AFD and CIRAD promise more than 10 million euros for projects on sustainable rural agricultural systems and territories in the global South

A key agreement between AFD and CIRAD

AFD and CIRAD have been collaborating for a number of years through expertise and research and development projects. At the 2020 Paris International Agricultural Show, AFD, Expertise France and CIRAD signed a partnership framework agreement for the period 2020-2024. Together, they committed to promoting sustainable agriculture and livestock farming systems, which protect forests and natural resources in the countries of the South, while enhancing the quality of food products. This agreement reflects the convergence of the strategies implemented by CIRAD and AFD on agriculture, rural development and biodiversity.

The signature of this agreement on 29 January, under the patronage of Philippe Lacoste, Director of Sustainable Development at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, enables the operational implementation of this collaboration. The first specific agreements under this financing framework agreement (Geographical indications facility and Contribution to DeSIRA) have thus been launched.

Signature of two specific agreements on sustainable agricultural practices:

1. “Contribution to the DeSIRA Initiative” (subsidy of 5 million euros)

This agreement enables AFD to contribute to the EU DeSIRA initiative (Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture), which is aimed at financing agricultural research in connection with climate change in the developing countries.
Through this contribution, AFD will co-finance three research projects coordinated by CIRAD: FAIR, Cocoa4Future and BioStar, which are respectively aimed at supporting the agroecological transition in the Sahel, improving the sustainability of cocoa production systems in Ivory Coast and Ghana, and developing sustainable bioenergy for small agrifood companies in West Africa.

2. “Geographical indications facility” (subsidy of 5 million euros)

The goal of this “Facility”, whose management is entrusted to CIRAD, is to develop geographical indications in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, in order to improve the quality of food products and to foster environmentally friendly agricultural practices. This project includes sections on the registration and functioning of new GIs in Africa, their recognition within the European area, and also the implementation of monitoring and anti-counterfeiting structures.

To find out more: CIRAD and AFD launch the first fund to support geographical indications in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Through this facility and the projects already underway in this field, AFD is actively participating in a platform set up by the African Union to develop GIs in Africa, with the support of the two major African intellectual property organizations, OAPI and ARIPO.

Rémy Rioux, CEO of the AFD group: “At the beginning of a year marked by increased momentum in the protection of biodiversity and nature, with key international events such as the One Planet Summit or the IUCN World Conservation Congress to create a common and ambitious framework for action, I am delighted about the partnership between CIRAD and AFD, which is aimed at encouraging the development of agroecology. Faced with increasing nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, my hope is that this collaboration between research and development players will contribute to improving the conditions of agricultural production, by supporting small producers and innovations, which are essential to local supply chains.”

Michel Eddi, President Managing Director of CIRAD: “With technical and financial support from AFD, the research actions we implement with our partners, in particular in the Sahel, where we are committed under the Ouagadougou Declaration, will scale up the impact of French official development assistance for the benefit of people in the global South. For CIRAD, this agreement also reflects the trust and the strong convergence of views that now exist between our two organizations.”