Brief Webinar Description

Africa remains severely challenged in its quest to keep the citizenry food secure bi 2030. To meet this laudable objective, the transformation of Africa’s agricultural systems is imperative in the light of the pressing need of the achievement of SDG 2 “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030. Moreover, these goals are to be attained in contexts of counteracting factors, notably climate change, COVID-19, conflicts, and pest outbreaks.

Within the context of the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa and the CAADP-XP4, the FARA-led coalition is working with the Science Group of the United Nation Food System Summit to ensure that Africa’s voice is on the steps that need to be taken to address the rising food insecurity and malnutrition is heard during the UNFSS. This event concludes a two stage virtual event hosted by FARA. The objective was to provide a platform for elicitation of the main elements of the One African Voice on AR&D policy brief. The goal was to bring together all stakeholders of the One Africa Voice on Agricultural Research for Development and use this as the basis for stimulating awareness at the highest possible level within the context of the Food System Summit.  Following the first webinar, a zero-draft of the One African Voice on AR&D policy brief has been developed with significant input from FANRPAN and needs to be validated.

The objective of the second webinar to be held on 9^th March 2021 is to validate the first draft of the One Africa Voice on AR&D Policy Brief that will be fed into the UN FSS process through the Science Group of the Summit. Specifically, the second webinar seeks to consolidate stakeholder feedback and concurrence with the content of the draft of the One Africa Voice on AR&D policy brief. Further, the webinar will sensitize stakeholders on the UN FSS process leading to the pre-summit in June and the summit in September 2021 and how the One Africa Voice on AR&D policy brief will be navigated through these processes.

Partnership

Recognizing this fact and the opportunity presented by the UN FSS independent dialogues, FARA working in collaboration with the CAADP-XP4 partners, i.e. ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF, NAASRO and AFAAS together with the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), PARI/ZEF and AGRA, are convening a set of two dialogues.  The aim of these dialogues is to identify policy interventions for strengthening agricultural research and development including the deployment of technologies to put the continent on the said trajectory. The key outcome in the form of a policy brief will be presented to the Science Group of the FSS as the One African Voice on agricultural research and development (AR&D).  This collaboration seeks to present a strategic platform that fosters continental and global collective actions including networking to strengthen the innovation to impact pathways of Africa’s agricultural research and food systems.