To improve agricultural production, the Centre d'étude régional pour l'amélioration de l'adaptation
à la sécheresse (CERAAS) is carrying out research and training on the agrophysiological behavior
of crops, the development of new varieties, and diversification of dry land production. CERAAS is collaborating
with the Institut sénégalais de recherches agricoles (ISRA), the Ecole nationale supérieure
d'agronomie (ENSA), the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD), the Department of Agriculture, the
Comité national interprofessionnel de l'arachide in Senegal, the Comité permanent inter-Etats de
lutte contre la sécheresse (CILSS), the Institut franÁais de recherche scientifique pour le développement
en coopération (ORSTOM), the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le
développement (CIRAD), the Université Paris VII and Paris XII, Brussels Open University, the University
of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Cordoba Agronomic Station in Argentina, and Oeiras Agronomic Station, Portugal.
New Species
Research into the diversification of dry land production has led to the introduction and use of new plant species
(yam-beans, etc.). The yam-bean (Pachyrizus sp.) is a leguminous crop that has several advantages: high
nutritional value of the tubers and young pods, abundant fodder, and the mature seed has an insecticidal effect
(high rotenone content). CERAAS has helped disseminate this species in several African countries.
Aiming for a Diploma
CERAAS is carrying out research on the agrophysiological mechanisms of dry land crops that should be taken into
consideration in the case of water stress and mineral deficiencies. Research into crop diversification is currently
focusing on sesame.
In addition, institutions involved in the Conférence des responsables de recherche agricole en Afrique de
l'Ouest et du Centre (CORAF) have highlighted the need for CERAAS to give more importance to research on drought
resistance. To achieve this, CORAF, ISRA, ENSA, and UCAD, prepared two diploma courses: a special studies certificate
and a diploma in applied studies with an option in drought-resistant plants. The first course is for agronomists.
CERAAS is plays a key role in coordinating these two training courses.
Contact: Harold Roy-Macauley
CERAAS, BP 3320, Thiès, Senegal
Fax: +221 951 49 95
Web Page Design Classes
In the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, the lack of training and information on electronic networks,
resources, and available contacts are factors that restrict access to information. Most training programs are for
technicians who are not responsible for identifying organizations and resources, nor for obtaining and exchanging
information.
Subregional agricultural research organizations in sub-Saharan Africa are organizing training in designing home
pages for the Web (World Wide Web) from 20 to 31 July in Dakar. The Centre technique de coopération agricole
et rurale (CTA), the Conférence des responsables de recherche agricole en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre
(CORAF), the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the Southern
African Centre for Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Training (SACCAR), as well as the Caribbean Agricultural
Research and Development Institute (CARDI) are supporting this initiative. The aim is to strengthen the capacity
of organizations in the different countries in this region to manage and disseminate information and agricultural
data.
Visibility on the Internet
The first training module will be on exchanging experiences on the World Wide Web, particularly with regard to
navigating with Netscape and Internet Explorer. The second module will be on the creation of Web home pages: HTML
language, document structure, page layout, image management, design tools, etc. A third module will enable each
participant to work on a project for their institution.
By acquiring these skills, participants will be able to use the Internet to access information from their partners
as well as to increase the visibility of their own organization.
This course is designed for professionals with more than three years' experience in agricultural research institutions
and Faculties of Agronomy in French-speaking West and Central Africa.
Contact: Marie-Josée Jehl
CTA, ICDD, BP 380 6700, AJ,
Wageningen, Netherlands
Fax: +31- 0- 317 460 067
E-mail: jehl@cta.nl
Livestock. CIRDES has Convincing Results
The Centre international de recherche-développement sur l'élevage en zone subhumide (CIRDES) was
created in 1994 by member states of the Conseil de l'entente (Benin, Burkina, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali,
Niger, and Togo). Mali and Ghana participated in setting up CIRDES, which replaced the Centre de recherche sur
la trypanosomose animale (CRTA), founded in 1972.
At CIRDES, research is carried out on disease epidemiology, improved livestock practices, environmental improvement
and conservation, and disease control. Training and communication feature predominantly.
A Sperm Bank
Research, carried out by the operational units, has led to tangible results. The epidemiological and applied biotechnology
unit has developed several diagnostic techniques on animal trypanosomiasis as well as biochemical methods for cattle
breed characterization in West Africa. The parasitic disease and vector control unit has developed new non-polluting
glossine control techniques: use of traps associated with smells (acetone-octenol) that make them more effective,
treating livestock with insecticide applied subcutaneously, release of sterile male flies. This research has slowed
down the spread of trypanosomiasis in several experimental sites. The livestock systems zootechnical unit has created
a sperm data bank of several breeds of Baoulé cattle, "Ndaama", Peul zebus, Azawak, and Goudali.
