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Africa
A selection of S&T organisations in Africa.

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International
A selection of international S&T organizations.

The Caribbean
A selection of S&T organisations in the Caribbean.

The Pacific
A selection of S&T organisations in the Pacific.

ACP S&T dialogue

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.

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.

Early dialogues on S&T policy
Some of the most relevant briefs, notes and documents related to the pre-2007 ACP Agricultural S&T policy discussions.
EU S&T dialogue
Ethics
Financing ARD
Foresighting
ICKM / MIS / ICT

ICT for transforming research for agricultural and rural development
...
Innovation systems
Intellectual property
Measuring the impact of agricultural research
Participatory R&D
Research collaboration
Tertiary agricultural education

Biofuels
Cassava
Dairy
Fisheries
Fruits
Herbs and medicinal plants
Livestock

Enhancing competitiveness in the ACP poultry value chain
The poultry value chain in Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) countries involves both large-scale integrated enterprises and small-scale production systems. The former have benefited from capital investments, access to information and scientific research, whereas the latter remain isolated despite their significance. Family poultry comprises approximately 80% of the world's total poultry stock and plays a key role in many households in ACP countries for food and nutrition security, livelihoods and conservation of indigenous breeds. An analysis of the family poultry value chain, including its poor productivity and low financial and technical inputs, shows that it contrasts markedly with conditions in large-scale commercial poultry enterprises. Governments and researchers would be well advised to thoroughly review the family poultry value chains to identify priorities for science and innovation that can contribute to improved efficiency for the provision of eggs, live birds, fresh-chilled, frozen and other value-added poultry products. This summary is provided by CABI and CTA, July 2012.
Other commodities

Bananas
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 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 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?

Coffee
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 coffee 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 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?
Rice value chain
Sorghum
Sugarcane
Vegetables

ACP policy briefs

ACP Region must harness biotechnology for a better future (ACP Policy Brief)

Biotechnology, embraces both life sciences and engineering, and has been used for centuries to produce food and to solve health and environmental problems. It is widely accepted that modern advances in biotechnology hold great promise for addressing key challenges in agriculture, human health and the environment. However, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries lack the resources to make the investments needed in research and product and process development and innovation to harness biotechnology for sustainable social and economic development and wealth creation. Biotechnology when exploited appropriately can improve the collective welfare of the population. ACP countries must act now to avoid being left behind in yet another technological revolution. Therefore, ACP experts are calling on governments in the ACP region to invest more in science and technology and more specifically biotechnology if the region is to be assured of a better future.

1/11/2005

Tertiary Education in Agriculture (ACP Policy Brief)

At the 4th Advisory Committee Meeting on Science and Technology for ACP Agricultural and Rural Development (Wageningen, November 2005) members noted that: The ACP region is being challenged to deliver quality tertiary education in agriculture that responds to the needs of students, society and the economy in an environment where resources - human, capital and physical infrastructure are limited and tertiary education in agriculture is not high on government priorities. Young people were not pursuing tertiary level training in agriculture in ACP regions for a number of reasons including the lack of incentives, professional recognition, government support and adequate science and technology options for removing the drudgery associated with agriculture. ACP universities need to improve the quality of training and relevance of curriculum and provide experiential learning attachments to respond to the concerns from employers about the inability of graduates to meet the demands of the industry and the high unemployment faced by graduates on completion of the degree programmes CTA convened a meeting from May 16 - 19, 2006 of ACP and EU experts who deliberated on these issues. The experts examined the status and importance of improving tertiary education for transforming the agricultural sector in the ACP region. They identified strategies for improving the quality and relevance of tertiary education and how this information could be brought to the attention of national, regional and international policy makers to mobilize resources and support. The experts drafted an ACP policy brief to raise awareness of the need to improve tertiary education in agriculture in ACP countries. The draft will be widely circulated among peers prior to finalization and approval at the 5th meeting of the Advisory Committee on S&T for ACP Agricultural and Rural Cooperation which will take place in November 2006. (see workshop programme).

24/05/2006

Harnessing biodiversity for sustainable development (ACP Policy Brief)

ACP Governments are encouraged to put mechanisms in place that will promote the collection, characterisation and conservation of biological resources and facilitate exploration of new food and industrial product opportunities so that indigenous resources are not over exploited and indigenous people do not lose access to their traditional livelihoods.

30/11/2005