GFAR's function as a platform that facilitates and fosters global networks of agricultural research and development (ARD) stakeholders requires GFAR to have robust communication capabilities. GFAR¿s communication capacities must enable its stakeholders to discuss and act in partnership to resolve issues related to ARD across the world. GFAR should be capable of providing the necessary, relevant and useful information related to ARD issues to its stakeholders when and where they need it in a form that is easily accessible to them.
The meeting was called by ICUC with the objective of discussing the possible establishment of a European Centre (Network) for Underutilised Crops
In the globalized world that characterizes this turn of century the Regional/Sub-Regional
Organizations (ROs/SROs) play a key role in facilitating scientific and technological
cooperation among groups of countries. Through cooperative action, the ROs/SROs facilitate
joint research efforts, seeking to assure a critical mass of human and financial resources in
strategic areas of research, and to promote concerted action among the various stakeholders of
agricultural research for development (ARD). Given the increasing institutional diversification
During the first GFAR Conference held in Dresden, Germany, in May 2000, the responsibility to
explore ways and means to develop and strengthen research partnerships for ¿Under-utilized and
Orphan Commodities¿ (UOC) was assigned to a specific Working Group. This Working Group
strongly recommended an involvement of GFAR in this topic of UOC in order to: (a) increase the
visibility and valorize the work already done on neglected commodities at all levels; and (b)
The objective of the Global Facilitating Mechanism is to support and facilitate the work of networks and other stakeholders on UOC in cooperation with international organizations such as FAO, ICUC, IPGRI
This report has been produced to provide a succinct overview of the global research activities on underutilised crops. It is aimed at policy makers, funding agencies and research administrators but it is hoped that it will also be of use to the scientific community.
The report results from a request from a workshop convened by the Genetic Resources Policy Committee for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. The workshop was held at the M.S.S. Research Foundation, Chennai, India in 1999.
The proposed International Technical Consultation which will be funded by FAO in conjunction with funds solicited from donor organizations, the private sector and post-harvest organizations, is scheduled to take place over a five-day period at FAO Headquarters in Rome, during the month of April 2002. A maximum of four hundred invited participants, including post-harvest scientists, policy makers, educators, the private sector, donor and development agencies, NGOs, and governments are expected to attend.
The main objective of this thematic study is to present an overview of the achieved IFAD experience in financing projects and programmes for the Rural Development and Market Mechanisms for the Rural Poor.