Outreach to Parliamentarians

How can agroforestry improve livelihoods in the drylands of West Africa? What is the African market garden, and how can it benefit smallholder producers in Senegal? How did collaboration between Senegalese researchers and the Africa Rice Center improve the quality and profitability of irrigated rice, as well as the health of the Senegalese women who once threshed and cleaned it?

Researchers from seven Centers of the CGIAR met with Senegalese parliamentarians in Dakar in October 2006 to discuss these innovations and other promising technologies, production systems, income-generating crops and products, and development strategies that can

• Reduce poverty,
• Foster human well-being,
• Promote agricultural growth, and
• Protect the environment.

The goal of the dialogue was to familiarize policymakers with cutting-edge research being conducted by CGIAR scientists in collaboration with their local partners, highlight how these efforts contribute to Senegal's rural growth, and raise awareness of how science can be mobilized to benefit poor people. The event, held as part of the CGIAR Marketing Group's Parliamentarian Campaign, was organized jointly by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and l'Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles.

During the concluding session of the dialogue, the parliamentarians called for increased support for agricultural research for the benefit of Senegal's national development and smallholder farmers. They encouraged further collaboration between Senegalese and CGIAR scientists, whose joint work has improved the livelihoods of the rural poor.

"By the end of the meeting, all participants understood how vital it is for researchers to inform parliamentarians of the potential benefits of promising research, and for parliamentarians in turn to provide increased funding and favorable policies to support such research," said Papa Abdoulaye Seck, who represented the CGIAR at the dialogue in his position as director general of the Africa Rice Center.

In addition to IFPRI and Africa Rice, participating CGIAR Centers included the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) , International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and World Agroforestry Centre.