CGIAR-NARS Relationships since the 1991 TAC Study
Regional Fora and the Global Forum
The NARS Steering Committee
A great deal of activity related to NARS-IARC relations has been on-going for a long time in the CGIAR System. Such past CGIAR activity includes work with regional and sub regional consortia, periodic meetings with NARS heads (including meetings with TAC), linkages between CG and NARS scientists and programs, both on formal and on informal bases, and various types interaction through professional associations, joint authorship of proposals and papers, and so forth.
As mentioned in the introduction, the last time that TAC formally visited this subject (other than tangentially through the 1995 stripe review on "the future role of the CGIAR in development of national agricultural research systems: a strategic study of institution strengthening research and services") was in its 1991 paper, Relationships between CIGAR Centers and national research systems: issues and options (AGR/TAC:IAR/91/5 Rev.1). At that time, TAC distinguished between two ways in which international organizations can contribute to strengthening national research systems. One, defined as "catalytic assistance", depends on strengthening relationships among institutions and thereby contributing to institution-building. (This was related to the rapid growth of the regional and subregional groupings of NARS) The other, defined as "research assistance", involves direct assistance in the form of expertise and funding. The paper regarded the former as a natural function of the CGIAR Centers and the latter as being more controversial.
The 1991 paper suggested three options for administering research assistance in association with Center activities:
- by the Centers in a strictly limited manner;
- by the Centers through separately funded research assistance units; and
- by closer collaboration with development agencies or regional organizations.
The paper looked at the possibilities for involving national research systems in international research to a greater extent than existed then, and analyzed the implications of undertaking a greater proportion of research funded by the CGIAR on a cooperative or contractual basis. No firm conclusions were reached on the subject other than a request for the Group to give TAC guidance on where it wished to go on the subject.
Finally, TAC discussed the role of centers with ecoregional mandates in helping to orchestrate CGIAR activities and, in this connection, it raised the issue of ISNAR's future role within the System. It reached no conclusion on the latter subject, given that at the time ISNAR was revising its strategy and undergoing an EPMR.
The paper sought Group action on a number of issues related to the theme of CGIAR-NARS relations, and particularly on the role of the CGIAR in what then was termed "research assistance." (To the best of my knowledge, the Group did not provide that guidance, and the subject slid into the "still to be dealt with" category).
Since 1991, and particularly as part of the recent CGIAR renewal process, there has been intensified interest and activity related to NARS and their roles in CGIAR priority setting and in partnerships, both with CGIAR centers and with each other, e.g., through the establishment of various regional and sub regional organizations (SROs). All this activity eventually led to the regional fora of NARS and establishment of the NARS Secretariat in Rome.
These fora and the new thinking on the subject view LDC NARS as full partners in research and extension rather than merely suppliers of data (and this role extends into the priority setting for CGIAR research); as teachers as well as learners in the development of improved agricultural, fisheries and forestry policies, technologies and production systems; and as organizers, leaders and managers of regional and sub regional consortia and activities, as well as participants in them. The new thinking is confirmed in the 1998 System Review.
Despite the importance of the partnerships and linkages between IARCs and NARS in reaching the CGIAR's target populations the poor in less developed countries, and notwithstanding the large amount of writing on the subject, relatively little systematic, quantitative information exists about these linkages, their costs, their benefits and about the impacts of the CGIAR's work with NARS. We have a number of case studies to draw on, but they only provide anecdotal information. Similarly, we know relatively little, except in theory, about the alternative mechanisms or modalities for improving the linkages in the most effective and efficient ways to address the ultimate CGIAR goals. Our global understanding of the relative strengths of various NARS is spotty and also anecdotal, based mainly on case studies, such as those done by ISNAR.
While ISNAR is doing research and assessment in this area, the expenditure by the Group on this type of assessment and evaluation work is minuscule and inadequate in relation to the total amount of resources in the System devoted to partnering and capacity strengthening activities. (Formally identified capacity strengthening related activities account for about a fifth of the System's resources. The total amount is much greater, when one adds in the informal training that takes place on a one to one basis). While some studies of adoption of key CGIAR research exist (e.g., the IAEG sponsored 1998 studies), they do not have much to say about the role of different forms of institutional linkages between the CGIAR and NARS in relation to how successful adoption and ultimate impact have been. The Nickel's study (TAC 1995) also calls for more effort by the System to understand better the issues associated with NARS strengthening and the role of the CGIAR.
