The Regional Multidisciplinary
Platform
“Rural communities, Environment
and Climate
in West Africa”
http://www.ppr-srec.ird.fr/
UE, Bruxelles 26th November, 2013
1
The Regional Multidisciplinary Platform
“Rural communities, Environment and Climate in West Africa”
How do European and African research, innovation and development actors
cooperate ?
Why must European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Focus on WEST AFRICA
• a region of high population growth,
• sensitive to climatic hazards,
• the well-being of its population depends heavily on the availability and
the access to natural resources
•
the projections for the future are uncertain,
Food security, environment and climate are linked in West Africa.
2
The Regional Multidisciplinary Platform
“Rural communities, Environment and Climate in West Africa”
How do European and African research, innovation and development actors
cooperate ?
Why must European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Moreover, it is estimated that
• 80% of Africa's population depends directly on agriculture for their
livelihood
• and the sector has 70% of full-time jobs.
• a 1% increase in agricultural productivity reduces poverty by 0.6% in
Africa (Source: Forum for Agricultural Research in
• Africa: http://www.fara-africa.org).
In this perspective, small farmers have a key role to play in improving
the food security and preserving natural resources
Food security & the preservation of natural resources
In the face of climate change
Not only African challenge, but African and European shared and common interest taken3into
account by Bi-regional dialogue & Strategy
How do European and African research, innovation and development actors
cooperate ?
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Sharing a commun platform towards a commun objective
Food security & the preservation of natural resources
In the face of climate change
Should be tackled
At the regional
scale in order to
impact strategies at
national & regional
levels
In a cross-disciplinary
approach
To promote innovations
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Sharing a commun platform towards a commun objective
Food security & the preservation of natural resources
In the face of climate change
At the regional
scale in order to
impact national &
regional strategies
In a cross-disciplinary
approach
Rural communities
Innovations for the resilience of rural communities and natural
resources in West Africa, and promote
5
Adaptations to climate change
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Sharing a commun platform towards a commun objective
Food security & the preservation of natural resources
In the face of climate change
Merging various Scientific Expertise for
New knowledge; Education & training, Innovation
Strengthen the dialogue
Between
End-Users
Rural communities
Provide EXPERTISE to decision-makers and end
users
6
6
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Sharing a commun platform towards a commun objective
4 pillars
Regional Research
projects
International
laboratories
A regional
ambition
Field Observatories
Capacity building
7
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Gathering EXPERTISE
At the beginning 300 scientists, from 100 institutions
Large diversity of expertise (excellence scientific, on fields)
Example; Benin
Phytopathology
Soil Ecology
Anthropology
Agronomy
Ethno-botanic
Plant genetics
Hydrology
8
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Gathering EXPERTISE
At the beginning 300 scientists, from 100 institutions
Large diversity of expertise (excellence scientific, on fields)
Example; Burkina Faso
Virology
Sociology
Ecologie
Hydrology
Geography
Agronomy
Entomology
Economy
Soil Science
9
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Gathering EXPERTISE
At the beginning 300 scientists, from 100 institutions
Large diversity of expertise (excellence scientific, on fields)
Example; Ivory Cost
AgroMeteoro
logy
Chemistry
GIS
Climate Sc.
Ecologie
Climate
Model.
Hydrology
10
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Gathering EXPERTISE
At the beginning 300 scientists, from 100 institutions
Large diversity of expertise (excellence scientific, on fields)
To encourage multi-disciplinary High level regional Programmes
examples
Pillar : Regional Research
projects
• AMMA : West African Monsoon, its variability and its impacts
• ESCAPE : past and future vulnerability of rural communities in Africa
to environmental and climate change; adaptation
• CEREO : ecological and social meta-rules that confer viability and
sustainability to agro-socio-ecosytems (cereals)
• …. (see web site for others)
11
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Creating common infrastructure
Joint Laboratory
Pillar : International Lab
LMI IESOL Ecological intensification of
agricultural soils in West Africa
LMI ECLAIR West-African Climate, African
Monsoon, Climate change
LMI LAPSE Adaptation of plant and soil
microorganisms to abiotic stresses
LMI PATEO
Heritage and Territory of Coastal Wetlands
LMI Plant Pathogens Observatory in West
Africa: Biodiversity-Biotechnology-Biosafety
and Biosecurity
LMI Prediction of climatic
and anthropogenic impacts on Water
Resources in sub-Saharan Africa
12
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Creating common infrastructure
Joint Laboratory
Pillar : International Lab
To stimulate the reinforcement of building capacity of
African students, and permanent staff
Pillar : Building capacity
PhDs students,
Technical trainings
13
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
Creating common infrastructure
Long-term monitoring from 1990’s over key regions of
Land surface, Ocean, Atmosphere, Aerosols and chemistry
Multidisiciplinary Observatories
Pillar : Observtories
14
How can European – African actors (research, innovators, farmers,
..) cooperate ?
