6 to 8 August 2014. Yaounde. Regional consultation between farmers organisations, and research actors in Central Africa: "Agricultural Research for development and capacity building of stakeholders." Organized by the Sub-Regional Platform of Farmers Organizations of Central Africa (PROPAC) the workshop included thirty participants from producer organizations, national institutes and regional research centers, ministries, RECs (CEMAC and ECCAS).

1. Farmer Organisations and research
actors’ consultative workshop
6,7 & 8 August, 2014 – Mfou,Cameroon

2. 1. Overview of CORAF/WECARD
2. Vision, mission and areas of focus
3. Achievements
4. Success stories
5. Key lessons learned
6. Way forward
Presentation Outline

3. Overview of CORAF/WECARD

4. 360 M people
(2009)
Promote sub-regional
cooperationCreated i n
1987
Create synergies &
reduce duplications
Solve common
agricultural research
and development
problems
Advocate for financial
investments
Contribute to the
transformation of
agriculture
CORAF/WECARD Creation and mandate

5. CORAF/WECARD within the Regional Economic Communities
Cameroun
République Centre Africaine
RDC
République du Congo
Gabon
Mauritanie
Tchad
Cap Vert Gambie
Ghana
Nigeria
Guinée Sierra Léone
Libéria
Bénin
Côte d’Ivoire
Togo
Burkina Faso
Guinée Bissau
Mali
Niger
Sénégal
CILSS

6. CORAF/WECARD Vision and Mission
Vision: Poverty and food insecurity in West and Central
Africa reduced through increased agricultural-led economic
growth and sustainable improvement of the agricultural
research system
Mission: Productivity, competitiveness, and markets of the
agricultural system sustainably improved by meeting key
demands of the sub-regional research system as expressed
by target groups in West and Central Africa
Challenges:
6% annual growth in productivity by 2015 achieved – CAADP
Transform agriculture

7. CORAF/WECARD Strategy
• Strategic Plan [2007-2016] - CAADP & FAAP
and agricultural policies of ECOWAS, ECCAS,
UEMOA and CEMAC
• First Operational Plan [2008-2013]
• Second Operational Plan [2014-2018] - S3A
for operationalizing the AR4D component of
the “Sustaining the CAADP Momentum” with
the aim of basing this on country CAADP
NAIPs

8. Diversity of Partnerships
 Regional Economic communities:
 Inter-government organisations:
 Financial institutions :
 Technical institutions :

9. Organization of CORAF/WECARD
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Key stakeholders (NARS,
NEPAD, FARA, Civil Society
Private Sector, RECs,
Development Partners
General Assembly
Governing Board
Scientific and Technical
comitee
Executive Director
Internal Audit
Procurement
Director Of
Programmes &
Innovation
Strategic Issues Assistant
to ED
Programme 1
Programme 2
Programme 3
Programme n
Cross Cutting
units
A/DPI-
Innovation
Director
Knowledge
Management
Planning, M&E,
Impact
Assessment &
Learning
Communication &
TIC
Valorisation
(Research into
Use)
Finance
Accountancy
Director Corporate
Services
Legal Issues and
Grants
HR / Logistics

10. CORAF/WECARD results
Result 2: Strategic decision making options for policy,
institutions and markets developed and used
Result 5: Result delivery effectively managed by the
Secretariat
Result 1: The development and use of appropriate
technologies and innovations increased
Result 3: Sub-regional agricultural research system
strengthened and coordinated
Result 4: Demand for agricultural knowledge by target
clients facilitated and met

11. 11
1. Livestock, fisheries & aquaculture
2. Staple crops
3. Non staple crops
4. Natural resources management
5. Biotechnology and Biosafety
6. Policy, Markets and Trade
7. Knowledge Management
8. Strengthening capacity
Main Areas Of Focus
Three Themes :
• Food, Health and Nutrition Security
• Markets and Trade
• Sustainable Agriculture
Cross-cutting issues are key in the OP 2

12. Achievements

13. Tools for sub-regional research
Competitive and commissioned project
schemes addressing focus areas with wide
NARS and geographical coverage
Innovation platforms based on IAR4D
paradigm and innovation systems thinking
– Multi-stakeholders engagement, exchange and
learning,
– Policy and institutional development
Centers of Specialization on priority
commodities expected to evolve into
Regional Centers of Excellence

