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10th

Plenary session of the National Agricultural Research

Forum (NARF)

NARF SECRETARIAT’S REPORT

8th OCTOBER 2015

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Table of Content

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3

2. Progress since the 9th NARF Plenary ................................................................................ 3

2.1 Review of the Agricultural Research Act ................................................................... 5 2.2 Bio-economy Agricultural Sector Implementation Plan ........................................... 6

2.3 Agricultural Policy Action Plan ..................................................................................... 7

2.4 Terms of Reference for the NARF .............................................................................. 8

3 Research and Technology Fund ........................................................................................ 9

3.1 RTF Annual Performance Report ............................................................................. 10

3.2 Progress on RTF second call for research proposals ........................................... 11

4. NARF awards ...................................................................................................................... 13

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1. Introduction

The National Agricultural Research Forum (NARF) was established in 2002 upon

consensus by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) to form a forum that

will facilitate an integrated approach to agricultural research, technology development

and transfer. The NARF developed the National Agricultural Research and

Development Strategy in 2008; which laid the foundation for the development and

implementation of the Research and Technology Fund (RTF). A significant amount of

work has been done by the NARF Secretariat since the 9th NARF Plenary Session held

in May 2014. The purpose of this report is to provide progress on the implementation of

the NARF Plan of Action since the 9th Plenary, and to address the following main

issues:

Research and Technology Fund phase one;

Research and Technology Fund phase two;

The Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP);

Development of the Governance Model for Research and Development in the

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sectors

Development of the Terms of Reference for National Forestry Research

Forum and the National Aquaculture & Fisheries Research Forum

2. Progress since the 9th NARF Plenary

Reporting on progress will focus on the achievement of activities outlined by the NARF

Plan of Action and other activities conducted by the Secretariat to support the mandate

of the NARF. The NARF activities are guided by the NARF Plan of Action, which is

approved by the Plenary on an annual basis. The 9th NARF Plenary held in May 2014

approved the Plan of Action for NARF for 2014/15 financial year. Table 1 below

provides a summary of NARF’s achievements as per the NARF Action Plan.

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Table 1. A summary of NARF’s achievement for the 2014/2015 financial year.

Functions of the

NARF

Action Output 2014/15 FY NARF Achievements

Facilitate

dialogues on

policy frameworks

and strategies for

research,

development and

technology

transfer.

Advice on the Policy

options for Research

and Development

Revised National

Policy on Research

and Innovation and

Agricultural

Research Act

NARF provided inputs which assisted

on shaping and finalising the

following:

The Agricultural Research Act which

resulted in the Amendment Bill,

which is certified by the Department

of Planning Monitoring and

Evaluation for approval.

The Research and Innovation Policy

for Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries

and proposed a policy option for the

sector. The policy is currently being

analysed for its Socio Economic

Impact.

The Bio-economy strategy which

resulted in the development of Bio-

economy Agricultural Sector

Implementation Plan.

The Agricultural Policy Action Plan

(APAP)’s problem statement on

research and innovation.

Set priorities for the

Research and

Technology Fund

An updated

Research and

Development

Agenda

The NARF updated the Research

Agenda and Priorities for 2014-2019

which was approved DAFF

management in 2014.

Mobilize

resources for

research, and

technology

development in

the sector

Prepare policy options

to National Treasury for

funding the

implementation of the

research policies and

strategies.

Increased funding for

R&D

DAFF established and activated the

Research and Technology Fund and

increased funding for R&D during

2014/2015 Financial Year.

Ensure effective

R&D governance

Review of the NARF

MoU/TORs in line with

the changing DAFF

research landscape

Develop operational

Revised Terms of

Reference for NARF

for tabling during the

Plenary.

The Terms of Reference were

revised incorporating inputs made by

the 9th Plenary held in 2014.

The revised Terms of Reference for

the NARF were recommended for

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Functions of the

NARF

Action Output 2014/15 FY NARF Achievements

guidelines for the NARF

Secretariat and Steering

Committee

tabling to the Plenary by the NARF

Steering Committee.

Conduct the study to

determine the effective

NARF Model to serve

the National Agricultural

Research system

Recommendations

on various models

for the NARF with

capacity to serve the

National Agricultural

research system

The Secretariat focused on the

Governance model for the entire

sector and assisted Forestry and

Fisheries to create their own

research forums.

Strengthen

reporting on

research and

development

related matters

Present NARF reports

and proceedings of the

meetings to Department

for recommendations/

noting, approval and

implementation.

