The Information platform of Switzerland on agricultural research for development

Presentation of EFARD by Catherine Guichard

8 October 2012. Bern. A joint meeting was organised between the European Forum for Agricultural Research (EFARD) and the Swiss Forum for International Agricultural Research (SFIAR) at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL).

• Presentation of HAFL as host of the meeting by HAFL Head of M.Sc. (Urs Scheidegger) 
• Presentation of EFARD by EFARD Chair (Catherine Guichard) 
• Presentation of SFIAR by SFIAR Chair or Secretary 
• Presentation of GFRAS by Executive Secretary (Kristin Davis) 
• Presentation of updates on ERA-ARD II by Manfred Kaufmann 
• Brief discussion of points of common interest e.g. GCARD II

The SFIAR has the following goals and objectives:

• Sharing information between the stakeholders involved in agricultural research for development (ARD) in Switzerland and encouraging dialogue within this community on different views, interests and perspectives related to ARD.
• Promoting the visibility of Swiss agricultural research for development in the international ARD community and in the public.
• Playing an advocacy role at both national and international levels by contributing to shape political decisions about ARD.
• Serving as a national partner in the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD) and the Global Forum for International Agricultural Research (GFAR), and supporting the aims of these organisations.
• Promoting collaboration, synergies and complementarities between different actors involved in international agricultural research in Switzerland.

Membership

• Membership in SFIAR is open to all institutions and individuals actively involved or just interested in agricultural research for development, especially:
• Research institutions
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• The private sector
• Farmers' organisations
• Public agencies
• Private individuals

Participants of SFIAR to the joint meeting

Participants of SFIAR were: (** excused)

Surname, First Name	Institution
Becker, Barbara	ETH Global, ETH Zurich
Bravo Heidi**	Swiss Farmers Union
Bürli Markus (only joint lunch)	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Crettaz, Marylaure **	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Davis, Kristin	GFRAS
Dubock, Adrian **	Golden Rice Humanitarian Board / Golden Rice Project Manager
Egger, Paul	formerly Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Fried, Padruot	formerly Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station
Gantner, Urs **	Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture
Goethe, Tina**	Swiss Aid
Gsyin, Johanna	YPARD National Focal Point, Switzerland
Grant, Michelle	World Food System Center, ETH Zurich
Herrmann, Doris	Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology, EPFL Lausanne
Hintermann, Felix	School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL
Huber, Beate	Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
Kaufmann, Manfred	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Stäubli Dreyer, Bettina	School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL
Thönnissen, Carmen **	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Wilhelm, Rolf	formerly Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Winzeler, Michael	Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ART)
Zhou, Yuan	Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture