The institutional diversification of agricultural research, the appearance of new institutional actors (i.e. NGOs, the private sector, universities), and the increasing complexity and costs of agricultural research as a consequence of the very rapid development in the new areas of science, are leading to significant changes in the organizational structure of agricultural research.

One of the objectives of GFAR, and of the NARS Secretariat in particular, is to
strengthen the participation of NARS in international agricultural research through the
Regional/Sub-Regional Organizations (ROs/SROs) they have established with the
purpose of fostering cooperation among them.
In short, the current situation is as follows:
¿ Both the Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) Region and the Sub-Saharan African
(SSA) Region have established and strengthened sub-regional organizations

This report documents the workshop on High Value Agricultural Products for
the Benefit of the Poor, which took place on October 3-5, 2005 at CIAT in
Colombia. This report is not a final synthesised report, but tries to capture the
workshop output in a non-interpreted way.
THIS DOCUMENTATION IS MEANT TO BE A REFERENCE DOCUMENT for all
participants and is intended to provide details of what transpired. Almost all
results of the working groups and plenary sessions are documented.

Growing domestic and international markets for high value agricultural products can represent lucrative opportunities for competitive producers. At the same time, prices of staple commodities are steadily declining and these markets are being squeezed, especially for farmers whose production systems are marginally competitive or that have been protected historically from international competition.

High value crops refer to non-traditional food crops such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, houseplants and foliage, condiments and spices2. High value livestock and fishery products include products such as milk, beef, poultry, pork, eggs, and fish that are non-traditional sources of protein for most part of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Most High Value Agricultural Products (HVAPs) have higher market values than traditional cereal grains and export crops. The definition of HVAP may include coffee and cocoa but these are traditional cash crops in SSA.

High value crops refer to non-traditional food crops such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, houseplants and foliage, condiments and spices2. High value livestock and fishery products include products such as milk, beef, poultry, pork, eggs, and fish that are non-traditional sources of protein for most part of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Most High Value Agricultural Products (HVAPs) have higher market values than traditional cereal grains and export crops. The definition of HVAP may include coffee and cocoa but these are traditional cash crops in SSA.

Prepared for the GFAR International workshop
¿How can the poor benefit from the growing markets for high value agricultural products?¿
Cali, Colombia. October 2005

In many Asian countries the agricultural sector is undergoing transformation, with changes in the contribution of the different sub-sectors occurring. High value agricultural products (HVAP) are defined here as products that are typically perishable, that are of specific high-value, and that are sold through specialized markets (CGIAR, 2004). They can include livestock, dairy products, fish, fruit and vegetables; products that are growing in importance, albeit at varying degree.

This paper aims to identify critical areas for trade, marketing, capital market development and regulatory reforms that can facilitate the integration of small-scale farmers (small-scale farmers) in domestic, regional and global markets for high-value agricultural (HVA) products in particular high value crops, livestock, fish and non timber forest products in a sustainable manner and to increase and diversify the incomes of small-scale farmers in the long-run.

The workshop aimed at reviewing the progress of activities carried out in the GFAR line of action ¿International cooperation on commodity chains¿. It analysed the activity report of the Facilitation Unit set up by IPGRI and Cirad in Montpellier to study the feasibility of establishing global programmes for commodity chains, and it considered the progress of two global programmes in preparation on Coconut and Cocoa. The objectives and work plan of a Facilitation Unit on under-utilised crops, set up by BMZ and hosted by IPGRI were also presented and discussed.