17 -21 June 2019. Minna, Nigeria. Inaugural Meeting of Stakeholders, Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety.
Presentation by Habiba Hassan-Wassef, MD
National Research Center, Cairo
FoodAfrica is a research and development Programme enhancing food security in West and East Africa. The objective of the Programme is to provide new knowledge and tools for researchers, decision makers and local farmers to improve local food security. Presentation from the FoodAfrica seminar on global food security 12 April 2016 in Helsinki. Mila Sell/ Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
GFAR Webinar on Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity Between the Inform...Francois Stepman
30 May 2017. Webinar. As one of the series of GFAR webinars, GFAR Secretariat brought together several presenters to engage the agri-food research and innovation community around the topic of Farmers’ Rights, and especially how to achieve the complementarity between the informal and formal seed systems.
17 -21 June 2019. Minna, Nigeria. Inaugural Meeting of Stakeholders, Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety.
Presentation by Habiba Hassan-Wassef, MD
National Research Center, Cairo
FoodAfrica is a research and development Programme enhancing food security in West and East Africa. The objective of the Programme is to provide new knowledge and tools for researchers, decision makers and local farmers to improve local food security. Presentation from the FoodAfrica seminar on global food security 12 April 2016 in Helsinki. Mila Sell/ Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
GFAR Webinar on Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity Between the Inform...Francois Stepman
30 May 2017. Webinar. As one of the series of GFAR webinars, GFAR Secretariat brought together several presenters to engage the agri-food research and innovation community around the topic of Farmers’ Rights, and especially how to achieve the complementarity between the informal and formal seed systems.
Agrifood; a new Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tool to examine trade-offs i...Francois Stepman
24 - 29 June 2019. Hyderabad, India. The ANH Academy Week is a series of annual events that bring together the community of researchers and users of research (practitioners and policymakers) working at the intersection of agriculture, nutrition and health.
Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia task force: Research to policy and practiceILRI
Presentation by Hung Nguyen-Viet, Sothyra Tum, Chhay Ty, Melissa Young and Delia Grace at the Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia project final workshop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 21-22 June 2021.
Outcome of the online consultation of USAID, Aligning Research Investments to...Francois Stepman
18-20 April 2017. Aligning Research Investments to the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS): A Three-Day AgExchange on Nutrition, Resilience and Agriculture-Led Economic Growth
Over 400 development and research professionals in more than 30 countries followed and/or contributed to the discussion on research investments in resilience, nutrition, and agriculture-led economic growth. A team of experts is currently carefully reviewing each and every comment to inform the drafting of the GFSS research strategy.
LIVES dairy value chain development: Distinguishing between fluid milk and bu...ILRI
Presented by Dirk Hoekstra, Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Aklilu Bogale and Yasin Getahun at the 21st Annual Conference of Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), Addis Ababa, 28-30 August 2013
The Brussels Development Briefing no. 52 on “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ” took place on 19 September 2018 from 09h00 to 13h00, ACP Secretariat, Brussels 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the European Commission (DG DEVCO & DG Health and Food Safety), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership.
A consortium led by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has been awarded a grant by The Netherlands Space Office (NSO) to implement a project that will harness ICTs to supply extension advice in Uganda. The Market-led, User-owned ICT4Ag Enabled Information Service (MUIIS) project, which runs from 2015 to 2018, will use data generated by satellite to improve production and marketing prospects for producers involved in three value chains – maize, soya beans and sesame. Partners in the project are the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), aWhere Inc., the East African Farmers’ Federation (EAFF), EARS Earth Environment Monitoring (EARS-E2M), the eLEAF Competence Center (eLEAF) and Mercy Corps, Uganda. ow.ly/THSCI
Presentation - Connecting The Dots: Policy Innovations for Food Systems Trans...Malabo-Montpellier-Panel
Presentation by Prof. Sheryl Hendriks of the Malabo Montpellier Panel's Food Systems Report at the 8th edition of the Malabo Montpellier Forum held on 5 July, 2021.
The Brussels Development Briefing no. 52 on “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ” took place on 19 September 2018 from 09h00 to 13h00, ACP Secretariat, Brussels 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the European Commission (DG DEVCO & DG Health and Food Safety), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership.
