The CGIAR Consortium held a briefing on “Famine in the Horn of Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Mitigating Drought-Induced Food Crises” on Sept 1.
More details in the announcement.
Video and audio recording from the briefing:
Here is the video recording from the webcast:
If you have trouble viewing link, view the recording on YouTube:
You can also view this session on blip.tv
Download the audio recording of the event: High Quality MP3 – 91Mb – Lower Quality MP3 – 44Mb
(If your browser itself does not play .mp3 files, download by right-click on the link and select “Download” or “Save As”, dependent on your browser)
Session was tweeted with hashtag #AG4HoA.
Follow us on Twitter: @cgiarconsortium
Before and during the session, we collected questions via Twitter. You can find the Q&A within the comments to this post.
The latest Tweets (hashtag: #Ag4Dev):
Follow us as @CGIAR
Our latest posts on agricultural research (many on the Horn of Africa):(All posts)
Our research projects in the Horn/East Africa
(click on a country to browse their research projects)
In summary:
CGIAR research projects in Kenya
CGIAR research projects in Somalia
CGIAR research projects in Uganda
CGIAR research projects in Ethiopia
CGIAR research projects in Eritrea
CGIAR research projects in Tanzania
CGIAR research projects in Rwanda
CGIAR research projects in Burundi
CGIAR research projects in North and South Sudan
Articles from CGIAR centres and Research Programmes related to the Horn of Africa:
(Full list)
On the same subject: other interesting articles and press clips:
(Full list)
Sites we consult:
(Full list)
Media coverage of the briefing:
(Full list)
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With reference to the recent media debate in Kenya on genetically modified (GM) food I would like the panel to demystify the topic of GM food and discuss how researchers in the CGIAR are using agri-biotechnology to develop improved seed and crop varieties that are suited to the conditions in the Horn of Africa.
Not much is known among the general Kenyan public about research projects like water-efficient maize for Africa (by AATF and CGIAR partners) and the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project which CIMMYT and others have been involved in.
At the ILRI BecA hub, researchers from CG centers like CIP and IITA are involved in application of biotechnology to developing sweet potato and cassava varieties that are locally adapted. I would appreciate if the discussion could cover more details of these and other projects so as to increase public awareness on the role that agri-biotechnology research is playing in helping to combat the drought and food shortage problem in the Horn of Africa.
Tezira,
it might indeed be interesting for the panel to clarify some of this.
(can I condense it to 3 core questions:)
1. How are the CGIAR varieties on e.g. maize, chickpeas, sorghum,.. any different from commercial GM (Genetically Modified) crops (a particularly hot topic in East Africa right now).
2. Are the CGIAR varieties “naturally” grown (e.g. cross breeding between different varities) or are they genetically modified.
3. Give some examples of crops whose CGIAR developed varieties were successfully developed and deployed in the field
Peter
(Moderator)
I still don’t get it, that with all the early warning signs we had coming, nothing could be done to prevent this famine from happening. What should we change for the next drought spell?
Ramin – Amman,Jordan
Thanks Ramin, excellent question.
Peter
Moderator
Looking at what happened and what are we going to do to ensure this does not happen again is indeed the purpose of this event. We want to come up with a concrete plan.
Hi from Washington.
A question: There is a big aid operation right now for the horn. What the cost is of the aid operation, versus the cost of the more longer term solutions.
I do realize that the solutions are not just agricultural research, but also implementing this research, changing policies, and in Somalia, better security, access to food etc.. But still, with agricultural research being such a big part of the solution: what is the cost of it, versus the cost of the aid operation (Makes me think of the cost of curing an illness versus the cost of a vaccination)
Would appreciate the panel’s view
John,
First: we should not only talk about the cost in terms of money, but also the cost as a burden to human suffering and loss of human lives, which are even more stunning once a drought turns into an emergency…
Your question makes an excellent topic for a study. If anyone of our readers has some examples of studies compairing the cost of “preventing” rather than “curing” a humanitarian emergency, I’d welcome the link!
I can already provide some answers to this question:
The current HoA humanitarian appeal is for US$2.5 billion, covering 12.4 million people in Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia – according to the latest figures which went up on The Guardian’s Poverty Matters. OCHA’s latest sitrep confirms this, and indicates the caseload might go up.
Now that is for the 2011 humanitarian relief operation only..
To compare the figures, let’s take one country: Ethiopia.
According to the Poverty Matters figures, Ethiopia needed $644.4 million of humanitarian aid this year (general humanitarian relief, as well as refugee operations).
In the period of 2010-2012, CGIAR has 165 agricultural research projects related to Ethiopia (some are *in* Ethiopia, some are wider scope projects, with results implementable in Ethiopia). The 2011 cost of projects with outputs directly related to Ethiopia is $168.5 million. The total cost (including the previous, but also) including all wider scope projects which can be implemented in Ethiopia, is: $229.7 million.
