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CIRAD’s Science Council

CIRAD in Africa

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Jean-Louis Sarah
Secretary, CIRAD Science Council
Montpellier, France
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CIRAD’s Science Council in Cotonou, alongside CORAF’s general assembly

26/05/2010 - Snippets

For the second time in 2 years, CIRAD’s Science Council is meeting in Africa. The session will take place in Cotonou, Benin, from 27-29 May 2010, at the same time as the CORAF/WECARD general assembly (West and Central African Council for Research and Development).

This mission will focus on questions concerning partnership and Africa, which are also central to CIRAD’s geo-partnership strategy. The organisation of CORAF’s general assembly at the same time as CIRAD’s Science Council underlines the desire of both institutions to work together to find ways of dealing with the challenges facing Africa.
The 15 members of the council will travel to the meeting: “The meeting has generated interest ,” underlines Jean-Louis Sarah, the Secretary of the Science Council. “Partnership is at the very heart of CIRAD’s raison d’être. ” It is also one of the priorities of the CIRAD Science Council's new mandate, which is chaired by the sociologist Bertrand Hervieu. A joint session will allow both organisations to discuss the common ground that they share with regard to partnership.

CIRAD’s Science Council

CIRAD’s Science Council, which consults with the Director General, is consulted about the content and modalities for conducting research and study programmes, as well as their organisation. It can make proposals for the orientation of the establishment’s research and for its main strategies in terms of recruitment, training, alliance and partnership, geographic deployment, etc.

CIRAD in Benin

CIRAD has been in Benin for years. Eight researchers are working there and over 50 missions are organised from France each year. Research programmes are conducted in collaboration with organisations from IRRA (International Rice Research Institute) and the two main international centres in the country: AfricaRice and IITA (Agricultural Research for Development). These programmes, which cover cotton, palm oil, yam, plantain, mango and market gardening, are trying to integrate the three aspects of sustainability: economic, social and environmental.