Ethiopian Experience in Irrigatiion Development by Mr. Zena Habtewold BiruMalabo-Montpellier-Panel
The Ethiopian irrigation success story was the focus of the webinar organised by the Malabo Montpellier Panel on 14th February 2019, based on their second report, Water-Wise: Smart Irrigation Strategies for Africa, which summarizes the key findings of a systematic analysis of what six African countries at the forefront of progress on irrigation have done right: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Niger and South Africa.
The guest speaker and author of this presentation, Mr. Zena Habtewold Biru, Director of the Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Focal Person for the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) discussed the case of Ethiopia’s remarkable growth in irrigation expansion over the last years, and the concrete practical steps that the government took to become one of the leading African countries in terms of agricultural irrigation, thereby reducing unemployment, poverty rate and malnutrition.
During the seminar Mr. Zena Habtewold Biru discussed the following questions:
•What did Ethiopia do differently?
•What are the main institutional innovations?
•What are the key policy measures?
•What are the country’s major programs and interventions?
•How and what did it take to mobilize the government to uptake strong regulatory frameworks that govern irrigation and the use of water in agriculture?
•What are the practical lessons for other Africans to learn from and to adapt to the context of their own countries?
David Soutar, SlashRoots Foundation, Application Developmen. 28 May 2015. This session at the World Summit of the Information Society examined the contribution of e-agriculture to address the Sustainable Development Goals’ challenges.
Agrifood; a new Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tool to examine trade-offs i...Francois Stepman
24 - 29 June 2019. Hyderabad, India. The ANH Academy Week is a series of annual events that bring together the community of researchers and users of research (practitioners and policymakers) working at the intersection of agriculture, nutrition and health.
Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia task force: Research to policy and practiceILRI
Presentation by Hung Nguyen-Viet, Sothyra Tum, Chhay Ty, Melissa Young and Delia Grace at the Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia project final workshop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 21-22 June 2021.
Outcome of the online consultation of USAID, Aligning Research Investments to...Francois Stepman
18-20 April 2017. Aligning Research Investments to the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS): A Three-Day AgExchange on Nutrition, Resilience and Agriculture-Led Economic Growth
Over 400 development and research professionals in more than 30 countries followed and/or contributed to the discussion on research investments in resilience, nutrition, and agriculture-led economic growth. A team of experts is currently carefully reviewing each and every comment to inform the drafting of the GFSS research strategy.
LIVES dairy value chain development: Distinguishing between fluid milk and bu...ILRI
Presented by Dirk Hoekstra, Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Aklilu Bogale and Yasin Getahun at the 21st Annual Conference of Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), Addis Ababa, 28-30 August 2013
The Brussels Development Briefing no. 52 on “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ” took place on 19 September 2018 from 09h00 to 13h00, ACP Secretariat, Brussels 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the European Commission (DG DEVCO & DG Health and Food Safety), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership.
A consortium led by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has been awarded a grant by The Netherlands Space Office (NSO) to implement a project that will harness ICTs to supply extension advice in Uganda. The Market-led, User-owned ICT4Ag Enabled Information Service (MUIIS) project, which runs from 2015 to 2018, will use data generated by satellite to improve production and marketing prospects for producers involved in three value chains – maize, soya beans and sesame. Partners in the project are the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), aWhere Inc., the East African Farmers’ Federation (EAFF), EARS Earth Environment Monitoring (EARS-E2M), the eLEAF Competence Center (eLEAF) and Mercy Corps, Uganda. ow.ly/THSCI
Presentation - Connecting The Dots: Policy Innovations for Food Systems Trans...Malabo-Montpellier-Panel
Presentation by Prof. Sheryl Hendriks of the Malabo Montpellier Panel's Food Systems Report at the 8th edition of the Malabo Montpellier Forum held on 5 July, 2021.
The Brussels Development Briefing no. 52 on “Food safety: a critical part of the food system in Africa ” took place on 19 September 2018 from 09h00 to 13h00, ACP Secretariat, Brussels 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the European Commission (DG DEVCO & DG Health and Food Safety), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership.
Ethiopian Experience in Irrigatiion Development by Mr. Zena Habtewold BiruMalabo-Montpellier-Panel
The Ethiopian irrigation success story was the focus of the webinar organised by the Malabo Montpellier Panel on 14th February 2019, based on their second report, Water-Wise: Smart Irrigation Strategies for Africa, which summarizes the key findings of a systematic analysis of what six African countries at the forefront of progress on irrigation have done right: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Niger and South Africa.
