IFAD-CIRAD: a closer relationship, to benefit development in fragile rural regions

Institutional news 19 September 2024
In late June, CIRAD received a delegation from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The delegation's two-day visit confirmed that the UN institution and CIRAD had a number of shared interests, and revealed prospects for closer cooperation.
Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President, IFAD, was the keynote speaker at CIRAD's 40th anniversary celebration in Montpellier on 25 June © A. Frankewitz, CIRAD

Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President, IFAD, was the keynote speaker at CIRAD's 40th anniversary celebration in Montpellier on 25 June © A. Frankewitz, CIRAD

Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President - Strategy and Knowledge Department, IFAD, and her advisor, Lenyara Fundukova, a knowledge management specialist, spent two days alongside various CIRAD teams. Following their visit, the two experts expressed their satisfaction and recognized the merits of these types of formal and informal exchanges.

CIRAD General Management was able to tell the two IFAD leaders about the priorities in terms of CIRAD's scientific topics, and how it works. The visitors showed particular interest in the 20 platforms in partnership and CIRAD's global partner network in general.

For her part, Jyotsna Puri highlighted the UN agency's priorities in terms of food systems transformation and rural development, with the emphasis on smallholder production, market access and resilience, and climate funding. The IFAD representatives showed considerable interest in CIRAD's impact assessment expertise, notably the ImpresS method.

The various exchanges confirmed the two parties' mutual interest in a quadripartite IFAD-CIRAD-INRAE-IRD framework agreement.

Evidence-informed policy or policy informed evidence

Jyotsna Puri was the keynote speaker at CIRAD's 40th anniversary celebration on 25 June, with a talk entitled "Evidence-informed policy or policy informed evidence?".

In particular, she highlighted the fact that a critical mass of knowledge was vital for science to truly be able to inform action in terms of agricultural development policy and food systems transformation.

According to Dr Puri, research also needs to be more open about the nature and costs of measures recommended as a result of scientific studies. Such studies have been proved to carry weight with both donors and policymakers.

She concluded her address with a number of recommendations aimed at boosting the efficacy of research, which must provide evidence to fuel policybuilding:

  • co-development and co-building of research with the players that contribute to its implementation;
  • constructing standards concerning the use of evidence;
  • satisfying actual requirements by drafting action-oriented reports;
  • constructing a reputation for a capacity to listen and to act rapidly.

 

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