<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>
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.
A significant new article in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability (11 November) tackles the issues that will face agriculture in the future by identifying the top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture.
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.
The ASTI initiative and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) are currently calling for proposals for papers for their jointly convened conference, "Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africas Future: Analyzing Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities," to be held in Accra, Ghana, 5-7 December 2011. The deadline for paper proposals is 15 January, 2011.
The 24th GFAR Steering Committee (SC) Meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium 28-29 September, 2010. Steering Committee members, led by the GFAR Chair Monty Jones, met to discuss the outputs, outcomes and follow up actions to GCARD which were suggested in the GCARD Synthesis Report and the Roadmap. The Committee also discussed the GFAR Plan of Work for 2010-2011 and the best way forward for GFAR to better meet the needs expressed in GCARD. The SC members also elected Dr. Claudio Barriga as GFAR’s new Vice-Chair.