The guest speaker and author of this presentation, Mr. Zena Habtewold Biru, Director of the Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Focal Person for the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) discussed the case of Ethiopia’s remarkable growth in irrigation expansion over the last years, and the concrete practical steps that the government took to become one of the leading African countries in terms of agricultural irrigation, thereby reducing unemployment, poverty rate and malnutrition.
During the seminar Mr. Zena Habtewold Biru discussed the following questions:
•What did Ethiopia do differently?
•What are the main institutional innovations?
•What are the key policy measures?
•What are the country’s major programs and interventions?
•How and what did it take to mobilize the government to uptake strong regulatory frameworks that govern irrigation and the use of water in agriculture?
•What are the practical lessons for other Africans to learn from and to adapt to the context of their own countries?
David Soutar, SlashRoots Foundation, Application Developmen. 28 May 2015. This session at the World Summit of the Information Society examined the contribution of e-agriculture to address the Sustainable Development Goals’ challenges.
Jornada informativa sobre el Reto Social 2: "Seguridad alimentaria, agricultura sostenible, investigación marina y marítima y bioeconomía" dentro del Programa Marco Europeo Horizonte 2020 organizada por la Agencia en colaboración con la Universidad de Córdoba. Noviembre, 2016.
FANRPAN Policy Brief: Stemming Aflatoxin in the Groundnut Chain in Sub-Sahara...Francois Stepman
This policy brief has been specifically
prepared to highlight the importance of aflatoxins on human health and trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It
contextualizes, (i) the preharvest and post-harvest factors that influence the proliferation of molds and aflatoxin
contamination in groundnuts in the SSA region, (ii) discusses feasible prevention and management strategies and
(iii) presents recommendations .
PROIntensAfrica partnership proposal by Carolyn Glynn at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
PROIntensAfrica pathways concept and research agenda by Philippe Petithuguenin at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
PROIntensAfrica project presentation by Oluwole Fatunbi at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
High-level policy dialogue presentation by Hans-Jörg Lutzeyer at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
LEAP-Agri ERA-NET cofund presentation by Maurice Héral at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
TAAT AARP presentation by Irene Annor Frempong at the "Effective and Efficient Research and Innovation Partnerships" seminar on March 14, 2017, AUC Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Advances of the AU-EU FNSSA Partnership towards Food Systems TransformationFrancois Stepman
23-25 January 2024. Joint SCAR workshop: “Research needs and priorities for the transformation to Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) at European and global level”
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/01/research-needs-and-priorities-for.html
Towards a Tangible Legacy
Workshop of WP2: Africa-Europe STI cooperation on the Climate Change global challenge
Plenary session, Tuesday, 8th September 2015
Joachim von Braun
POLICY SEMINAR
Transforming Food Systems to Deliver Healthy, Sustainable Diets : The View from the World’s Science Academies
Co-Organized by IFPRI and InterAcademy Partnership
FEB 14, 2019 - 12:15 PM TO 01:45 PM EST
FACCE JPI agenda on big data and digitization of agriculturee-ROSA
Paul Wiley's presentation at the eROSA Workshop “Towards Open Science in Agriculture & Food”, a side event to High Level conference on FOOD 2030, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (13/6/2018)
Collaboration Exploring and Caring for the Diversity of Agriculture Intensifi...Francois Stepman
Philippe Petithuguenin, Deputy Director for Research and Strategy, French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), European Partner of PROIntensAfrica
Sustainable intensification and climate change: An EARS-CGIAR Mega-program in...ILRI
Presented by Barry Shapiro (ILRI) at a Consultative Meeting on Strengthening CGIAR - EARS partnerships for effective agricultural transformation in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 4–5 December 2014
14/09 + 15/09 LEAP4FNSSA Final writeshop, General Assembly and IRC Launch – towards an AU-EU International Research Consortium on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture https://paepard.blogspot.com/2022/09/science-and-partnerships-for_15.html
BMEL-call for proposals: Food environments for improved nutritionICARDA
18/09. The annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (TROPENTAG)
Presentation by Siegfried Harrer Federal Office for Agriculture and Food – BLE
Agriculture Science Agenda for Africa - Drawing on and Learning from other Ex...riatenorio
Information sharing on the development of a Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa With inputs for CAADP-CGIAR alignment
April 13, 2013
Dublin, Ireland
The overall objective of this initiative is to provide documented knowledge and evidence on the diverse pathways of sustainable intensification of African agriculture and its value chains. It will cover agriculture and ecological sciences, as well as economic, social and policy sciences and will promote transdisciplinary approaches. This initiative will undertake collaborative, world-leading research with a wide range of stakeholders in Africa and Europe on the sustainable intensification of agriculture to meet major societal challenges.