NARF reports to be

presented to the

Departmental

management

Presented the ToR for NARF to

MINTECH Meeting in July 2014.

Interact and share

information with

regional and

international

agricultural

research,

development and

technology

transfer

organisations.

Host seminars for

information sharing

amongst NARS

stakeholders

Identify relevant

topics for the

seminars

Hosted DAFF Research Seminar in

October 2014

2.1 Review of the Agricultural Research Act

The Minister for DAFF called for the legislative review of all acts and legislations for the

sector, of which the Agricultural Research Act formed part of the acts to be reviewed.

The review of the Agricultural Research Act resulted in the draft Amendment Bill which

was gazetted for public comments. The Secretariat worked with the Steering Committee

to synthesize inputs received from the NARF stakeholders to finalised Bill. The Socio

Economic Impact Analysis (SEIA) was conducted on the draft Bill to assess its impact

on the social cohesion, environmental impact, economic growth and Job creation

conducted. The Department of Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency certified the

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SEIA conducted on the Bill, and it is due for tabling at the Director-General’s cluster

meeting.

The 9th Plenary provided inputs into the National Policy on Research and Innovation,

which assisted on selecting a policy option and finalised the policy. The draft policy is

being analysed for Socio Economic Impact compliance as per the requirement by the

Presidency’s Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

2.2 Bio-economy Agricultural Sector Implementation Plan

Further consultations and engagements between Department of Agriculture, Forestry

and Fisheries and the Department of Science and Technology led to the development of

draft Bio-economy Agricultural Sector Implementation Plan focusing on seven priorities,

namely:

New crops, plant development and commercialisation;

Crop improvement, molecular breeding and genome engineering;

Animal improvement, health and aquaculture;

Biocontrol agents and biofetilisers;

Food safety and food nutrition;

Agro-processing and agro-engineering; and

Natural Resource Management and Climate Smart Agriculture

In addition to the 7 key focus areas identified above, the plan is to:

Develop a networked centre of excellence in plant breeding that is intended to

interface the various core elements of breeding programme including various

breeding platforms (e.g. wheat, spybean, potatoes, trees), molecular breeding,

genetic engineering, pest and disease management, bioinformatics, and data

warehousing/mining, tissue culture platforms, greenhouses nurseries as well as

industry and farmers.

Develop vegetable research chair that focuses on developed integrated vegetable

value chains based on root and tuber vegetables, leafy and fruit bearing

vegetables and indigenous underutilized vegetables in a holistic and multi-

disciplinary approach to sustainable vegetable production and value chain

development which will be supported by innovative application.

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Develop Precision agriculture research chair – focussing on in vivo agricultural

experimentation particularly related to developing in-field testing and capacity

development.

The Implementation Plan is being consolidated into a single document reflecting key

activities and actions for all the 3 sectors (agriculture, health & environment) targeted by

the Bio-economy Strategy.

2.3 Agricultural Policy Action Plan

The NARF Steering Committee proposed that the Secretariat should conduct a study

determining the effective NARF Model to serve the National Agricultural Research

system, however the Cabinet approved the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP)

during the 2014/15 financial year, which mandated the Secretariat to develop the

research and development governance model for the entire sector and assists forestry

and fisheries to create their own forum, therefore, the Secretariat focused on the

delivery of research and development commitment outlined by the APAP as follows:

i. R&D Governance Structure;

ii. Recapitalisation of National Assets;

iii. R&D Programmes linked to Sectoral Interventions; and

iv. Human Capital Development.

The Research and Innovation Working Stream was established to manage the delivery

of APAP Research outputs. It is constituted by Department of Agriculture, Forestry and

Fisheries (DAFF), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR),

Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Agricultural Research Council

(ARC). Progress on the development of the governance model for research and

development are as follows:

a. A Research and Development Governance Model for AFF Sectors was approved by

the Departmental Executive Committee (EXCO) for external consultations in the

Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (AFF) sectors.

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b. Forestry and Fisheries Sectors developed the Terms of Reference for National

Forestry Research Forum and the National Aquaculture & Fisheries Research

Forum and are consulting with their stakeholders.

