Building true partnership between Science and Society: Lessons from DURAS

The DURAS Programme has pioneered new ways of integrating innovation from science with that from communities themselves. DURAS supported the facilitation role of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) in promoting the opening up of public agricultural research to equitable partnership with others.

At the heart of DURAS has been its innovative competitive grants system, which followed an original selection and evaluation process that placed a premium on multi-stakeholder partnerships. The principles developed through DURAS ensured that research priorities were identified in a participatory fashion and that less vocal stakeholders, most notably civil society groups, were mobilized to participate meaningfully in agricultural research for development (AR4D) processes. Alongside research practice, the programme also promoted the wider sharing and exchange of agricultural knowledge through interactive regional agricultural information systems.

The GCARD Road Map: Transforming Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) Systems for Global Impact

<p>The contributions and dynamic interaction of thousands of stakeholders from all sectors have created the GCARD Roadmap, providing a clear path forward for all involved. The Roadmap highlights the urgent changes required in AR4D systems globally, to address worldwide goals of reducing hunger and poverty, creating opportunity for income growth while ensuring environmental sustainability and particularly meeting the needs of resource-poor farmers and consumers.</p>

GFAR-ITPGR Workshop on Agrobiodiversity

()

Video Interview with Prof. Monty Jones, GFAR Chair

Professor Monty Jones began his career in agricultural research about 35 years ago. Professor Jones, a Sierra Leonean, has spent the past 23 years of his career in Africa working in international agricultural research for development institutions. While working at the West Africa Rice Development Association’s (WARDA) main research center in Côte d’Ivoire, Prof. Jones and his team developed the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) which gives higher yields, shorter growth cycles and more protein content than its Asian and African parents; for this Prof. Jones won the World Food Prize in 2004.

In 2002, Prof. Jones was appointed Executive Secretary for the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) where he coordinates advocacy for agricultural research for development in Africa as well as regional research. In March 2010, Prof. Jones was elected Chair of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research for Development (GFAR) where he continues to advocate for agricultural research and world-wide coordination of research efforts.


GFAR Programme Committee Meeting

The GFAR Programme Committee (PC) met in Rome the 10 -11 of November. Following the GFAR Steering Committee (SC) meeting, held in Brussels the 28-29 of September, the Programme Committee was responsible for reviewing the revised Roadmap and preparing it for finalization by the SC. The PC also thoroughly reviewed the GFAR Plan of Work 2010-2011 and discussed actions towards forming the GFAR Medium Term Plan.

GFAR Programme Committee Meeting 2010

()
Subscribe to