Similar to High Level Policy Dialogue Roadmap for a EU-AU partnership in Agricultural Research and Innovation : current development and next steps (20)
The Innovative Agriculture for Smallholder Resilience (iNASHR) project (Egypt) was implemented over 3 years during which there was the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to instability in farm prices and uncertainties in water availability.
Despite this, 18 teams of Entrepreneurs for Rural Access (ERAs) serving as digital extension service providers were able to reach more than 60,000 people in rural communities between 2021 and 2023.
Three specially commissioned “farmer-to-farmer” style training videos were produced (see at the bottom of this blog post),
and 60 other relevant Access Agriculture videos were translated into Arabic and shown to farmers.
These active service providers, half of whom are women, used a solar-powered smart projector to reach communities where access to power supply, internet connection and mobile phone signal can be challenging.
West Africa Scene Setting African Continental Master Plan (CMP) for electrici...Francois Stepman
6 February 2024. Drive Renewable Energy Investments in West Africa Hosted by IRENA Coalition for Action
Recording forthcoming
The session covered the African Continental Master Plan (CMP) for electricity generation and transmission, delved into West Africa's electricity sector, and presented recommendations from the Policy Brief titled:
IRENA (2023) Scaling up renewable energy investments in West Africa # 12 p.
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/02/drive-renewable-energy-investments-in.html
Scaling up renewable energy investments in West AfricaFrancois Stepman
6 February 2024. Drive Renewable Energy Investments in West Africa Hosted by IRENA Coalition for Action
Recording forthcoming
The session covered the African Continental Master Plan (CMP) for electricity generation and transmission, delved into West Africa's electricity sector, and presented recommendations from the Policy Brief titled:
IRENA (2023) Scaling up renewable energy investments in West Africa # 12 p.
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/02/drive-renewable-energy-investments-in.html
Research needs for sustainable food systems – concepts and prioritiesFrancois Stepman
23-25 January 2024. Joint SCAR workshop: “Research needs and priorities for the transformation to Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) at European and global level”
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/01/research-needs-and-priorities-for.html
The Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) of the EC: its principles and working p...Francois Stepman
6 - 17 March 2021. In 2021, Aarhus University hosted the first European Seminar on science-based advice in agriculture and environment
More than 200 researchers and advisers from all over Europe participated. One of the conclusions was, that there is a need to learn from each other, to share best practices and to discuss the main principles, in order to strengthen the evidence based policy development in Europe. See: https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/01/science-based-advice-for-policy-in.html
Transformation: An introductory guide to fundamental change for researchers a...Francois Stepman
7 Sep 2023 12:30 - 14:00 CEST. Transformation: An introductory guide to fundamental change for researchers and change makers in a world of crises
Fazey, I and Colvin, J. (2023). Transformation: An introductory guide to fundamental change for researchers and change makers in a world of crises - A Report for the Transforming UK Food Systems SPF Programme. University of York, Emerald Network Ltd. #52 p.
Online workshop based on a newly published report by Professor Ioan Fazey (University of York) and Dr John Colvin (Emerald Network Ltd) for the UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems SPF Programme.
This workshop was be an opportunity to learn, and engage with others, about the concept of transformational change in a context of a rapidly changing world.
The authors gave an overview of the concept of transformation and highlighted some of the critical aspects that need to be considered when embarking on an initiative, approach or campaign which is intended to be transformational. They talked about the challenges and opportunities of adopting these concepts in practice and research and there was an opportunity for participants to explore with others their own understanding and approaches to transformation.
Presentation by Kathelijne Beenen, Netherlands Space Office - Space for Climate Adaptation and Food Security
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2023/05/earth-observation-artificial.html
Machine learning for the environment: monitoring the pulse of our Planet with...Francois Stepman
Presentation by Davis Tuia, EPFL - Machine learning for the environment: monitoring the pulse of our Planet with remotely sensed data
25 May 2023. 9H30 - 16H25 Earth Observation & Artificial Intelligence solutions for climate change challenges
This new edition of the AI4Copernicus event focused on climate change and its impact on energy, food and water security. To withstand current and future pressures on our natural resources, integrated and sustainable management practices are required to balance the needs of people, nature and the economy.
