Centers and Members Day 05 December 2005

Annual General Meeting 2005

Marrakech, Morocco

The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers

Convergence and Collective Action for

the CGIAR

William D. DarChair, Alliance Executive and

Director General, ICRISAT

This presentation• Context of collective action• Milestones of the Alliance• Alliance members in

collective action• Continuing challenges

Reforms in the CGIAR

CGIAR has undergone unprecedented reforms:• a re-focused vision and mission• streamlined governance• strengthened scientific advice• coordinated central support• elevated program profile

Centers are committed to play a proactive and constructive role

The Future Harvest Alliance

• Formal alliance of 15 CGIAR Centers• Built on existing governance mechanisms• Aims to enhance effectiveness and efficiency

without bureaucracy • Operates at minimal cost • Instrument of reform in the CGIAR

Imperative for collective action

•Focus partners on new priorities•Focus on innovative systems and impact •One authoritative voice on global issues•Support for institutional learning and synergy•Cost efficiency in services•Reduce tensions

Benefits of collective action

• More focused programs• Responsive to more opportunities• Streamlined access to the Centers• More effective

application of global public goods

• Lower transaction costs

• Built on existing CGIAR practices• Informed by a new vision • Principles and Procedures of

collaboration established

• Guided by the Alliance Board and managed by the Alliance Executive

• Supported by the Future Harvest Alliance Office

Collective action framework

Milestones of the Alliance

Milestones at AGM04

• Alliance created by CBC and CDC• Guiding principles declaring Alliance’s

allegiance is first and foremost to the poor• Alliance Executive (AE) transformed from CDC

Principles and Procedures (P&P)

• P&P a roadmap for decision-making, collective action of Centers

• Draft document discussed by Centers and reviewed by the World Bank

• Chairs and DGs will approve in principle; Boards will review and approve final draft

• Ask CG members to include approved version in CGIAR Charter

Milestones in 2005

Joint Medium Term Plans with partners

• Developing joint MTPs for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

• ILRI and ASARECA lead in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

• WARDA and CORAF lead in Western and Central Africa (WCA)

• MTPs will serve as vehicles for CGIAR program alignments in SSA

Milestones in 2005

• Quarterly newsletter and diary for 2006• Input to SC’s research priorities and SC’s

comments on Center MTPs • Assessment report on SWEPs• Workshop on public-private sector agricultural

research (jointly with CGIAR’s Private Sector Committee and Secretariat)

Milestones in 2005

• Rapid adoption of common policies on GMOs and Center germplasm collections

• Orientation program for new Board members

• Grievance and conflict resolution mechanism for Centers drafted

Milestones in 2005

Alliance members in collective

action

New CGIAR Intranet (CGXchange)

•To be launched during AGM05•Access to information resources of CGIAR and

unique tools for seamless global collaboration

Gender and diversity

• Centers’ gender and diversity associates (GDAs) met in Bogor, Indonesia

CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program

• GDAs assessed progress on gender and diversity goals and planned future

CIAT: Biofortification for the poor

• Collaboration to improve human nutrition of the poor

• Major health and productivity benefits for women and children

Centro InternacionaI de Agricultura Tropical

(With CIMMYT, CIP and 10 partners from Latin America)

• Media campaign on floods, deforestation and forest-based livelihoods

• 50 stories released by leading media and key non-English publications

CIFOR: Creating environmental awareness

Center for International Forestry Research

(With ICRAF, IWMI and FAO)

• Selection for synchrony in flowering under controlled drought stress

• 45,000 tons of seed of stress-tolerant maize varieties for Africa

• Average yield gains of 15-20% in Eastern and Southern Africa

CIMMYT: Stress breeding for maize

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

(With CGIAR Centers and national partners)

• Making sweet potato more edible for pigs• Combination of ensilaging and feed

supplements;doubles production • Great impact on livelihoods in Vietnam• Extended to Indonesia, China and India

