FARA quaterly

FARA Quarterly Newsletter | (July - September, 2014) 1

NewsletterQuarterly

Volume 1 (July - September, 2014)

First Edition

• FARAandCuba:FosteringScientificCollaborationforEnhancedFoodSecurityinAfrica

• BiosciencesasaGameChangerforRealizingAfrica’sTransformationAgenda

• FillingtummiesandpocketsofsmallholderfarmersthroughInnovationPlatforms

• ThePolicyInput:CanitmakeaDifferenceinAfrica’sFoodandAgriculturalTransformation?

• AfricaHumanCapitalInScience,Technology&AgripreneurshipForFoodSecurityFramework(AHC-Staff)

• PromotinggainfulagribusinessinZambiathroughincubation

• FARAMScDegreeFellowshipsBoostingResearchCapacityinNationalAgriculturalResearchInstitutes

• UpcomingMeetings

FARA and Cuba: Fostering Scientific Collaboration for Enhanced Food

Security in AfricaHavana, the capital city of Cuba,was once described in the 1950sby an American tourist newspaperas“amistressofpleasure,the lushand opulent goddess of delights.”Within easy reach of profligateAmericancelebritiesandmobsters,Cuba in these times increasinglybore the unenviable epithet of “thewhorehouseof theCaribbean” andgainedreputationas the“capitalofAmericanvice.”However,thesocial,political and economic fortunesof Cuba had to take on a differentdimensionwhenFidelCastro’s26thof July Movement gained poweron 1 January 1959. Since then,Castro had been at the helm, onlyrelinquishing power in 2006 to hisyounger brother and comrade-in-arms,RaulCastro,ongroundsofillhealth.

Taking cues from post-Cold War

economic milestones achieved byChina, Russia and Vietnam, RaulCastropubliclydeclaredtoCubansin2010:“wereform,orwesink.”Thisgaveimpetustoagriculturalreform,the formalization of a progressivetaxcode,andpublicpolicychangesfavoring free enterprise. Cubahas cumulatively progressed inimprovingthewell-beingofitspeoplethrough science and innovation.Huge research investments in theareas of human and animal healthaswellasagriculturehave resultedinastringofsuccesses.Dedicatedefforts in genetic engineering and

Inside This Issue

AnexampleofinfrastructuralprogressinCuba

Message from the Executive Director:The Year 2014 is special to Africa’sagriculture. For one, in January 2014,the African Heads of States andGovernments declared it Africa’s Yearof Agriculture, Food and NutritionSecurity.Further,therecommitmentsbytheHeadsofStatesandGovernmentsinMalabo, EquatorialGuinea, in June2014 have served to re-invigorate theresolveforanagriculture-ledeconomicdevelopment of Africa even as theComprehensive Africa AgricultureDevelopmentProgram(CAADP)movesintothenextdecade.

Having successfully spearheadedimplementation of Pillar 4 of theCAADP over the last 10 years, FARAis repositioning itself to best execute

theemergingroles inthenextCAADPdispensationthat are consonant withitsmandate. In this regard, theFARASecretariat and the Greater FARAForumwillbeholdingthe‘CelebratingFARA’ events in Johannesburg,SouthAfrica, in November 2014. Theseevents will help to reflect on howFARAhasevolvedover theyearsandits contribution towards shaping andadvancingatransformativeagendaforAfrican agriculture. The retrospectiveself-evaluationwillhelpredefinefuturestrategicorientation,takingcognizanceof the changing drivers of Africa’sagriculturaltransformation.

As part of these celebrations, theSecretariat has launched this maiden

e d i t i o nof FARAQ u a r t e r l yNews l e t t e rasaplatformfor publicengagementa n da d v o c a c yof FARA’sm a n d a t e .We hopeyou will enjoy reading the captivatingengagement reports and anecdotesfrom beneficiaries of FARA and otherstakeholderactions.

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, FARA

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo

FARA Quarterly Newsletter | (July - September, 2014)2

biotechnology have enabled the country to build aprofessional and institutional foundation for successin pharmaceutical, agricultural and other scientificareas. Today, Cuba exports a range of new medicaland agricultural technologies and services to severalcountriesincludingthoseinAfrica.

Several African countries and the Republic of Cubashare the common characteristics of developingcountries.However,AfricancountrieshavealottolearnandbenefitfromCuba’sscientificcommunity.Thereareseveralbestpracticesand‘ready-to-adapt’technologiesthatcouldquicklyenhancethehealth,foodandnutritionsecurity of African people. To help facilitate this, theForum forAgriculturalResearch inAfrica (FARA) led adelegationof stakeholders in agricultural researchanddevelopment(AR&D)totheRepublicofCubafrom22–26September2014tomeetwithCubanauthoritiesanddiscussavenuesforcollaborationbetweenAfricanandCubanAR&D institutionsandagribusinessenterprises.Themission responds toFARA’sstrategic functionsoffacilitating collective action around the promotion oftechnologies, strengthening capacity to enhance thefunctionality of agricultural technologies, and buildingpartnerships to enhance broad-based agriculturalproductivity and competitiveness, particularly in thecontextofSouth-Southcollaboration.

