Jean-Luc Khalfaoui: «Towards a global coalition for research to reduce hunger, poverty and for environmental protection»

This conference is a long-awaited event as far as the donors and stakeholders in agricultural research are concerned. What is at stake?

Jean-Luc Khalfaoui: The key word for the conference is “partnership”. This involves optimising agricultural research at international level through greater cooperation between all the private and public research and civil society stakeholders. That is where the urgency lies. Whether the issue is climate change or food security, the questions are of global scope. No one can deal with them alone. Therefore, it is important to address the issues in a coordinated and coherent way. That is why this conference is so crucial. It is the result of 15 years of development for GFAR (1) and the 15 CGIAR (2) centres, as well as a requirement for the relevance and durability of the international agricultural research system.
Improving efficiency means making the most of the complementarity of the competencies of research stakeholders and minimising redundancies. First of all, it is a question of agreeing on the content of future research to meet the challenges. This also implies improving the organisation of research. To achieve this, large global research programmes or "Mega Programmes" will be launched. Therefore, it is essential to set up a partnership that is open to more stakeholders, who also represent different cultures. In fact, that is one of the requests underlined by southern countries, which would like their research structures to be more integrated in the international agricultural research system.

How is the French agricultural research system integrated within international system?

J.-L. K.: For over 20 years, France has had an international agricultural research commission, the CRAI, which is a platform for discussions between research institutions and their relevant ministries. It enables France to establish a coherent position for each topic with regard to international agricultural research. This is a major advantage compared to other countries and it is rather specific to France. In addition, France has resolutely placed its action within a European partnership, which is increasingly being strengthened in terms of agricultural research for southern countries. In this sector, Europe accounts for half of the world effort in terms of capacity and funding for research. Lastly, since 2009, the French agricultural research system has set up a new entity, Agreenium, which aims at a more effective mobilisation of research and training capacities of its members. It brings together 5.700 researchers and professors of CIRAD, INRA (3), AgroParisTech, Agrocampus Ouest, Montpellier SupAgro and the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire in Toulouse. IRD (4) and notably its AIRD (5) efficiently complements the French system. France is, therefore, ready to mobilise its research and training capacities for international cooperation.

What is CIRAD’s contribution to this mobilisation process?

J.-L. K.: Among Cirad's priority research partnerships, two for example are developed with CGIAR centres, CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research) on forestry and climate change, biodiversity and poor foresters, and AfricaRice on sustainable intensification and diversification of rice systems in Africa. These partnerships make it possible to provide a more effective response to questions that are both regional and global. CIRAD was also very much involved in the consultations organised in each continent by GFAR for the preparation of the conference. Representatives from Cirad contributed to discussions on research priorities. Thus, they provided insigths from CIRAD but also from France and Europe.
As far as research content is concerned, CIRAD, IRD and INRA will for example make a proposal during the conference to contribute to a global research initiative on rice which is led by three CGIAR centres: IRRI (6), AfricaRice and CIAT (7).
Other major initiative, the problems linked to agriculture in the context of climate change have already led to the development of a Joint European Programme Initiative, supported by INRA and CIRAD. It will also be necessary to find a form of open partnership with the CGIAR centres involved in this field.

In real terms, what will happen after the conference?

J.-L. K.: This conference should lead to a real global coalition for research to reduce hunger, poverty and for environmental protection and should include a “Marshall Plan” to train research partners from the South. The latter must be able to meet these challenges, challenges that are theirs and ours.
We will soon know whether or not the objective is achieved: research programmes should be set up quickly. The first stage is to determine the elements of reference, a road map, so that everyone can make decisions on the basis of a shared vision of the path to follow. In some ways, the process is the same as that of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Then, the objective is to quickly develop operational actions. We will know during the year whether research projects actually result from these discussions. The sponsors did actually ask for three Mega Programmes to be implemented from 2010.

Report by Elsa Bru

(1) Global Forum on Agricultural Research
(2) Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(3) Institut national de la recherche agronomique
(4) Institut de recherche pour le développement
(5) Agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement, a new inter-institutional funding agency supporting research for development
(6) International Rice Research Institute
(7) Centro internacional de agricultura tropical

Organisation of agricultural research for development

Agricultural research for development is the most structured field of research for development on a global level in comparison to medical research or research on energy, for example. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research was set up in 1975. It brings together many donor countries and private foundations and finances the activities of 15 research centres – CGIAR centres – throughout the world. Its role is to develop research on issues linked to agriculture of global or regional importance. Since 1995, the international system has been organised under the auspices of the GFAR, within which France plays a very active role. Forums, such as the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), were set up for each continent – Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, etc. and more recently, North America. They bring together all the partners – public and private institutions and stakeholders from civil society. Since then, the system has evolved. In 2008, a CGIAR reform set out to achieve the most effective operational results and to extend the partnership.