CGIAR centers working in Nigeria and key representatives of the country’s agriculture stakeholders─from farmers’ organizations, development agencies, donor organizations, the private sector, private and public extension actors, regional organizations, research partners in the national program, the media, and policymakers─are coming together in a move to work more closely with each other and at the same time better align their activities to national priorities.
Discussions on better integration and the mechanics of how all important stakeholders could work together at the national level were held at a two-day meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, 16–17 November. This meeting brought together all CGIAR centers working in Nigeria and a wide range of stakeholders in the agriculture sector to explore how CGIAR can be better integrated in the country’s agriculture R4D fabric.
The participants looked at the agricultural strategy of Nigeria, the challenges facing the sector, the national priorities, donors and funders’ priorities, and CGIAR activities in the country. They discussed principles and mechanisms that would help guide the development of an integration plan outlining collaboration; selection of sites, issues, and partners; and important areas including monitoring and evaluation, communication, and coordination and governance structures. The plan will be used to inform the development of phase 2 of the CGIAR Research Programs. The meeting was organized by IITA’s Partnership Coordination Office led by Alfred Dixon.
Engineer Akeju Olagbaju, a Director with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), noted that this was a timely move by CGIAR that would lead to better impact of research and development efforts for smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Engr Olagbaju officiated the opening of the meeting on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of FMARD. He noted that while the agricultural sector is very important in Nigeria it is also still grappling with many challenges including low yields of key staple crops and livestock, poor market access, and lack of inputs such as improved seeds and fertilizers, among others. On the other h and, the country also has a large number of unemployed youth for whom agriculture can be a source of jobs and income, and a huge international portfolio of project grants from various donors that address agricultural development.
The President of the Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Tunji Adenola, commended CGIAR for the site integration initiative, emphasizing that it would multiply the benefits of research.
“Take for instance, IITA and CIMMYT, which have been working on maize and have developed improved maize varieties. A meeting like this has the potential of scaling up the benefits of these varieties such that more farmers would have access to these varieties,” he explained.
Also speaking at the meeting, Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Capacity Development, noted that the days of each CGIAR center working alone is long gone. “CGIAR is moving into a mode of greater collaboration and integration with national, regional, and international partners within a single location,” he said.
He said that the challenge to agricultural development was huge and dem anded collaboration among all stakeholders.
Kwesi Atta-Krah, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics, spoke on behalf of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the CGIAR Consortium.
He said that the challenge to agricultural development was huge and dem anded collaboration among all stakeholders.
“Our goal is to ensure how best the smallholder farmer in Nigeria will benefit the most from research,” Atta-Krah added.
Other speakers at the workshop were Atsuko Toda, from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) represented the Agriculture Development Partners’ Working Group; and Alfred Dixon who gave an overview of CGIAR’s presence in Nigeria.
This meeting is the first in a series of meetings on site integration being organized by CGIAR. The next meeting will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 3-4 December also organized by IITA. Other countries slated soon include Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya, among others.
For more information please contact:
Katherine Lopez, Head of Communication, IITA HQ, K.Lopez@cgiar.org
About IITA www.iita.org
IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
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