TheExecutiveDirectorofFARA,Dr.YemiAkinbamijo,ledthedelegation.HewasaccompaniedbyDr.EmmanuelTambi (FARA’s Head of Policy and Advocacy); Dr.Emmanuel Okogbenin (Director of Research andTechnology of the African Agricultural TechnologyFoundation - AATF, Nairobi, Kenya); Prof. TimothySimalenga (Executive Director of the Center for theCoordinationofAgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentinSouthernAfrica-CCARDESA,Gaborone,Botswana);Mr. Brian Mwanamambo (Head of AgribusinessIncubation Trust Limited - AgBiT, Lusaka, Zambia);and Ms. Marie NkomTamoifo, Head of Association JeunesseVerte du Cameroun,Yaounde,Cameroon.

Participation in the LABIOFAM 2014 International CongressInaddition tomeetingwithstaffof theCubanMinistryofAgriculture, theFARADelegationparticipated in theLABIOFAM 2014 International Congress held at theHavana International Conference Center from 22ndto 25th September, 2014, and co-organized by theentrepreneurialgroupLABIOFAM,Pan-AmericanHealthOrganization,CubanMinistryofAgriculture (MINAGRI),and the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP).OrganizedunderthethemeofNatural Products in Cancer Therapy,theInternationalCongressaddressedissuesofbiopesticides,biofertilizersandbiostimulantsfor agriculture.Scientists andprofessionals frommorethan20countriesattendedthefour-daycongresswheremore than 150 scientific papers were presented anddiscussed.

Welcoming the 500 plus participants to Havana, thePresidentofLABIOFAMDr.JoseAntonioFragaCastrostatedthatLABIOFAMgrewfrom6professionalsin1960whenitwasestablishedtomorethan2,000professionalstaff today. Now LABIOFAM produces medicines,vaccinesandbio-productsthathelptoprevent,controlandtreatmajorhumanandanimaldiseasesindevelopedand developing countries. Dr. Castro underscored thestrategic role of LABIOFAM in the development andtransferofnewtechnologiesandinnovationsaswellastherelevanceofitsbio-productsinthefieldsofhumanandanimalhealth,agriculture,foodandnutrition.

MeetingwiththeFARADelegation,theDeputyDirectorofLABIOFAM,Dr.IsbelGonzalezMarrero,andDirectorof Exports, Dr. Alfredo Vera Estrada, both explainedhowLABIOFAMhasandcontinuestodevelop,registerand commercialize several biological products acrosstheglobe.Adding thatLABIOFAM is in theprocessofestablishing production units in Tanzania, Angola andGhana for the manufacture of biological products totacklepestsanddiseases,Dr.EstradacalledonFARAtofacilitatetheidentificationofagri-businesspartnersinAfricatoinvestinthissector.

Addressing the more than 500 participants including

MembersofthedelegationmeetingwithstaffoftheCubanMINAGRI

DisplayofsomeCubanbioproducts

Dr.YemiaddressingtheLABIOFAMInternationalConference


Ministers fromBolivia,Cuba,Ecuador,Gabon,GhanaandZimbabweattheclosingceremonyoftheCongress,Dr. Yemi paid tribute to Cuba for the humanitarianassistance it has provided and continues to provideto Africa. He also noted that Africa and Cuba havea lot in common and to share in the fields of health,food and nutrition security and expressed Africa’sgratitude to Cuba for the recent technical supportto combat the Ebola disease in West Africa. Notingthe positive economic growth trajectory for Africa,Dr. Yemi underscored that Cuban interest in Africa istimely to take advantage of thismarket of the future.“LABIOFAM’scollaborationandpartnershipwithFARAanditsconstituentstakeholders”,hesaid,“willenablegreatervisibilityinAfricaandlinkagestoagri-businesspartnersinAfrica.”

Responding on the part of the AATF, Dr. Okogbeninexpressedtheneedtoaddressthe‘accesstotechnology’gap,particularlythroughthefacilitationofpublicprivatepartnerships(PPP)betweenAfricanandCubanentitiestopromotetheuptakeoftechnologiesandproducts.OnherpartandrepresentingyouthsinCentralAfrica,Ms.MarieNkomstated thatyouths inAfricacouldbenefitfrom Cuban know-how in agriculture. She expressedtheneedforaYouthinAgricultureExchangeProgrambetweenAfricaandCubatoencourageyoungAfricanstosetupsmallagri-businesses.

FARA and LABIOFAM sign a Memorandum of Understanding OnthemarginsoftheInternationalCongressLABIOFAM2014andthe3rdInternationalSymposiumonProductsfor Cancer Therapy, LABIOFAM and FARA signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish astrategicpartnershipbetweenthetwoorganizationsinareasofbio-products,agriculturalresearch,technologydisseminationandadaptation,scienceandtechnology.

TheMoUisunderpinnedbythefactthatthecorporatemissionsofFARAandLABIOFAMbothseektoincreaseagricultural productivity in order to enhance foodand nutrition security, human well being and povertyreductioninAfricaandCuba,respectively.TheMoUispremisedontechnologicaladvancesachievedbyCubainthefieldsofagricultureandhumanhealth,andhowthiscanbeofbenefittotheAfricancontinent.

