Key WLE Issues: Opportunities

1. Introduction to the Volta & Niger Focal Region ProgramDr. Olufunke CofieFocal Basin Coordinator

3. Key WLE Issues: Opportunities • A large endowment of land and water resources. • Renewed public and political interest in food security, agriculture and environmental sustainability. • Hard working farming communities that are willing to improve their practices and farming business • Several concluded and on-going initiatives (CG & non CG) that offer complimentary support/data to WLE • WLE partners’ research capability and presence in the sub region

4. Key WLE Issues: Challenges -1 • Poor living condition: WA lags behind in its bid to eradicate poverty and hunger • Low productivity & low opportunities for income generation through rural agriculture Source: World Bank. World Development Indicators, 2008

5. Key WLE Issues: Challenges -2 • Changing demography • high urbanization rate • gender inequity in farming

6. Key WLE Issues: Challenges -3 • Increasing degradation of natural resources • Lack of information on adaptation to climate and resource variability • Poor production/management practices • Poor governance, poor planning and investments in agriculture • Weak institutional environments, limited human and financial capacity, political fragility

7. WLE Response Currently in Volta-Niger basins: • 36 projects across all WLE Flagships • 8 countries • Led by 9 CGIAR centers with distinct partnership network.

8. The Focal Region Program • Complimentary to other WLE projects • Central point for integration; • For moving research to outcome at the local and national levels

9. Goal of the Volta-Niger focal program Bolster opportunities for increased agricultural productivity through key ecosystem services by generating and sharing knowledge that support change agents (local, national, regional levels) to strengthen local capacities and their ability to adapt to environmental and economic changes.

10. Focus on: • Providing evidence of successful innovative practices to influence investments and interventions in agriculture and pastoralism • Solutions for increasing the productivity and sustainability of ecosystems and the services they provide, and increasing women and youth’s access to them. • Supporting basin-level infrastructure investments that sustain and enhance ecosystem services and improve livelihoods

11. How? Sound research involving partnership and engagements with next users to generate knowledge, tools, methods, strategies and guidance so that we can have high impact interventions and investments in agriculture and other ecosystem services that are sustainable, equitable and lead to greater food security and poverty reduction.

12. Implies: • Demand-driven research that responds to the issues on the ground and aligned with the strategic investment plans of local/national governments, regional organizations (e.g ECOWAS; CORAF, Basin Authorities), major donors and development investors. • Strategic partnership and alliances in the design and implementation of research activities– for local buy in and shared vision • Portfolio of interlinked research and research-related activities implemented in an integrated manner at field, landscape and basin levels (system perspective) • Capacity building (e.g of graduate students and professionals in public/private institutions and NGOs) • Research results not only published in journals but also developed into recommendations, manuals, policy/investment briefs etc. • Effective (non-linear) communication to promote greater engagement with change agents and enhance adaptive management & learning

13. Selected R4D EoIs BF, GH GH BF, NG GH GH BF,

14. Focus Area?

15. Need a shared vision of the future! This week: • A shared vision • An agreed regional / project impact pathway • Understanding of roles, responsibilities and contributions of each project

16. Example of a Regional Vision for 2025 Agriculture and nature are united for poverty reduction. This has been achieved through the generation and sharing of knowledge that prevent the degradation of natural resources, especially in semi-arid regions allowing agricultural landscapes and their services to support a growing urban population.

17. Example of Regional Outcome(s) by 2019 • Government agencies: At least X government agencies are applying the knowledge and tools to bring an ecosystem based approach in planning and investment decisions to improve the livelihoods of men and women while ensuring environmental health in the next X-Yyears. • Development organizations: Up to Y development organizations are using briefs and tools to target and prioritize ecosystem based investments and interventions to improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods of rural communities and employment opportunities for youth that is both ecologically and economically sustainable in year Z • Local Institutions: Up to X local institutions are using the knowledge, methods and frameworks for governing ecosystem services in their collective management of farming landscape.

18. Programme support to Projects • Backstopping on WLE Framework and Strategies: Ecosystems, Gender and Communications/Uptake • Key documents on past research • Networking • Cross project/flagship linkages at the regional level • Cross Focal Region linkages within the IES • M&E and Admin support • In the short term to further enhance funding opportunity for long term R4D regional program.