July 16, 2003—The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the Government of Japan hosted the 2nd Robert S. McNamara seminar in Tokyo earlier this month. The conference, named after the former Bank President, focused on the role of agriculture in generating growth and post-disaster reconstruction.

"Over the next 50 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," Robert McNamara, the founding father of CGIAR, told the seminar. "We must increase our focus on agriculture and increase agricultural productivity if we are to have any hope of meeting these challenges."

Citing Japan’s achievements in agricultural reform and science and technology, McNamara urged the host country to take the lead in returning attention and support to agriculture and, most importantly, to research that will help boost agricultural productivity.

Over 200 participants came to hear McNamara’s remarks and the keynote speech by former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The seminar also included a panel discussion with CGIAR’s Directors General. The consensus at the meeting was that agriculture is critical for growth and is an essential first step for recovery and durable peace in communities devastated by conflict and natural disasters.

Yoshio Yatsu, former Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and a member of the House of Representatives, and Ian Johnson, CGIAR Chairman and ESSD Vice President, opened the meeting. "When conflicts and disasters strike, agriculture is disrupted, leading to hunger, disease, health epidemics, and large-scale destitution," Johnson said. "From Central America to Africa, from Afghanistan to Timor-Leste, we have seen that restoring agriculture is key to alleviating suffering and jumpstarting growth in the economies of affected countries."

The seminar was supported by Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, and the Bank’s Tokyo office. Participants discussed how CGIAR and Japan can mobilize knowledge and partnerships for assisting countries to create growth and recover from conflicts and natural disasters.

In conjunction with the seminar, Yukio Yoshimura, Bank Vice President and Special Representative to Japan, chaired a high-level meeting to accelerate dissemination of New Rices for Africa (NERICAs), which are developed by The Africa Rice Center, a CGIAR-supported institution in Côte d’Ivoire. NERICAs – with higher yields, higher protein content, pest resistance and reduced drudgery – have huge potential to reduce poverty, increase income, and cut rice imports to sub-Saharan Africa.

Participants from several organizations agreed on next steps for coordinating the NERICA effort, including the Bank, the Japanese Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan International Research Center for Agriculture Sciences, and UNDP. A follow-up meeting was set for September 12, to precede the opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-3). The Government of Japan has a long tradition of supporting rice research.

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 for NEPAD.

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Former Bank President Robert McNamara urged the Government of Japan to boost support for research essential for increasing agricultural productivity.

West Africa spends $1 billion on rice imports annually, and demand for rice is spiraling. By increasing productivity, New Rices for Africa (NERICAs) raise rural incomes while helping countries to cut their rice import bills.