In signing the MoU, LABIOFAM and FARA agreedto: 1) exchange information, new technologies andinnovationsintheagricultureandagri-businesssector;2)collaborateinthepromotionofproductsandservicesofeachotherintheareasofbio-productstechnologiesand business; 3) organize business meetings forbusinessmenfromAfricaandCubaaimedatfosteringcommercialrelationshipsinthefieldofagricultureandagri-business; 4) facilitate the exchange of businessdelegations through business fairs, exhibitions andseminarsoranyotheractivitydevelopedbetweenCubaandAfricatopromotecommercialactivitiesinagricultureand agri-business; and 5) maintain expeditiouscommunicationandexchangeof informationbetweenthe two organizations. The MoU opens an importantdoorforAfrica’sAR&Dstakeholdersandagri-businessentities to collaboratewith their counterparts inCubaformutualbenefitsbybothsides.

This article was contributed by Yemi Akinbamijo, Emmanuel Tambi, Alex Ariho and Nelson Ojijo

Biosciences as a Game Changer for Realizing Africa’s Transformation Agenda

Overtime,Africahasincreasinglyrecognizedtheneedtoacceleratetheadoptionandapplicationofadvancedtoolsinbiosciencestosupporttheregion’sagriculturaltransformation.Theeffectiveandefficientapplicationofsuch tools and products holds significant promise forincreased agricultural productivity, food and nutritionsecurity,andimprovedlivelihoodsinAfrica.

InlinewithAgenda2063oftheAfricanUnionCommission(AUC), the African Biosciences Initiative (ABI) wasformed by the NEPAD Planning and CoordinatingAgency(NPCA)tousenewdevelopmentsinbiosciencesto address African socio-economic developmentchallenges. The ABI advocates for the crucial role ofbioscienceinreachingtheUNMillenniumDevelopmentGoals (MDGs) as well as the post-2015 Sustainable

DevelopmentGoals (SDGs). The Inititaive strategicallyaims to harness biodiversity science and technology,biotechnology, indigenous knowledge systems, andbiological sciences in the fields of agriculture, health,environmentandmining.

Thestrategicdirectionsfortheperiod2012–2017hasfocused on practical, development-oriented research;strengthening networks; boosting Africa’s bioscienceresearchcapacity;demonstrating resultsand impacts;and pursuing sustainable programme support. Somemajor research initiatives already undertaken by theABI include: 1) development of stress-tolerant wheatvarieties for northernAfrica; 2) integratedbiotechnicalapproachesforconservationandimprovementofdatepalm innorthernAfrica;3)developmentofsmall-scale

FARAandLABIOFAMsigningandexchanginganMoU


mushroomgrowinginMalawi;4)small-scaleaquacultureproductivity increases through innovative pondmanagement systems; and5) scientificassessmentoftraditional remedies to combat the HIV-1 sub-type Cvirus.

TheABIhasestablishedthefollowingregionalcentresofexcellencetoimplementitsprogrammesandactivities:Biosciences eastern and central Africa Network(BecANet); Southern African Network of Biosciences(SANBio);WestAfricanBiosciencesNetwork(WABNet);and North African Biosciences Network (NABNet). Inaddition, the African Bio-safety Network of Expertisewas established as an engagement platform forAfricanson issuestodowithbio-safetysystems, foodsafety, environmental safety, socio-economic impacts,intellectualpropertyrightsandotherlegalissues.

An increasing number of African countries are beingencouraged by AUC and other multilateral bodiesto regard biosciences as one of the most effectivepathwaysthroughwhichinnovativeandentrepreneurialtalentscouldbeexploitedtotransformAfrica.However,this requires increased investments in research anddevelopmentinbiosciences, includingtheinstruments,tools, and infrastructure that will create an enablingenvironmentforimplementationofnationalandregionalbioscienceinitiatives.

In an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of thecurrentbiosciencescapacitylandscapein(West)Africa,the Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation commissioneda survey which was aimed at assessing the currentbiosciencesresearchanddevelopmentcapabilitiesandgaps (both human and infrastructure) for applicationin crop and livestock improvement and utilizationprograms over the entire agricultural value chain. TheoutcomeofthesurveywasfurtherdiscussedduringtheBiosciences Institutional Landscape Survey ValidationWorkshop that was held 15 – 17 September 2014 inNairobi,Kenya.Inadditiontodocumentingbackgrounddataandanassessmentoftheneedsandopportunitiesfor establishing a biosciences hub in West Africa,the workshop contributed to identifying additionalpriority gaps, challenges and opportunities that willinformpossible investments in aworkable institutionalarrangementforbioscienceshubintheregion.Someofthemajoroutcomesoftheworkshopinclude:a) Bigpictureperspectivesandreflectionsobtainedon

the feasibilityoroperationalizingand implementingtheWestAfricanBioscienceInitiative(WABI).

b) Gaps [in tools, products, institutions andpartnerships, resources, and human & physicalcapacity]forbiosciencesinWestAfricaidentified.

c) Feedback obtained from participants onrecommendations(atbigpicture level)oftheareasthattheWestAfricabioscienceshubshouldcover

d) Mechanisms/architecture was agreed upon onthe definition and outline of basic institutionalarrangementsfortheWABI.

As African policymakers and other regional decisionmakersareconcernedaboutusingbiosciencestoolstoupthefoodsecuritygameoverthenextdecades,thereis need to religiously implement existing biosciencesprogrammes and ensure that the programmes arefinanced from sources within Africa – especially inthe face of declining trends in overseas developmentassistance.