Both figures are indicative: The Ethiopia humanitarian aid figures are taken from the common appeal, and don’t include bi-lateral (support from country to country), neither direct aid (provided by organisations, without going through the common aid appeal process). And from the research side: there is more agricultural research done, than only CGIAR. That cost is not included.
But… still, giving all available data, I think this is a good ballpark figure for comparison.
Peter
(moderator)
Peter, John,
(..)
What would be interesting is to ask the panel to provide the cost of their research projects (..) And where was the shortage of funds to carry out all that was planned, if this was the case?
On a positive note, what the comparison above shows is the scale of budgets required to save millions of people from death with an aid operation with the purpose of keeping them alive but not better off when the emergency is over, and the scale of investing in the tools and knowledge to enable farmers to adapt and be resilient to changes in climate, markets and access to foods (though it takes more than seeds and water management techniques to be on the safe side). Perhaps this is a focus to propose to the panel: it’s not about the cost (which can only be assessed ex post and under specific conditions), but the scale of financial resources required when looking for longer term solutions AND the synergies required to make positive change happen. This could provide the audience (and the donors) with common-sense facts on return on their investments.
(..)
Antonella:
Correct, all figures are budgeted costs, not actuals, of course. Sorry if that was not clear.
And for all, I’d like to emphasize again, the relativity of these figures. These are figures from the humanitarian appeal, versus the budgeted costs of one (though large) agricultural research organisation. As you point out, it does give a good indication.
I would indeed like the panel to highlight the budget of their projects and shortfalls…
Peter
(moderator)
Crossposting a question from @dmms77 on Twitter:
“how do we make sure the needs of small, poor farmers are factored into R&D?”
(in a reply given via Twitter – from the @cgiarconsortium account):
We just published a number of examples: http://t.co/RsmOE71 – Most of our research is for smallscale farmers.
Peter
(moderator)
Providing seeds is a great place to begin. Buts seeds need water, nutrients and good soil-the availability of which is also limited. The GM question is so important. Farmers need to be able to harvest seeds and plant them. Not only that, not everyone is interested in being a farmer. Is there a “human component” in inspiring and helping those affected to be able grow their own food and for their communities in a natural, inexpensive way?
@Niki
If I can divide up your comment in two sections:
1/ the value chain.
“it’s not only about seeds but also about water, nutrients and good soil”:
You are fully correct, and a lot of our projects cover those different aspects. But it goes further: it is the whole value chain: even if farmers have the seeds, the soil, the fertilizer to make a good crop, they also need market access (transport), there has to be access to value-added services (e.g. processing the crops, packaging them, converting them to market-oriented products), and above all, there has to be a market for the crop (some cultures have changed over time and the off-take of traditional crops has diminished in some areas).. A good example of this “total value-chain” approach is the HOPE project, we described in this post
2/ the “human aspect”:
This is a wider issue: enabling farmers to be more resilient to climate effects, increasing their productivity, or implementing “agriculture projects” as a whole, is not just about the “present” but also about the “future”. Farmers are the basis of the society in many developing countries. They are the foundation: they grow the food for large communities. As farmers get hit with a poor crop after poor crop, many of them no longer see the future in farming, are unable to survive, sell their land or livestock and move to urban areas.
Now imagine if this happens on a large scale: who is going to grow the food? Will most developing countries start to rely on food imports?
Earlier this year I visited two troubled areas in Asia, and not one single farmer saw a future in farming. Most of them tried to get out and get a job “in the city”. None of them saw any future for their kids in farming.
That’s why, once again, agricultural research covering the whole value chain, and properly implementing this research, focused on the small scale farmers in developing countries, is not an option, it is a must…
Peter
Moderator.
Before we talk aboutpromoting GMO, can we first focus on educating smallholder farmers on effective water management including rainwater harvesting and the potential to boost production with the use of drip irrigation. There are educational and ag innovations we need to adopt well before GMO. And yes, research will be a big part of developing the right models for adoption by rural farmers. If they don’t find it desirable we can’t expect them to adopt more quickly especially if we aren’t linking to equitable finance!
Rachel,
Tnx for your comment.
Agreed: there is a whole range of tools and techniques, which we can deploy to assist the farmers. Many are very simple techniques, which we found on one part of the globe, and “transplant” to another region.
Often when people think of agricultural tools to help farmers, they imagine big, complicated things. But most of the time, the simpliest and cheapest works very well. Some examples:
- the drip irrigation you mention: instead of irrigating large areas, and loosing a lot of water, “micro-dosing” water. A farmer I met in Ghana, had a large field with diverse vegetables. He rightfully complained about the lack of water. But he was doing conventional irrigation, during the midst of the day, as such wasting the majority of his water. Check out this article.