14. Involvement of stakeholders in CORAF/WECARD 55 Projects

15. SCLFA NSC NRM BB PMT SC KM
PRIORITY REGIONAL PROGRAMSPRIORITY REGIONAL PROGRAMS
SCOPING STUDIES INVOLVING ALL RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS
REGIONAL PRIORITY RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT THEMES IDENTIFICATION
171 INNOVATION PLATFORMS BASED ON VALUE CHAIN APPROACH ESTABLISHED
ALL OVER WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA WITH DIFFERENT ENTRY POINTS RELATED
TO PRIORITY REGIONAL CHALLENGES
171 INNOVATION PLATFORMS BASED ON VALUE CHAIN APPROACH ESTABLISHED
ALL OVER WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA WITH DIFFERENT ENTRY POINTS RELATED
TO PRIORITY REGIONAL CHALLENGES
32 COMPETITIVE
GRANT PROJECTS
23
COMMISSIONED
PROJECTS
POTENTIAL IMPACT INFRASTRUCTUREPOTENTIAL IMPACT INFRASTRUCTURE
Success
stories
Success
storiesSuccess
stories
IAR4D tools developed during CORAF/WECARD’s
1st
OPERATIONAL PLAN (2008 – 2013)

16. Geographical spread of coordination of projects

17. National Centers of Specilisation and Base
Centers

18. Key lessons learned

19. A Few Success Stories from IP Activities

20. Sustainable Intensification of Integrated Crop and Small ruminant
production in West Africa
 Small ruminants (goats and sheep) - emerging opportunity for
agricultural development and empowerment of women.
 Productivity and production severely limited by diseases in the rainy
season and scarcity of feed in the dry season.
 16 functional IPs to improve crop goat/sheep value chain in Ghana, Mali,
Benin and The Gambia - farmers, researchers, traders, butchers, tractor
operators, processors, agro chemical dealers and Government.
 Dual purpose
cowpea with
40% yield over
that used
actually
identified
 Increased
survival rate
of goats

21. Building resilience from mixed milk - vegetable production
system in semi-arid zones of West Africa
 Diversified production systems using double purpose crop and low
input irrigation systems established to increase milk production and
income
 A model of inputs supply Hub developed that increased milk off-take
from 0,47 to 2,1 litres/cow/day during the dry season by enhancing
the access of 47 livestock farmers to concentrates for supplementing
dairy cows
 A normalized processing method of the traditional cheese Wangash
improved quality – led to establishment of a dairy processing
cooperative comprising 48 women; consequently the demand and
the turnover estmated at 16 000 US$ per year with a benefit
evaluated at 4000 US$.

22. Control of emerging livestock ticks and tick-borne diseases
in West and Central Africa
 Updating information on the distribution, abundance and
dynamics of ticks with emphasis on the invasive new tick in
West Africa
 Development of Larval Packet Test to diagnose acaricide
tick resistance and deliver an effective acaricide option
 Innovation platforms established to strengthen the capacity
of stakeholders, sharing knowledge and strategies on tick
control

23. Improving Plantain Value Chain through Innovation
Platforms
 Current membership at 600
 New knowledge and skills acquired in
producing clean planting materials
 Behaviour and practices changed
to ensure impact
 Employment increased and new
businesses created
 New plantain farms established
 Plantain marketing in CEMAC
zone increased
 The IP sources of funding
diversified and several prices
won.

24. Maize Innovation Platform in Burkina Faso creating
Entrepreneurship
Maize IP actor provided with technical, organizational and
institutional knowledge to grow and create businesses.
No longer dependent on micro-finance institutions in the
IP because warrantage system is used to sell when grain
prices are high and buy inputs for next year’s maize crop
18 emerging farmer entrepreneurs in seed and grain
maize production and commercialization
Children sent to private school, a symbol of quality
education in many African countries

25. Local artisans provided with knowledge and skills to produce
clean prototype of rice par-boilers constructed from metal
scraps, which helped:
 reducing cost of fabrication
 Saves water and fuel
Women group trained to produce clean par-boiled rice
Women ordered construction of 23 par-
boilers, 40 liters aluminum pots and stands
for conditioning paddy rice grain
Women are happy with grain quality when
compared to grain quality of women who
did not participate in the training.
Rice Post harvest training in Nigeria to improve food security
and income generation

26. Empowering Women through Improved Agro-Processing
Technologies of cassava, rice, sorghum & millet
 Technical and agri-business capacities of over 2,000 women in 7
countries strengthened.
 Knowledge of target and spill-over beneficiaries increased through
the diffusion of over 1,000 printed materials, electronic and on-line
publications.
 Quality of Cassava Flour and Gari (Togo and Benin), processed rice
(Senegal, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria) and bio-fortified sorghum/millet
(Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali) improved.
 In 2012, a beneficiary association, Groupement Lakhalkaney du
Niamey (585 membership)
supplied 2600 kg bio-fortified
millet flour to an SOS village and
signed a contract to supply all
SOS villages in Niger.

