Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR)

Background

The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) was established in October 1996 as an initiative to promote cost-effective partnerships and strategic alliances amongst stakeholders involved in agricultural research. It was designed to provide a forum where these stakeholders could work together and find solutions to the persistent problems of food insecurity, poverty, degradation and loss of natural resources, and became operational in 1998.

The GFAR concept revolves around three key issues all linked to the sustainable development paradigm. Firstly, that in order to respond effectively and efficiently to the triple demand of adequate and quality food, sustainable utilization of natural resources and poverty alleviation, placed on the agriculture-food sector, the sector would have to be integrated, knowledge driven and innovative. Secondly, that no single research group, institution or individuals working alone and in isolation can generate, utilize or promote the effective utilization of the required knowledge based and integrated approaches. Thirdly, and as a corollary, that the activities, enquiries, innovation and research outputs required to drive this knowledge-based integrated agriculture can only be efficiently and effectively produced by stakeholders working together in strategic alliances and cost effective partnerships, in order to benefit from the economies of scale that come from the pooling of knowledge, expertise and resources both human and financial. Researchers would need to work in not only in multi-disciplinary teams, but also across stakeholder groups inclusive of civil society organizations (CSOs) such as farmers’ groups, community based organizations (CBOs), relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private sector groups such as processors, commodity and input traders, among others.

GFAR Stakeholders

The stakeholders of the Global Forum are the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), the international agricultural research centers (IARCs), the advanced research institutes (ARIs), the Farmers’ Organizations, the NGOs, the private sector and donors and development agencies.

GFAR Vision

GFAR stakeholders envision a progressive development of a multi-purpose agriculture that:
• contributes in a cost-effective and competitive manner to feeding the global population through environmentally sensitive resource utilization technologies, and to poverty alleviation;
• is diversified, innovative and based on modern and traditional knowledge;
• thrives on research outputs developed in a participatory manner by stakeholders working together in cost-effective partnerships built around the farmer-producer; and
• stimulates long-term policy and political support to the research systems that produces such beneficial research outputs.

Convinced that developing such a multi-purpose competitive agriculture would require sustained collaborative efforts amongst the several stakeholders involved in agriculture and agricultural research for development, GFAR stakeholders see in the near future, the scientific community and other stakeholders involved in ARSD collaborating and working together as equal partners to find policy, technical and socio-economic solutions to the triple scourge of poverty, food insecurity and the degradation of natural resources.

GFAR mission

Thus, the mission of GFAR is to mobilize the scientific community and all other stakeholders involved in agricultural research for sustainable development, and support their efforts to alleviate poverty, increase food security and promote sustainable utilization of natural resources.

GFAR Objectives

GFAR stakeholders crafted the following objectives, which they strongly believe will enable them address their mission and achieve the goals envisioned if properly addressed:
• Facilitate the participation of all stakeholders in formulating a truly global framework for development-oriented agricultural research;
• Foster cost-effective collaborative partnerships amongst such stakeholders involved in agricultural researcher for development;
• Promote the emergence of true National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), and enhance their capacity to respond to users` needs;
• Facilitate and promote information exchange and knowledge sharing amongst its stakeholders;
• Advocate for and sensitize to the need for a long term commitment to, and support for agricultural research

Thematic Areas

The thematic areas of research the group decided to initially confine itself are (1) Genetic resources management and biotechnology; (2) natural resources management and agro-ecology; (3) commodity chains/underutilized species; and (4) policy management and institutional development.

Contact:
GFAR Secretariat
c/o FAO-SDR
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 570 53413; Fax: +39 06 570 53898
http://www.egfar.org

Last update: 02/16/06