- talking of micro-dosing, you can use the same for fertilizers: applying a tiny amount of fertilizer, applied together with the seed, when planting, is much more cost and yield effective than spraying fertilizer by hand. There is a farmer-slash-blacksmith I met in Mali who even home-made his own device to mix and sow seeds and fertilizer together. (Made this video from Amadou. He inspired us!)
- diversification of crops: In many areas, farmers cultivated a limited range of crops. Nowadays, if the rainpatterns don’t come as the crop needs, the crop will fail. Diversifying crops (and seed varieties) allow farmers to “spread” their risk (without speaking of the fact that often it widens the nutritional food basket for their families). Check out this story.
You are also fully correct to mention that research is also about using the right models for adoption by farmers. In the end, we can come up with any kind of solutions, it is often to our field staff, extension agents, implementing partners to find the right way to bring these tools to the farmers, allow them see for themselves… Farmers are smart people. They won’t use anything anyone brings them, unless if they are sure it works.
Peter
(moderator)
Question from @Bmans256 (Barbara from the Netherlands) on Twitter:
Are we going to help by supporting livestock or agricultural farming? More to the point, shouldn’t it be both?
Answer via @CGIARconsortium on Twitter:
Very much with both. When we say “agricultural research”, we cover a whole range of targets. – check out the examples we recently posted: http://t.co/RsmOE71
Peter
(moderator)
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É muito difícil falar com exatidão o que pode ser feito para extinguir as possibilidades de uma nova crise alimentar no nordeste africano.Afinal muito do que ocorre hoje tem origem nos impactos causados ao meio ambiente por ações humanas.Além é claro dos outros inúmeros fatores como as guerras internas,a falta de um governo atuante entre outros.Mas uma coisa é certa,se os projetos de pesquisa agrícola forem realmente implantados,se houver real comprometimento das grandes potências em investir nestas e noutras soluções a longo prazo,para que a Africa possa num futuro não depender de ajuda externa para amenizar seus problemas jà teremos dado o pontapé inicial para ajudar essa terra sofrida a se tornar pròspera e principalmente,o que mais desejo evitar que tantas vidas se percam por fome,sede ou doenças trazidas pela precariedade.O mundo produz comida suficiente para alimentar sua população,Mas o desperdício,a má distribuição de renda,impedem que todas as pessoas tenham acesso ao bàsico.
Hi Sandra:
For the others, will try to do my imperfect translation:
Question on Twitter from @thejoeturner (Joe in Thanet-UK):
Given the global shortage of soil scientists, to what extent to cgair programmes consider local soil variations in the HoA? Also how do you know the yield issue can be solved by new seed rather than better soil management?
Thanks for taking my question seriously. I’d dare to suggest that the most critical research to understand the reasons behind crop failure in the HoA and elsewhere must be coupled with Soil Science. It is one thing to develop a novel seed on a research farm, quite another to see corresponding yield improvements in the wild – where the soil conditions might be totally different.
Joe: Fully agree.
It’s not just about “seeds”, but also about “soil”. I would even go further: about irrigation, fertilizer, processing, storage, market access,..
None of these solutions can be stand-alone. They must be part of one chain of solutions.
As you rightfully note: No seed will grow unless if it is adapted to the soil conditions.
We can add: “and access to the right irrigation”. Or even more generally: “and access to water”
But none of it is useful unless if the farmer has means to store the harvest properly, without loosing much of it to rodents, weavels,..
And yet, still, nothing will work, unless if the farmer can sell his/her crop (which they grow beyond the need for their own families)…
Peter
(moderator)
How could we leverage on the power of the internet and communication technology to disseminate relevant information and knowledge to concerned parties to make sure that something like this does not happen again in the HoA or any other place for that matter?
@Jeffrey: Answer in the comment a bit further below…
Peter
(moderator)
What role do you see for genebanks in responding to this crisis?
Genebanks are critical in preserving the gene varieties we have for all crops, and as a source for geneplasm to make new varieties, better resistent to the ever changing environmental conditions.
You can read an example of the role of a genebank in this post.
Peter
(moderator)
Thanks for the reply. So you do not see much of a role for genebanks to supply material directly to farmers? Only via breeding programmes? Because there has been quite a lot in the news lately about the use of local landraces in climate change adaptation (http://agro.biodiver.se/2011/09/himalayan-landraces-and-climate-change/).
@Luigi:
Genebanks don’t store seeds in quantities large enough to supply as sowing material to farmers directly. They would store the varieties. Scientists might make a variety suited to all the local conditions, as needed, and then it would be up to the breeders to produce those seeds in a large enough quantity as a supply to farmers….
