CGIAR Collective Action in Eastern and Southern Africa

Regional Collective Action Wraps Up

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Regional Collective Action Wraps Up Longley, K.; Otieno, Y.; Katingi, E.; Sere, C.; Sirengo, R. After four years, the Regional Collective Action Programme has come to an end. In this final issue of Collective Action News, we report on how Regional Collective Action activities have supported the work of the Consortium and the CRPs. The Regional Collective Action Programme has been described by Carlos Seré, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), which has hosted the Programme since its inception in 2007, as ‘a bold experiment that achieved considerable success in promoting collaborative action in eastern and southern Africa that has now been overtaken by the process of CGIAR reform’. Many of the activities started under the Programme have now been incorporated into the CGIAR Consortium and the CGIAR Research Programmes (CRPs).

Agriculture and Rural Development Day at the Cancún Climate Change Conference

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Agriculture and Rural Development Day at the Cancún Climate Change Conference Otieno, Y. Agriculture and Rural Development Day (ARDD) was held for the second time during the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which took place earlier this month at Cancún, Mexico. The day-long event, which drew hundreds of participants including policy makers, farmers, scientists and journalists, aimed to put agriculture on this year’s climate change agenda. In her opening speech, Inger Andersen, CGIAR Fund Council Chair and Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank talked about the intersection of agricultural development, food security and climate. She proposed agriculture as a solution that was a triple win of increased food security, resilience and reduction of emissions. The success of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in promoting the spread of Evergreen Agriculture in Africa was cited as an example of a climate-smart agricultural technique that can both increase crop yields and help to reduce

Hope for the future: Sowing the seeds for agricultural research in Somalia

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hope for the future: Sowing the seeds for agricultural research in Somalia Haji, H.; Longley, K. The CGIAR Regional Collective Action for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) recently supported the Somali Agricultural Technical Group (SATG) in organizing workshops in Hargeisa and Nairobi to identify ways to promote agricultural research in Somalia. The workshops were held under Flagship Program 4 which aims to enhance food security in ESA countries affected by natural disaster and/or conflict through research-related activities that contribute towards effective and appropriate emergency preparedness, relief and recovery interventions. COLLECTIVE ACTION NEWS is an e-publication of the CGIAR’s Regional Collective Action in Eastern and Southern Africa

Rwanda launches Irrigation Master Plan

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Rwanda launches Irrigation Master Plan Gachene, C.; Oduour, A.; Kipruto, C.; Malesu, M. Rwanda’s economy mainly depends on the agricultural sector, particularly food crop production. Poverty reduction therefore largely depends on efforts made on the modernisation of this sector. Although Rwanda possesses considerable water resources, they are not evenly distributed. For example, while water is abundant in the marshlands, facilities for storing it elsewhere for irrigation purposes are lacking. Farming during dry seasons is thus limited in most parts of Rwanda. Agriculture and livestock in the eastern parts of Rwanda, where rainfall is lowest, are especially affected. This situation created a need for a full, efficient and sustainable exploitation of water resources that can help to ensure the sustainable production of food, cash, export and industrial crops. COLLECTIVE ACTION NEWS is an e-publication of the CGIAR’s Regional Collective Action in Eastern and Southern Africa

How the ongoing research map of the CGIAR shares information on projects within the consortium

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How the ongoing research map of the CGIAR shares information on projects within the consortium ILRI Evelyn Katingi, the ongoing research map coordinator at ILRI, discusses the ongoing research map and how it is used to share information about projects within the CGIAR. Recorded at ILRI Nairobi, on 13 July 2010.

South Africa to Burkina Faso: African agricultural innovation in a changing global environment

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

South Africa to Burkina Faso: African agricultural innovation in a changing global environment Katingi, E.; Sere, C.; Longley, K.; Otieno, Y. This was the theme that brought together more than 700 hundred diverse participants for the 5th Agriculture Science Week and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) General Assembly, held 19-24 July 2010 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The FARA Science Week has become a major event in the African agriculture scene and has successfully expanded its stakeholder base beyond the national agricultural research systems to include NGO, government, farmer organization and some private sector participants, as well as several ministers of agriculture. COLLECTIVE ACTION NEWS is an e-publication of the CGIAR’s Regional Collective Action in Eastern and Southern Africa

CGMap Ongoing Research in Africa Projects Summary

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

CGMap Ongoing Research in Africa Projects Summary Katingi, E. This summary looks at the number of projects entered in the map, countries where projects are reported to be working and the research area that the projects focus on. Data was extracted on July 06, 2010.

Report on CGIAR Research in Africa Evaluation Survey

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Report on CGIAR Research in Africa Evaluation Survey Katingi, E. This report summarizes findings of the CGIAR Research in Africa survey conducted between September and October 2009. The map, a project database of the research projects carried out by CGIAR Centers in Africa was launched and made online to CG centers staff and other users in February 2009 with the aim of making research information publicly accessible to all CGIAR staff and other key stakeholders in the region in order to facilitate information sharing, promote partnership opportunities and collective action. Besides trying to get feedback from the users on the map, the survey also sought to establish the level of awareness on the map, harmonize the key primary areas of research as well identify new areas of improvement.