CGIAR at ESSD Week

Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) Week is a premier learning event hosted annually by the World Bank's ESSD Vice Presidency, bringing together staff from three families: agriculture, environment, and social development. Therefore, it was fitting that CGIAR feature prominently in the week's activities to showcase impacts of research by CGIAR Centers and contributions to the larger sustainable development agenda.

Knowledge for Natural Resource Management
New knowledge is central to meeting the challenge of managing natural resources such as land, water, and fisheries sustainably. At a special seminar organized jointly with the Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Department, over 65 participants explored practical ways for strengthening the knowledge-to-action continuum. Speaking on behalf of the CGIAR Center Directors Committee (CDC), Kanayo Nwanze, Director General, WARDA-The Africa Rice Center, gave an overview of natural resource management (NRM) research in the CGIAR, its component stages, and how NRM research is linked to efforts to improve livelihoods, agricultural productivity, environment services and agro-ecosystem resilience.

Joachim Voss, Director General, CIAT focused his presentation on CGIAR research in action at diverse locales: managing soil erosion in Asia, improving land management across the Lake Victoria basin, and using integrated research approaches to improve livelihoods in the high Andes. Appropriately titled "Good News from the Field" he noted adoption rates were as high as 40 percent in targeted communities and internal rates of return ranged from 60 to 99 percent.

Simon Heck, representing WorldFish Center, spoke about
the relevance of fisheries to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In recent times, there has been growing global concern about collapsing fish stocks and negative impacts on food, income, and nutrition security of millions of poor people. With aquaculture contributing less than 5 percent to fish supply in Africa, he cited examples of work underway in Cameroon, Egypt and Malawi noting the tremendous potential for expanding aquaculture in Africa.

Responding to the presentations, three panelists (Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah from Ghana's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ravi Beri of Udyog Industries associated with the Rice-Wheat Consortium, and Hector Cisneros of Consortium for Sustainable Development of Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN)) presented perspectives from public, private, and civil society. The meeting was chaired by Michael Crawford, Assistant to World Bank Managing Director Mamphela Ramphele with Erick Fernandes and Manuel Lantin serving as moderators and rapporteurs. Dennis Garrity, Director General, World Agroforestry Centre, requested the World Bank to facilitate processes and methods for scaling-up activities, setting the scene for follow-up activity by the World Bank, CGIAR, and stakeholders.

Seminar on Role of Institutions and Technology for Development Impact
CGIAR partnered with the Bank's Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Knowledge and Institutions Thematic Group to organize this seminar. Sushma Ganguly, the Bank's Sector Manager for Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) chaired the session, helping frame the debate by noting that the primary focus of research has been on increasing food production and supply with the consequent decline in food prices and that poverty reduction has been a secondary goal. Francisco Reifschneider, CGIAR Director, presented an overview of CGIAR reforms and how these were helping increasing effectiveness and strengthening alliances with partners and institutions, generating technology for the benefit of smallholder farmers. Eija Pehu, Adviser, ARD and CIP Board Member, gave an overview of Bank lending for agricultural research, extension, and education. She discerned a shift away from the traditional focus on 'food security' toward a new agenda that includes issues such as food safety, biosafety, intellectual property rights, animal welfare, and risk management among others. Kanayo Nwanze and Josef Toledano, a rural development specialist from the Africa Vice Presidency shared experiences about how synergies between CGIAR research and Bank lending helped Guinea in cutting rice import bills and increasing food availability through expanding cultivation of the New Rices for Africa (NERICAs).

Building on the success of the visit to CIMMYT by senior managers, William Dar, Director General, ICRISAT gave a presentation on how a shared literacy was developing on CGIAR-World Bank collaboration in implementing the new rural development strategy, "Reaching the Poor." In January 2004, ICRISAT also hosted a training hub for World Bank senior managers which was received very well. Participants agreed that such activities needed to be held periodically and future visits to CIAT and ICARDA are being planned.

The CGIAR delegation to ESSD Week comprised six Center Directors, and 12 CGIAR scientists and researchers who joined top level practitioners from international organizations, developed and developing countries, civil society, and the private sector in a program of seminars, consultations, and discussions. Other seminars featuring CGIAR participation included:

• Career Development of Women Professionals in Agriculture-a CGIAR Perspective
  
• Successful Partnerships in Forestry
  
• Water for Food
  
• Sustainable Land Management