3. Workshop outline
• Dr Catherine Muthuri, World Agroforestry
Centre, Kenya, Project Leader on
FSC/2012/014 Trees for Food Security
• Dr Abdou Tenkouano, World Vegetable Centre,
Mali, Project leader on FSC/2012/111 Improving
income and nutrition in eastern and southern
Africa by enhancing vegetable-based farming
and food systems in peri-urban corridors;
• Dr Ashok Kumar, Advanced Center for Water
Resources Development and Management, with
Dr Bill Bellotti, University of Western Sydney on
LWR/2010/082 Improving livelihoods with
innovative cropping systems on the east India
plateau.
ACIAR
5. ACIAR
• Vision
– ACIAR looks to a world where poverty has
been reduced and the livelihoods of many
improved through more productive and
sustainable agriculture emerging from
collaborative international research
• Mission
– To achieve more productive and
sustainable agricultural systems for the
benefit of developing countries and
Australia through international agricultural
research partnerships
ACIAR
6. What we do
• Commission research into improving
sustainable agricultural production in
developing countries
• Fund project related training
• Communicate the results of funded
research
• Conduct and fund development activities
related to research programs
• Administer Australia's contribution to the
IARCs
ACIAR
8. Why international
agricultural research?
• there is no substitute for food
• improving agricultural productivity
lifts poor out of poverty
• investments in agricultural research
give high rates of return
• need productivity to be sustainable
• Australia's comparative advantage in
research and innovation to underpin
sustainable food systems
ACIAR
11. ACIAR’s Research Projects
Address the challenge of food insecurity in the
developing world
Align with priorities set in consultation with ACIAR
partner countries
Achieve sustainable agricultural practices that lift
productivity to deliver community impacts
Manage the challenges to agriculture from a
changing global climate
Actively engage in the whole of government agenda
ACIAR projects are subject to early adoption studies
3 years after completion and subsequent impact
assessment to provide accountability and improved
decision making
ACIAR
12. Number of people gaining access
to and using improved agricultural
technologies by project
30000
People (N)
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
ACIAR
Projects
ACIAR
ROU
16. Accelerated adoption of
research outputs
Typical adoption of
research outputs
Understanding barriers to adoption
and partnerships to improve
Time (years)
ACIAR
30
18. Impact of ACIAR funded
research in Afghanistan
• Three ACIAR projects focussed on
wheat and maize productivity
– Identified and released new varieties
– $6 M PV terms
• FAO seed distribution projects
– Strengthening National Seed
Production Capacity 2003-2006
– Variety and Seed Industry Development
2007-2011
– $34 million in PV terms
ACIAR
20. Factors limiting use of
improved seed
Does not limit use
Somewhat limits use
40
Improved seeds not easily available
locally
175
240
175
67
Improved seeds are harder to farm
High price of improved seeds
216
39
Insufficient information on how to farm
these seeds
Improved seed not available at planting
time
215
199
63
Local merchants do not sell improved
seed
Improved seeds need more costly
fertiliser
Limits use
n=454
(each
272
115
factor)
34
245
175
24
195
19
235
209
226
No money to buy seed
Not aware of the availability of
improved seeds
28
23
ACIAR
160
114
265
n=453
(each
factor)
316
20
21. Impact in Afghanistan
• ACIAR provided $6.6million for research on
wheat and maize in Afghanistan, with FAO,
contributing $34 million to improve seed
distribution
• 466 farmers were surveyed in 7 provinces
• ACIAR research assessed 9 improved
wheat varieties suited to local conditions
• 10% adoption of the new technology since
the seeds were first released
• total increase in productivity of 22–34%
• $400 million in benefit for the Afghanistan
economy
• Up to 140 000 farmers benefited from the
new technology in 2012
21
ACIAR
22. Independent review of
ACIAR
• Focussed on appropriateness,
effectiveness and efficiency
• Published in May 2013
• Independent panel
– Mr Bill Farmer AO; Prof Ron Duncan; Dr
Wendy Jarvie; Mr Terry Enright
• Comprehensive consultations
• Sets future direction for ACIAR
– Recommendations accepted
ACIAR
23. Future of ACIAR
• Retain independence, but part of
broader aid program
• Consider future issues – nutrition,
mining, energy, climate change,
“stresses on production from ocean
fisheries”
• Evolve partnerships due to changing
capability (individual, institutional and
regional)
• Tell our story
• Better stakeholder engagement
ACIAR
24. Future partnerships
• important strengths:
– flexibility,
– reliance on strong technical expertise, and
– development of valuable partnerships in
Australia and overseas
• Scope for a more systemic approach to
involving the private sector and NGOs in
ACIAR’s work
• “ACIAR, after a process of consultation with
interested stakeholders, develop a position
paper on the future involvement in its work
of the private sector and NGOs”
(Recommendation 13)
ACIAR
25. Current engagement –
Seeds of Life
• Seeds of Life - partners with NGOs to
bring in the results of the research
• "Seeds of Life has effectively
leveraged the capacity of civil society
groups (e.g. World Vision, CARE,
Catholic Relief Services, USC
Canada and local groups such as
churches) to support diffusion of new
varieties and to provide seeds to the
more vulnerable groups."
ACIAR
Skills and qualifications in disciplines relevant to international agricultural research opens up opportunities to work in a wide variety of agencies, in a wide variety of roles. Some of these include.....
Three quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas and rely directly or indirectly on agriculture (including fisheries and forests) for livelihoods. Many low income developing countries spend up to 80% of income on food. World Bank research indicates that agricultural growth is twice as effective in reducing poverty as non-agricultural growthThe World Bank estimates that a 1% increase in agricultural yields leads to between 0.6% and 1.2% reduction in people living below $US1 per day.
Survey after Ramadan (October) 2012466 completed surveysPashtu and Dari