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2023/05/earth-observation-artificial.html
‘How is the African insurance industry responding to climate change?’Francois Stepman
6 June 2023. ‘How is the African insurance industry responding to climate change?’
https://paepard.blogspot.com/2023/06/how-is-african-insurance-industry.html
The insurance industry is exposed to the risks of climate change and that risk is increasing. Insurers should be aware of these risks and the potential impact on their business. A 2019 global survey [With Climate Impacts Growing, Insurance Companies Face Big Challenges] found that 72 percent of insurance companies believe climate change will affect their business, but 80 percent of them have not taken significant steps to lessen climate risks. Moreover, insurance companies invest the money from the premiums they collect in the financial markets. They have $582 billion invested in fossil fuels investments that could be devalued as climate risks increase.
As natural disasters become more frequent and more costly, insurance companies are facing big challenges. If insurers are to weather the storms ahead, they’ll need to make some changes. The insurance industry needs to make substantial changes to deal with its own climate risks. Some of these changes could also enable insurance companies to help speed the transition to a net-zero society.
Speakers
Diana Castro (picture) is part of UNEP. As the Programme
Supervisor of the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) initiative, Diana oversees the largest collaboration between the United Nations and the insurance industry, which has over 250
members worldwide committed to integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance risks into their decision-making.
Lesley Ndlovu (picture) is currently the Chief Executive Officer of African Risk Capacity “ARC” Ltd, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kelvin Massingham is Director of Risk and Resilience at FSD Africa, where he is responsible for driving financial market innovation in Africa to increase resilience and create pathways for green finance to flow towards a net-zero and nature-positive future.
How are African banks coping with Climate ChangeFrancois Stepman
16 May 2023. This webinar discussed how climate-related risks threaten the functioning of banking institutions as well as the stability of the financial system.
Climate change and climate policy affect the balance sheets and business models of banks in different ways. African banks are vulnerable to the increasing frequency and severity of climate change shocks. They are also increasingly aware of the importance of adopting green financing principles, seeking to address risks and more importantly, to grasp new opportunities.
However, only 17% of banks have so far introduced specific green financing products, and these are estimated to account for only 2-20% of their portfolio . The webinar discussed how climate-related risks threaten the functioning of banking institutions as well as the stability of the financial system. The discussions also shed light on initiatives of banks to implement sustainable practices and central banks to create an enabling environment for sustainable finance drawing on international best practices.
http://paepard.blogspot.com/2023/05/climate-and-african-financial-sector.html
Webinar 1: Climate Change: What does it mean for the Financial Sector in Africa?
Financial institutions can play an important role in society’s adaptation to climate change risks mitigation. This webinar will highlight risks and opportunities that climate change poses for the financial sector in Africa and discuss how financial institutions can best respond to these, in a sustainable manner. In particular, the webinar is expected to:
Raise awareness on climate change within the financial industry in Africa and facilitate a broader dialogue aimed at integrating climate change considerations;
Clarify the pivotal role the financial sector can play in mitigating climate change risks and adapting to its effects; and
Present examples of transformative change in financial institutions’ practices
Speakers
Paul SMITH has worked for the climate team at the United Nations’ Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) for over four years. Paul leads UNEP FI’s climate adaptation and physical risk work supporting the Climate Risk Programme, the Climate Adaptation Working Group of the Principles for Responsible Banking and the Adaptation and Resilience Investor Collaborative (ARIC). He also leads on climate policy in partnership with the Investor Agenda and has co-authored The Climate Risk Landscape, Physically Fit? and Adapting to a New Climate, as well as contributing to Climate Risk: Managing the Financial Risk and Funding the Transition
Anthony NYONG is the Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the AfDB. Mr. Nyong has about 30 years of experience in environmental and natural resources management, renewable energy and green growth. He was a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and a member of the IPCC Task Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impact and Climate Analysis.
David ASHIAGBOR is the Chief Financial Sector Strategy Officer in the Financial Sector Development Department of the African Development Bank. He is currently leading the design and development of the Bank’s new Financial Sector Development Strategy, in addition to supporting the Director on policy and strategy issues.