This article was contributed by Gbadebo Odularu, Program Officer, Policy and Advocacy, FARA

Filling Tummies and Pockets of Smallholder Farmers

through Innovation PlatformsEveline Kwarikunda (pictured) is a farmer in BubaareSub-County in Kabale District of south-westernUganda. Eveline is one of more than 500 farmerscontributingabout370,000metric tonnesofsorghumharvestedinUgandaannually.Sorghum,thethirdmostimportant cereal in Uganda, has been grown in theKabalehighlandsforgenerationsasakeyfoodsecuritycrop.NowitisasourceoffinancialsecurityforfarmerslikeEveline.

Like all her neighbours, Eveline had previously used

NairobiBILSVWorkshopParticipants


traditional sorghum cultivationpracticeslikeseedbroadcasting.Butthishassincechanged.Nowshe plants improved sorghumseeds in lines at recommendedspacing, weeds it frequentlyand her yields have tripled. Thechange in farming method didnothappenovernight.Itwastheresult of collective learning andawareness-raising after Evelinejoined the Bubaare InnovationPlatform(IP).TheIPforumallowedEvelineto interactwith other farmers, extension service providers,researchersandotherstakeholdersinthevaluechaintolearnandshareknowledgeonbetterwaystogrow,addvalueandmarketsorghumproducts.

Sorghum production has benefited from focusedresearch,rolloutofimprovedseedvarieties,aggressivemarketing and competitive value addition. Adoptingsimple and inexpensive innovations through farmer-researchercollaborationischangingfoodandfinancialfortunesof farmers incommunitiessuchasUganda’sKabaleDistrict.Concernedaboutthelinearagriculturaltechnology transfer mode in Africa and the limitedparticipation of value chain actors, the Forum forAgricultural Research in Africa (FARA) developed the

conceptofIntegratedAgriculturalResearch for Development(IAR4D). The IAR4D concept isactualizedthroughIPsthatbringtogetherrelevantstakeholderstoco-generateinnovativesolutions.The actors are configuredalong the value chain of aspecific commodity or systemof production and may includefarmers, researchers, extensionagents, traders, processors,

financial institutions, policy makers, regulators, andconsumers. They interact to jointly identify problems,investigate solutions, implement the solutions andlearnlessonstofosterinnovationsthatgeneratesocio-economicbenefits.

“Iget30bagsofsorghumnow;butbeforeIjoinedtheIP,Iusedtoharvestonly10bagsbecauseIdidnotknowmuchaboutfarmingsorghumbetter,”saysEveline.“AsIpractisewhatIhavelearnt,IknowIwillgetmoreyieldsandthatmeansmoremoneyformyfamily”,sheadds.Theincomefromsellinghersorghumcropkeepsbillspaid,childreninschoolandherfamilyfed.

This article was contributed by Fatunbi Oluwole, Program Officer, FARA

The Policy Input: Can it make a Difference in Africa’s Food and Agricultural Transformation?

IntroductionStarting fromavery lowbase, theAfricancontinent iswitnessingapositivetransformationasmanycountriesare now reporting realGrossDomestic Product (GDP)growth rates in excess of 5%.With agriculture as thedominanteconomicsectorofmanyAfricaneconomies,it isunfortunatethatmostof thegrowth isnotcomingfrom agriculture. In the past four decades, growth inagriculture,measuredintermsoftotalfactorproductivity,hashoveredaround1%perannumonaverage;farbelowthe average population growth rate of 2.3%. This hasmadeitdifficultforAfricatosustainablyfeeditspeople.

Several factors account for Africa’s low agriculturalproductivity growth and public policy failure is animportanctone.FormanyAfricancountries,agriculturalpolicies have been less successful in achieving theirintendedobjectives,mainlybecausetheyarenotbasedonevidence.Evidence-basedpoliciesarepublicpoliciesinformedby rigorously establishedobjective evidence.Theyaredesignedusinghardfactsratherthanproposedtheory. Most often, they have a lower risk of failure.Foodandagriculturalpoliciesthatare less likelytofailarethosethataredesignedtodealwithrealproblems,tacklecausesratherthansymptomsanddrawlessons

frompre-existingpolicyoutcomes.Foodandagriculturalpoliciesthatmakeadifferencetherefore,arethosethatareguidedbyempiricalevidence.Why is the policy input not often felt in Africa?The efficacy and impacts of policy is contingent on anumberofelements.These include,butnot limited to,policygoalsandobjectives,meansandmeasures,policyactors and above all, policy ‘content’ and process. Ifpolicygoalsarenotproperlyarticulatedbypolicyactors,adequate resources are not availed by policy makersandaninclusiveandconsultativeprocessisnotfollowedinitsdesign,itishighlylikelythatitsimpactswillnotbefelt.ThetransformationofAmericanfoodandagricultureinthe20thcenturyhaslargelybeenduetofarmpolicycorrectness.Appropriatefarmandmarketpolicycontentanddesignhasdriventhetransformationofthefoodandagriculturesectorwith fact-basedpoliciesshaping theforces of agricultural productivity growth, national andglobalmarketsandtheroleofconsumerismonfoodandagriculturalproduction.