CIRDES is working in partnership with several national, regional, and international institutions, and this collaboration
is growing from strength to strength.
Contact: Saydil Moctar Touré
CIRDES, 01 BP 454 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina
Fax: +226 97 23 20
E-mail: toure@ouaga.orstom.bf
Site Internet: http://www.aupelf-uref.refer.org.syfed
Cameroon. The safoutier Network is Set Up
The safoutier, a fruit and oil-bearing tree, is grown throughout Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea as a subsistence
and as a commercial crop. In December 1997, in Cameroon, the African Safoutier Research Network was created as
a result of the seminar on the development of this tree and other non-conventional oilseeds.
The aim is to disseminate research results, promote the exchange of plant materiel, facilitate help smallholders
to adopt modern technologies, implement training activities, and organize scientific meetings.
Contact: Joseph Kengué
IRAD, BP 2067, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Fax: +237 23 74 36
Congo. Entrepreneurship and Cassava Processing
A doctoral thesis entitled "Entrepreneurship, organization, and network operations: cassava processing in
Congo. A business organization and methods approach" was presented at the University of Montpellier 1.
The premise behind this study is that in Africa, economic analysis should include not business and markets, but
also the collective dimensions of relationships between which determine how economic activities are coordinated.
Networks based on clan, lineage, ethnicity, the village, the neighborhood are all contributing factors to the emergence,
organization, and functioning of small businesses in the cassava processing sector in Congo. These relationships
promote mutual confidence and stability, and, therefore, an exchange of information, less uncertainty, efficiency,
and the sharing of resources.
Customary Law
The analysis of how economic activities are organized and coordinated for small cassava processing businesses also
highlights the rational behavior of economic agents. Through social networks, entrepreneurs lower transaction costs
on labor markets, credit, goods, and services. These networks also facilitate the adoption of new products, techniques,
and methods of organization.
However, the efficiency of social networks depends on the obligations and sanctions system established under customary
law.
Contact: Jean-Jacques Magloire Bazabana
CIRAD-SAR, BP 5035, 34032 Montpellier Cedex 1, France
Fax: +33 4 67 61 57 53
Plenary Meeting. All Change
The Conférence des responsables de recherche agricole en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (CORAF) is at a
crossroads. Despite economic development efforts on the part of countries in the subregion, they still face tremendous
difficulties.
The 11th plenary session that took place at the International Conference Center in Accra, from 20 to 24 April 1998,
signaled a change in direction. Directors of CORAF member institutions decided to redefine the subregional organization's
mission and objectives ñ particularly in order to open it up to all actors in development - review its geographical
coverage which goes beyond the subregion, support the restructuring process, mobilize local expertise, and build
a sustainable funding mechanism.
Improving Information Flows
The directors, who had approved the approach adopted to draw up a regional strategic plan for agricultural research
that would mean restructuring CORAF, called on countries to prepare master plans if they had not already done so.
They also emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration between operational units (networks, pôles, projects,
and base-centers) and their parent research institutes. In recognition of the fundamental importance of the free
flow of information, they committed themselves to using different methods to improve dissemination: to develop
and improve CORAF ACTION, the subregional newsletter, by strengthening the network of correspondents; to expand
Internet access, develop Web pages, create a database of researchers, programs, and research projects. Scientific
and funding partners were invited to continue their support.
In addition, the directors agreed to organize the general assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
(FARA), currently chaired by CORAF, without further delay, and prepare their contribution to the forthcoming Conference
of West and Central African Ministers of Agriculture (CMA-AOC).
Finally, the plenary meeting, with a renewed mandate, confirmed the appointment of MoÔse Houssou of the Institut
national des recherches agricoles du Bénin (INRAB) as chairman of the Monitoring Committee, and elected
Japhet Christian Norman of the Ghanaian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as the new vice-chairman.
A Tribute to the Late President
Representatives of advanced research institutes (ARI), international centers of agronomic research, cooperation
agencies, donors, as well as producer organizations like the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen
(GNAFF) (see CORAF ACTION no.1), attended this annual CORAF meeting. Professor Maurice Onanga, former President
of the Monitoring Committee, who passed away on 18 March 1998, was deeply missed. His peers paid him tribute, in
the presence of his fellow country man, the Congolese Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology,
and Ghanaian ministers of the environment, science and technology, and food agriculture.
