In September 2003, FARA was entering its second year and was well aware that its credibility depended on making tangible progress in its three main functions, i.e., advocacy, promoting partnerships and improving access to and exchange of information.
The demands in those three areas were growing rapidly but FARA¿s budget did not allow for immediate recruitment of additional staff. At the same time, FARA had to respond to the interim Science Council¿s demand for the Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Programme proposal to have more information on the Pilot Learning Sites and the problems that were going to be addressed. This would require engaging in the participatory processes that are at the core of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development which had not been possible with the resources that had been available to FARA. In those circumstances FARA was especially grateful for the support and encouragement provided by its European partners that gave us the confidence to stick with and move on with the agreed programme for 2004.