Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Mail Address: 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.
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From: The Secretariat
August 1993
CGIAR Mid-Term Meeting
May 24-28. 1993
San Juan. Puerto Rico
Agroforestry/Forestry Research 1/
1/ Extract from "Summary of Proceedings and Decisions", CGIAR Mid-Term Meeting 1993, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Agroforestry and forestry research were established as CGIAR program areas after the Group adopted a Declaration of Intent (at its 1989 Mid-Term Meeting held in Canberra) to include in its mandate, research on the utilization of renewable resources related to agriculture, and specifically to forestry. Subsequently, the Group decided at MTM91 (Paris) to admit ICRAF into the CGIAR as its agroforestry research institution, and to establish a new institution for forestry research - CIFOR, headquartered in Indonesia.
At MTM93, the current state of agroforestry and forestry research was examined through discussion of ICRAF's external program and management review (EPMR), and the draft MTPs of both institutions.
ICRAF's EPMR was introduced by the review panel's Chairman Bernard Tinker. ICRAF's response and MTP were presented by ICRAF's Director General Pedro Sanchez. CIFOR's Board Chairman Bo Bengtsson presented the Group with a brief update on CIFOR's establishment and Director General Jeff Sayer introduced the MTP.
Initiating the discussion the Chairman said he was interested to read that ICRAF had identified widely used indigenous agroforestry technologies, and that much of the center's research agenda is directed to improving these and widening their usefulness. This was a sensible route to take, he said, given the vast diversity of potential tree and crop combinations.
The most important issue raised in the ICRAF external review report, he said, was the need to raise the quality of science while rapidly expanding ICRAF's size and geographical coverage to fulfil its new global mandate in agroforestry research.
The two MTPs, the Chairman pointed out, drew attention to a question, crucial in the current phase of budget stringency, as to whether expansion and new undertakings will come from additional funds for forestry without penalizing the CGIAR system's agricultural research portfolio.
The Group commended the review panel for its exhaustive study of ICRAF's programs, and commented on the center's responsiveness to the review process at a time of direct and fundamental change in its programs. The review had found much to commend in ICRAF's programs but also indicated some soft spots that needed to be strengthened.
Issues highlighted during the agroforestry discussion included the following:
Quality vs. Growth. ICRAF had taken note of the concerns expressed, but without any external pressure was deeply aware that the essential task of expansion could not be adequately undertaken unless the highest scientific quality was maintained and, in fact, increased. Several steps had already been taken to ensure this balance. These included the appointment of a scientist as Director General and the inclusion of good scientists on ICRAF's research team. This critical mass was strengthened by the presence of several scientists on the Board. Together, they could ensure efficient research management and effective research. The EPMR recommendations would guide the center as it moved forward, continuously striking the required balance between growth and excellence.
Linkages. The management of ICRAF's relations with different clusters of institutions - national agricultural research systems (NARS), CIFOR, other centers -was discussed in some detail. ICRAF's relations with NARS were conducted at two levels: first, research cooperation, in the expectation that program areas could eventually be transferred to NARS; and, second, training programs, which would strengthen NARS, enhance their cooperative efforts with ICRAF, and facilitate the transfer of research responsibilities to NARS over time. ICRAF is very much involved as well in establishing or expanding linkages with other CGIAR centers. Many centers were included in ICRAF initiatives and staff from ICRAF were stationed at some centers. Thus, it was pointed out, linkages are programmatic and substantive. Collaboration between ICRAF-CIFOR included cross membership of Board chairs. The two centers were working together in several projects with ICRAF taking responsibility for agroforestry matters and managing forestry-related aspects. ICRAF was making its sites available, at the request of NARS, for CIFOR involvement.
Special Initiatives. Great interest was expressed in two special programs spearheaded by ICRAF, the highlands ecoregional initiative and the slash and burn initiative. The center was aware of concerns about a possible overlap of its programs with those of other centers. But as the highlands initiative evolved, and with the benefit of intercenter consultation, priorities are being sharpened. The slash and burn program is a major element of ICRAF's activities, involving other centers, and drawing international support.
Geographic Areas. Several questions were raised about the geographic areas in which ICRAF would concentrate. Concerns were expressed that as the center grew into a truly global center it could weaken some of its activities in Africa. Conversely, strong support was expressed for expansion into Asia and for keeping ICRAF's collaboration with the Indian scientific community strong. ICRAF's position was that its growth would cover Latin America and Asia, as well as Africa. The center's proportion of outposted scientists is 67 percent in Africa, 18 percent in Asia, and 13 percent in Latin America.
Gender Issues. ICRAF was conscious of both aspects of gender issues - staffing and research. Some 18 percent of ICRAF's senior scientists are women. More of them are social scientists than biophysical scientists. On the research side, ICRAF's work in Africa was primarily with women in farming. ICRAF expected to be even more active in future, and was collaborating with the CGIAR Secretariat's gender program in this connection.
Germplasm Center. An advisory panel has been appointed for this initiative and consultations have been held with several donors about capital costs. ICRAF expects to be able to raise the funds required.
Socioeconomic Issues. As proposed by the EPMR, both the staff for and content of socioeconomic studies at ICRAF are being strengthened. Two social scientists have been added to the staff cadre and the range of socioeconomic studies undertaken will include strategic issues.
Moving on to forestry, with CIFOR established but not fully operational, the Group received a progress report from Board Chair Bo Bengtsson who said that a host country agreement had been signed with Indonesia on the basis of a sponsors agreement making CIFOR a legal entity. The countries that sponsored CIFOR are Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States. Indonesia will provide CIFOR with US$ 2 million for its headquarters building, and with some 100,000 hectares of forest ecosystems for research. Mr. Sayer introduced the center's draft MTP.
Support for forestry research was high among members of the Group, although some caution was expressed about undertaking too much. As with agroforestry, interest was shown as well in the linkages that CIFOR would build with other institutions, including NGOs.
The Chairman delivered concluding comments on both agroforestry and forestry. The discussion on agroforestry, he said, showed that the Group endorsed the findings and recommendations of the external review panel and approved the comments made by representatives of the center. ICRAF's development was viewed with enthusiasm. However, cautions continued to be expressed about the need to maintain scientific excellence in the center's period of adjustment and growth. The Chairman commended ICRAF on its "alternatives to slash and burn initiative" - both for the content of the program and for the mobilization of resources.
He congratulated the CIFOR Board Chair, Board, and Director General for moving ahead quickly to prepare an action program for forest resources management. He expressed the gratitude of the CGIAR to ACIAR for a job well done as the executing agency for establishing CIFOR; and he thanked Indonesia for signing the host country agreement and completing other procedures.
The Chairman noted that some members had pledged additional funding for agroforestry and forestry.
