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Research and Technology Development Service (SDRR)
About the Research and Technology Development Service
Projects & Activities
Meetings & Events
Publications
Databases
Links
Contacts
Research and Technology Development Service (SDRR)
The Service, within the Sustainable Development Department of FAO, assists African Member countries to develop and maintain relevant, effective and efficient national agricultural research systems (NARS) to generate adapt and transfer appropriate technologies for improved and sustainable production systems in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
The Service also assist the NARS of Africa and their networks to develop appropriate policies and strategies, to mobilize their available resources in a coherent manner and to develop linkages and partnerships among relevant national, regional and international stakeholders of agricultural research and technology continuum.
The Service provides professional leadership in defining and addressing critical issues pertinent to sustainable development as well as the development of FAO policies, strategies and integrated programmes in the areas of its competence. The Service has organization wide responsibility for coordinating research and technology development activities.
http://www.fao.org/sd/sdrr/index_en.asp
Projects & Activities
The services is involved in the development of three major types of projects related to biotechnology (policies, risk assessment, information networks, etc.), technology transfer (needs assessment, documentation, information and dissemination of proven technologies, etc.) and strengthening and support to the formulation of national research plans and strategies.
Below is a list of projects in Africa in which SDRR is the Lead Technical Unit(LTU):
Below are projects in which SDRR is participating:
Meetings and Events
ORGANIZATION OF STAKEHOLDERS TRAINING WORKSHOP [SWAZILAND/MAY 2005]:
Target Participants: Forty participants including University Teachers, Extensionists, Custom Officers, Plant Quarantine Officers, NGOs etc.
Objective: Provide basic knowledge on biosafety
Main topics: Basic concepts and general principles of agricultural biotechnology, biodiversity, ecology, risk assessments, biosafety legislation at national & international level.
Duration: Three days
ORGANIZATION OF IN-DEPTH TRAINING COURSE [SWAZILAND/MAY 2005]:
Target Participants: Fifteen selected scientists, technicians and officers expected to take direct part t risk assessment process (notably from the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives)
Objective: Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Main Topics:Agricultural biotechnology; ecological aspects of biotechnology; risk analysis, management and communication; post release monitoring; legal aspects
Duration: Ten days in two modules
ORGANIZATION OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOPS [SWAZILAND/MAY 2005]:
Target Participants (100 participants into 2 different groups):
- Group 1: 50 participants from Ministries, University, Research institutes, Regulatory bodies
- Group 2: 50 participants from Farmers associations, Community groups, NGOs, Environment conservation groups, Consumers associations, Export boards, Seed traders, etc.
Objective: Delivery of draft Biosafety Act and open discussion
Main Topics: Awareness of main biotechnology/biosafety issues to a broad range of people
Duration: one day
ASSISES DU COMITE NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE AGRICOLE (CNRA) DU BENIN [FEB. 2005]
Publications
- Integrating food security issues into agricultural research
- Impact of Foreign Assistance on Institutional Development of National Agricultural Research Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems for Rural Development (AKIS/RD)
- Agricultural biotechnology for developing countries - Results of an electronic forum
- FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture
- Directories of National Agricultural Research Institutions: Near East and North Africa, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Databases
This is a list of databases developed by SDRR with relevant data for the region.
Directory of National Agricultural Research Institutions
The FAO Directory of National Agricultural Research Institutions aims to facilitate the sharing of technical information, knowledge and experience and to promote partnerships among national, regional and international agricultural research institutions and systems. The website is available in English, French and Spanish and provides an easy and fast access to National Agricultural Research Institutions in the developing world. It offers baseline information and contact details of 1708 institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Far and Near East and the Pacific Islands. Last update was March 2004.
Database of Proven Transferable Technologies (TECA) (http://www.fao.org/sd/teca/index_en.asp)
ECA aims at improving access to information and knowledge about available proven technologies in order to enhance their adoption in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry. The website is available in English, French and Spanish. TECA provides a database of proven technologies with currently 416 records of proven technologies; tools to manage and systemize technology repositories; access to databases of other TECA members and other repositories of technologies and; access to a global database of agricultural research institutions with 1708 entries. It is structured as a global network of repositories so it is continuously updated. Countries and institutions participating in TECA include Honduras and Guatemala in support of SPFS, the Democratic Republic of Congo for technologies on cassava, and INBAR for technologies on Bamboo and Rattan.
See the Brochure: Page 1 and Page 2.
Database of Biotechnologies in Use in Developing Countries (FAO-BioDeC)
FAO-BioDeC is a database meant to gather, store, organize and disseminate, updated baseline information on the state-of-the-art of crop biotechnology products and techniques, which are in use, or in the pipeline in developing countries. The main objective of FAO-BioDeC is to give an overview of the different stages of adoption and development of these technologies in different countries and regions; it may assist to identify needs and gaps in agricultural biotechnology research and offer countries the opportunity to give a closer look to programmes in neighbouring countries and identify potential partners for joint programmes. The database at this stage is limited to research, testing and commercialization of specific crop technologies and products in developing countries. No quantitative information is available with regards to the human capacity or funding involved. It does not cover activities carried out in developed countries even if they are meant for subsequent use or adoption in developing countries, nor does it cover research being carried out in international research centers located in developing countries. Verification and regular updating of information in the database is being done through a network of national correspondents. FAO-BioDeC will soon be expanded to include the animal, fisheries and forestry biotechnology sectors.
FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture<
The glossary is a revised, augmented version of the "Glossary of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering", published by FAO in 1999. In 2001, the process of revising the Glossary was undertaken to update the definitions of this rapidly evolving field and to enrich the number of terms defined. It now includes about 450 new terms, about 100 old terms have been deleted and it contains a total of 3,196 terms and related definitions.
Agricultural Research Funding Guide
This guide provides access to available funding resources for agricultural research. It makes available information of donors and sponsors at regional and global levels offering funding opportunities for training courses (21 entries), scholarships (awards, grants, fellowships - 27 entries) and research projects (87 entries). It also offers access to global and regional directories and services (38 entries). The directories offer a collection of links to funding sources, and the services offer guidance to available funding sources, assistance with proposal preparation, etc. A new section on donors and sponsors supporting miscellaneous activities such as scientific equipment, etc., will be available soon. The web site is in English only but records are available in their original language, mostly Spanish and French.
Links
SDRR Website: http://www-data.fao.org/sd/sdrr/index_en.asp
Mandate, activities, projects, databases, publications, etc.
Biotech Website: http://www.fao.org/biotech/
News, documents, reports, activities, forums, databases, contacts, links, etc.
FARA: http://www.fara-africa.org/
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Promoting African Research and Education Networking: a Study Sponsored by IDRC [Executive summary of the study]
Green Revolution in Africa. Background Paper for the side event of the Committee on World Food Security (31st Session) Rome, May 2005
Long term perspectives for world agriculture and the Role of Scientific Research in its Evolution. FAO. Dakar Agricole 2005.
Contacts
Abdoul-Aziz SY
Senior Officer (Research and Technology Development Service)
FAO Regional Office for Africa
Gamel Abdul Nasser Road
PO Box GP 1628
Accra, Ghana
Phone: +233 21 7010930/675000 Ext. 3128
Fax: +233 21 701 09 43
email: AbdoulAziz.Sy@fao.org
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