CIP: Sweet potato for pigs

Centro Internacional de la Papa

(With ILRI and national partners)

• Rebuilt seed systems and key agricultural stations

• Germplasm collection• Capacity building

ICARDA: Rebuilding agriculture in Afghanistan

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

(With CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP, ICRISAT,IFPRI, ILRI, IPGRI and IWMI)

Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan:

• 2.5 million hectares of Brazilian forest not converted to pastures

• Pro-poor policies to avoid conflicts and environmental degradation

ICRAF: Alternative to slash and burn

Alternative to Slash and Burn

World Agroforestry Centre

(With CGIAR Centers and national partners)

ICRISAT: Promoting ‘Healing Wounds’

• Media dialogue on CGIAR’s Healing Wounds• Healing Wounds helps rehabilitate

livelihoods of tsunami survivors in Asia and countries affected by conflicts

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

(With CIMMYT, CIP, ILRI, IRRI and IWMI)

IFPRI: Exploring partnerships

• Research on public-private partnerships for more impact on poverty reduction, food security and agricultural development

• Launched research and organized workshops*

International Food Policy Research Institute

(*With ICRISAT in India )

• Coordination of GOAFU

IITA: Public awareness of mycotoxin

• Communication campaign with partners on the dangers of mycotoxin

• Reached about 10 million people in Ghana, Togo and Benin

• Innovative technologies to manage mycotoxins*

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

(*Developed with CIMMYT and ICRISAT )

ILRI: Empowering women as household providers

• Northern Nigerian women provided with cowpea and sorghum varieties for their goats and families during the dry season

• Women’s goat-rearing groups are growing exponentially

International Livestock Research Institute

(With IITA and the Systemwide Livestock Program)

IPGRI: Higher profile for animal and fish genetic resources

System-wide Genetic Resources Program: • Meeting to give farm animal and fish

genetic resources a higher profile

• Inputs on Center agreements with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and standard Material Transfer Agreement

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

(With CGIAR Centers)

IRRI: Harnessing ICT to meet people’s needs

The Rice Knowledge Bank:• 3 million hits in 2005 and 13 country sites • Premier source of rice-related training and

extension material• Proposal for Cereal Knowledge Bank with CIMMYT

International Rice Research Institute

CGIAR Consortium of Spatial Information:

IWMI: Consortium on spatial information

International Water Management Institute

Data management & coordination, geographic dimension of crop varieties, impact assessment, natural resource degradation, integration & capacity building and poverty mapping.

• Benin: 6% increase in school enrolment; 2% reduction in child sickness

• Uganda: New cash crop supports education

• Guinea: Area planted to NERICA increased by 50% between 2002-2003

WARDA: From rice to riches

New Rice for Africa (NERICA):

Africa Rice Center

(With CGIAR Centers and national partners)

• Addresses root causes of vulnerability

• Ensures that communities attain better situations than before the tsunami

 

WorldFish: Rebuilding better lives after the tsunami

WorldFish Center

Consortium to Restore Shattered Livelihoods of Communities in Tsunami Affected Nations:

(With CGIAR Centers and national partners)

Challenges and concerns

Continuing challenges

1. Institutional learning 2. Collective versus independent action 3. Recognition and incentives 4. Performance measurement 5. Leadership and executive capacity 6. Conflict resolution

1. Costs of the Alliance Office2. Buy-in of the Alliance by Centers and CG members3. Governance of the Alliance Board over the Alliance 4. Cost and benefits of the Alliance

Other concerns

• The Alliance is a proactive force to help reform the CGIAR

• Broad support needed for the Alliance’s success

Conclusion

ICRISAT is humbled to have served the Alliance!

Chair, AB

Uzo MokwunyeBoard Chair

Chair, CDDC

Dyno KeatingeDDG-Research

Chair, AE

William DarDG

Thank Thank youyou

The Alliance’s allegiance is first and foremost to the poor