Agriculture institutions come together to strengthen regional agriculture systems in Central Africa

Ms Regina Kapinga, Initiative Co-lead.

Today, CGIAR, a world leader in agricultural science and innovation for development, launches an initiative called “Transforming Agri-Food Systems in West and Central Africa (TAFS-WCA)”. The Initiative will contribute to enhancing food, land, and water systems, resulting in improved nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability in the region. 

It supports the mission of CGIAR, which has been undergoing a transformation to unify its knowledge, assets, and people in its network of research centers all over the globe—to work and deliver as one: to help the continent realize agriculture’s potential to transform food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. 

The Central Africa component will be implemented within three countries, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Burundi. The Initiative specifically aims at transforming nutritious, climate-adapted, and market-driven food systems. It will do so through development and scaling of novel and inclusive production and postharvest technologies, participatory decision-making and planning, informed governance, and the strengthening of gender and youth business hubs. 

“CGIAR centers have been implementing various projects that aim at ensuring food security through research and partnerships with national research centers. From now on, we will no longer appear as the International Potato Center (CIP) or International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Africa Rice or International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); we will be working together as one team, therefore harmonizing all our engagements within regional and national agricultural systems,” said Jan Helsen, initiative lead.  

West and Central Africa (WCA) is one of the six regional CGIAR intervention areas. 

Seven CGIAR research institutes used to work independently in the agricultural research portfolio within the various countries in the Central African region. Those centers include IITA, IFPRI, Africa Rice, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), World Fish Center, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and CIP. 

“As centers that have been engaging broadly in research-for-development activities, this coming together will pave the way for greater collaboration and integrated contribution toward food and nutrition security across countries,” commented Regina Kapinga, Initiative Co-lead. 

This initiative will pick up on the legacy and lessons learned from a long-run multi-partner initiative that has been implemented in DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda, called Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA). The Initiative will work with CIALCA partners on participatory research on effective scaling to ensure past investments in the region can be institutionalized and strengthened, mainly on the crop productivity and income pathway.  

The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) played a key role in CIALCA implementation process and helps to co-host today’s launch of the initiative. The Director General highlights the importance of the TAFS-WCA initiative to the national agriculture system. 

“We work with CGIAR centers in Rwanda on a range of research for development initiatives including crop productivity, animal resources development, and institutional strengthening among others. We are thrilled to engage more with the upcoming initiatives to further strengthen CGIAR contribution to the national agricultural research system and strategic partnerships that will make innovative research for development much easier and effective.” Dr. Patrick Karangwa, RAB Director General.

CGIAR will continue to work with dynamic partners and diverse actors in the region to scale out knowledge, technologies, and innovations generated from over 50 years of research.

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations, and the private sector. (End)