Contact: Marcellus Nwalozie
CORAF, BP 8237, Dakar-Yoff, Senegal
Fax: +221 825 55 69
E-mail: nwalozie@sonatel.senet.net
CORAF is making changes which will permit it to protect
its acquisitions and to promote into the 3rd millennium.
CORAF LIFE
Nigeria. Network Research: Speeding Up Agricultural Development
Research into agricultural production and problems at the national, regional, and global levels is being carried
out through networks. In Nigeria, this approach was introduced for the first time in 1982 by the Federal Ministry
of Science and Technology. Seven nationally coordinated agricultural research projects (NCRP) on maize, rice, sorghum,
cowpea, soybean, sugar cane, and livestock were created.
These first generation projects, which had limited funding, restricted their activities to multi-location varietal
trials through which several improved crop varieties were identified and distributed.
In 1996, Nigeria set up 24 (now 29) nationally coordinated research programs were set up.
A long-term National Agricultural Research Strategy Plan (NARSP) was prepared for 1996-2010 within the framework
of a World Bank-assisted National Agricultural Research Project (NARP). The NARSP is made up of three 5-year Medium-term
Research Plans (MTRP).
The first 5-year plan (1996-2000) covers policy and socio-economics, soils, arable crops, forestry and agroforestry,
livestock and fisheries, natural resource preservation as well as links between research and extension. This plan
was drawn up by Nigerian scientists, farmers, and other stakeholders.
These medium-term research plans are being implemented through a network of nationally-coordinated research programs
involving 18 research institutes, three universities, 23 Faculties of Agriculture, 37 Agricultural Development
Programs, 100 International Agricultural Research Centers, and units of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and
Natural Resources as well as nongovernmental organizations.
Faster Solutions
National networks have brought many positive changes to agricultural research and development: research efforts
are no longer duplicated; human and material resources are now used to their full potential; there is a stronger
unity of purpose among researchers, extension staff, and farmers; all agricultural research sectors now receive
fair attention; agricultural problems are solved faster.
Twenty-six studies are currently underway to evaluate the impact of agricultural research.
Contact: Adamu Aliyu
FMANR, P.M.B. 135, Garki-Abuja, Nigeria
Fax: 09-52344142
INSERT
Twenty-Nine National Programs
Twenty-nine national programs cover sorghum, maize, rice, millet, wheat, cowpea, groundnut, soybean, cassava, yam,
vegetables, fruit, forestry, wildlife conservation and sericulture, cotton, cocoa, rubber, oil palm, sugarcane,
soils and water management, large and small ruminants, poultry, pig and rabbit production, livestock feed, animal
diseases, marine fisheries, freshwater fisheries, socio-economics and policy, and extension services.
Vacancy Announcement from the Global Forum on Agricultural Research
The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), which was set up in October 1996, is run by two steering committees
each with its own secretariat. The GFAR steering committee secretariat is based at the World Bank in Washington,
whilst the National Agricultural Research Systems steering committee (NARS) secretariat is based at FAO in Rome.
The NARS steering committee is inviting applications for the post of Executive Secretary. The successful candidate
will be responsible for running the NARS secretariat, maintaining close contact with associations and subregional
and regional NARS organizations throughout the world, report to the chairperson of the NARS steering committee
and the FAO on all major issues, and act as secretary to all NARS meetings.
The successful candidate Applicants will be a senior agricultural research manager from a developing country with
demonstrated leadership skills in research management, hold a PhD or equivalent qualification in agricultural sciences,
have at least 10 years' high level experience (advanced research institutes, CGIAR, management of donor and public
funds). Candidates should be fluent in either English, French, or Spanish, or show a willingness to learn one of
these languages.
The appointment will be for an initial period of two years.
The application should include a curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three references, and should be
sent to the address below by 15 July 1998.
Secretary of the NARS Steering Committee
ISNAR, P.O. Box 93375, 2509 AJ The Hague, Netherlands
Fax:+31 70 3819677
E-mail: isnar@gnet.com
Côte d'Ivoire. A Private Company Takes On Research
In Côte d'Ivoire, national agricultural research institutes are undergoing change. For the past 10 years,
various experiments have been carried out to open them up to all those with a stake in agricultural research (universities,
agroindustry, smallholder organizations, nongovernmental organizations, civilians) to make them more efficient
and responsive to developmental needs.
