Just over a year ago, CGIAR, the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), and its development partners agreed to align their priorities and programs in Africa. Dubbed the Dublin Process, for the city in which the agreement was reached, the new initiative was launched to bring together the research strengths and networks of the CGIAR Research Programs with agricultural development needs and opportunities being articulated in national agricultural Investment Plans (IPs) spearheaded by CAADP.
The new partnership is unique and unprecedented. Previously, CGIAR and CAADP have largely functioned separately, with only a few initiatives linked to one or two members of the CGIAR Consortium.
In a recent workshop, called Dublin II (held September 17-19, 2012) major stakeholders in the Dublin Process met to take stock of the commitments made a year earlier and follow up activities that have taken place. There were 60 participants. They represented officials from CAADP countries, members of African regional and sub-regional organizations, CGIAR Research Programs, CGIAR Consortium members, and donors.
On the agenda of Dublin II was a review of the first two in a series of regional “productivity” workshops, held in Nairobi, Kenya (27-30 August 2012) and Saly-Portudal, Senegal (4-6 September 2012). Participants included representatives from public sector ministries, national agricultural research institutions, the private sector, civil society, locally-based development partners, CGIAR Research Programs and members of the CGIAR Consortium.
The point of the workshops was to compare and coordinate CGIAR and CAADP agendas to identify where the greatest value addition could be generated. Working in teams, the participants identified gaps and opportunities to strengthen country Investment Plans and confront productivity issues from a research and policy point of view. They discussed extension, education, and the development of input distribution systems to achieve growth and poverty reduction goals. The workshops provided a chance to see which research investments were being overlooked, where there were duplications of efforts, or where investments did not match priorities. They also help clarify who should be linked among research suppliers and users.
A second activity of Dublin II was the presentation of a report on the progress of a prototype mapping exercise developed by IFPRI, a member of the CGIAR Consortium. The presentation also discussed how it will be used to further the alignment of research activities across CGIAR and CAADP, and inform the definition of a technology innovation platform.
One of the most important results of Dublin II was a further agreement on the development of a Science Agenda for African Agriculture. That agenda is meant to be comprehensive, incorporating efforts at national, regional, and continental levels along with linkages to agricultural R&D partners and stakeholders. It is in essence a plan for Africa, by Africa, laying the framework (rationale, structure, process, essential elements, etc.) for carrying the agenda forward.
The Science Agenda for African Agriculture identifies where advances are needed in areas such as crop yields, agriculture resilience to and mitigation of climate change, livestock productivity, and risk management in farming. Other topics include such things as labor productivity, water management in farming, and innovations addressing gender-equity in farming systems.
Another important discussion point of Dublin II was agreement regarding joint programming. Participants agreed to a shared Work Program and began to elaborate concrete next steps, activities, actionable milestones, responsibilities, and commitments. Key commitments of the plan include:
- African agricultural research institutions and those of CGIAR will participate in each others’ priority setting and programming exercises in order to better align their respective activities.
- CAADP and CGIAR institutions will work together to support countries and regional institutions in the development of programs to implement the commitments and priorities that have been presented in their respective CAADP Investment Plans.
- CAADP and CGIAR institutions will work together on the development and implementation of the Technology Platform called for by the G8.
- CAADP’s Development Partners will work closely with CAADP and CGIAR to develop plans to support activities and investments that emerge from the agenda laid out above.
- An MOU will set in motion ways in which these institutions will align and coordinate their efforts in each of the areas set out above.
The Dublin Process comes at a highly opportune time for its stakeholders.
“We have the concurrence of two major events affecting agricultural development in Africa – the development of country investment plans spearheaded by CAADP and the GCIAR reform resulting in the launching of the new CRPs,” commented Dr. Emmanuel Tarobi, Director of Advocacy and Policy at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) during the Nairobi Productivity Workshop.
And its potential is generating significant support and engagement.
“The Dublin Process could have considerable bearing on agricultural advances in Africa,” says Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, “It’s a powerful platform for coordinating our investments and expertise. And it greatly enhances our ability to achieve the kinds of impacts expected on the ground in Africa, and by our donors.”
CGIAR-CAADP partnership will be further explored at the upcoming GCARD2 conference.
A flyer of the initiative is available here