2.4 Terms of Reference for the NARF

The 9th NARF Plenary held in May 2014 adopted the changes made on the

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the NARF, including the change of the name

from the MoU to the Terms of Reference (ToR). This change was due to the fact that

the NARF is not a legal entity, but a substructure of MINTECH and CEO’s forum in the

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (AFF) Sectors. The following changes were effected

in the NARF ToR:

Different chapters on the Terms of Reference are now referred as “sections” as

opposed to “articles”;

Membership of the NARF has been revisited and the TORs are now clear on the

definitions and groupings;

Forestry and Fisheries Sectors are now represented at NARF Steering Committee;

Expansion of the NARF representation and identifying the following organisations

to serve on NARF Steering Committee Meetings.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform

The Department of Science and Technology

The African Farmers’ Association of South Africa; and

International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Letters were written to invite the organisations to become members of the Steering

Committee and currently, the response was received from the International Water

Management Institute.

The NARF Secretariat conducted several meetings with AGRI-SA representative for the

Steering Committee to implement the recommendations from the 9th Plenary. The

revised ToR were presented to the NARF Steering Committee meeting in March 2015;

and the proposed actions were adopted by the Steering Committee.

NARF Organs

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The 9th NARF Plenary and the Steering Committee recommended putting on hold the

nominations of the NARF Chairperson until the Research and Technology Fund is well

established; it was concluded that the 10th Plenary will nominate the Chairperson of the

NARF. The NARF Steering Committee recommended that the new Chairperson of the

NARF should be nominated during the 10th Plenary. In preparation for the new

Chairperson of the NARF to be nominated during the 10th Plenary, the following has

been achieved:

Call for nominations for NARF Chairperson

The NARF Secretariat requested NARF Steering Committee Members to nominate the

new Chairperson of the NARF. Currently the interim Chairperson of the NARF is Mr.

Hugh Campbell representing the Horticulture Industry. According to the ToR of the

NARF; the nominee(s) should be individuals who represent a recognised

entity/institution that is a member of the NARF. No nominations were received.

Confirmation of the NARF Steering Committee members

NARF Secretariat requested all the constituent members of the NARF who have the

representation on the Steering Committee to reconfirm or nominate new representatives

of the NARF Steering Committee. The confirmations received (see attachment) will be

approved during the Plenary. The following Constituencies are recognised on the Terms

of Reference for NARF: Agri-processors, Agricultural Research Council, AgriSA, NAFU,

AFASA, TAU, Comprehensive Universities, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and

Fisheries, Department of Science and Technology, Horticultural industry, Livestock

industry, Private Agricultural Research Organisations, Provincial Departments of

Agriculture, Universities of Technology and Development Partners.

3 Research and Technology Fund

The 9th NARF Plenary introduced the Research and Technology Fund (RTF) to NARF

stakeholders and shared progress on DAFF committed funds for the RTF over an MTEF

period. During the 2014/15 financial year the RTF Scorecard and the Guidelines for the

call for proposals were reviewed to strengthen the following:

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The need to provide assistance to the DAFF Research Stations when preparing

proposals for consideration to be funded under the RTF;

Ensuring transparency in the RTF panel review process;

Sharing of project information for successful projects through the grant allocation

report; and

Distributing the Annual Report with achievements for funded projects.

NRF management team visited the Provincial Research Stations to understand

research activities conducted by the provinces. Three (3) research stations were visited

by National Research Foundation during the 2014/15 financial year. These are:

Mara Research Station

Glen Research Station and

Dohne Research Station

Provinces were encouraged to apply for RTF and partner with academia in order to

access the funds. NRF also provided assistance in terms of applying for RTF.

3.1 RTF Annual Performance Report

NRF and DAFF agreed on the following RTF Performance goals for 2014/15 financial

year as to:

Improve the funding mechanism for research and innovation;

Develop capacity building research partnerships;

Develop new technologies to support small holder producers in agriculture,

forestry and fisheries technically and in terms of market requirements; and

Conduct commodity-specific research to support improved commodity products

The signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the NRF and DAFF states that

NRF should submit the mid-year RTF perfomance report and the Annual performance

report. The mid-year RTF perfomance report was submitted in October 2014. The RTF

Annual Performance Plan and progress report was also submitted and highlighted the

progress made on RTF first call and second call for research project proposals.

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The Research and Technology Fund was activated during 2014/2015 Financial Year

with first call for research proposals issued. Funds amounting to R19, 5 million were

allocated to support R&D projects. Sixty six applicants responded to the call for project

proposals, and 43 applicants succeeded. Table 2 below provides a breakdown of

projects from phase 1.

