalling the four pillars of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) -- land and water management; rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access; increasing food supply and reducing hunger; agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption -- the speaker invited the institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa to work within the context of these pillars. FARA’s activities, he explained, have been based essentially on these four pillars following broad national, regional and international consultations.
In conclusion, Dr. Monty Jones stressed on the fact that the subsidiarity principles offer several advantages through sharing responsibilities and resources. It must be considered as a means of strengthening democracy at the local level. Finally, far from being isolated, it must take into consideration other general principles of building up institutions such as unity of action, efficiency, unity of application and solidarity.
The presentation was followed by rich discussions and commentaries.
Session 2
Biotechnology and Biosecurity
This session was introduced by Prof. Abdourahamane Sangare, Director of the PBB at CORAF/WECARD. After dwelling on the issues of biotechnology and biosafety (inexorable development in the world, fragility in less developed countries, challenge of biosafety, controversies), Prof. Sangare dwelt on the paradigms to be considered to ensure the preservation of natural resources and facilitate knowledge acquisition and development: need to adopt quick strategies to fight poverty, malnutrition, hunger, diseases, damage to the environment, climate change, from where the dilemma: “Must one engage in quick actions with the GMOs and be criticized for lack of precaution or must one ask for more in-depth studies on the risks and be criticized for not acting with promptness or discernment?”
However, Prof. Abdourahmane Sangare considered that “if only on the the inconveniences, there would not even be debates for, the GMO would not be produced, even more so distributed or consumed.”
Confronted with biotechnologies, Africa has specific problems, Prof. Sangare hammered. Does she have enough human resources in this area? Are there mechanisms that are transparent enough to permit the user to make his choice with full knowledge of the facts? How, within the context of regulations, is the precautionary approach applied in the process of authorization for import or production of MGOs? Confronted with these specific problems, Africa must engage in in-depth discussions to find the most suitable responses.
For Prof. Sangare, a strategy must be adopted, which he sums up in a few points:
- Formulate and implement regulation in the area of biosafety;
- Develop a legislative, scientific and technical envi-ronment to put in place suitable mechanisms for consultation on the introduction of MGOs and monitor their effects on health, the environment and biodiversity;
- Put in place a system which permits the integration of small farmers into decision making to promote the use of the MGOs with full knowledge of the facts and in all security;
- Develop an African vision in the area of MGOs to respond to the specific problems of food security, sustai-nable production and poverty reduction.
Several other issues were also tackled during the session: the constraints in the implementation of biosafety programmes (scientific and technical constraints, inade-quate expertise), administrative constraints (inadequate top level human and technical resources to handle administrative issues), constraints of ownership (regulatory framework to facilitate application of procedures), regional approach in the implementation of biosafety programmes (ECOWAS Plan of Action), etc.
Several contributions were made to complement Prof. Sangare’s presentation.
Session 3
Agricultural productivity and climate change
Dr. Issa Martin Bikienga, Deputy Secretary-General of CILSS, made the lead presentation of this session on: “Agricultural Productivity in West and Central Africa in the context of climate change, biofuels and food insecurity.”
After recalling some principles on climate change, their impact and the types of control of this phenomenon, Mr Bikienga dwelt on the new deal that the advent of biofuels will introduce and then made practical recommendations to deal with climate change, while emphasizing the role of scientific research. For the speaker, “climate change, in our days, constitutes an important topical issue and also of major concern for the sustainable development of countries in West and Central Africa.” Because this phenomenon “represents a serious threat to food security due to its negative impact on agricultural productivity,” he considered it “indispensable that policy makers must integrate it in the preparation of srategies on policies and development strategies or on poverty reduction.”
Finally, according to him, “the strategies to control climate change exist, but they need to be reinforced.” In this regard, scientific research must be supported more than ever.
Contributions were made to enrich this session.