27.  Facilitate partnerships around seed sector
through establishment of regional seed alliance
 Reducing policy barriers - publication of
regional seed regulations strengthening national
seed policies , capacity strengthening to
enhance stakeholder knowledge of the
regulation.
 Database on demand and supply gaps in seed s in
the sub-region analyzed for informed decision-
making
CORAF/WECARD mandated to facilitate implementation of
regional seed regulations by ECOWAS
 Institutional assessments of NARS
and NSTAs to provide basis to design
capacity improvement approaches
 NARS/CGAIR supported to produce 50
tons of breeder seeds for rice, sorghum
and maize for increased production of
foundation seeds.
 Capacity of 90 NARS breeder seed
specialists strengthened to improve
the quality of seeds supplied
 Technical and agribusiness
capacities of 110 private sector
players in four countries strengthened
 Supporting PhD training of breeders in
the pipeline with WACCI

28. Building leadership capacities of women in agricultural research:
A pilot phase of the program AWARD for Francophone women
Plans on-going to scale up training of
women in WCA

29. Regional research for development approach rationalizes
use of investments in agriculture
Establishment and use of innovation platforms and value
chain approaches facilitates technology adoption and
relevant impacts.
Institutional capacity development facilitates the creation
of synergies, ensures spillover effects and scaling-up
Strong links with regional policy institutions creates
enabling environment for investments, delivery of results
and sustainability.
Key Lessons

30. The face of Success
NARS capacity strengthened to carry out research and
innovation activities addressing regional priorities
Innovation platforms with entry points addressing specific
aspects of the value chain of priority commodities fully
functional
Innovation platforms form an impact infrastructure in terms
of delivering improved production and connecting
smallholder farmers and their organizations to markets
CORAF/WECARD Executive Secretariat capacity for
coordinating and facilitating the scaling-up and out of
impacts through strong links with NARS

31. Achieving sustainability
Advocacy to decision-makers for inclusion of use of
innovation platform in regional and national policies to
ensure the transformation of agriculture
On-going development of critical mass of specialists in IP
establishment and facilitation
Models for sustainable investment in agricultural research
for development developed (WAAPP)
Development of social media to strengthen exchange and
learning on the practice of innovation platforms

32. WAAPP as a model to increase investments in
agricultural research for development
 15 ECOWAS committed to investing
in agricultural research for
development with facilitation from a
lending system with WB and through
the lenses of improved productivity
and coordination by
CORAF/WECARD (receives I/15 of
all country investment for this)
 Model relies on 4 key components
 Strengthening regional policies
 Strengthening research capacity
(training and infrastructure)
 Creating national funds to enhance
to ensure adoption of technologies
 Strengthening M& E, ICT and
Fiduciary systems

33. Policy makers show more interest in CORAF/WECARD
coordination functions and activities

34. Way forward
 Strengthening strategic alliances with FARA, GCRAI CGIAR, D&T
partners, RECS, and CSO
 Strengthening NARS capacities and Relationship FbO, Private
Sector, NGO to better connect production to markets
 Sub-regional research for development tools will strengthening
BMGF involvement in the implementation of projects to ensure
spill-over and scaling out of success stories
 Facilitate coordinated partnerships with NARS and contribution to
national agricultural programs in the WCA region for sustainable
transformation of agriculture
 Delivery of an Impact infrastructure through Innovation Platforms
to consolidated agricultural production of priority BMGF
commodities and link producers to markets
 Offers links with regional policy institutions and regulations to
facilitate investments - seed, fertility, biosafety regulations

35. 35
Secrétariat exécutifSecrétariat exécutif
7, Avenue Bourguiba7, Avenue Bourguiba
BP 48 Dakar-RPBP 48 Dakar-RP
Tel (221) 33 869 96 18Tel (221) 33 869 96 18
Fax (221)33 869 96 31Fax (221)33 869 96 31
E-mail:E-mail: secoraf@coraf.orgsecoraf@coraf.org
Web:Web: www.coraf.orgwww.coraf.org
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