CGIAR: Forging innovative partnership with research institutions pivotal to transform agriculture

Addis Ababa, May 25, 2023 (FBC) – Forging innovative partnership with research institutions is crucial to transform agriculture through building resilience to climate change, according to the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR).

A conference on building livelihood and resilience of small holder farmers by changing the climate in Ethiopia opened here in Addis Ababa today.

Speaking on the occasion, Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) Regional Director Numukolo Covic said the conference will address the need to use and adopt production practices to contribute and enhance natural resource management that would safeguard food security and nutrition for our future generation.

According to her, natural resources management is a very important aspect of agricultural development as it enables small holder farmers to generate adequate income from their farming for livelihood.

Smallholder farmers do not face individual challenges at a time; they face multiple challenges often concurrently and sometimes one after the other, she added.

We, therefore, need to limit shocks from frequent drought and floods and bundle innovations from different partners to deliver to farm households.

“All our agricultural production efforts in anywhere in the country and in the world are taking place in the context of a growing climate crisis for which we need not just accurate forecasting but timely action to limit the shocks where possible.”

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute Director-General, Mandefro Nigusse highlighted the importance of agriculture to this country in terms of food nutrition and security, job creation, foreign currency generation, and as raw material in the ever growing industrialization.

This meeting is part of shaping Ethiopian agriculture for greater impact and also contributing to counteract these challenges, and the contribution of the scientific community in CGAIR is huge.

He noted that agricultural transformation is not just about production but it takes into consideration the entire value chain, and Ethiopian food system transformation is even bigger than the agricultural transformation.

Appreciating the contribution of research and development partners and donors, the director-general stated that there is still a long way to go “and we need stronger collaboration not just in drought affected Ethiopia and the entire Africa but also the globe.”

World Bank Agriculture and Food Global Director, Martien Van Nieuwkoop said on his part that our vision is to support agriculture and food system on how to help people and economy.

Climate smart agriculture is really high priority for the Bank in Ethiopia, he pointed out, adding that it has put 1.5 billion USD in financing various programs for Ethiopia in major food system resilience project, building climate resilience in agriculture.

We are active in the lowland livelihood resilience projects, livestock and aquaculture, and we are also working very closely with CGIAR, the director stated.

The one-day conference aims to accelerate the integration of Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) and its national and international partners to improve livelihood and build agri-food system resilience and adaptive capacity to changing climate, according to ENA.