Various methods have been adopted, mainly as a result of public sector reforms that led to the establishment of
public administrations or scientific establishments with varying levels of autonomy. On 25 March 1998, the National
Center for Agronomic Research (NCAR) was set up in Côte d'Ivoire. It is the first private company responsible
for agricultural research in West and Central Africa.
A Merger of Three Research Institutions
The creation of NCAR, in which the Ivorian State has minority shares, is one of the final stages in the agronomic
research restructuring process that the national technical secretariat, composed of eminent persons from the world
of research and development, has been carrying out over the past two years. The objective is to promote a greater
sense of responsibility amongst economic operators, producers, professional organizations, and enable the State
to devote more time to strengthening policies in favor of disadvantaged groups. The new rural sector support policy,
one of the results of this restructuring, has received support from the World Bank and the Special Program for
African Agricultural Research (SPAAR).
NCAR is the creation of a merger between the Institut des forÍts (IDEFOR), the Institut des savanes (IDESSA),
and the Centre ivoirien de recherche technologique (CIRT). It is being created at a time when the national context
is very favorable for majority shareholders and beneficiaries of agricultural research.
Decentralized Structures
Through the NCAR, the national system of agricultural research should be open to collaboration. At the national
level, there will be regional cooperation agreements to implement programs involving the NCAR, universities, and
other national research institutions that have a comparative advantage. At the subregional and international levels,
the NCAR will be more involved in CORAF regional programs and projects, and in eco-regional programs. Sililarly,
trhough the NCAR, beneficiaries will have more control over research programs to ensure that they respond to economic
needs.
An external scientific audit of the programs has already been carried out. An evaluation of scientific and non-scientific
personnel is underway so that a human resource policy can be drawn up taking into account the NCAR status.
With decentraliezd structures (rgional research poles, technic planning committees), the NCAR may contribute to
increased production and agricultural productivity, environmental conservation, and improved smallholders incomes
Contact: Sié Koffi
CNRA, 01 BP 1740 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
Fax:+225 45 33 05
Regionalization and Globalization of Agricultural Research
The 11th CORAF plenary meeting devoted one of its sessions to the regionalization and globalization of agricultural
research for development. Representatives from one NARS, an advanced research institute, and an international agronomic
research center took part in this session.
According to the representative of the Ghanaian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), any progress
towards regionalization and globalization depends on: the development and transfer of appropriate technology; the
standardization of product quality; the lifting of the draconian customs barriers that are imposed on food products;
the multiplication of collective research efforts at the national level; an evaluation of the effects of research
on development. It is also necessary to preserve the national resource base, strengthen national and regional research
programs, remove language barriers, ensure transparent management and the equitable share of financial resources,
set up a regional fund to be managed by CORAF, and, finally, build up strong and enthusiastic leadership.
A strong and enthusiastic CORAF is the key to the regionalisation of agricultural research.
Sharing the Research Burden
The representative of the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement
(CIRAD) emphasized the need to improve the organization of research in each country and within the subregion, where
there are currently 180 networks, to establish scientific and institutional partnerships, develop a regional approach
similar to current efforts to build up the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR), as well as national and
regional initiatives.
The presentation from the representative of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) highlighted
activities likely to improve intra-NARS collaboration, and emphasized that countries should share the burden of
research and undertake regional training.
At the end of these presentations, the representatives of the Conférence des ministres de l'agriculture
de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (CMA-AOC), the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR),
the scientific partnerships, and donors, all responded with a single voice: in recognition of the sovereignty and
legitimacy of CORAF, the time has come to stand firmly as the sole and unique interlocutor in the subregion.
Contact: Armand Faye
CORAF, BP 8237, Dakar-Yoff, Senegal
Fax :+221 825 55 69
E-mail: ndiaga@sonatel.senet.net
Savanna. The PRASAC Steering Committee Meets
Shortly after signing the declaration of commitment and the funding agreement (September and December 1997), the
Pôle régional de recherche appliquée au développement des savanes d'Afrique centrale
(PRASAC) held the first steering committee meeting on 7 and 8 May 1998, at N'Djamena.
The scientific program was approved and its implementation will be defined by a workshop of facilitators and national
delegates to be convened in the near future. The committee recommends that research results already available in
member countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad) should be used, that activities involving smallholders
be given priority to strengthen the links between research and development, and that all stakeholders should be
involved in defining objectives and undertaking research. The Committee emphasized the importance of scientific
and technical information.
Headquarters Agreement Signed
The Steering Committee approves the special agreements that bind it to various partners in the Pôle, and
appeals to the regional coordinators to diversify sources of funding.
