Thomas L. Price Global Forum on Agricultural Research Farmers at the Center! Renewing Governance of Agricultural Research

The Global Forum for All in Agricultural Innovation  CGIAR & International Research  FAO  IFAD  Farmers’ Organizations  Civil Society Organizations  Private Sector networks  Advanced research - G20 MACS & BRICS  Regional Fora for Agricultural Research – AARINENA, APAARI, CACAARI, EFARD, FARA, FORAGRO  Rural Advisory & Extension Services - GFRAS  Education Institutions - GCHERA  Youth - YPARD

The Global Forum: Breaking down the sectoral walls Farmer-centered thinking Stakeholders learning & innovating together, managing benefits & risks Catalyzing collective actions Mobilizing agricultural innovation systems, engaging all sectors Institutional reorientation & changed attitudes/values Convergence of Research, Extension, Education and Enterprise, Policies & Resources joedale.typepad

Global public investment has been growing (ASTI & GFAR, 2012)  Following a period of declining growth rates, global public spending on agricultural R&D grew by 22 percent during 2000–2008;  Long-term government commitment to agricultural R&D and supportive policies have fuelled increased agricultural productivity and overall economic growth  China and India together accounted for around half the global increase, other large middle-income countries - including Argentina, Brazil, Iran, Nigeria, and Russia also increased  ¾ of global AR4D investment is in G20 Nations  India now has 24,000 agricultural scientists, of whom 4,800 are in ICAR institutes  Private-sector involvement in agricultural R&D has increased, but mostly in agribusiness, rather than agricultural production The changing face of capacity investment

Achieving a more open and inclusive system…? Year% of CGIAR funds to partners Impact of the CGIAR Reform CGIAR receives 2/3 of all donor support to AR4D in Africa (EIARD, 2011) Transparency on funds scored lowest in 2012 CGIAR partnership survey Overall funding has greatly increased due to the reform, 5-25% to partners Yet for Challenge programs 35% went to partners in 2007 & 2008

 Agriculture is "ferociously local"  Fundamental value and relevance of farmer knowledge  “Indigenous Knowledge” is really local knowledge: built over time, through regular, continuous farmer experimentation  Farmer as basis and end point of Innovation  Not "risk averse", rather "opportunity sensitive“  Farmers classic multitaskers - a multiplicity of factors in making judgments and taking action  Research, infrastructure, investment are crucial, but not sufficient and must be adapted for farmers Farmer Knowledge, Farmer Innovation

Asymmetrical information, power, decision making, and application of resources: How to address these imbalances? New ways of understanding knowledge in the field, transmitting or sharing it, and building upon it PPPs as not PPPs, but rather PPCs...meaning PPF partnerships Balance private and public: investments needed by farmers along value chains, as SMEs, as viable household businesses, as “agropreneurs” Extension and advisory services combinations of public, private sector and non profit services. Agricultural innovation platforms at national level with all actors, but farmers at the center and in the driver's seat for innovation Make the others accountable, notably agricultural research for development Farmers as Innovators: What is needed?

The Global Forum Delivering advanced research products through seed, with IP protection has led to very rapid takeovers & consolidation in the seed industry:

The International Private Sector is changing fast: What does this mean for the role of research in countries? Iowa State Univ Top 5 seed companies 9.4% market share in 1995, 45.9% in 2011 Driven by research costs & scale of returns, economies of scale and regulatory procedures & costs

Almost 50% of farmers are women, yet receive 10% of income and 5% of technical assistance in agriculture, often not even considered as farmers Women farmers, given equal access to inputs, are as productive as men farmers; often central for seed Research & Innovation often totally miss women’s needs: Women as innovators and entrepreneurs In Niger: Men want input technologies, production and returns Women want labour & time saving, value addition & household nutrition

New Technologies: Information and Communication, Bio-Technology and others applied individually and together Beyond mobile technologies, to fine-grained information directly to farmers on a real time basis Using Open Access Data and Networked Local Weather Stations with Forecasting Models for Risk Aversion and Management In North America and Europe for planting times and projected yields In Kenya for Crop, Disease and Pest and Insurance in Smallholder Tea and Coffee Plots For risk management through insurance coverage and better extension services, combining public and private sources; responding to country sovereignty and food security needs Direct documentation and video of and to farmers Language transmissions and working in translation Information Access, Transformation and Use in direct, immediate farmer support

New forms of support to innovation and information sharing: 1) Farmers' Fields Schools-inspired approaches 2) Prolinnova initiative for National Innovation Platforms 3) Agricultural Heritage Sites, with policies and investments for viability and farmer incomes 4) Farmers' Universities in Mercosur and West Africa 5) Farmer led Agroecology Centres in Southern Africa 6) Farmers as Farmer Scientists Enhancing Farmer Driven Innovation

 Farmers' Juries in India with ICAR public responding to public decisions on ag investments and their impact, to lead to support and services to all in the farmer community  Farmers' Juries in Mali, with the Minister of Agriculture defending his decisions and policies annually by law  Farmers' Juries regionally in West Africa, with AGRA explaining its approach, actions and results to farmers that are the intended beneficiaries Farmer Juries: setting the course

 GFAR: farmers represented in the governance and preparations for a Constituent Assembly in 2014 – regionalised and national processes  Reform of International Agricultural Research: Research Programs & decision making on funding  Farmer representation in events such as the Conference on Family Farming and Research or regional meetings on climate change  Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in 2015  Innovation Investment Facility: national platforms Farmer into Governance of Research

 What level/ What kind?  Technical?  Capacity Development (of institutions)?  Policy?  Sectoral or Thematic?  Organic? Agroecological?  Women? Youth?  Foresight: envisioning futures through “grass roots” discussion from (sub-)national priorities AFA & Research: Voicing Your Priorities

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