Demanding Innovation
Researchers in ACP countries are required to respond effectively to the demands of policy makers, private sector investors and donor agencies, farmers and other stakeholders in the agri-food chain. This set of dossier provides views and reading material on the challenges faced by researchers in responding to these many demands.
Commodities
The ACP Group of States need to adjust the approach to agricultural production, marketing and distribution to be able to compete in national, regional and international markets. Traditional commodities such as banana, coffee and sugar are no longer assured of guaranteed prices and ready access to international markets. How then should the ACP region respond? Commodities, traditionally considered as food security crops e.g. cassava are now being looked at in a different light. Can scientists assist the countries in making informed decisions to improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, quality and competitiveness?
4/09/2009
Soil health
Soil health is a particularly pressing issue in the ACP region as tropical soils are prone to rapid degradation, but more specifically, because of declining soil fertility, salt intrusion and limited availability of arable land for agricultural production. ACP policy makers in consultation with soil and other scientists must provide measured responses to agricultural stakeholders who are faced with competing and contradictory recommendations on soil fertility management and emerging issues such as biochar for improved soil productivity and carbon trading schemes. This dossier addresses all of these issues in its collection of carefully selected publications and interesting web links. Two lead articles are also featured. In Soil Fertility in Africa by Dr. André Bationo, the complexity of and the shift in managing soil fertility, from the external input paradigm during the 1960s and 1970s to the currently accepted Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) paradigm is discussed. Dr. Bationo concludes that for investments in improving soil fertility to yield benefits - including adequate returns on investments- social, political and economic issues including output markets and the market value of farm products must be considered. Prof. Nazeer Ahmad’s article on Tropical soils with focus on West Indian soils provides an insight into Caribbean soils which are not as severely degraded when compared to other tropical regions, the exception being Haiti. Prof. Ahmad recommends that urgent attention should be paid to developing sustainable land use plans based on the capability of the Caribbean soils. This folder on soil health has been edited by Judith Francis (CTA) and Jacqueline Sluijs (KIT). June 2009
27/09/2009
Innovation systems
Innovation and technical change are drivers of economic development. Innovation depends on access to information and knowledge and requires continuous learning. It takes place within an institutional, social, political and economic context. The agricultural context in the ACP region is rapidly changing in a world in which scientific and technological advances, for example ICTs and bio- and nanotechnology, influence the agricultural landscape and rural environment. Farmers, policymakers and scientists have to respond adequately to these rapid changes; while preserving the natural resource base for future agricultural production. The IAASTD report 2009, also places emphasis on the importance of knowledge, science and technology for sustainable development.
31/07/2009
Differentiated S&T strategies for improving productivity of ACP farming systems
ACP Farming systems are very diverse and the scientific community must be able to provide adequate responses to meet the varied needs of small subsistence farmers who make up the majority of the ACP farming community while simultaneously addressing the needs of the medium to large-scale farming enterprises to compete on price, quality, responsiveness to changing consumer demands and reliability in supply in all markets. Therein lies the challenge as there is no one-size fits all approach that will enable researchers to respond to the needs of small scale farmers who are primarily concerned with sustainable livelihoods or medium to large-scale farms who wish to remain competitive and take advantage of any opportunities despite deteriorating environmental conditions and trade and economic restrictions. Within the last few years, the ACP region has seen a resurgence of emphasis on family farms which are being valued not only for their contribution to maintaining social order but to environmental sustainability. This dossier provides guidance and lessons learned on the need for the ACP region to apply a differentiated strategic approach for using science to enhance the performance of ACP agricultural sector.