Session 4
Agricultural research marketing
Dr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck began his presentation by showing the gap between capital knowledge and technologies generated and the performance level of agriculture in Africa. Making the diagnostics of the present approach of conducting agricultural research, Dr. Seck hammered that it is perceived as a drain on budget, disconnected from its environment and without strategic responsiveness. Consequently, he emphasised on the pressing need to promote an innovative agricultural research.
For that purpose, partnerships must be developed on the basis of participative iterative approach where the players must, plan, act and evaluate together. The researchers will be evaluated thanks to criteria such as scientific productivity, the impact and development of results, and the aptitude to adopt over the problems with the need to promote researchers who know how to anticipate and communicate with the different players.
When all is said and done, the research users must not be considered either as clients or as targets. On the contrary, they must become partners of research in order to permit innovations that are jointly built, managed and evaluated according to a participative and iterative approach.
Two other presentations followed the main presentation, that of Dr. Yo Tiemoko: “How to promote research to make it a tool of economic development and shared social development” and that of Dr. Ottou on “Developing the culture of innovation.”
Session 5
Agricultural knowledge management
Contextualising the management of knowledge in CORAF/WECARD’s Operational Plan, Prof. Anthony Youdeowei, a FARA consultant, recalled that it is one of the eight key programmes of the Strategic Plan. It is also one of the major tools of the new strategy of CORAF/WECARD that must help to improve productivity, competitiveness and the markets with the view to opening up to a high growth of the agricultural sector and, consequently, on poverty reduction in West and Central Africa.
Knowledge management, for CORAF/WECARD, complies to the principles of the FAAP. It concerns the systematic use of improved information management systems, in particular for planning, financial management, report writing, programme monitoring and evaluation.
According to him, the effectiveness in the knowledge management for agricultural development in West and Central Africa can come from the response to two complex questions: why does agricultural research play such a limited role in the field of innovation in West and Central Africa? What is wrong with the delivery of agricultural research and the manner in which its outputs are packaged, positioned, financially taxed and promoted?
Prof. Youdeowei’s presentation was enriched by a contribution from ROPPA which drew a conclusion that “indigenous and scientific knowledge are complementary and can go hand in hand and that “research would gain more by capitalizing on and developing indigenous knowledge for, presently, we all agree that research must be based on the demand expressed by the farmer.”
Session 6
Livestock and poverty management
The presentation by Prof. Yusuf Abubakar, Executive Secretary of the ARCN, raised the following issues: trend of demand in the area of livestock, livestock farming as the way to reduce poverty, and pro-poor livestock policies.
After highlighting the importance of livestock in the rural areas of developing countries (important source of income, one of the rare assets accessible to the poor, usefulness for soil fertility and conservation, etc), Prof. Abubakar dwelt on the possible opportunities (from increasing demand for livestock products) the conditions under which these opportunities can be realized. Decision makers and researchers must, however, find means which are better market-oriented to ensure that the small-scale livestock farmers benefit from the growth in the sector. In particular, a vertical coordination of the small operators against the policies which distort the livestock development in favour of the large-scale livestock farmers has proved to be necessary if we do not want these small-scale livestock farmers to miss the revolution in livestock farming.
The presentation by Prof. Yusuf Abubakar was followed by a contribution from Hubert Guerin from CIRAD, who identified areas for research which, according to him, must revisit its processes and methods for development that brings hope to end users.. The examples of the research areas mentioned are livestock farming, the health protection, cultivation of fodder and aquaculture.
A second contribution, that of Dr. Lamire Dia, Director of CNERV in Mauritania presented was devoted to “the role of livestock farming in poverty reduction.”
Session 7
Cameroon Day
The Agricultural Research and Development Institute, a government-owned establishment of an administrative nature was set up in 1996, and succeeded the former establishments of IRA and IRVZ. IRAD is under the technical supervision of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation and the financial supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Its mission is to respond to the concerns of the stakeholders in agricultural development in Cameroon through five areas of research (annual crops, perennial crops, animal and fishery production, forestry, environment and biodiversity, production systems, rural economy and sociology) and 20 programmes.