Marina FINKEN is the Partnership Coordinator for Making Finance Work For Africa (MFW4A). She is an experienced Finance Professional who, before joining MFW4A had a successful career within Big 4 firms, providing audit and advisory services to large Banking groups and other financial services entities.
Transforming Research into Programs and Policies: How to Use the Research-to-...Francois Stepman
March 9 Transforming Research into Programs and Policies: How to Use the Research-to-Action Plan Section
Guest Speaker: Dr. Marlene Lee, PRB, United States
The webinar introduces you to how you can use the Research-To-Action (R2A) Plan Section to develop a step-by-step plan to communicate your research findings, attract influential stakeholders, and ensure your research leads to action.
Capturing Attention How To Use The Research Translation Toolkit’s Communicati...Francois Stepman
March 9 Transforming Research into Programs and Policies: How to Use the Research-to-Action Plan Section
Guest Speaker: Dr. Marlene Lee, PRB, United States
Speaker bios
This webinar introduces you to how you can use the Research-To-Action (R2A) Plan Section to develop a step-by-step plan to communicate your research findings, attract influential stakeholders, and ensure your research leads to action.
Generative Artificial Intelligence 3/14/2023 Johannes Schunter Head of Knowle...Francois Stepman
14 March 2023. Useful applications of ChatGPT in knowledge work
Johannes Schunter showed a number of useful applications in development work ; what the bot is good at and what it is not good at. He is Head of Knowledge Management · Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V., Berlin, Germany.
How to Use the Research Translation Toolkit’s Stakeholder Analysis SectionFrancois Stepman
23 February 2023 Reaching the Right People at the Right Time: How to Use the Stakeholder Analysis Section
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jose Rodriguez, International Consultant, Philippines
This webinar introduced the Stakeholder Analysis Section to identify influential individuals or groups who might use your research, and plan effective engagement with them to increase the impact of your research insights or technical innovations.
February 9 A Vital Resource: Exploring USAID’s Research Translation Toolkit
This webinar introduced the importance of research translation – the process that transforms research findings into a form that is relevant to practitioners or other audiences – and provides a high-level overview of the Research Translation Toolkit, including real world examples of research teams that have used the processes from the toolkit.
Overview of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda & Results of the Public ConsultationFrancois Stepman
23 - 24 November 2022. Nairobi, Kenya and online. AU-EU Innovation Agenda Stakeholder Event
Nairobi by the The European Commission and the African Union Commission.
High Level Policy Dialogue Roadmap for a EU-AU partnership in Agricultural Research and Innovation : current development and next steps
1. 1
Research and
Innovation
Roadmap proposal towards a
EU-Africa Research & Innovation
Partnership on food and nutrition security
and sustainable agriculture
By Mohammed Jeenah and Philippe Petithuguenin, on behalf of all the 10 members of the
Expert Working Group appointed by the EU-Africa HLPD Bureau: Ibrahim RM Benesi, Joachim von
Braun, Johnson A Ekpere, Mohammed Jeenah, Luís Goulão, Daniel Nkoola Kisauzi, Helena Gómez
Macpherson, Philippe Petithuguenin, Paco Sereme and Jeff Waage.
2. Research and
Innovation
• The process: constitution of the EWG, ToR, Modus operandi
• The context
• The proposal: What and How
• Inputs from the external consultation
• To conclude: what is new with this proposal !
Summary of presentation
3. Research and
Innovation
• Constitution of the EWG and ToR set by the HLPD Bureau
• First face-to face meeting in Brussels, 29 - 30 April 2014
• 2nd ftof meeting, Addis Ababa, 6 – 8 October 2014
• 3rd ftof meeting, London, 5 – 6 March 2015
with regular virtual meetings in between and abundant flow of
Process
3
4. Research and
Innovation
Role of science, technology and innovation
Food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture
4
Context (1/3)
Roadmap ToR set by the EU-Africa High Level Policy Dialogue on STI
Long term
Jointly funded and
Co-owned R&I Partnership (R&IP)
Prompted by agriculture to sustainably respond
Level of global hunger, 800 mil going hungry
Expanding nutritional imbalances Under nutrition and obesity
Demand of a global population 9 billion by 2050
Complicating context of Climate change
Dwindling natural resources
Increased input costs
5. Research and
Innovation
• Substantial convergence
− European Common Agricultural Policy
− Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme
− Science, Technology & Innovation Strategy for Africa
• Common Policy Goals
− producing more food with appropriate inputs,
− enhancing income growth
− promoting rural development.