Food and agriculture policy in Africa is diminutive of‘content’and‘process’,makingitdifficultfortheimpactof the policy input to be felt. There are a couple of


reasonsforthis.First,formanyseniorpolicymakersandpractitioners in theministries of agriculture, economicplanning and finance, knowing what the outcomesofagivenpolicywouldbe,whether thepolicywill beeffective,what benefits itwouldbring to stakeholdersandwhat impact itwouldhaveonthewidereconomyremainsamajorchallenge.Theydonothaveadequatecapacity to design policies that incorporate empiricalevidence. The policies that they design often do notachieve their intendedoutcomes, resulting in thepoorperformanceofthefoodandagriculturesector.Second,evenwhenpolicieswith good ‘content’ and ‘process’are designed, themeans andmeasures to implementthemareoftennotadequateand theprocess isoftendevoidofinclusivenessandconsultation.

Third,inspiteofawidespectrumofnationalandregionalpolicyresearchinstitutionsinAfrica,policymakersstilldo not have adequate access to the policy researchresults needed to inform and influence public policy.Furthermore,economicpolicy research institutionsarenotadequatelyequipped togenerateanddisseminatethe empirical evidence needed to inform policydesign. Even when the evidence is available, it doesnot sufficiently feed into policy and decision-makingprocesses because of the limited capacity of mostresearch institutions to transmit the results, and thepolicyprocesstotakeupandutilizetheinformation.

A forth reason why the policy inputs is often not feltis insufficient communication among African policyresearchinstitutions,andageneraldisconnectbetweenthem and policy-makers. They compete rather thancomplement eachother’swork, leading to duplicationand,quitepossibly,awasteof resources.Asa result,

these institutions are less effective in generating theevidence needed to support policy and decision-makingprocesses;ineffect,inhibitingAfrica’sabilitytorespond to keychallenges facing thecontinent’s foodandagriculturesector.

What creates the policy input differenceMaking the policy input count in Africa’s food andagriculturaltransformationcallsforconcertedeffortstobuildthecapacityofpolicy-makersandpractitionersinevidence-basedpolicydesignandimplementation.Thisrequires deepening and broadening knowledge andunderstanding of the basic concepts, tools and coreelementsofagriculturalpolicyand fundamentalpolicyprocesses; improving strategic thinking ability andanalyticalskills inevidencegeneration;andpromotingdialogue, experience and lesson learning and sharingamongpolicy-makers.

Threecoreelementsstandatthepivotofthis:catalyzingeconomic policy research to generate evidence forinformedpolicyanddecisionmaking;connectingpolicy-makers and the science anddevelopment communityto policy research results; and communicating policyresearch results topolicymakersandotherendusersthroughworkshops,seminarsandconferences.

How is FARA helping to make the policy input difference?In 2012, FARA established the Food and AgriculturalPolicy Platform to enhance the effectiveness ofevidence-basedpolicysupporttofoodandagriculturaltransformation in Africa. The platform supports thedevelopment of a robust economic policy researchcommunity in Africa; facilitates the engagement of

AFAPPEstablishmentWorkshopParticipants


the policy research community with policy-makersover economic issues affecting food and agriculturaldevelopmentinAfrica;andpromotesnetworkingamongAfricanpolicyresearchinstitutions.FARAhasinitiatedaPolicySeminarSerieswithinAFAPPtoprovideAfricancountries with the opportunity to build their capacityfordevelopingevidence-basedagriculturalpoliciesthathaveahigherprobabilityofsuccessintransformingtheireconomies.

The one week seminars will begin in 2015 and willconsist of different modules designed to address therelevant components of policy and the policy-makingprocess.Theseminarswillinclude:(i)lecturesthatfocuson theory, concepts, tools and instruments for policyanalysisdeliveredbyexperiencedpolicyprofessionals;(ii) interactivesessionswithstructureddiscussionsand

casework;(iii)analysisofcasestudiesofspecificpoliciesand approaches to evidence-based policy design;(iv) review and analysis of key issues, challenges andleadingfactorsthatguideandshapepolicyandpolicy-makingprocesses;and(v)monitoringandevaluationofspecificpolicies.Potential participants relate elementsofeachmoduletotheirindividualcountrypolicymakingprocesses.

ConclusionIf thepolicy input is tomakeasignificantdifference inAfrica’s food and agriculture transformation, Africancountries and regional organizationsneed tobuild thecapacities of national and regional economic policyresearch institutions to enable them produce anddisseminatetheevidenceneededtoinformandinfluencepublicpolicy.EquallyimportantistheneedtoenhancetheskillsandcapacitiesofAfricanpolicy-makerstotakeupandconvert theevidence intoappropriatepolicies.In addition, linkages among African economic policyresearch institutions on the one hand, and betweentheseinstitutionsandpolicy-makersontheother,needto be strengthened to take advantage of their relativestrengthsandskillstoproduce,disseminateandutilizeempiricalevidencethatcaninformandinfluencepublicpolicy.

This article was contributed by Emmanuel Tambi, Head,

Advocacy and Policy Division, FARA.