8/05/2008
Reshaping Tertiary Agricultural Education
Globalization and rapid advances in information and communication technologies are expanding the opportunities for collaboration and networking while simultaneously spurring competition among firms, nations and regions. Agricultural science graduates are expected to be critical thinkers, multi-disciplinary problem solvers and team players who are also “work ready”. ACP universities are challenged to produce these quality graduates while increasing their efficiency, relevance and effectiveness, in responding to societal needs. Yet, resources – financial and human, are dwindling and demand and competition among national, regional and international universities for staff, students and funding are increasing. In this folder, attempts are made to find answers to how best to reshape tertiary education in agriculture to meet future needs of ACP agricultural sector. Dr. Paul Kibwika, Makerere University, Uganda and Dr. Arjen Wals, Wageningen University & Research Centre, The Netherlands, plea for academics and scientists to break out of routines that reinforce the status quo, engage with students and the wider society and explore creative and unorthodox ways of solving complex problems to create learning platforms for change. Professor Michael Madukwe, Dean Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nigeria, provides a cluster approach to rethinking the way agricultural education is delivered. He focuses on knowledge; sustainability; globalization and collaboration, strategic policy and funding. Background information on strategies, best practices and case studies for reshaping ACP tertiary education is presented through links to related websites and relevant publications.
25/07/2008
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Indigenous knowledge initially defined as the knowledge held by indigenous communities (people) has been expanded as follows: 'The sum total of the knowledge and skills which people in a particular geographic area possess and which enable them to get the most out of their environment. Most of this knowledge and these skills have been passed from earlier generations but individual men and women in each new generation adapt and add to this body of knowledge in a constant adjustment to changing circumstances and environmental conditions. They in turn pass on the body of knowledge intact to the next generation, in an effort to provide them with survival strategies.IK Monitor 6(2) July 1998.' This dossier brings the issue of the need to integrate farmers? knowledge into the wider knowledge system as the concept of indigenous knowledge evolves in response to the changing conditions including exposure to more formal knowledge systems.
25/07/2008
Financing ARD
This dossier contains over 200 annotated links to information on innovative funding strategies and organizations that provide funding for agricultural research in ACP countries. These links are intended for policy makers and managers of research institutes who are confronted with restrained budgets and need to reorganize the institutional frameworks through which their research can be funded. The first section of this dossier feature links to web resources that outline new approaches, trends and developments in financing agricultural research. The second and third section contain links to information on two main institutional innovations in financing agricultural onderzoek, i.e. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and competitive research grant schemes. The remaining sections provide directions to a great number of organizations and programmes that finance agricultural research projects. Visitors who wish to engage in discussions on the issues raised here and in other dossiers can post comments in the relevant section of the S&T Forum on the home page. We welcome your comments and encourage you to contribute articles.
23/06/2008
Food safety
Consumers need to be sure that the food they eat is safe. Stringent standards which generally vary from country to country are increasingly imposed on the international food trade by both public institutions and private corporations. As product and process requirements and supply logistics systems become more demanding, ACP trade in global markets is being impacted. This dossier identifies key challenges and strategies for the ACP community in meeting international quality and food safety requirements. Dr. Sietze Vellema, Wageningen University, explores the challenge in combining food safety, quality performance and sustainability standards with innovative technological capacity in the upper end of the supply chain. He suggests a form of coordinated innovation in which both market opportunities and institutional arrangements are integrated to enhance the innovative capacities of actors and organizations. Dr. Jennylynd James examines international and regional ACP initiatives on meeting health and safety requirements and outlines recommendations for ACP countries. The lead articles are complemented by background information through links to related websites and publications. This dossier was prepared by KIT in collaboration with CTA – September 2007. Edited by J.A. Francis, CTA & J. Sluijs, KIT.
25/07/2008
Food security
Millennium Development Goal number one is to eradicate extreme hunger and reduce poverty by half by 2015. At the World Food Summit in 1996, 180 nations discussed ways to end hunger. Five years later, they met again to monitor progress. According to the State of Food Insecurity in the World 2006 report, today’s estimated 820 million undernourished people in developing countries represent a marginal reduction of three million as against the early nineties baseline of 823 million used by the Summit. There are significant disparities among regions; Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean have seen an overall reduction in both the number and prevalence of undernourished people. Sub-Saharan Africa is worse off. What can be done to meet the World Food Summit’s target? What role do Science and Technology play in achieving food security? What response is needed from policymakers? This dossier focuses attention to these questions. This dossier has been prepared by KIT (J. Sluijs) in collaboration with CTA (J.A. Francis) - September 2007.