Roadmap Cognisance of What Exist
5
Context (2/3)
6. Research and
Innovation
• Enhanced coordination of research relevant to FNSSA between African and
European researchers
• Broader mobilisation of the STI community
• Joint design of the R&I Partnership by European and African stakeholders
• Direct linkage of R&I
• Inclusion of the complete value chain.
Novel Elements of R&I Partnership
6
Context (3/3)
7. Research and
Innovation
• Relevance of the research to African and European priorities for FNSSA;
• Capacity for joint research, based on principles of equity, and involving
comparable and complementary expertise and resources;
• Expected impact of research and likelihood of uptake through an integrated
knowledge system with all stakeholders;
• Scalability, or the likelihood that effective research outputs and outcomes will
have impact at national or even continental scales;
• Complementarity and value for money, based on the intention that the new
investment will also up-scale existing bilateral and multilateral collaboration.
Criteria for selection of thematic priorities
7
WHAT (1/6)
8. Research and
Innovation
• Sustainable intensification
• Agriculture and food systems for nutrition
• Expansion and improvement of agricultural markets and trade
=> Specific research projects should be jointly identified and designed after consultation
with other stakeholders
Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda
8
WHAT (2/6)
9. Research and
Innovation
• Ecological intensification approaches at lowest costs and environmental impact.
• The identification, and breeding, of animals and crops to maintain/increase
productivity and resilience under conditions of limited external inputs
• Research on animal and crop health, including fish, will be given due attention
at all relevant scales (from farm to international levels)
• Research on appropriate use of soil, water, land and inputs management
practices,
• Research on advanced informed marine spatial planning and functioning of
marine ecosystems, and aquaculture technologies
• Research on organizational innovations, which will facilitate uptake of
innovations across farms and rural communities,
Sustainable intensification
9
WHAT (3/6)
10. Research and
Innovation
• Research on improved food value chains with minimal loss of nutritional value,
little wastage and a high level of safety.
• Research to improve the nutritional value, through advances in breeding and
biotechnological innovation,
• Understanding consumer behaviour with respect to healthy diets and nutrition
Public private partnerships on research to improve the nutritional quality of
foods, particularly processed foods in the marketplace.
Agriculture and food systems for nutrition
10
WHAT (4/6)
11. Research and
Innovation
• Research development of surveillance, monitoring and diagnostic systems for
sanitary, phytosanitary and other food safety purposes. that will permit
improved trade in agricultural commodities
• Development of the science agenda of mutually beneficial bioeconomy
innovations. Example of specific scientific issues are the expansion of tradable
biomass products with due consideration for food security,
• Research on reducing excessive fluctuations in food and input prices and
improving resilience of food systems.
• Global Value chains and market power. Research priorities could include: the
development of mechanisms for linking smallholder farmers to markets,
addressing the question of how to link rural communities to markets,
Expansion and improvement of agricultural markets
and trade
11
WHAT (5/6)
12. Research and
Innovation
• Creating a framework for improved coordination and added value
• Supporting innovation processes allowing knowledge to be mobilized to generate
impact
• Strengthening the capacities for collaboration among the African and European
R&I communities.
• Understanding the social and cultural contexts of the production systems
impacting FNSSA
• Research infrastructure, Innovation platforms
Cross cutting issues
12
WHAT (6/6)
13. Research and
Innovation
• Competitive calls for proposals,
• Commissioned work,
• Targeted facilitation mechanisms.
Flexibility and Capacity to adapt
• Effectiveness of the mechanisms
• Ability to evolve and to address the goals articulated by the HLPD.
Portfolio of Modalities
13
HOW (1/3)
14. Research and
Innovation
• Short term,,
− Existing instruments that support the goals and aims of this road map.
• Long term
− Specific platform.
Public-Public partnership
– Bi continental Public-Public partnership between the EC, the AUC
– Voluntary basis, European and African Governments.
