Number 22 (DECEMBER 2010) CORAF/WECARD GB Members for

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1 2nd GB Session 2010 : Approved Work Program and Budget of CORAF/WECARD for 2011 On 29th and 30th November and on 1st December 2010, the second session of CORAF/WECARD Governing Board (GB) for 2010 was held. Board members started with a review of achievements and difficulties faced in the implementation of CORAF/WECARD operations before approving the Work Program and Budget of CORAF/WECARD for They adopted the policies of gender, Human Resources, Communication and the document on the genesis and development of CORAF/WECARD. Monthly Bulletin of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development Number 22 (DECEMBER 2010) CORAF/WECARD GB Members for Finalization of the Draft WAAPP/ PPAAO 1C Document On 21st and 22nd December in Washington, Dr. Paco Sérémé, Dr. Harold Roy- Macauley of CORAF/WECARD, Prof. Samuel Adiku from the University of Ghana and Dr Seydou Traoré Agrhymet exchanged with Dr. Scott Loarie from the Carnegie Institution of Washington on the simulation model of crop yields coupled with ICT. CORAF/WECARD Production systems : Modeling of production systems at the center of a workshop agreed to integrate this tool in these activities for agricultural development in WCA. An agreement worth 1 million U.S. dollars was signed between CORAF/WECARD and the World Bank to implement this model. Another agreement is being finalized and will be signed between CORAF/WECARD and the Carnegie Institution. Cooperation : exchange meeting on the simulation model of crop yields coupled with ICT On 21st and 22nd December in Washington, Dr. Paco Sérémé, Dr. Harold Roy-Macauley of CORAF/WECARD, Prof. Samuel Adiku from the University of Ghana and Dr Seydou Traoré Agrhymet exchanged with Dr. Scott Loarie from the Carnegie Institution of Washington on the simulation model of crop yields coupled with ICT. CORAF/WECARD agreed to integrate this tool in these activities for agricultural development in WCA. An agreement worth 1 million U.S. dollars was signed between CORAF/WECARD and the World Bank to implement this model. Another agreement is being finalized and will be signed between CORAF/WECARD and the Carnegie Institution. From 22nd to 24th November 2010, representatives of NARS and partners of CORAF/- WECARD met in Saly Portudal to become familiar with the modeling of production systems and its application to research on production systems in the context of smallholders farming lands in West and Central Africa. Maize project : launch of activities From 6th to 8th December in N'djamena, CORAF/WECARD in collaboration with the Chadian Agricultural Research Institute for Development (ITRAD) organized a workshop to launch the maize project as part of improving food security in West and Central Africa. The project which is coordinated by ITRAD is implemented in 3 countries : Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. Financing PO : Meeting with the World Bank team in charge of the Multi-donor Trust Fund of CORAF/WECARD On 20th December 2010 in Washington, Dr. Paco Sérémé and Dr. Harold Roy-Macauley exchanged with the World Bank team in charge of finalizing the Multidonor Trust Fund to enable CORAF/- WECARD to implement its Operational Plan A report was delivered on the finalization of the Fund, constraints were identified and activities to enable CIDA join the fund were recalled. The various parties wished to see the fund operating by 2011.