Table 2. Breakdown of applications per funding model

Funding

Model

No. of Successful Applications

No. of Failed Applications

No of Applications Received

% of Successful Applications per Funding Model to Total Applications Received

% of Successful Applications per Funding Model to Total Successful Applications

CompFM 25 12 37 38% 58%

CoFM 18 11 29 27% 42%

Total 43 23 66 65% 100%

The high number of proposals submitted for RTF funding in 2014/15 indicates a high

demand for funding to promotes Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries research.

More projects were funded in 2014/15 than planned due to the increase in the

available grants budget.

3.2 Progress on RTF second call for research proposals

NARF Steering Committee provided inputs on the R&D Agenda and priorities for

2014/2019, which was eventually approved by the Director General of the Department

of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in December 2014. NARF identified broad focus

areas for technology and development within the R&D Strategy and highlighted the key

performance indicators for RTF. The approved R&D Agenda guided the RTF second

phase call for project proposals.

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The RTF Guidelines for the call the RTF were approved by the RTF Management

Committee (MANCO) and included priority areas from the National Research and

Development Strategy.

The RTF Scorecard for assessing project proposals was reviewed and approved by

DAFF Executive Committee. The revised scorecard was sent to NARF Steering

Committee for inputs and comments. The inputs provided on the revised RTF scorecard

were discussed with National Research Foundation during the meeting held in July

2015. Inputs were on the following criteria:

Collaborating with small holder cooperatives: Instead of utilizing cooperatives to

access small holder farmers, alternative mechanisms such as the commodity groupings

should be explored. The benefits from the RTF should be accessed by a group of small

holder farmers not by one small holder farmer only.

Partnerships with Research Institutions: Members were concerned about

partnerships with research institutions under Competitive Funding Mechanism, where

the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDI) does not have the required capacity to

participate/partner.

Presentations of proposals for the proposed projects: It was proposed that the

scores be reduced, and clarity be provided on how the projects will be scored.

Contribute to specific Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP): It was proposed that

the category “contribute to specific APAP priority commodity and/or the R&D Agenda”

should not focus only on R&D Agenda theme, but rather acknowledge other APAP

commodities and transversal areas.

Contribute to food security and/rural development: Separate rural development from

food security and provide a definition for rural development. Food security should cover

crops and non-crops food security measures.

Empowerment programmes and technology transfer: small holder farmers should be

replaced by small holder producers to be inclusive of forestry and fisheries and it should

be affected throughout the scorecard document.

Collaboration: Each collaborator‘s responsibilities should be detailed. Collaboration

should “be on one or more of the following” was inserted.

Student Capacity building: Capacity building should include black and white students

but use the weight to differentiate between white and black students. Projects with black

students should weigh more than projects with white students, while projects without

students should be allocated a zero (0).

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The call for 2015/16 project proposals was issued in March 2015. The panel meetings

for reviewing applications for 2016/17 funding were conducted in July 2015. 145

projects were received and reviewed. The outcomes are will be published once the

processes are finalised.

4. NARF awards

The concept note for NARF Awards has been developed and presented at the Steering

Committee Meeting which endorsed it for engagement with the National Science and

Technology Forum (NSTF). The NARF was advised that due to administrative burden

for adjudicating the NSTF Awards, it would be preferable that the agricultural category

be created with NSTF awards categories. However, incorporating the NARF awards into

the NSTF would not allow the sector to have total control and provide the necessary

leadership needed. The creation of the RTF would also provide an opportunity for

agriculture to recognise its scientists. Therefore, the Secretariat would relook at the

matter and develop meaningful proposals to be shared during the 11th Plenary.

5. Acknowledgements

The Secretariat wishes to thank the outgoing interim Chairman, Mr Hugh Campbell for

guidance and support over the many years he has been at the helm of the NARF. He

has indicated his intension to step down, but his constituency has retained him as their

secundus to this forum. Thank you, Mr Campbell for your visionary leadership, courage

and persistence during difficult moments in the life of the NARF. To the members of the

Steering Committee for their dedication to the cause over the years, and steering the

NARF to reach the milestones being reported here today. Sincere appreciation to the

Department’s Executive Management for ensuring that the NARF Secretariat receives

the resources needed to serve the NARS constituency. The formation of new fora in

both the Forestry and Fisheries sectors, and the new Apex Body will require even more

resources. Finally, I wish to thank my Secretariat team (past and present) who worked

tirelessly in serving the NARS constituency with dedication.