Public-Private partnerships Expanded
– Philanthropy
– Private Companies
Mechanisms
14
HOW (2/3)
15. Research and
Innovation
Monitored Goals (see also logical framework)
• The improvement of food security in the two regions
• The development of better and healthier diets for billions of people
• The creation of jobs and new opportunities for family farmers, especially smallholders, on both
continents
• The increase of diversification of agricultural systems and agribusinesses
• The opening of new markets and the development of better trade within and between both
continents
• The reduction of structural dependence of African countries to food aid
Monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment
15
HOW (3/3)
16. Research and
Innovation
• In February and March
2015, an advanced draft
of the roadmap was
submitted to a targeted
consultation of
stakeholders in Europe
and in Africa.
Responses from 50
diverse stakeholders
confirmed the
relevance of the
proposal.
16
Stakeholder consultation (1/4)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
17. Research and
Innovation
• “The long term perspective of the Project aiming on the development of self-
supporting bi-Continental networks.”
• “To reduce fragmentation and coordinate the various national initiatives, hence
promoting research impact. It should be realized however that this is highly
ambitious. “
• “Ecological intensification approaches that may include research on more
efficient use of external inputs and on natural resource management, crop
health with the objectives to develop sustainable approaches minimizing
production losses and avoiding geographical spreading of diseases.”
• “The pursued strong involvement of all stakeholder Groups (scientific
community, civil Society, public sector, private sector, gender-balanced and
over all income Groups) into the process.“
Examples of what they especially liked
17
Stakeholder consultation (2/4)
18. Research and
Innovation
• “The document still has a ‘transfer of technology’ tone, despite the acknowledgment that multi-
stakeholder partnerships are needed (which includes farmers.). So it’s still a ‘linear pathway’ from
research to farmers, not considering the important role of local innovation and adaptation, and the
role of technology users in shaping research agendas and screening solutions.”
• “The pathways being proposed (e.g. global value chains) do not seem to be very suitable for
improving the livelihoods and resilience of the majority of smallholder /family farmers in Africa or
Europe”
• “On science and research, one can distinguish shared interest between the two continents.
Considering innovation, the difficulty is that innovation needs are very different between Europe and
Africa. Innovations are more 'context‘ specific and these contexts are very different between the two
continents. Europe and Africa may have more to share on how to promote innovation processes
(with adequate policies, partnership agreements, participatory approach, criteria for assessing
researchers….) than on the innovations themselves.”
• “EDCTP is given as a successful example, but the EDCTP is very focused (3 diseases, just the clinical
trials) and the health sector is much less diverse than the agricultural sector. So this successful
example has limited validity for the proposed roadmap.”
Main concerns about the Roadmap
18
Stakeholder consultation (3/4)
19. Research and
Innovation
• « Le non-respect des engagements de chaque partie prenante, notamment en termes de contribution financière ».
« Low-level capacity for domestic resource mobilization; and weak political commitment to operationalize and fast
track …..”
• “In Africa, The main barrier is the weak linkage between research and the CAADP process.”
• « Notre organisme est en train d'ouvrir ses portes au continent africain et le plus grand handicap que nous avons
c'est la méconnaissance...Nos chercheurs sont bien connus en Europe, aux USA, mais pas en Afrique et ils n'ont
pas des contacts là-bas»
• “The often short term nature of project funding timeframes sometimes limits optimal implementation of projects
which integrate some sustainability components. Consideration on longer time frames could be made to enable
such research projects to achieve full impacts.”
• “Poor availability of suitable and functional research facilities limits the type and extent of research which can be
conducted. Need to foster a close link between the research grants and others focusing on infrastructural
development.”
• “There is no single blueprint .Implementation should be scaled up in ways that take account of local conditions and
national priorities.”
• “We underline the importance of flexible funding mechanisms”
Bottleneck identified and Recommendations
19
Stakeholder consultation (4/4)
20. Research and
Innovation
A true Africa- Europe joint and balanced partnership.
jointly owned, governed and funded by European and African
moving away from an “aid perspective”
Broader participation of the European institutions
An all-encompassing R&I framework covering all aspects of food security, nutrition and sustainable
agriculture.
align, under a common vision, all existing joint R&I activities, irrespective of their funding
mechanisms or legal instruments.
Synergies, optimization, identification of gaps...
• Linking local action - adapted to the huge diversity of local contexts both in Africa and in Europe -
with National, regional, continental and bi-continental policies in research, innovation, trade,
capacity development, knowledge management….
− generation of diverse innovation adapted to the multiplicity of local specificities
− AND generation of generic knowledge and know-how which can be exchanged.
Innovative characteristics of the proposed Roadmap
20
To conclude