Christian Bonte-Friedheim:
Global, Regional and National Fora for Agricultural and Development Oriented Research

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CHRISTIAN BONTE-FRIEDHEIM
Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Germany

Limited regional and inter country research cooperation in the agricultural sector has existed for many decades. In several developing regions such cooperation had ended with national independence. For many reasons agricultural research had lost some of its efficiency. The general weakness of national agricultural research, especially in fighting hunger, was a very important reason for the development of the system of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This was built on the early work of the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, with their successful wheat and maize institute in Mexico and their rice institute in the Philippines. The CG system consists now of 16 institutes. In several geographic regions or sub-regions an increasing exchange of experience and closer cooperation in the agricultural research sector could be noted in the last 30 years. Regional and sub-regional agricultural research fora were created. These fora and also the international agricultural research centres contributed to regional cooperation. For a number of countries such regional and sub-regional fora were quite often a first step to cooperation in the agricultural research sector. Soon some disadvantages became also obvious, as early on only agricultural research of the public sector was involved.

Even earlier some criticism could be noted on the priority setting process in international agricultural research of the CG system, where only very few national research managers from poor countries were participating, representing the demand side. In the winter of 1992 a meeting was arranged in Rome to discuss the future of agricultural research, with many national researchers from different developing regions participating. The idea of a global and more as well as stronger regional and sub regional fora for agricultural research was developed. Several such fora could be established in the same decade. The secretariat is located in FAO in Rome. The last global forum meeting took place in May 2000 in Dresden. (A copy of the Dresden Declaration should be available).

The first meeting of the European Forum took place in The Netherlands, in Wageningen in April 1999. The topic was ``Global Agricultural Research for Development: How can Europe Respond? Call for Initiatives''. The second European Fora met in Rome in May this year. (A copy of the Rome Declaration should be available).

Since 1999 national fora were also founded in some western European countries, for example in The Netherlands, France, Switzerland and the UK. Five important reasons for the creation of national fora for agricultural or development oriented research were:

a)
Better cooperation between national researchers;

b)
Greater influence of researchers on the priorities of nationally financed development oriented research;

c)
Greater influence of researchers on the priorities of EU financed development oriented research;

d)
Better cooperation in Europe between different researchers and research institutions;

e)
Easier access to international research funds, and greater participation in international agricultural research.

In December 2001 a second, successful attempt was made to create a German Forum for Development Oriented Research (DFOR). Members of the Forum are scientific associations, NGOs, industrial research firms, foundations as well as implementing agencies for development programs and projects. It is hoped that the first plenary meeting in Bonn in September 2002 will adopt a Resolution, to be distributed widely among parliamentarians and politicians. (A copy of the Bonn Resolution should be available).





Footnotes

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Contact Address: Christian Bonte-Friedheim, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Berkaerstraße 30, 14193 Berlin, Germany, e-mail: cbs@agrar.hu-berlin.de
Andreas Deininger, September 2002