- Lynn Haight, member of the CGIAR Consortium Board
Lynn Haight is a CGIAR Consortium Board member. She was recently interviewed by the Syngenta Foundation where she spoke about CGIAR’s aims and reform, public-private partnerships in agricultural development, and her previous work in agroforestry.
What does agroforestry focus on nowadays?
It aims to use natural resources to their full potential, sustainably. Agroforestry is a judicious combination of agriculture and silviculture, breeding plants, trees and shrubs to suit different environments.
What role do trees play in farming?
A very important one. On the one hand, there are the many trees on which cash crops grow, such as fruits or nuts. On the other hand, in agroforestry, certain trees put the goodness back into nutrient-depleted soil. Planting such trees can be a lifesaver for poor farmers who can’t afford fertilizer. Trees also prevent erosion and provide shade, which is particularly important where water is scarce. They are a source of food for cattle, and can also provide income for local communities.
“CGIAR’s work has never been more important”
What was the main attraction of moving from agroforestry into the CGIAR Consortium?
CGIAR plays a vital role in addressing food security in the context of scarce water and land resources and the threat of environmental degradation. CGIAR’s work is more important today than ever.
I also approved of the CGIAR reform initiative, because it encourages our centers not to work in silos, but with each other. This helps hugely with the dissemination of knowledge, and provides regional synergies. Since the reform, the Centers tell me that they have spoken to their colleagues around the world more in the last six months than in the previous five years.
The reform places emphasis on improved access to research results and extension – in addition to scientific research which is still at the heart of CGIAR’s work. We focus on small farmers, who desperately need access to better seed and other inputs, and to markets. We must get knowledge out to farmers, and also learn from their experience. These are areas in which collaboration with other organizations can be very valuable.
What are the CGIAR’s main aims?
We have four ‘system-level’ outcomes. They are to (i) decrease food insecurity, (ii) manage environmental resources sustainably, (iii) reduce the number of poverty-stricken farmers, and (iv) increase nutrition, health and wellbeing for all.
The CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) lead towards those aims. We are forecasting to receive over $900 million his year from donors, so we can allocate more funds to CRPs that show the greatest promise. Personally, I am very interested in maximizing CGIAR‘s role in achieving a massive increase in global wellbeing.
“We’ve got a great concept; now we’re ironing out the details”
How far has the reform process come, and how far does it still need to go?
We’ve already created an excellent concept over the past few years, and now we’re ironing out the details. We still have a way to go to reach our objectives in getting all of the CRPs up and running efficiently , but I am very optimistic
about our progress and our potential.
Even conservative estimates say that every dollar donated to the CGIAR produces two dollars of value. How does that work?
The essence of what we do is to generate knowledge that can empower communities. Take the example of educating a farmer how to double the production on his or her land by planting trees. As well as enriching the soil, those could be avocado trees whose fruit can be sold, or fruit trees from which jam can be made for local markets. Whichever way you look at it, the education has helped generate value. We can also help vaccinate livestock and educate smallholders on breeding, which helps to fight against disease and to diversify their incomes.
If communities can be encouraged to diversify their crops, they become more resilient and able to adapt to unforeseen threats. Helping farmers to join in community cooperatives also helps them pool knowledge and resources to benefit even more. The knock-on benefits are always much larger than the initial investment.
The Syngenta Foundation believes Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are highly important for agricultural development. What’s your view?
PPPs can make a huge difference to the impact of scientific research. Private extension services can make sure that what happens in a research center ends up being applied on the ground. It’s one thing to breed a differently
colored sweet potato with extra vitamin A, which many children lack. But it’s quite another to get that more nutritious potato into the hands of a mother who can feed her family with it.
What would be your advice to organizations contemplating such partnerships for the first time?
If I think of successful PPPs, they are all quite targeted in their aims. They are focused, time-bound and accountable. Continued involvement is also essential; you can’t just sign an agreement and disappear for a while. Partnerships – for example between a government office, a research institute and a private company – must acknowledge the unique role played by each participant. The state often acts as a regulator, which is necessary, but there must also be a good level of trust between partners.
Some of our centers have a long and successful record of engaging via PPPs, with which they contract on an individual basis, typically at the country or regional level.
“Teams can be more than the sum of their parts”
What do you say to PPP critics and cynics?
In any successful partnership, each organization must remain true to its core mission. CGIAR is focused on supporting poor farmers and giving them the knowledge and resources they need to thrive.
When a CGIAR Consortium member can find common ground with a partner – for instance, by using a company’s intellectual property to improve a staple crop used by hundreds of millions of poor farmers –this can be good for everyone. What really matters to CGIAR is that people worldwide can grow or buy enough healthy food for themselves and their families.
PPPs work best when they combine complementary strengths in pursuit of important shared goals. Teaming up can make a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and it is these opportunities which CGIAR aims to cultivate further.
What role in agricultural development do you see for the ‘third sector’, i.e. NGOs and foundations?
I think these types of organizations can be tremendously valuable, for example in providing what the Syngenta Foundation calls a ‘catalytic nudge’.
Foundations typically have clear objectives and are willing to invest in the expertise of their partner organizations. They are also willing to think long-term in such a way that they complement the good work of national donors who often target more immediate challenges with shorter time horizons.
NGOs can also play an important role in disseminating knowledge to their farmer networks and sharing the challenges which farmers are facing on the ground back to researchers. For instance, CGIAR uses regional NGOs extensively for provision of regional input for strategic planning.
Where could you imagine your cooperation with the Syngenta Foundation heading in future?
Your Foundation distinguishes itself from many other organizations. It does so through its holistic strategic approach to world agriculture and natural resource management. Your desire to promote PPPs is aligned well with our approach, and we already work with the Syngenta Foundation on a number of projects. We believe that there is considerable scope for further-reaching cooperation to extend the impact which CGIAR can have in improving the lives of poor farmers and managing our natural resources sustainably.
“Want to make a difference to the world? Do accounting!”
About Lynn Haight
Lynn Haight, a native of Canada, is a CGIAR Consortium Board member. She was recently Chair of Forester Holdings Europe, Director/Chief Operating and Finance Officer of Foresters US. Lynn has also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at the World Agroforestry Centre. She is a Chartered Accountant with a long and highly successful career in the finance and insurance sectors with several Canadian Companies.
Of her career choice, Lynn says: ‘I read Classics at Oxford but felt that it did not prepare me to solve problems I saw in the real world. So I became an accountant. Finance is a means to an end, not an end in itself, but I would strongly recommend accounting to anyone who wants to make a difference to the world. My financial expertise in strategy, risk management and institutional reform made me useful to the non-profit and philanthropic sectors, and allowed me to follow my passion for international development.’
This interview originally appeared on the home page of the Syngenta Foundation website
Find out more about the Syngenta Foundation and CGIAR
Pic by Neil Palmer (CIAT)