At the present time, the main mechanism that has been organized and endorsed by the NARS with support from the Group are the Regional Fora of NARS within the broader umbrella of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). It should be noted here that IFAD and FAO played critical brokering and organizing roles in this whole process leading up to the regional fora. An important two day meeting of NARS organized by IFAD and supported by the CGIAR System and particularly ISNAR was held in Rome in 1995. Many of the ideas for the so called Action Plan of NARS arose out of that meeting (see IFAD 1995c).
The regional fora have come into existence as an integral part of the Outline Action Plan, proposed by NARS at their 1994 meeting in Rome to strengthen the NARS-CGIAR relationship in the area of priority setting and beyond. NARS involvement at the center level is fundamental for centers' work and achievements. However, the 1994 meeting made it clear that involvement of NARS at higher CGIAR level is now considered to be a prerequisite in ensuring that the partnership concept permeates NARS/CGIAR relationships at all levels. The 1994 meeting was followed by the Lucerne Declaration in February of 1995 which endorsed a broader partnership with developing countries and their NARS and encouraged a transition to an "equal-partners" approach. The NARS/CGIAR Partnership Initiative, which was set up at the MTM95 in Nairobi, produced the Outline Action Plan which was endorsed at ICW95 by NARS and the CGIAR.
The umbrella group at the global level that works with the regional groupings of NARS is the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). GFAR was established on October 31, 1996, by a group of representatives of the developing-country national agricultural research systems (NARS), advanced research institutions (ARIs), regional and subregional organizations, universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farmers' organizations, the private sector, international agricultural research centers (IARCs) and the donor community.
Following is a brief description of GFAR and the NARS Secretariat, the main group with which TAC and the CG System need to interact in approaching the theme of CGIAR-NARS relations (based on NARS Secretariat, forthcoming). GFAR's three main objectives are basically the same as the CG's: reducing poverty, achieving food security, and ensuring the conservation and effective management of biodiversity and natural resources. At the heart of GFAR are three fundamental beliefs. First, a science-based vision of the future and appreciation of the role that knowledge plays in contemporary societies. Secondly, knowledge generation and utilization is increasingly based on transnational research systems and networks. Thirdly, there is a risk that inequities will emerge between and within countries based on their capacity to access and use improved technologies.
· Mission and Goals. GFAR's mission is to mobilize the various stakeholders that constitute the global agricultural research community in their efforts to alleviate poverty, increase food security, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources.
· Its goals are five:
> facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge> foster cost-effective, collaborative partnerships among the stakeholders of agricultural research and sustainable development
> promote the integration of NARS and enhance their capacity to generate and transfer technology that responds to users' needs
> facilitate the participation of all stakeholders in formulating a truly global framework for development-oriented agricultural research
> enhance awareness among policymakers and donors of the need to secure long-term commitment and investment in agricultural research
GFAR is organized in three components: the GFAR steering committee, the NARS steering committee, and the GFAR support group. The GFAR steering committee (GF-SC), supported by a secretariat in Washington, D.C., hosted by the World Bank's ESDAR Group (Environmentally Sustainable Development Agricultural Research and Extension), consults with all GFAR's stakeholders and monitors the translation of the forum's action plan into a detailed program of activities. The NARS steering committee (NARS-SC), supported by a secretariat hosted by FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in Rome, works to strengthen the collective voice of developing-country NARS in setting and implementing a global agricultural research agenda. Technical support to the NARS secretariat is provided by the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR). Finally, the GFAR support group, under the leadership of IFAD (the International Fund for Agricultural Development), mobilizes the international community in support of the GFAR initiative.
