Regional Consultation workshop on rolling-out the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A)

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) organised 3 Regional Consultation workshops on rolling-out the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A). 

1. 10-12 April 2017. Lilongwe, Malawi. In collaboration with the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development of the Government of Malawi, FARA organised a  consultation for Southern African countries.
2. 19-21 April 2017. Kigali,  Regional consultative workshop on rolling-out the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A) for East and Central Africa Region
3.  9 – 12 May, 2017. Accra, Ghana. Regional consultative workshop Central, West and North Africa.

The Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A) outlines the guiding principles to help Africa take charge of the science to transform its agriculture. It refers to the science, technology, extension, innovations, policy and social learning Africa needs to apply to meet its evolving agricultural development goals. The S3A is based on the recognition of the game-changing potential of science for the continent’s agricultural transformation agenda encapsulated in the CAADP. The empirical evidence show that a deeper application of Science in Agriculture will improve productivity, food security, employment and resilient livelihoods.

During the consultation in Kigali Raymond Jatta, the Programme Coordinator for Science Agenda Mainstreaming at FARA, said that science and research as well as technology in agriculture have faced funding constraints, yet agriculture is major source of income for the majority of Africans and a key contributor to the continent's economy.

The Chairman of the Board of Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Ambrose Agona, called for governments' commitments to a conducive environment for innovation, multiplication, commercialisation and dissemination of technologies. Agona, who is also the Director General for Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), said that when it comes to research, there is need for investments, and government commitment to finance research in a more predictable manner.