Global Agricultural Research Partnerships: Response to

challenges to the sector

Olanrewaju Smith

Executive Secretary

GFAR

Paradigm shifts in the sector• Ensure Food Security

• Maintain Environmental Integrity

• Contribute to poverty alleviation

• Compete in an open integrated market

Current Trends of the Challenges

MDG #1 Ensure FOOD SECURITY

Reduce number of hungry people by half

1990-92 2015

80 million 40 million

Global Incidence of undernourishment

Geographic Entity

Incidence of under nourishment

% Population Million People

1997-99 2015 2030 1997-99 2015 2030

Developing Countries

17 11 6 776 610 443

Sub-Saharan Africa

34 23 15 194 205 183

Near East & North Africa

9 7 5 32 37 34

Latin America & Caribbean

11 6 4 54 40 25

South Asia 24 12 6 303 195 119

East Asia 11 6 4 193 135 82

Source: FAO 2003a

Current trends of the challenges

Reduce extreme Poverty

• 1.2 billion live on < $1/day

• 40% in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 40% in South Asia

Source: UNDP 2005 “the Millennium Project”

Major trends in the MDGs, by region

Current trends of the challenges

MDG # 7: Maintain Environmental Integrity

• Land degradation

• Water resources depletion

• Biodiversity losses

• Loss of forest cover

Estimated Forest Cover and Forest Cover Change between 1990 and

2000

Region

Forest Area 2000 Area Change

(1990-2000)

Total forest

% of land area

000 ha % 000 ha/yr

World 3,869,455

29.6 -9,391

Africa 649,866 21.8 -5,262

Asia 547,793 17.8 -364

Europe* 1,039,251

46.0 881

Southern America

885,618 50.5 -3,711

Source: FAO 2000. The global Forest Resources Assessment 2000, Rome: FAO* Europe includes the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation, and Ukraine

Current trends of the challenges

Globalization Induced Economic Growth

• $ 165 billion/yr global income

• 75% of it in industrialized countries

• Growth of Trade deficit in dev countries subsidy promoted importsTariff induced export slump

Responses to the challenges

• Alarming trends

• Need to confront and reverse them

• How well is the sector responding

Status of responses to challenges

Challenges Rating of responses

Food security Inconsistent and falteringPovertyalleviation

Small gains

Environmentalsustainability

Loosing the battle

Economic growth

and competitivity

Short lived, limited to few

countries and unsustained

Policies that enhance research and development responses

Factor Enhancing policiesTechnology

and knowledgecreation

Human capital development, public support

to agricultural research, improvedmanagement and organization of

researchinstitutions, improved access to

knowledge(ICT)

Adoption and

utilization ofResearch

results

Infrastructure, credit, social adjustmentprograms, price policies, improved inputand produce markets

Risk and uncertainty

Political stability, clear policies on IPR,other regulatory measures.

Adapted from Roseboon 2003

Focus on research

• Comprehensive production systems

• Value adding technologies

• Important productivity gains

Possible agricultural productivity gains in developing countries

Indicators SSA WANA South Asia

LAC High Income

countries

% of arable land

irrigated

3.8 28.7 39.3 11.6 11.0

Cereal production

(kg/capita/yr)

128 128 224 259 746

Cereal yield (kg/ha)

986 1963 2308 2795 4002

Livestock productivity (kg/ha)

128 147 121 198 248

Fertilizer use (kg/ha)

9 69 109 85 125

Source: FAO 2003b

NARS and global system contribution

• Primary responsibility of NARS

• Need to collaborate on SR/R basis

• Room for Inter-regional collaboration

• Entry point of GFAR

GFAR

Mission

To mobilize the scientific community and all other stakeholders involved in agricultural research for development, and support their efforts to alleviate poverty, increase food security and promote sustainable utilization of natural resources

GFAR Stakeholders

• Farmers` Organizations

• Non-Government Organizations

• NARS through their SR/RF

• Advanced Research Institutions

• International Agric. Research Centres,

• The agri-business private sector

• A group of donors

FORAGROFORAGROForum of the Americas for AgriculturalForum of the Americas for Agricultural

Research and Technological DevelopmentResearch and Technological Development FARAFARAForum for Agricultural Resch. Forum for Agricultural Resch.

in Africain Africa

APAARIAPAARIAsia-Pacific Assoc. Of Agricult. Res. Inst.Asia-Pacific Assoc. Of Agricult. Res. Inst.

AARINENAAARINENAAssoc. of Agricultural Res. Inst. Assoc. of Agricultural Res. Inst.

Near East and North AfricaNear East and North Africa

EFARDEFARDEuropean Forum on Agríc. R&DEuropean Forum on Agríc. R&D

Global.RAIS

• Develop and/or strengthen Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS)

• Linked to each other, to EGFAR and to the outside world

• To facilitate information exchange and knowledge sharing

Current status of Information Communication Services in various RF Information andCommunication

Services

AARINENA

RAIS

APARIS CACRAIS

FARARAIS

FORAGROINFOTEC

Science and Technology Info

None Full text search

and Retrieval

None None Full text search and

retrieval, on line upload by

users

Technical Information

Nascent Nascent, (success stories)

Nascent (Agro

web)

None Market place for technologies

Research data management

None None None None GIS

e-mail, e-discussion and related Tools (directories, indexes)

None None None None e-discussion, weekly bulletin, directories available

Current Information Communication

Technology status in Asia-Pacific NARS

NARS Rural Infrastructur

e

S&T Information (library, automation

and networking

Extension / Outreach

Info. System (policy,

public &private sector

using ICT to reach

farmers)

Skills (Users,

developers, managers, language)

Malaysia Developed Developed Developed Developed

India Emerging Emerging Emerging Developed

Philippines

Emerging Emerging Emerging Developed

Thailand Emerging Developed Developed Emerging

Indonesia

Poor Emerging Developed Emerging

Sri Lanka

Poor Developed Emerging Emerging

Laos Poor Poor Poor Poor

Cambodia

Poor Poor Poor Poor