Africa Human Capital In Science, Technology & Agripreneurship For Food Security Framework

(AHC-STAFF)

Implementing the CAADP: A human capital perspectiveThe Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Developmentprogram (CAADP) remains theundisputedmechanismforagriculture-ledeconomicdevelopmentinAfrica.ThenexttenyearsoftheCAADPfocusesonsustainingthemomentumgainedoverthelastdecadeanddeliveryofthefollowingkeyresults:• Increasedagriculturalproductionandproductivity• Better functioning national agriculture and food

marketsandincreasedintra-andinter-regionaltrade• Expandedlocalagro-industryandvalueaddition• Improvedmanagement andgovernance of natural

resourcesforsustainableagriculturalproduction

The Sustaining the CAADP Momentum ResultsFramework(NPCA,2014)assertsthattodeliverontheabove results, increased human skills developmentand purpose-built capacity (quality and quality) forinnovation,scienceandtechnologywouldbeimperative.Skillsshortagescanaffectgrowththroughtheiradverseeffects on labor productivity (and poor structural

transformation). Experiences over the last 10 yearsindicatethatactorsimplementingtheCAADPatcountrylevelshavesufferedfromlackofqualifiedtechnicalstaffandthiscouldcompromisepotentialgainsintheCAADPengagementoverthenexttenyears.

The concept of human capital emanates from thedemonstrable fact that farmers could greatly increaseoutputwithlessland,labor,andcapitalmainlybyworkingsmarter.Returnstoinvestmentsinhumancapitalhavebeen shown to be higher than the returns to physicalcapital.

What the AHC-STAFF will doThe AHC-STAFF proposes a systems-based andforecastedtechnologycapitalandvaluechainapproachto elucidating requisite capacity for technical changeneededtoupliftAfrica’sagriculture.Thethreecapacitycomponents implicit in this chain include knowledge/technologygenerationcapacity,knowledge/technologydiffusioncapacity,andknowledge/technologyadoptionand utilization capacity. An assessment of the overall

AFAPP-PAKSPolicyandCAADPCountryPorcessesSteeringCommitteeMeeting


needsforeachofthesecapacitycomponentsinpriorityprogram areas of the National Agriculture and FoodSecurity Investment Plans (NAFSIPs) and the widernational food and nutrition security strategies, bothnowandinthefuture,willfurnishcrediblegroundingforhumancapitalformationandinstitutionalstrengthening.

Expected results of AHC-STAFFThepurposeofAHC-STAFFistodevelopandvalidatea framework for demand-led and holistic humancapitaldevelopmentinAfricathatwillcontributetothesuccessfulimplementationoftheCAADP.

Theexpectedresultsare:1) Keyskillsandcompetenciesrequiredtoimplement

theNAFSIPsandScienceAgendaforAgricultureinAfrica(S3A)assessed.

2) Human resource pools for the targeted countriesmapped for suitability to address current andfuturemarketdemandsandtoimplementtheR&Dprograms forthe Science Agenda, NAFSIPs, andothersectorstrategies.

3) A framework and strategies for human capitalformationdevelopedandvalidated.

Implementing structure and partnersAsshowninFigure1,thekeyAHC-STAFFimplementingpartnersincludeFARA(atcontinental level),SROsandtertiaryagriculturaleducationnetworks(atsub-regionallevel) and national implementation teams (at countrylevel).Speciallyconstitutedtechnicaladvisoryteamsattherespectivelevelswillsupportthekeyimplementingpartners.

Linkages with parallel continental initiativesKnowledge and Knowledge Support (KKS) is one ofthreestrategicthrustsundertheSustainingtheCAADPMomentum agenda. The KKS thrust focuses on fourkeyareasincludingtheS3A;AgricultureEducationandTraining(AET);Knowledge,InformationandSkills(KIS);andICTinAgriculturalTransformation(ICTAT).

Overall,itisinthepurviewofAHC-STAFFtodeveloptheglobalcapacityforKnowledgeandKnowledgeSupportthrustoftheSustainingtheCAADPMomentumagenda.However,particularfocuswillinitiallybeinregardtoS3AandAET.TheS3AstipulatestheoverridingareasoffocusonsciencetodriveAfrica’sagricultureandrequirementsforabasicsciencecapacityforitsimplementation,whiletheAETseekstostrengthenthecapacityoftertiaryandvocational institutions to produce quality agriculturalgraduatesandtechnicians.

TheAHC-STAFFwill identify existent, projected futureneeds,andassociatedcapacitygapsof thekeyareasof the S3A. Similarly, for AET, the AHC-STAFF willseek to forgesynergieswith theemergingAgriculturalEducation andSkills Improvement Framework (AESIF)beingformulatedbyNEPADAgencyaswellasexistingcountry initiatives of a similar nature. AHC-STAFFwillalso collaborate with the Tropical Agriculture Platform(TAP), a G20 initiative being supported by the FAO,to elaborate a capacity development framework foragriculturalinnovationsystems.

FundingTheAHC-STAFFisfundedunderaspecialEUsupportprovisionwithintheFARAMulti-donorTrustFundtothetuneofEuros4millionoverthreeyears.

Further informationFormoreinformation,pleasecontactDr.YemiAkinbamijo([email protected]) or Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong([email protected]).

Promoting Gainful Agribusiness in Zambia through Incubation

The Agribusiness Incubation Trust (AgBIT) is oneof six incubators currently supported under FARA’sUniversities, Business and Research in AgriculturalInnovation(UniBRAIN)programme.LocatedinZambia,

AgBITisapioneeragribusinessincubatorthatopenedits doors to the country’s agribusiness community in2013and is already scoring impressive successes inhelpingentrepreneursandsmallholderfarmersaround

Figure1


thecountryget their businessesoff theground.Theincubator provides opportunities for business skillsdevelopment, technologyaccess, linkages tomarketopportunities, andaccess tofinanceand investmentoptions.

