Suchergebnisse

D2.4 is the fourth and last deliverable of WP2. It presents a wide review of the potential building blocks on which a Europe/Africa partnership on research and innovation in Agro food systems can be constructed. The document comprises two sections: Section I provides general considerations on intensification of agrifood systems, the options ProIntensAfrica has taken to understand the intensification dynamics, and the ways research and innovation can appropriately support this process. Section II presents the themes of the expected agenda, analysing first megatrends and challenges, food systems, trade and access to market, natural resources. Then, the document explores different cropping systems in order to identify the needs of a large diversity of stakeholders, at different scales, in different ecological zones to support the decision-making process. Finally, a wide spectrum of cross cutting themes are explored (biosciences and technologies, genetic diversity, large scale land acquisitions, innovation in partnership, collective actions, multi-criteria evaluation, ecosystem services, foresight capabilities, critical technologies, urban and peri-urban agriculture). If relevant, all the items are analysed with the ProIntensAfrica option that different visions of agricultural intensification address diversified (and complementary) research agendas. The content of the Agenda is mainly based on the PROIntensAfrica literature review. The full contributions of the authors, including lists of references, are available on an online platform, accessible on: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bz1YBNqX1eprNEc2UGJoRHMyV2c These building blocks will be later in the project confronted (i) to the case studies conclusions, (ii) to the vision and criterion developed by the other WPs, and (iii) to a realistic future Europe / Africa partnership. From these confrontations, the final ProIntensAfrica R&I agenda will be defined.

This report is a first synthesis report of the In-depth Case Studies (IDCS) and Light Case Studies (LCS) implemented under the umbrella of WP2 of the PROIntensAfrica project. In parallel with a literature review, case studies have been implemented in order to document agricultural intensification dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa. This report consists of a general description of the selected case studies, and a preliminary cross case study analysis. In a separate google drive file, the executive summaries of all case studies are provided. The drive also presents the raw full reports of of all the CS. It can be accessed with the link https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bz1YBNqX1eprV3ZsbzA2Ql8zTTg The document explores different research themes which have been explored in the case studies, and suggests a classification with the 5 following components : Production, Households, Landscape, Food system and Public Policies. Indicators are also considered, and some convincing examples are presented. The drivers of changes have been carefully analysed in every case study, and a tentative synthesis is presented, considering four families of drivers : Macro drivers, Local drivers, Households drivers and Biophysical drivers. The document concludes with general remarks on sustainable intensification, and presents the perspectives of linking the CS analysis with the literature review, from which a research and Innovation Agenda will be derived.

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; In 2005, FAO released an "Irrigation in Africa in figures" report which emphasized that the level of investment in agricultural water management has been declining for the past two decades. In response to the UN Millennium Development Goals and recurring food crises in Africa, political initiatives are being pursued such as the UK-led Commission for Africa. The report called for a huge effort in the irrigation sector with a plea to double the area of arable land under irrigation by 2015. Today the World Bank appears to lead the process of re-engagement in the sector. But only few donors seem ready to follow the momentum. In fact there are still a lot of doubts on: how to invest in a continent where irrigation is so risky with high costs, unreliable operation and maintenance, weak institutions, and meagre markets. Besides, new considerations call for prudence in irrigation development such as competition for water (growing urbanization, wetlands protections), climate change, and agriculture trade globalisation. The aim of this paper is to try to describe the current donors' approaches and the coherence of their strategies. Indeed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness obliges donors to adapt to countries' demand and to harmonize their policies. It appears that in the irrigation sector donors do not have yet explicit strategies in Sub Saharan Africa. Several donors are not even certain that irrigation is a good entry point to solve poverty and food security problems, despite recent evidence brought about by the research community.

En Afrique, 45% du territoire est situé dans des régions où l'agriculture pluviale est fragilisée par les sécheresses récurrentes. Au Burkina Faso, la dégradation des sols peut être limitée grâce à la technique du Zaï, technique manuelle traditionnelle très exigeante en main d'oeuvre (300h/ha). La mécanisation de l'opération permet de passer à 40h/ha. L'amélioration de la technique touche aujourd'hui plusieurs centaines de fermes et d'artisans dans une vingtaine de villages du nord du Burkina Faso. Une cactée (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill) originaire du Mexique a été introduite accidentellement il y a moins de 20 ans en dans la province aride du Tigray au le nord de l'Ethiopie. Dans un délai très court, des modes de culture, d'utilisation et de transformation des différents produits de Opuntia ont fait l'objet d'améliorations techniques permettant d'améliorer l'alimentation humaine et animale et les revenus en période de soudure (juillet-septembre). Ces progrès ont été, au départ, initiés par la recherche agricole locale mais une rapide montée en puissance a été opérée grâce à une collaboration multi acteurs impliquant notamment les utilisateurs de ces techniques notamment les agriculteurs eux mêmes. Les deux expériences ont été présentées à la conférence AIDA : " Agricultural Innovation in Dryland Africa " (http://inco-aida.cirad.fr ) tenue à Accra (Ghana), 22-24 janvier 2007, qui a permis un premier inventaire d'études de cas d'amélioration agricole en Afrique sahélienne. Le principal enseignement de la conférence, illustré par ces deux études de cas, est que dans les conditions d'une grande variabilité spatiale et temporelle des facteurs environnementaux et humains, l'innovation agricole est un processus dynamique, complexe et interactif, en rupture avec les démarches linéaires de transfert de technologie majoritairement pratiqués depuis 40 ans. Les méthodes et les approches qui permettent d'intégrer cette complexité sont aujourd'hui au centre des débats afin de permettre l'appropriation par les acteurs donc accroitre l'impact des améliorations technologiques et leur pérennisation dans des contextes où les marges de manoeuvre économique et climatiques sont très réduites.