LATEST NEWS: Focus on Plant Science

Announcing a 2010 Call for Research Proposals for the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship

As announced by Bioversity International, there will be two Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship opportunities available for 2010 to carry out research on conservation and use of Plant Genetic Resources.

If you aren't familiar with the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Fund, it was established by Bioversity International in 1989, and aims to "encourage the conservation and use of plant genetic resources by enabling outstanding young scientists to carry out relevant, innovative research outside their own countries for a period of between three months and one year." The Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Fund strives to identify applicants who demonstrate the importance and benefit of their proposed research to their home country and also indicate how it will be applied upon their return.

Nationals from developing countries, aged 35 and under, and possessing a masters degree (or equivalent) and/or doctorate in a relevant subject area, are invited to apply. To find out if nationals from your country are eligible, please visit see the list of countries on the World Bank website by clicking here.

For more information on how to apply, please follow the link below.

Click here to read more > 

Newly-Formed Global Plant Council Brings a Coherent Voice to Plant Sciences

Honolulu, HI, USA is where it all happened.  In a milestone summit, organized by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and held from 15 to 16 July 2009 in Honolulu, 21 plant scientists representing 13 plant societies met to discuss the ways in which they can come together to address some of the most important environmental and societal issues in the world today.  These important global concerns consisted of: world hunger, energy, climate change, health and well-being, sustainability, and environmental protection.

As a result of this groundbreaking summit, the world’s first Global Plant Council has been formed.  Its purpose will be to focus on the above critical issues by defining and engaging in coordinated strategies for their resolution, and also in increasing awareness of the central role that plant science will play in this.  We can look for the Global Plant Council to move forward to create partnerships and collaborations that tackle and solve what we all recognize as critical and immediate problems for our planet. 

Mel Oliver of ASPB, and moderator of the Summit, reaffirms the significance of this important new Council: “The Global Plant Council is the first step that plant scientists across the globe have taken to speak with one voice on the pressing challenges that face humankind.”

To learn more, please click on the below link.

Click here to read more >

Launch of the new Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) website

The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative has launched a new website, www.asti.cgiar.org. ASTI, which is managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), is one of the few available sources of agricultural R&D statistics in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative compiles, analyzes, and publicizes data on institutional developments, investments, and capacity in agricultural R&D at the national, regional, and global levels.

The tools and functionality of ASTI’s enhanced website make key information more user-friendly and readily accessible to stakeholders. In the future the website will be further expanded to include links to other data collections related to S&T in agriculture and food.

Features of the new ASTI website:

• Map, view, and compare agricultural S&T data from over 60 low and middle income countries

• Download and export national, regional, and global investment and capacity timeseries datasets

• Access the ASTI Website Directory, which provides links to a large and growing number of agricultural R&D agencies worldwide

• Download a vast array of national, regional, and global ASTI publications 

For more information email asti@cgiar.org. 

Article submitted by the International Food Policy Research Institute

Click here to read more > 

Farmer-Centred Innovation at the Science Forum 2009

On 16 June 2009, IDS Research Fellow Dr John Thompson and a panel of experts officially launched two new books that emphasise the importance of putting farmers at the centre of agricultural innovation and development: Farmer First Revisited: Innovation for Agricultural Research and Development and Innovaton Africa: Enriching Farmers’ Livelihoods.

The first book, Farmer First Revisited, returns to the debates about farmer participation in agricultural R&D and looks to the future. With over 60 contributions from across the world, the book presents a range of experiences that highlight the importance of going beyond a focus on the farm to the wider innovation system, including market interactions as well as the wider institutional and policy environment. Edited by Ian Scoones and John Thompson and with a foreword by Robert Chambers, Farmer First Revisited should be read by students, policy makers, development professionals, and natural and social scientists aiming to bring the concerns of grassroots farmers to the forefront. To find out more or to learn how to purchase Farmer First Revisited, please click here.

Innovation Africa: Enriching Farmers' Livelihoods, covers new conceptual and methodological developments in agricultural innovation systems, and showcases recent on-the-ground experiences in different contexts in Africa. The contributions show how innovation is the outcome of social learning through interaction of individuals and organizations in both creating and applying knowledge. It brings examples of how space and incentives have been created to promote collaboration between farmers, research, extension and the private sector to develop better technologies and institutional arrangements that can alleviate poverty. Edited By Pascal C. Sanginga, Ann Waters-Bayer, Susan Kaaria, Jemimah Njuki and Chesha Wettasinha, the book reflects cutting-edge thinking and practice in support of innovation processes in agriculture and management of natural resources.

The GFAR community congratulates the authors of these two books and their efforts to bring to light the importance of better guiding the innovation systems of agricultural research for development. If you would like to find out how to purchase Innovation Africa: Enriching Farmers' Livelihoods, please click on the link below.

Click here to read more >

 12 March 2010

The meeting is part of a massive and concerted effort to better align research processes with the needs of the poor, in particular poor farmers to meet the enormous development challenges we face and can foresee around the world.

The aim is to build a series of collective actions on the ground to strengthen the value of agricultural research in development, reform research policies and institutions to be better aligned against the needs of the poor and elicit rapid change and collective action by making clear the value and returns from research to those who commit the funds required. Towards these ends, the GCARD conference has been informed by a systematic and inclusive region-by-region global consultation, which identified key themes and issues across the diverse perspectives of those engaged in the whole agricultural system. 

Within this process also, the reform of the international agricultural research system, the CGIAR, is a key pillar. The CGIAR is going through rapid reform, and developing collective actions and investments, to seek to deliver more coherent and effective impacts at scale through the use of international research. Turning research into development impact requires considerably more massive investment at national level also and the Conference will address the scale of these needs and the areas in which research investment is likely to bring best development returns.

Many of you have been giving valuable input into this process, and we aim to keep everyone informed about the event and share with you regular updates. In this newsletter we invite you amongst others to get to know the Program, learn more about the GCARD process, and get practical information about the event.
 
Share your comments and check further and event updates at the GCARD blog: http://gcardblog.wordpress.com/

In this E-News 

1. Get to know and download the provisional agenda

2. Read a FAQ about the event

3. Read a media advisory that sketches out the reach of the event and issues that will be debated 

4. Check out the practical information about the Conference, including accommodation, venue, and tours 

5. Access key background documents by regions