Annual General Meeting 2005 Marrakech Morocco Centers and

Annual General Meeting 2005 Marrakech, Morocco Centers and Members Day 05 December 2005

The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers Convergence and Collective Action for the CGIAR William D. Dar Chair, Alliance Executive and Director General, ICRISAT

This presentation • Context of collective action • Milestones of the Alliance • Alliance members in collective action • Continuing challenges

Reforms in the CGIAR has undergone unprecedented reforms: • a re-focused vision and mission • streamlined governance • strengthened scientific advice • coordinated central support • elevated program profile Centers are committed to play a proactive and constructive role

The Future Harvest Alliance • Formal alliance of 15 CGIAR Centers • Built on existing governance mechanisms • Aims to enhance effectiveness and efficiency without bureaucracy • Operates at minimal cost • Instrument of reform in the CGIAR

Imperative for collective action • Focus partners on new priorities • Focus on innovative systems and impact • One authoritative voice on global issues • Support for institutional learning and synergy • Cost efficiency in services • Reduce tensions

Benefits of collective action • • More focused programs Responsive to more opportunities Streamlined access to the Centers More effective application of global public goods • Lower transaction costs

Collective action framework • Built on existing CGIAR practices • Informed by a new vision • Principles and Procedures of collaboration established • Guided by the Alliance Board and managed by the Alliance Executive • Supported by the Future Harvest Alliance Office

Milestones of the Alliance

Milestones at AGM 04 • Alliance created by CBC and CDC • Guiding principles declaring Alliance’s allegiance is first and foremost to the poor • Alliance Executive (AE) transformed from CDC

Milestones in 2005 Principles and Procedures (P&P) • P&P a roadmap for decision-making, collective action of Centers • Draft document discussed by Centers and reviewed by the World Bank • Chairs and DGs will approve in principle; Boards will review and approve final draft • Ask CG members to include approved version in CGIAR Charter

Milestones in 2005 Joint Medium Term Plans with partners • Developing joint MTPs for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) • ILRI and ASARECA lead in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) • WARDA and CORAF lead in Western and Central Africa (WCA) • MTPs will serve as vehicles for CGIAR program alignments in SSA

Milestones in 2005 • Quarterly newsletter and diary for 2006 • Input to SC’s research priorities and SC’s comments on Center MTPs • Assessment report on SWEPs • Workshop on public-private sector agricultural research (jointly with CGIAR’s Private Sector Committee and Secretariat)

Milestones in 2005 • Rapid adoption of common policies on GMOs and Center germplasm collections • Orientation program for new Board members • Grievance and conflict resolution mechanism for Centers drafted

Alliance members in collective action

New CGIAR Intranet (CGXchange) • To be launched during AGM 05 • Access to information resources of CGIAR and unique tools for seamless global collaboration

Gender and diversity • Centers’ gender and diversity associates (GDAs) met in Bogor, Indonesia • GDAs assessed progress on gender and diversity goals and planned future CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program

CIAT: Biofortification for the poor • Collaboration to improve human nutrition of the poor • Major health and productivity benefits for women and children (With CIMMYT, CIP and 10 partners from Latin America) Centro Internaciona. I de Agricultura Tropical

CIFOR: Creating environmental awareness • Media campaign on floods, deforestation and forest-based livelihoods • 50 stories released by leading media and key non-English publications (With ICRAF, IWMI and FAO) Center for International Forestry Research

CIMMYT: Stress breeding for maize • Selection for synchrony in flowering under controlled drought stress • 45, 000 tons of seed of stress -tolerant maize varieties for Africa • Average yield gains of 1520% in Eastern and Southern Africa (With CGIAR Centers and national partners) International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

CIP: Sweet potato for pigs • Making sweet potato more edible for pigs • Combination of ensilaging and feed supplements; doubles production • Great impact on livelihoods in Vietnam • Extended to Indonesia, China and India (With ILRI and national partners) Centro Internacional de la Papa

ICARDA: Rebuilding agriculture in Afghanistan Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan: • Rebuilt seed systems and key agricultural stations • Germplasm collection • Capacity building (With CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP, ICRISAT, IFPRI, ILRI, IPGRI and IWMI) International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

ICRAF: Alternative to slash and burn Alternative to Slash and Burn • 2. 5 million hectares of Brazilian forest not converted to pastures • Pro-poor policies to avoid conflicts and environmental degradation (With CGIAR Centers and national partners) World Agroforestry Centre

ICRISAT: Promoting ‘Healing Wounds’ • Media dialogue on CGIAR’s Healing Wounds • Healing Wounds helps rehabilitate livelihoods of tsunami survivors in Asia and countries affected by conflicts (With CIMMYT, CIP, ILRI, IRRI and IWMI) International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

IFPRI: Exploring partnerships • Research on public-private partnerships for more impact on poverty reduction, food security and agricultural development • Launched research and organized workshops* • Coordination of GOAFU (*With ICRISAT in India ) International Food Policy Research Institute

IITA: Public awareness of mycotoxin • Communication campaign with partners on the dangers of mycotoxin • Reached about 10 million people in Ghana, Togo and Benin • Innovative technologies to manage mycotoxins* (*Developed with CIMMYT and ICRISAT ) International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

ILRI: Empowering women as household providers • Northern Nigerian women provided with cowpea and sorghum varieties for their goats and families during the dry season • Women’s goatrearing groups are growing exponentially (With IITA and the Systemwide Livestock Program) International Livestock Research Institute

IPGRI: Higher profile for animal and fish genetic resources System-wide Genetic Resources Program: • Meeting to give farm animal and fish genetic resources a higher profile • Inputs on Center agreements with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and standard Material Transfer Agreement (With CGIAR Centers) International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

IRRI: Harnessing ICT to meet people’s needs The Rice Knowledge Bank: • 3 million hits in 2005 and 13 country sites • Premier source of rice-related training and extension material • Proposal for Cereal Knowledge Bank with CIMMYT International Rice Research Institute

IWMI: Consortium on spatial information CGIAR Consortium of Spatial Information: Data management & coordination, geographic dimension of crop varieties, impact assessment, natural resource degradation, integration & capacity building and poverty mapping. International Water Management Institute

WARDA: From rice to riches New Rice for Africa (NERICA): • Benin: 6% increase in school enrolment; 2% reduction in child sickness • Uganda: New cash crop supports education • Guinea: Area planted to NERICA increased by 50% between 20022003 (With CGIAR Centers and national partners) Africa Rice Center

World. Fish: Rebuilding better lives after the tsunami Consortium to Restore Shattered Livelihoods of Communities in Tsunami Affected Nations: • Addresses root causes of vulnerability • Ensures that communities attain better situations than before the tsunami (With CGIAR Centers and national partners) World. Fish Center

Challenges and concerns

Continuing challenges 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Institutional learning Collective versus independent action Recognition and incentives Performance measurement Leadership and executive capacity Conflict resolution

Other concerns 1. Costs of the Alliance Office 2. Buy-in of the Alliance by Centers and CG members 3. Governance of the Alliance Board over the Alliance 4. Cost and benefits of the Alliance

Conclusion • The Alliance is a proactive force to help reform the CGIAR • Broad support needed for the Alliance’s success

ICRISAT is humbled to have served the Alliance! Uzo Mokwunye Board Chair, AB William Dar DG Chair, AE Dyno Keatinge DDG-Research Chair, CDDC

The Alliance’s allegiance is first and foremost to the poor Thank you