PRASAC's headquarters agreement was signed by the Chadian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
and the General Coordinator of the Pôle. Its partners are: the Institut de recherche agricole pour le développement
(IRAD) in Cameroon, the Institut centrafricain de recherche agronomique (ICRA), the laboratoire de recherches vétérinaires
et zootechniques (LRVZ) in Chad, the Institut tchadien de recherche agricole pour le développement (ITRAD),
the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD),
the Institut franÁais de recherche scientifique pour le développement en coopération (ORSTOM),
and Leyde University in the Netherlands.
Contact: Seyni Boukar Lamine
IRAD, BP 33, Maroua, Cameroon
Fax:+237 29 29 76
IN THE FIELDS
Research and Agroindustry. New Technology for Attiéké Producers
Attiéké producers from the Bouaké cooperative in the center of Côte d'Ivoire are satisfied.
Although they used to make 1 t/week of attiéké, using traditional production methods, they now make
2.5 t/week and their earnings have gone up by over 25%.
This is because they have adopted a semi-industrial cassava processing unit developed by the Société
ivoirienne de technologie tropicale (I2T) that they are using successfully to make attiéké ó
a fresh, highly nutritious product. This unit consists of a crusher that can process 800 kg of fresh cassava per
hour, a grinder that can remove 300 kg of fiber per day, a dryer that processes 100kg/hr, and a cooker with a capacity
of 500 kg/day.
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Simple to use-no need to know too much about technology-this production unit has turned out to be particularly
well suited to the needs of urban women's cooperative groups where it has been distributed. To a large extent,
the operation's success is due to low investment costs, the equivalent of $12,000, including installation. It is
also due to I2T's involvement in promotion activities.
The women's group and I2T are, in fact, working together. For I2T, this is an opportunity to improve its technology
by addressing difficulties that arise when the unit is used commercially, and to adopt a more rational approach
to the problems of small and medium-sized enterprises and rural areas.
Although cassava amounts to 20% of Ivorian food crop production, its marketing whether fresh or processed is controlled
almost exclusively by women. It is particularly significant, therefore, that they are the ones who have adopted
the new processing technology.
Restructuring the National Research System
Partnerships between research and small and medium-sized enterprises are crucial to Ivorian agroindustrial development
and have the following spin-offs: job creation, increased value added, and improved balance of payments. That is
why Côte d'Ivoire is restructuring its national agricultural research system in collaboration with the Centre
ivoirien de recherche technologique (CIRT) and I2T, for greater private sector involvement in research program
selection, orientation, and management.
Contact: Dognegnema Coulibaly
HEVEGO, BP 7572, Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
Fax: +225 22 17 11
An Invitation from the Southern African Association for Farming Systems Research-Extension
The Southern African Association for Farming Systems Research-Extension (AFSR-E) is inviting Francophone scientists
to participate in its 15th symposium on "Rural livelihoods, empowerment, and the environment ñ going
beyond the farm boundary", to be held from 29 November to 4 December 1998, in Pretoria.
Participants from more than 66 countries are expected to attend this symposium, where the following subjects will
be discussed:
Ecologically sustainable development and farming systems;
Short-term farmer survival vs. long-term sustainability;
Empowerment through capacity building;
The institutional environment and farming systems; and,
Methodological issues and challenges.
Additional information is available on request.
Contact: Richard Fowler
AFSR-E symposium '98, P.O. Box 411177, Craighall 2024, South Africa
Fax: +27 11 442 5927
E-mail: cpjhb@jhb.lia.net
Organisation of production and commercialisation of
animal husbandry is a prerequisite for the developement of exports.
Water. Pumps for the Rural Areas
Supplying safe water is a critical problem for rural populations. However, there are major underground water reserves
but rural populations seldom have the appropriate means available to access them.
Water pumps that are easy to use and maintain, adapted to rural conditions, and relatively cheap may be the solution.
One such water pump is the household hand pump.
Twenty-Six Liters of Water per Minute
The suction model, for household and agricultural use, consists of a short piston, a lower sliding surface, a high-resistance
push rod, and a cylinder that draws up to 20 l of water per minute from a depth of 8 m.
The rising pump model, used for deep wells (26m deep), has the piston, the rod, and the lower valve built into
the cylinder. This pump draws up to 26l of water per minute.
These relatively cheap pumps (49,000 and 219,000 CFA fr), are used in Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Comores,
Madagascar, as well as in the Great Lakes region.
Contact: Arnaud Ruel
ARCANA, 1115 Corniche Escartefique, 83200 Toulon, France
Fax: +33 4 94 91 03 94 |