EXPERTISE (Science & Field)
+
common infrastructure
How can research advance the innovation process ?
• Able to answer to local needs (some
examples)
• To transfer of inoculation technology (symbiotic
microorganisms) to famers in West Africa
End-Users
• To monitor and forecast crop yields in west Africa
(Agrhymet)
• To set up on field participatory plateform for Jatropha
(UE-Europaid Project)
15
How can research advance the innovation process ?
An example
Societal research: Partnership Research Laboratories Producer organizations
for transfer of inoculation technology (symbiotic
microorganisms)
Innovation plateform
16
How can research advance the innovation process ?
Integration of symbiotic micro-organisms in soil crop management
Inoculation (addition to plant culture of microbe cells) of selected symbiotic
microorganisms (rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi):
- technological innovation of research, alternative to chemical fertilizers
- environmentally friendly and inexpensive
- improves agricultural productivity and soil fertility
Non inoculé
Non inoculé
Inoculé
Inoculé
Soyben inoculation of in Bénin (source : P. Houngnandan)
Peanuts inoculation in Senegal (source : A. Kane)
17
How can research advance the innovation process ?
Social value of research
Fact: Inoculation underutilized by users West Africa
Conclusive lab results but lack of in situ
research
Lack of dissemination of inoculation
technology to users
Partnership approach
•
•
•
•
•
Get to know
Working together
Consider a long-term collaboration
Ensure capacity building
Enter the research in societal project
Establishment of partnership in SENEGAL
 Researchers in Soil microbiology
 Producer organizations
 Agricultural and Rural services
based on network of producers' organizations in Senegal under the leadership of CNCR (Conseil National18de
Concertation et de Coopération des Ruraux)
How can research advance the innovation process ?
Social value of research
Initiative released in West Africa under leadership of ROPPA based on existing networks:
 Laboratoires of microbiological research
 National farmers' platforms
CNPFP/N
Mali
Impacts :
•
•
•
Niger
Senegal
Sustainable development and respect for users
Burkina
Benin
Long-term collaboration between researchers and
farmers
Appropriation and diffusion of innovations driven by
the Producer Organisations (OPs)
Project of incubation
Organization of inoculum production and
quality control
Up-scaling using
•
•
Present demand of producers:
inoculum in mass and of quality
Need partnership with the private sector
OPs
Quality control
Laboratory
Mass production
Social
entreprise
19
How can research advance the innovation process ?
An example
Monitoring and forecasting the crop
yields in Africa
End-Users
Development, improvement of a
crop model in Niger
Research topic: Impact of climate on crop
yields
2004
Simulated grain yields (kg ha-1 )
Observation of millet cropping
systems in Niger
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
y = 0,63x + 472,68
R² = 0,34
0
200
400
600
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
Observed grain yields (kg ha-1 )
The crop model is now used by AGHRYMET to provide a monthly bulletin of
monitoring and forecasting of the cropping season
Main collaborations : CIRAD (Montpellier) et AGRHYMET (Niamey)
20
The Regional Multidisciplinary Platform
“Rural communities, Environment and Climate
in West Africa”
Large diversity of Scientific “expertise”
For Innovation and Participatory R&D
Large diversity of Infrastructure
For building capacity
Rural
communities
Field Observatories
For long term multi-disciplinary surveys
End-Users
21
21
The Regional Multidisciplinary Platform
“Rural communities, Environment and Climate
in West Africa”
SREC a West African - French network
Rural
communities
BUT wish to move from an AfricanFrench level
to a more African – European Level
WISH to share SREC to European partners :
• Sharing forces and scientific competences
• Identifying synergies and Seeing how to work together
• Strengthen Researcher - end users - policy makers links
• Being more competitive for funds
End-Users
22
22
Thank you for your attention
23