Robert S. McNamara Seminar Highlights Critical Role of Agriculture

"Over the next fifty years food demand will double as a result of population increases and changes in dietary habits. This demand, combined with decreasing soil fertility and falling water tables will create a major crisis. We must increase our focus on agriculture and increase agricultural productivity if we are to have any hope of meeting these challenges" said Mr. Robert S. McNamara speaking at a seminar named in his honor.

Mr. Robert S. McNamara, a founding father of the CGIAR and former President of the World Bank was speaking at the 2nd Robert S. McNamara seminar hosted by the Japanese Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Foreign Affairs, and Finance and CGIAR with support from the World Bank Tokyo Office. Over 200 participants came to hear Mr. McNamara’s remarks and the keynote speech presented by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, as well as to engage in a panel discussion with CGIAR Directors General.

Mr. Yoshio Yatsu, former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and Member of the House of Representatives and Ian Johnson, CGIAR Chairman and World Bank Vice President for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, opened the meeting and welcomed participants. Mr. Yatsu was a driving force in ensuring the second seminar reached new levels.

A panel discussion featured three Directors General — Adel El Beltagy of ICARDA, Joachim von Braun of IFPRI, and David Kaimowitz of CIFOR — and was moderated by Francisco Reifschneider, CGIAR Director.

The overarching theme — How can agriculture and agricultural research be given priority in the design of public policies for generating growth in post-disaster situations? — was addressed by the panelists.

Participants were briefed about ICARDA’s experiences in Central and West Asia, including ongoing efforts to rehabilitate agriculture in Afghanistan. Citing the example of conflicts over forest resources, David Kaimowitz noted that Asia was home to 56 percent of the world’s population and only 15 percent of its forests. Small farmers with access to land and markets are well-positioned to meet growing demand for charcoal, medicinal plants, pulpwood, poles, and construction wood. Policies that give communities and small farmers rights over forests and degraded land can help them take advantage of these opportunities. Joachim von Braun cautioned that worldwide, agricultural growth fell from an annual average of 2.5 percent in the 1980s to 1.4 percent in the 1990s, and in low-income countries the decline was from 3 to 2.5 percent. The consensus emerging from the meeting was that agriculture is critical for growth, and for communities devastated by conflicts and natural disasters rebuilding agriculture is a first step both for recovery and for laying the foundations of durable peace.

In conjunction with the seminar, Yukio Yoshimura, World Bank Vice President and Special Representative to Japan, chaired a high-level meeting to support coordinated dissemination of New Rices for Africa (NERICAs). Kanayo Nwanze, Director General, The Africa Rice Center, addressed the meeting Participants from the World Bank, Japanese Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Japan International Research Center for Agriculture Sciences (JIRCAS) and UNDP agreed on next steps for coordination of this special effort. A follow-up meeting is planned for September 12 prior to the opening of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD–3). The Government of Japan has a long tradition of supporting rice research.

A well-attended breakfast meeting with Japanese Parliamentarians and successful "Friends of the CGIAR" lunch ensured that the discussion of the importance of agriculture and agricultural research reached the highest levels.
In a significant development, the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has identified NERICAs as an example of "best practice" in science-for-development efforts. "NEPAD sees the large body of knowledge and technologies available from Japan as a source of Africa’s hope for the future" said Richard Mkandawire, Agriculture Advisor, NEPAD.

The McNamara Seminar, originally planned as a solo event, has grown both in stature and scope. It is an opportunity to increase focus and generate dialogue and reach out to many levels of Japanese society.

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