CharlesMweene isanenterprising farmer inZambiawho admits that he had underestimated the amountof incomehecouldgarner from farminghorticulturalcrops.SinceenrollinginAgBIT’sHorticultureClusterSchemeprogram, he has earned the envy of othersashisincomehasdramaticallyincreased.Henarratesthat from AgBIT’s intervention, he had acquiredskills ranging from greenhouse and drip irrigationtechnologiestocustomerrelationshipmanagement.

Charles attributes his success to AgBIT’s businessincubation program and avers that AgBIT hasmadehimanall-roundhorticulturefarmerandbusinessmantherebyassuaginghisskepticismtowardshorticulturefarming. “I have seen amazing yields throughgreenhouseproduction incorporatingdriptechnologywhere Iamable toproduce3.7 tonsof tomato froma greenhouse of 0.025 hectare,while before I couldbarelymanageatononanopenareaof0.5hectare,”heeagerlyexplains.

Charlesiskeenonreplicatingthemodelathisownfarmafter seeing the success of greenhouse technologyas an incubatee smallholder farmer with AgBIT.During this time he also generated a lot of incomes

for himself while receiving training. He says AgBIT’stechnicalsupportandfinancial linkagestosetuphisowncompletegreenhouseproductionwillimprovehisfarmproductivityandresultinimprovedlivelihoodforhisfamily.

The AgBIT horticulture cluster program focuses onskillsandtechnologytransfertofarmers,buildingtheircapacitytomanagecontinuoushorticultureproduction,strengthening supply chain management, reducingpost-harvest losses, ensuring quality products,increasing volumes produced and raising overallsupply chain reliability among smallholder fruit andvegetable producer clusters. The program identifiesandincubatesbuddingentrepreneursalongthesupplychain.Thehorticultureclusterschemeisalsodesignedto help agro-processing entrepreneurs have accessto improved quality and increased quantity of rawagriculturematerialsfortheirprocessing.

AgBIT has established a technology demonstrationunit at the AgBIT Center in Lusaka. Entrepreneurs

Charles Mweene says he has acquired the following skills

• Greenhouseanddriptechnologyproduction• Marketingskillstobeablerelatewithboth

openmarketsandformalmarketslikethemajorretailchainsthatAgBIThaslinkedsmallholderfarmersto

• Knowledgeonpestanddiseasemanagement• Sprayingtechniques• Fertigationandnutritionrequirementfor

differenthorticulturalcrops• Goodrecordkeeping• Post-harvesttechniquesandon-farm

processing• Improvedentrepreneurshipability• Requiredproducestandardsbymajorretail

chains• Abovealldoublehisincomeby20%• Employsmorethan10people

Charle’sGreenhousetunnelatAgBIT

Before–Agribusinessskillstraining After-Agribusinessskillsdevelopment


FARA MSc Degree Fellowships Boosting Research Capacity in National Agricultural Research Institutes TheForumforAgriculturalResearchinAfrica(FARA),astheapexorganisationforcoordinationandadvocacyinagriculturalresearchanddevelopmentonthecontinent,seeks to reinforce the capacity of Africa to improveits agricultural science and innovation for food andnutritionsecurityaswellaspovertyreduction.Scienceandinnovationispossiblewherethereis,amongstotherrequirements,stronghumancapacitytotranslateideasintopractice.Thedearthofqualifiedyoungscientistsinthenationalagriculturalresearchsystems,implylimitedand unsustainable generation of technologies andinnovationstodriveAfrica’sagriculture.

Topartly address this challenge, FARA, in partnershipwiththeAfricanDevelopmentBank(AfDB),hasprovidedfellowshipopportunitiesto40youngscientiststotrainforMScdegreesinvariousfieldsofagricultureunderthePromotion of Science and Technology for Agricultural Development in Africa (PSTAD) project. The PSTADproject is a multinational agriculture developmentproject designed to build the research managementcapacity of national agricultural research systems(NARS) and facilitate adoption and dissemination ofprovenagriculturaltechnologies.ItisexecutedbyFARA,managedbytheSROsandimplementedbasedontheprincipleofsubsidiaritybytheNARSin34lowincomecountriesinAfrica.

Theprojecthastwotechnicalcomponents:i)knowledge

and informationmanagement (which isalsoknownasRAILS) and technology transfer and good agriculturalpractices(alsoknownasDONATA).Thethirdcomponentisonprojectmanagementandcoordination.TheMScfellowshipwasexecutedundertheDONATAcomponent.

Mrs.EvelynAyeh(pictured),anemployeeoftheGhanaFoodResearch Institute, isoneof thebeneficiariesof

Mrs.EvelynSerwahAYEH,PSTADMScdegreefellowshipbeneficiary

like Charles come to the centre for an intensive sixmonthsincubationprogramtoacquirepracticalhands-on skills in horticulture production, good agriculturalpractices, farm record keeping, qualitymanagement,entrepreneurship skills and one-on-one businessmentorship,andearnahandsome incomeduringthetrainingphase.Theythengoontoreplicateorexpandproduction in their own fields with the incubator’s

support.