The GFAR plenary meeting is convened once every three years. The two steering committees and the support group meet twice each year, in conjunction with the meetings of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
GFAR's two secretariats facilitate the day-to-day operations of the forum. They act as implementing bodies for the GFAR core activities, and they play a catalytic and promotional role for projects executed within the GFAR framework. The secretariats act as brokers, encouraging and facilitating research and institutional partnerships, as well as strategic alliances. They facilitate an ongoing policy dialogue on issues of global importance, promoting the participation of a broad array of agricultural research stakeholders. Finally, the secretariats play an advocacy role, promoting greater support for NARS, their integration, and their effective participation the formation of a global agricultural research system and priority setting within that system.
The NARS steering committee (NARS-SC) is a subcommittee of the GFAR steering committee, which has 13 members, including the CGIAR as one (see Figure 1). It is composed of the chairpersons of the five NARS regional fora on agricultural research, i.e., Asia and the Pacific. Central Asia and the Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and west Asia and north Africa (see Figure 2).
The NARS Secretariat. The NARS secretariat provides support to the NARS-SC and its constituencies, the NARS and their regional fora and sub-regional groupings. Its mission is to strengthen the collective voice of the NARS community in setting and implementing a global agricultural research agenda responsive to the three objectives of poverty alleviation, food security, and sustainable use of natural resources.
Specific Goals. The goals of the Steering Committee and Secretariat are to:
enhance, through subregional and regional fora, the capacity of NARS to generate and transfer, in a participatory mode, appropriate technology that responds to users' needs;
Functions of the Secretariat. The NARS secretariat assists the regional fora and subregional groupings in six areas:
Vis á vis the international community, the NARS secretariat has three additional functions:
· liaise with the GF-SC secretariat to enhance synergy and improve NARS' access and contribution to the Electronic Global Forum on Agricultural Research (EGFAR) as well as with other secretariats of the CGIAR or the Global Forum;· support the NARS-SC and the GF-SC in mobilizing resources, through the GFAR support group;
Four NARS regional fora (and sub-regional fora) held inaugural meetings in 1995-96 which were attended by TAC Members. The outcome of the meetings was reported to the Jakarta MTM in May 1996, at the Preparatory Meeting for the Global Forum. This led to the draft agenda for the Global Forum scheduled for ICW96. The representatives of the regional fora met again in August 1996 to prepare an action plan for consideration at the Global Forum. The Plan called for a farmer-centered research agenda, a strategy which TAC endorsed for national programs. Subsequently, a Global Forum was organized at ICW96.
Concurrently, TAC took action on four fronts. First, in March 1995, TAC commissioned a strategic study on "The Future Role of the CGIAR in the Development of National Agricultural Research Systems: Institution Strengthening Research and Services", which was discussed by the Committee at its 68th meeting. Secondly, TAC submitted a discussion note at ICW95 on "NARS as a Factor in Priority Setting". Thirdly, through a short paper, questionnaires and discussions that took place at the regional fora, TAC sought the opinion of participants regarding future CGIAR commodity and activity priorities.
Finally, TAC presented its preliminary recommendations on CGIAR priorities and strategies to the Group at MTM96, and participated in, and took note of, the outcome of the Preparatory Meeting for the Global Forum and the Global Forum itself.
The TAC sponsored study on institution strengthening acknowledges that NARS components related to centers' mandates have become stronger, and sees the emergence of regional groupings of NARS as a positive development that can facilitate the further strengthening of centers' efforts. Against this background, TAC's discussion note to ICW95 highlighted the issue of division of labour vis-à-vis the envisaged role of NARS as alternative sources of supply for research. TAC concluded that there is a need to strengthen NARS capabilities in policy and NRM research, both in terms of trained scientists and institutional capacities. However, given the current support available from other sources for NARS, TAC considered that the CGIAR should continue to assist NARS principally through collaborative research and by providing research management support and access to its products.
The Regional Fora of NARS have grown at various rates, with some being more active than others. Some of the issues identified with regard to these fora relate to the lack of consideration of forestry and fisheries in most of them and the high transactions costs involved in yet another set of meetings. Most recently (August 1998) the NARS Steering Committee Secretariat for the Global Forum on Agricultural Research has been established with venue in FAO.
All of these developments are directly relevant to a lesser or greater extent to the theme of this paper.
