Addis Anteneh
Workshop Organiser, ILCA, Ethiopia
My sitting here and trying to explain the background to this workshop arises out of a historical accident. At the time when a definite idea had been formed about organising this workshop, I happened to be working with Dr. Poul Sihm, who was then the coordinator of arid zones research at ILCA. He was at the centre of the initial stages of the preparation of the workshop. Poul Sihm returned to the World Bank last year, but before we parted he extracted a promise from me that I would make sure this workshop took place. On his part he promised to keep a close watch on the workshop's progress and to participate in the discussions. Unfortunately he is unable to attend the workshop due to heavy pressure of work, but he has certainly kept an interest in its organisation, - some of our distinguished participants work in World Bank livestock projects with which he is associated and were highly recommended by him. To this extent at least he has kept his side of the bargain. I hope I have succeeded in keeping mine by helping in the workshop's preparation.
I do not want to burden you with a detailed chronological account of what has happened since this workshop was first suggested two years ago. What I would like to give you is a brief pointer to those events which, in my opinion, have a story to tell about the dynamics of ILCA's work.
The origins of this workshop are very much related to one of the first livestock research activities of ILCA - that of monitoring livestock production systems under induced change. ILCA had then undertaken to monitor changes taking place in production and the social and economic impact generated by livestock development projects in the arid/semi-arid zones of Kenya, Ethiopia and Botswana, and had entered a commitment to develop and prepare a monitoring guideline. Monitoring subsequently became a rather unpopular term and activity, not because it was not necessary but because it was being used and carried out mostly in the project financing framework, not totally befitting the character of an international research centre such as ILCA. Clearly, as you can realize, there could be no such thing as a monitoring guideline under the circumstances. The move away from monitoring to livestock production systems research in these areas entailed the need to clarify conceptual problems as well as questions of using systems research techniques and methodologies for livestock which, as the Director General pointed out earlier, have not featured strongly in the farming systems research approaches now coming into vogue. And in the meantime, African research and development institutions concerned with livestock as well as ILCA were continually gaining experience in the field. With all these things taking place, it was evident that ILCA alone could not produce a pastoral systems research (PSR)/livestock systems research (LSR) guideline or manual as a unilateral prescription.
It was thus decided quite early to convene this workshop to exchange ideas and experiences with selected African leaders in livestock research and development, The objectives of using this workshop to provide a forum for discussion of the merits of the PSR/LSR approach has thus become a primary one. The possible establishment of a network of pastoral/range livestock systems research in tropical Africa is another important objective which we hope you will consider. The development and preparation of a set of PSR/LSR guidelines remains a serious goal. We hope all participants will consider and give their views on this matter before the closure of the workshop
The schedule of presentations and discussions is indeed a tight one, For the next few days we will have 3½ to 4-hour sessions each morning and afternoon. We have tried to arrange the sessions to present a logical flow of ideas. They start with the conceptual framework and continue with the survey and diagnostic phase, including the technical, social and economic components. Specific constraints identified, which follow on the third day, are based on the preceding phase and are presented in the framework of ILCA's on-going pastoral systems research programmes. We finish with the identification of the scope for improvement on the fourth day and will close after the presentation and discussion of case studies to illustrate in some detail ILCA's experience in the use of PSR/LSR design and testing procedures in two areas - Nigeria and Niger.
We have arranged for either ILCA Board Members or senior members of ILCA's management to chair the different sessions, Their intimate knowledge of the issues and processes involved in ILCA's research work or their extensive experience in pastoral systems and the critical component problems facing these systems' potential improvements, will be a valuable asset in guiding the discussions.
The agenda submitted to you has gone through several revisions to take account of the changing picture presented by ILCA's growing field experience of livestock systems research in its on-going pastoral programmes and elsewhere. Many of the participants to whom we were able to send the schedule, together with our invitation to attend the workshop, are likely to be suprised at the considerable changes introduced since then. I hope you will appreciate how much thought and effort on the part of ILCA's management and staff has gone into the substantive aspects of the workshop's preparation.
As you will also note from the way the programme is structured we have gone a little further in our attempt to make participation as effective as possible. The device we proposed and which was accepted by most of our colleagues was for a review of specific topics, presented by ILCA staff, by selected discussion leaders from among our African colleagues. We had hoped to make the papers available some time before the start of the workshop, but we have not been able to do so for logistic reasons. We offer our apologies, but are certain that this particular handicap will be offset by the extensive knowledge and experience our lead discussants possess on the subject matter addressed by the papers. We expect the lead discussants to take the floor first after the papers have been presented, this to be followed by a general discussion, except in those cases where there is only provision for open discussion,
In the final analysis, the outcome of this workshop will have to be judged more by how much it will succeed in imparting better knowledge from the experience and the generation of new ideas than by the logistics which have gone into its organisation, and running. My colleagues in Training and Conferences, Liaison and Travel hope that your participation will be useful and fruitful and that your days inside and outside this conference hall will be enjoyable.
Finally, let me be permitted to thank on behalf of ILCA those individuals and institutions outside ILCA who have been instrumental in assisting the workshop to take place. We would like to thank Dr. Barry Nestel for his support and advice both on the concept and structure of the workshop and in obtaining IDRC support. Our sincere thanks also go to IDRC who financed a substantial portion of the cost of the workshop. We are most thankful and appreciative of Dr. Hubert Zandstra, Associate Director of IDRC's Agriculture Food and Nutrition Sciences Division and Dr. Bruce Scott, IDRC Regional Director in Nairobi, without whose continued help and interest it would have been difficult for many of us to attend.