LeadfarmerslikeCharlesacquirethenecessaryskillsandknowledge for them to replicate themodel; theybecome model farmers, and act as change agentsin their own communities. They are also creatingemploymentinlocalcommunities.

OrganizedformalmarketsbetterpricesUn-organizedinformalmarkets


thefellowship.Mrs.AyehstudiedforanMScdegreeinFoodScienceandTechnologyattheKwameNkrumahUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Kumasi,Ghana.Her research thesis was entitled “Development andQualityCharacteristicsofYamBean(Pachyrhizuserosus)Flour and its Performance in Bread.” The studyestablished procedures for substituting wheat flourwith yam flour in bread making. Ghana spent a totalofUS$1.5billionontheimportationofconsumablesin2013ofwhichwheatimportsaccountedfornearly15%.Thus, composite flour technologies such as the onepursuedbyMrs.Ayehhold thepromise forsignificantsavingsinforeignexchange.

According to Mrs. Ayeh, like many of her peers whogreatly appreciate the opportunity provided her bythe fellowship, “the PSTAD project has enabled meto acquire skills and competencies in wide-rangingtopicssuchas foodscience,post-harvestprocessing,research planning, organising and implementingextensive scientific experiments as well as capacityto use analytical equipment and laboratory tools anddevelopmentofproductandwritingresearchproposal”.

Another beneficiary of the fellowship, Mr. JobsonMomoof theCentralAgriculturalResearch InstituteofLiberia,expressedsimilaraccoladesforthefellowship.Mr. Momo studied agronomy at the Jomo KenyattaUniversityofAgricultureandTechnology,Nairobi,Kenya.Hisresearchwasonthe“EffectofWithholdingIrrigationWaterafterCompleteHeadingonRiceYieldandSeedQualityinMwea,KirinyagaCounty-Kenya”.

The study area was linked with his area of researchactivities back in Liberia. The findings of the studyindicated that there were no significant differences intheyieldwhen irrigationwaterwaswithheld,althoughdifferences were observed in terms of morphologicalcharactersofvarieties.Overall,theresultsshowedthatwatercouldbeeconomizedwithoutadverselyaffectingproductivity and seed quality below some thresholdlevel. This has important implications on irrigation

efficiency inaworld increasingly facedwithdwindlingwater resources and the repercussions of climate-change.

ThePSTADfellowshipbeneficiariesaregratefultoFARAandtheAfDBaswellasthemanagersoftheprojectfortheopportunitygiventothemtoenhancetheircapacities.Not only are these post graduates better equippedintellectuallytoaddressthetechnicalchallengesfacingAfrica’sagriculture,somehavealreadyassumedhighermanagerial responsibilities in their institutions and yetothershaveproceededfortheirPhDstudies.

This article was contributed by: Ifidon Ohiomoba, PSTAD Manager, FARA

Fieldexperimentlayout

Mr.JobsonMomoathisexperimentalplot

Seedanalysis


UPCOMING MEETINGS

Title of meeting Organizer(s) Purpose Venue DateContact information

for the meeting

1 Capacitybuild-ingworkshop

RUFORUM,FARA

Tobuildthecapacityofthe19consortia

TBD Nov.2014 [email protected]

2 Planning,FinancialretreatandManagementTeamMeeting

FARA Toplananddiscussthemanagementis-sues

Johannesburg 23-28Nov2014

[email protected]

3 Inceptionworkshoponsettingup3consortiaworkingontheAddingvaluetomangononfood

COLEACP Tolaunchthe3consortiaworkingonthemangowaste

Ouagadougou TBD [email protected]

4 SecondDialoguebetweenFarmerorganizationsandResearchers

ROPPA,FARA

Todiscussonthebestwayofworkingtogether(researchersandnon-researchers)

Benin December,2014

[email protected]

5 CSAprogrammingforNARIsandpolicyMakers

FARA TocreateaplatformfordialoguebetweenResearchers,policymakersandend-usersonevidence-basedplanningonCSAissues.

Johannesburg 24–29November2014

DrEmmanuelTambi([email protected])

FARAQuarterlynewsletterispublishedbytheFARASecretariatonbehalfoftheFARAForumtohighlightstakeholder-instigated innovativeadvances inAfrica’sagriculture.OpinionsexpressedinthearticlesdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofFARA,butratheroftheauthors.Articles,newsitemsandopinionpieces(ontopicalissueshighlightingvariousdevelopmentfacetspertainingtoagricultureinAfrica)aresolicitedfromfarmersandtheiragents,scientists,businesspeople,policyexperts,developmentworkers,thenon-profitsector,donors,studentsandthegeneralpublicwithinandwithoutAfrica.

FORUM FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN AFRICA (FARA)Forum pour la recherche agricole en AfriqueHeadquarters 12 Anmeda Street, Roman RidgePMB CT 173, Accra, GhanaTel +233 (0) 302 772823 / 779421 Fax +233 (0) 302 773676Email [email protected] Website www.faraafrica.orgFacebook Facebook.com/FARAAfrica Twitter Twitter.com/FARAInfoLinkedin Linkedin.com/FARAAfrica Youtube Youtube.com/FARAAfrica

FARA quaterly

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