2 Technical workshop on the implementation of the Communication Strategy The WAAPP communication specialists shared a common understanding of the Program s communication strategy From 14th to 16th December, 2010 in Ouagadougou, the communication specialists of the national coordinations from Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Côte d'ivoire and Ghana including CORAF/WECARD communication specialists and the communication officers of the World Bank in Burkina Faso and Côte d'ivoire had exchange for a common understanding of the WAAPP communication strategy, and the logical framework was reformulated as well as the pillars of the communication strategy. Video conference to assess activities As part of the review of WAAPP1a activities, a video conference was led by partners and stakeholders of the Program in Mali, Senegal and Ghana and those of the World Bank and CORAF/WECARD. It was about assessing the activities achieved since the mid-term review in June Each national coordination presented its activities during the period. The new Coordinator They also learned to develop action plans based on the communication strategy and the WAAPP 1C countries could see their 2011 action plans finalized. Another important achievement of the meeting is the formal establishment of the Regional Technical Task Force on Communication for WAAPP comprising the communication specialists of the national coordinations of WAAPP, CORAF/WECARD, the World Bank and the Communication Officers of the World Bank Offices in WAAPP member countries. of Senegal was introduced, Oumar SENE. He replaces DIA Daouda who resigned. The issue of intellectual property was raised. A recommendation was made to CORAF/- WECARD as to organize a workshop for the English speaking countries and specialized organizations (OAPI and AATF) for a common understanding of procedures. à{x ÉÇÄ Çx UâÄÄxà Ç CORAF/ WECARDA YÉÜ tçç ÇyÉÜÅtà ÉÇ àé á{tüx? cäxtáx véçàtvà SCARDA : Regional Exchange Workshop on lessons learned on the change management process In the framework of the extension phase activities of the SCARDA project, the Capacity Building Program of CORAF/- WECARD organized in Dakar on 15th and 16th December 2010 a regional exchange workshop on lessons learned on the change management process. The opening and closing of the workshop were chaired respectively by CORAF/WECARD Executive Director and Director of Programs. The workshop that brought together about twenty resource people from the 3 OSR - ASARECA, SADC-FANR, CORAF/WECARD and NRI had the main objective of evaluating two approaches - "Transformational Approach" and "Transformational Approach" used in the implementation of SCARDA by CORAF and its service providers (GIMPA, Africa Communications & individual consultants) on the one hand, and by ASARECA and its service provider (PICO Team) on the other hand. Following their work sessions the participants identified by consensus the key lessons learned in implementing SCARDA. Consequently, they unanimously agreed that the 2 approaches, the transformational approach for an effective fundamental change within the NARSs through behavior and mentality change of the actors in agricultural research and development as well as the transformational approach to enhance the managerial skills and competencies and techniques, including materials and tools that improve system performance, are complementary and the value of each of them depends on the context and specificity of the typology of NARSs. Biosecurity : finalization of the draft document of the ECOWAS/UEMOA harmonized regional framework To enable efficient use of biotech products, the West Africa region decided to make regulatory provisions. In the process, several meetings led to the preparation of draft-documents of the harmonized regional Biosafety framework. In Abidjan, the experts met to finalize the version 1 of the draft-document. 2

3 Livestock : F Project Supervision Mission on the strengthening of livelihood resilience rom 15th to 16th November 2010, a mission CORAF/WECARD-IDRC went into the field to supervise the activities of the project "Strengthening livelihood resilience to reduce poverty in semi-arid areas of West Africa" This project implemented in Mali, Niger and Togo under the coordination of CORAF/WECARD and the scientific support of ILRI started its activities in 2009 for a period of four years. Medias : P Biotechnology and Biosafety Day with journalists romotional activities on the Biotechnology and Biosafety Program took place on 10th December, 2010 at the headquarters of CORAF/WECARD, and were intended for 25 journalists from the national and international news agencies based in Dakar. This third event organized by CORAF/WECARD for journalists was focused on the promotion of Biotechnology and Biosafety activities. The Mission revealed the state of implementation of the project and made recommendations for achieving its objectives. By and large, we are satisfied with the state of implementation of the project.p SCARDA : I Training for the Inclusion of Gender in Agricultural Programs n the framework of the extension phase activities of the SCARDA project, the Capacity Building Program of CORAF/WECARD in collaboration with the NARI in the Gambia organized in Banjul from 6th to 10th December 2010 a sub-regional training workshop on gender. The training was aimed at familiarizing participants with the tools and approaches for the consideration of gender in agricultural programs and initiatives. 23 participants, including 56.5% of women, NARSs of Congo, the Gambia, Ghana and Mali and the Executive Secretariat of CORAF/-WECARD benefited from this training session. The training focused on three key areas: the process, content and participation. It enabled each team to develop a draft action plan for the inclusion of gender in their respective organizations and/or programs. Journalists learned a lot about GMOs The Journalists were informed about the usefulness of Biotechnology and Biosafety as tools. They were largely informed on the GMOs and their use. Specialists Prof Sangare from CORAF/WECARD, Dr. Sane from UCAD and Dr Codou from CERAAS have helped dispel people s prejudice on the use of the biotechnology and bio safety tools through these exchanges with the press. CORAF/WECARD-AVRDC : O Roundtable on vegetable production and marketing n 6th December 2010 in Dakar, CORAF/WECARD and the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) organized a roundtable on vegetable production and marketing in West and Central Africa. This roundtable was focused on lessons learned in the field of production and marketing of vegetables in West and Central Africa. à{x ÉÇÄ Çx UâÄÄxà Ç CORAF/ WECARDA YÉÜ tçç ÇyÉÜÅtà ÉÇ àé á{tüx? cäxtáx véçàtvà M During a half-day session, vegetable experts and their partners exchanged views on ways and means to support vegetable production and marketing; on strengthening public-private partnerships to overcome the constraints linked to the development of vegetable in West and Central Africa. 3