The Institute has about 950 employees, among which are 244 researchers and 250 technical experts. It manages 10 laboratories of national and sub-regional status and maintains partnerships both at the national (universities, ministries, etc) and international levels.
The Cameroon Day was the occasion for the authorities of IRAD to present, programme by programme, the major achievements which fascinated the public.
Six parallel events
and an exhibition of research products
Apart from the official presentations made during the sessions, the Agricultural Science Week was an occasion for several parallel events –exactly six in number– which facilitated deep understanding of the topics treated by the various organizations and highlighted many opportunities. These were achieved through an exhibition of research products from national agricultural research institutes and some scientific and technical partners.
The first of these parallel events was the presentation of the African Network of Experts in Biosecurity by Prof. Diran Makinde, Director of NEPAD-WABnet. The network is aimed at serving as focal points to the African scientific community to support the activities of the national, regional and international entities for poverty reduction and wealth creation. In addition, the network has an ambition of creating and improving human resource in bioscience, by attracting notably, the young scientists. The initiative is also aimed at promoting scientific excellence by placing at the disposal of a critical mass of scientists modern working conditions. The network also facilitates access to information and training on intellectual property, biosafety and other regulatory issues. Its areas of priority are food security, nutrition, health and environment.
The second parallel event was video documentary show produced by the former US Vice President, Al Gore, An inconvenient truth. This 94-minute documentary treats the realities of climate warming and its dangers to the future of humanity.
The third event was the presentation by Lucy Muchoky from the Naturally African Platform. It is a forum which through research, information and policies, seeks to promote opportunities for small African farmers. The objective is also to develop the economic potential of fruit trees and medicinal plants and disseminate information and resources to get the small farmers, traders, private sector investors, exporters and decision-makers communicate among themselves.
In the fourth parallel event, Mr. Etienne Hainzelin, Director of Research and Strategies at CIRAD, looked into “The strategic orientations of CIRAD,” presented as an essential component of agricultural research in France, with a rich and complex history, multidisciplinary competence, a research mission finalised for development, based on partnerships with the South and a long-time involvement with the national and regional systems in Africa. With 1800 employees (including 850 scientific experts) and a budget of 230 million Euros, the organization has about 50 research units and a global network of partners.
The fifth parallel event helped to learn more about the initiative to promote horticulture for health and the prosperity of the Global Horticulture Initiative/World Vegetable Centre. Presented by Dr. Remi Kahane, its Executive Secretary, the Global Horticulture Initiative promotes the health security of horticulture products and resources, their nutritional aspects, the conservation of the environment and the improvement of living conditions, and also their aptitude to create jobs and generate income.
Finally, the sixth parallel event presented an opportunity for Dr. Lamine Seiny Boukar Coordinator of PRASAC –the Regional Centre for Applied Research for Developing Agricultural Systems in Central Africa– to present his institution in a paper entitled: Regional Research in Central Africa: PRASAC at the crossroads of CEMAC and CORAF/WECARD.
Recommendations of the First West and Central Africa Agricultural Science Week
At the end of the First West and Central Africa Agricultural Science Week, 10 main recommendations were made by the participants:
1. Particular attention must be paid to the resolution of the constraints in the value chains and capitalize on the opportunities by involving all stakeholders in the production-consumption process.
2. Apply the principle of subsidiarity for the effective implementation of national and regional agricultural research.
3. Ensure the development and implementation of the legal framework for the realization of a real biotechnology in West and Central Africa.
4. Ensure that the biofuel initiatives do not compete with the production system for subsistence crops.
5. Assist CORAF/WECARD to remain the leader in issues relating to climate change and ensure that they are integrated into research programmes in the sub-region.
6. Ensure that agricultural research programmes are capable of demonstrating to decision-makers the impact of their socio-economic potential.
7. Resolve in an appropriate manner policy issues so that livestock attains its potential in poverty reduction.
8. Guarantee an efficient use of systems based on agricultural research knowledge.
9. Exploit the potential of forest products to improve the living conditions of rural populations.
10. Promote the development of the fruit and vegetable sector as a means to reduce poverty and improve health.