29 August 2024. AFAAS Stakeholder Engagement/ Consultation with Farmers & NGOs.
The African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) launched a partnership under the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) in 2016, creating a ten-year Roadmap (2016–2026) focused on Research and Innovation (R&I) to enhance Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) in Africa and Europe. The Roadmap has made significant progress in its four thematic areas.
With the Roadmap reaching completion in two years (2026), a new initiative, the “Consortium Europe Africa on Research and Innovation for Food Systems Transformation (CEA-FIRST)” project, was launched by the African Union and the European Union alongside a number of implementing partners, under funding from the European Commission through the Horizon Europe R&I Program (Cluster 6). The CEA-FIRST project was launched in December 2023 with seven Work packages (WP):
- WP 1: CEA-FIRST Project and IRC Start-up
- WP 2: Consolidation of Knowledge Management & Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning tools and support to the FNSSA Roadmap update
- WP 3: Strengthening Networking and Stakeholder Engagement
- WP 4: Knowledge and learning facilitation using information generated from the Knowledge Management Platform and the MEL
- WP 5: Implementing IRC Functions Through Stakeholder Engagement
- WP 6: Coordination of CEA-FIRST and IRC Pilots. CEA-FIRST activities will be conducted under the control and guidance of the EC REA Project Officer
- WP 7: Ethics Requirements.
RUFORUM and CIRAD lead the Task 2.4 of Work Package 2, whose primary role is to guide the update of the current Roadmap into a new Roadmap, drawing from lessons learnt from the implementation of FNSSA R&Is during the last eight years. To support the development of this new Roadmap, RUFORUM has contracted a team of two consultants, representing AU and EU, respectively, with a mandate to carry out a review of the 2016-2026 Roadmap. The final output of this task will be a Roadmap review report including recommendations for the new Roadmap.
The AFAAS Stakeholder Engagement and Consultation with Farmers & NGOs is part of the organization’s broader initiative to enhance agricultural advisory services (AEAS) across Africa.
| Opening remarks | Prof. Patrick Okori, Ruforum Executive Director |
| Overview of the FNSSA R&I 2016-2026 Roadmap | Dr. Sokona S. Dagnoko |
| Presentation of the desk review and survey results | Alex Percy-Smith and Prof. Adipala Ekwamu |
| Discussions | Dr. Lillian Lihasi, AFAAS |
Key topics included integrating local knowledge with modern agricultural practices, addressing challenges such as climate change, and enhancing the capacity of AEAS providers. The goal is to create a more participatory approach where the voices of farmers and NGOs are actively involved in shaping agricultural policies and practices. This also includes discussions on resource mobilization, capacity building, and the legal recognition of AEAS entities to ensure sustainability and impact. These consultations are crucial for aligning the efforts of various stakeholders to improve rural livelihoods, promote food security, and increase agricultural productivity across the continent.