Fifth (5th) Africa Agriculture Science week and General Assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

19 - 24 July 2010. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Government of Burkina Faso hosted the fifth (5th) Africa Agriculture Science week and General Assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The event drew together representatives of FARA's constituents from all African and non-African institutions involved in African agricultural research and development such as the Sub-Regional Organizations (SROs) (ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD, SADC/FANR and NASRO), farmers' organizations and pastoralists' associations, the agricultural research institutions, universities, NGOs and private enterprises that comprise the national agricultural research systems (NARS), non-African advanced research institutions (ARIs), the International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs), international NGOs, policy makers, private sector and Africa's development partners.

The objectives were:
• To hold the 5th African Agricultural Science Week and the 5th FARA General Assembly to highlight advances in agricultural research for development.
• To enable FARA members to meet, review progress and lessons learnt since the 4th General Assembly and foresights, determine the African regional agenda for the next three years.
• To hold key events promoting African agriculture development.

Outputs
• Increased knowledge of the problems, opportunities and successes in African agricultural research and development
• Greater awareness of the roles and contributions of different stakeholders and enhanced networking and interaction
• Greater appreciation amongst the participants and the public of the important contributions of agricultural research for development in Africa, especially in Burkina Faso
• Review and endorsement of FARA’s program for the next three years
• Election of new FARA Executive Board members including the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

Theme and subthemes
African Agricultural Innovation in a Changing Global Environment

In the video below Dr. Monty Jones, FARA’s Executive Director, opened the meeting by noting the series of crises that have jolted the world since the last FARA meeting in Johannesburg and highlighting the interconnected nature of the world today: the fuel crisis, the food price crisis, the economic and financial crisis, and the realization that climate change is upon us and its impacts more evident across the continent. It is followed by comments from Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO of FANRPAN, and Ms. Lydia Sasu, a farmer from Ghana.

Further references:
Africa Agriculture Science Week
FARA week 2010 blogspot  

Centre Technique de Coopération Agricole et Rurale (CTA) at FARAweek