Thomas L. PriceGlobal 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

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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

2004 14

2005 16

2006 14

2007 15

2008 16

2011 16

2012 17

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. 2012

•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 returnsWomen 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 yieldsIn 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

Thank Youwww.egfar.org