8/05/2008
Dryland Agriculture
The United Nations declared 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. The UN General Assembly was deeply concerned about the exacerbation of desertification, particularly in Africa. This dossier provides lead articles by Dr Wellington Ekaya of the University of Nairobi, Kenya and Dr Mary Tiffen of the UK. The web links guide you to a range of resources within the ACP, EU and internationally from which lessons can be drawn to support further research and policy interventions. The information presented in this dossier complements the strategic partnership that CTA embarked on at the beginning of January 2007 with international, regional and national partners to implement an EU funded international cooperation project (INCO) project under the 6th EDF programme which aims to identify success stories on Agricultural Innovations in Dryland Africa (AIDA) to determine the drivers of success.
8/06/2009
Horticulture
Can ACP smallholders reap the fruit and share in rewards through enhanced horticultural productivity? Will increased investments in horticultural research and development contribute to poverty alleviation? What is the role for advanced technologies? These and other questions are explored in this folder on horticulture for food and wealth. In her article Horticulture for food – responding to the challenges, Lusike A. Wasilwa, Ph.D. Assistant Director Horticulture and Industrial Crops from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) shows that there is world to win with regard to enhancing horticultural productivity. Investments in research and development, knowledge and technologies, are needed to build human and infrastructural capacity. Olaf van Kooten, Professor Horticultural Production Chains, Wageningen University and Research Centre, focuses on value addition in horticultural supply chains. In his lead article, Horticulture for wealth he shows how small producers can be integrated into high value horticultural chains to reap the rewards of such investments.
11/12/2008
Demanding Innovation
Researchers in ACP countries are facing a growing range of challenges. They are required to respond effectively to the demands of policy makers, private sector investors and donor agencies, farmers and other stakeholders in the agri-food chain. They are being asked to deliver research outputs that will improve agricultural productivity, food quality and food safety, in order to increase their countries? competitiveness in global markets, and contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. At the same time, researchers must be socially and ethically responsible and contribute to the advancement of science and technology. As the demands for accountability increase and the levels of funding diminish, researchers need to prioritize and strategize their responses.
14/05/2008
Livestock and Fisheries
Livestock and fisheries make vital contributions to meeting the food and nutrition needs of ACP countries. In these countries, the livestock sector ranges from small-scale producers of live animals to large-scale commercial enterprises on the one hand, and simple slaughter poles to sophisticated abattoirs with refrigeration and chilling facilities at the other end of the continuum. The fisheries sub-sector is becoming a leading export sector for many countries but concerns exist about depletion of fish stocks due to over-exploitation of the resources and dame to the ecosystem. The dossier provides a wealth of selected background information on both the livestock and fisheries sectors that is essential for supporting ACP policy making for sustainable development.
25/07/2008
Participatory approaches in ARD
There have been repeated calls for greater and more active involvement of stakeholders especially farmers in agricultural research and development. Several strategies have been proposed and employed with varying measures of success. This dossier explores some of the methodologies and approaches in PARD and provides useful information on experiences of researchers in enhancing the involvement of farmers and other stakeholders in the prioritization and execution of agricultural research and development projects.
23/06/2008
Management of Water Resources
As the competition for fresh water for food, health and energy becomes increasingly intense, there is need to also address the issue of dwindling water resources and the implications for agricultural productivity. This dossier deals with the challenge to efficiently and sustainably manage water resources. In his lead article, Gerd Förch, Professor for Water Resources Management at Universität Siegen, Civil Engineering Department, Germany, and director of the Research Institute for Water and Environment, focuses on the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) as a strategy for the efficient and sustainable management of water resources as the amount of freshwater available to mankind and nature is limited. The lead article by Maimbo Malesu and Alex Oduor of ICRAF provide lessons from Rwanda and Zanzibar on upgrading water harvesting potential as small-scale solutions to major problems in managing water resources. They use vivid examples from these two countries to show how satellite imagery and digital mapping techniques can be used for supporting decision making on managing water resources in sub-Saharan Africa. Background information to this dossier is provided in the form of links to websites of relevant organizations and downloadable articles.Prepared by KIT in collaboration with CTA – July 2008. Edited by J.A. Francis, CTA & J. Sluijs, KIT
14/10/2008
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