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I followed the video on the recurrent famine in the Horn of Africa with keen interest.
Apart from what the speakers pointed out, corruption, political instability are behind most of the crises we are facing today. Second, no African State has ever worked for its own people. All governments are concerned with their own prosperity, continuity in power and interests in the first place. Following the structural adjustment of the WB, public services have deteriorated tremendously and the funds that were supposed to assist the poor and now in the pockets of a few officials who have been in office for more than a decade. How can the poor benefit from the power mongers who have been in power for indefinite periods of time and still want to remain in power for ever?
Fight corruption, favouritism and nepotism and bring in democracy so the people of Africa can develop themselves as they did before the white man trespassed the Continent.
@Adam
Just like peace, and stability is a prerequisite for any country to flourish, and raise beyond the poverty line (see comment a bit further down), supportive governments are key.
While a lot of work we do, through many of our partners (including government agencies), is geared towards small holder farmers, and person-to-person interaction, effective governance is still important enabling factor.
In the movie, you will see Dr.Mwangi, from KARI (the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute) talk about their projects. Last year I had the opportunity to spend a week with a KARI scientist, in the field. Apart from her energy, motivation, knowledge, I was taken by the way she was received in the field, by the farmers. They knew her well, they respected her opinion, they involved her in discussions and efforts to find solutions to practical problems. If there were questions she did not know the answer for, she would involve other scientists, and come back with a solution.
I was very impressed.
While we might often get ticked off about corruption and inability to govern, in many poor countries, we should also recognize the efforts done, and the accomplishments, which are often grass-roots efforts. Which make a difference, a real difference.
Peter
(moderator)
Question via Twitter:
we have had models within the ASAL areas example is the MV at Dertu, why dont we emulate such?
We try as much as possible to replicate solutions which are proven in one area of the globe, in other areas. Often this includes adaption to local conditions, but there is a great value in re-using proven solutions.
Much can still be done to improve the re-use of proven solutions. Related to climate change adaptation techniques, e.g., we are now working on a platform where we can compare the conditions (climate, soil, needs) from different regions across the globe and see where proven solutions can be re-used. This platform will be released in the next months.
To enable researchers to publish their projects, and see who is working on what, where, we recently released this platform, collecting all CGIAR-based research in the world.
Peter
(moderator)
Question via Twitter:
How could we leverage on the power of the internet and communication technology to disseminate relevant information and knowledge to concerned parties to make sure that something like this does not happen again in the HoA or any other place for that matter?
While in many developing countries, Internet connectivity has not filtered down to the level of farmers, mobile technology has. In my recent visits to remote areas in Kenya, Ghana, Burkina, Mali and India, I witnessed that almost every farmer had a mobile phone.
They used their mobile to get information of market prices, called in to call centres for practical support, and remained in contact with the extension agents. For a farmer, this connectivity became crucial. One example: a seed typically needs rains within 14 days after planting (period depends on the seed and seed variety). If it does not rain within this period, the seed dies, and the farmer has to replant. This is costly and involves a lot of work. Farmers now use their mobiles to get the up to date weather reports, allowing them to plant their seeds within days before the first rains.
Peter
(moderator)
Question via Twitter:
How will we work in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, if there is no stable govt?
It is clear that instability and insecurity disrupt or even block people’s access to food, and farmers’ ability to grow crops and herd cattle.
While the drought struck the whole Horn of Africa, the famine was only declared in Somalia. Drought is an act of nature. We, CGIAR and partners, can make farmers more resilient to drought and other climate fluctuations.
Famine, however, is man-made. No matter how resilient farmers are, insecurity, war,.. will cause hunger. If not because of the inability to grow food, it is because of inability for food to get to the market, or the inability of people to get access to the food.
Stability, security, peace, as a prerequisite for our efforts. Without these, our work is made very difficult, if not impossible.
Peter
(moderator)
Question via Twitter:
Has anyone actually gone and asked farmers in #hornofafrica what they need? Or are we just speculating on the problems there?
Many imagine agricultural researchers as “people in white coats”, working in isolated laboratories. In our case, that image is incorrect. Our researchers work a lot in the field, the research is geared towards giving practical solutions for existing and anticipated problems.
To implement our research, we work with a wide variety of national and locally-based partners who transfer this research into applicable and practical solutions, to the farmer communities.
It goes even further: farmers are often integrated into the research, where e.g. new seed varieties are field-tested on the farmers’ fields, giving us input for further improvement.
Peter
(moderator)
Question via Twitter:
How will agri-research orgs contribute to political and civil institution strengthening, food/fuel price control?