4 Monitoring-Evaluation : several projects monitored on the field The Monitoring-Evaluation Unit of CORAF/- WECARD, through its field activities followed up the implementation of the activities of several commissioned projects in Staple Crops Program. This includes the project on the "Promotion of Striga-resistant sorghum varieties to reduce food crisis in the Sahelian area", implemented in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso and the Climate change : CORAF/WECARD takes part in a regional study project on the "Promotion of the production of seed yams by using the technique of minifragments yams" implemented in Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and Togo. On the field, all the activities in general are well conducted with all stakeholders involved in the value chain. However, constraints were noted which resulted in the delay in availability of funds. The mega program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), to include the needs of the West African region on climate change in its activities conducted a study in 12 countries in November CORAF/WECARD was actively involved in the study to not only facilitate data collection in the countries but also to update the regional data on environmental management and climate change. Gambia to join WAAPP/PPAAO On request of the Authorities of the Republic of Gambia to join the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program, a mission comprising CORAF/WECARD and the World Bank had discussions with the Gambian agricultural actors to support them in joining WAAPP / PPAAO. The meeting took place from 22nd to 23rd November 2010 in Banjul. Jean Rostand Kamga of CORAF/WECARD and Abdoulaye Toure World Bank evaluated efforts made in finalizing the draft document, the monitoring-evaluation manual and procurement manual. The activities to be carried out in the short term have been specified to the Gambian team, namely: the setting up of select committees to finalize the manuals, the setting up of the Coordinating Unit and the development of an Action Plan and Budget for The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development s Monthly Bulletin Director of publication Pr Yusuf ABUBAKAR Director of Edition Paco Sérémé Editor-in-Chief Anatole Yékéminan Koné Editing and Reading Committee Department Info/Com Layout Alassane DIA Online publication Gorgui Alioune Mbow A French version is available CORAF/WECARD, BP 48 Dakar RP CP 18523, Sénégal Tél. : (221) Fax : (221) paco.sereme@coraf.org Internet : Cowpea-Bt and FSP-Cotton projects: a mission to revive the activities The CORAF/WECARD Biosafety and Biotechnology Program Manager conducted a supervision mission of Niébé-Bt and FSP Cotton project activities. The mission took place from 13th to 16th December 2010 in Ouagadougou. With the coordinators of these projects, Prof. San-gare took stock of activities and developed a final work plan and budget for the Niébé-Bt project. The National Biosafety Authority in Burkina Faso is now involved in the proposed FSP- Cotton project. PPAAO/WAAPP 1C : Project Document (PAD) being finalized From 15th to 19th November 2010, stakeholders and partners of WAAPP / PPAAO 1C met in Dakar to take stock of progress achieved in each of the countries and to validate and consolidate the additional contributions to help finalize the project document (PAD).Let s recall that WAAPP / PPAAO 1C includes Benin, Togo, Cote d'ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Niger. Modeling production systems : specialists trained From 22nd to 24th November 2010, CORAF/WECARD invited the representatives of its technical and scientific partners to a workshop on the modeling of production systems. The meeting was aimed at introducing participants to the modeling of production systems and its application to research on farming systems in the context of small holders farmlands in West and Central Africa. During three days of discussions, the participants could improve their knowledge and appreciate the value of production systems models. à{x ÉÇÄ Çx uâääxà Ç Éy CORAF/ WECARDA YÉÜ tçç ÇyÉÜÅtà ÉÇ àé á{tüx? cäxtáx véçàtvà M 4

5 Meetings organized by CORAF/WECARD 14th - 18th February 2011, Cotonou. Annual Planning and Review Workshop on Commissioned Projects 3rd - 4th February 2011, Dakar. Workshop on the Analysis of Dissemination Mechanisms of Improved Technologies and Innovations in ECOWAS 24th - 27th January 2011, Dakar. Inception Workshop on the Commissioned Project for Seed Production January 20th, 2011, Cotonou. Negotiation meeting with WAAPP/PPAAO 1C Countries 19th - 20th January 2011, Dakar. Technical Capacity Building Workshop for CORAF/WECARD Civil Society Organizations 18th - 21st January 2011, Dakar. Inception Workshop on the Competitive Grants Project for Post-harvest Techniques Meetings organized by Partners January 31st - February 4th, 2011, Zurich. Consultation with Development Partners on CAADP Pillar 4 24th - 28th January, Dakar. Capacity Building Workshop on the Collection and Management of Agricultural Data. Organized by CTA and CORAF/WECARD 24th 29th January 2011, Accra. Exchange meeting of stakeholders and PSTAD partners (DONATA-RAILS) organized by FARA January 22nd, 2011, Bamako. Meeting of WAEMU Heads of States January 13th, 2011, Montpellier. Meeting between CORAF/WECARD and AFD on the Staple Crops Project January 6th, Videoconference between the World Bank and CORAF/WECARD to Prepare the Donors Meeting scheduled for February 2011 in Zurich The Chairman of the Governing Board, The Executive Director and the Staff of the Executive Secretariat, Extend to you, Season s Greetings. We wish you a Happy New Year. 5