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Philipp Aerni, 2006

Mobilizing Science and Technology for Development: The Case of the Cassava Biotechnology Network (CBN). Philipp Aerni, 2006. Presented by: Peizhu Li. Cassava. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava ). Cassava in Africa.

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Philipp Aerni, 2006

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  1. Mobilizing Science and Technology for Development: The Case of the Cassava Biotechnology Network (CBN) Philipp Aerni, 2006 Presented by: Peizhu Li

  2. Cassava (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava)

  3. Cassava in Africa • Central Africa is the biggest consumer and producer in Africa, annual consumption above 80 Kg/capita • Decrease in consumption in Central Africa as an alarming sign • Constrains and challenges Still the last resort for farmer families and their domestic animals, market potential remains large

  4. Survey on Problems and Solutions • Nov. 2003, Sponsored by the Swiss Center ofr International Agriculture (ZIL) • with cassava experts from ETHZ, IITA and other 3 institutions, and representatives from local universities, farmer organizations and multinational companies • 27 respondents • Questionnaire: Problems in cassava subsistence and cash crop agriculture and different approaches to solve the respective problems • Also in-depth interviews

  5. Problems of subsistence Agriculture • 20 Problems related to cassava subsistence agriculture • 5 major categories: diseases, pests, yield, root quality, abiotic stresses

  6. Potential of the different approaches

  7. Problems in Commercial Agriculture • 17 Problems related to commercial agriculture

  8. Approaches assessment

  9. CBN • Was established in 1988, based at the CIAT in Colombia • A network of cassava researchers and end-users united by the goal of mobilizing the development and application of biotechnological tools to enhance the value of cassava in the food security and economic development of the world's poorest rural areas • The Network operates along three major and complementary thrusts: • Priority setting and evaluation through the strategic use of social science to ensure that cassava end-users have a real voice in the development and implementation of biotechnologies • Technology diffusion by further adapting key biotechnologies, together with small farmers, through public-sector research • Information to promote awareness building and dialog among scientists and end-users on biotechnology's inherent opportunities and constraints • Triennial CBN meetings bring together around 300 cassava researches, local farmers and NGO representatives, delegates, companies and international foundations • CBN members were and are crucially involved in various other international cassava-related initiatives • http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/biotechnology/cbn/

  10. CBN Priorities in Line with the Assessment • Integrating the needs of cassava farmers, processors, and consumers into biotechnology research priorities • Clean stake distribution with tissue-culture project • Fostering research linkages around high-priority topics • cyanogen-free transgenic cassava • Varieties more resistant to postharvest deterioration • Varieties with higher nutritional content • Transgenic cassava varieties resistant to ACMV disease • Transgenic cassava varieties with delayed leaf senescence and higher protein-content in roots • Improving postharvest technologies and marketing • Best mix of approaches to particular problems • Promoting exchange of information and genetic materials

  11. State of International Agricultural Research • No longer rely on a countinuous flow of financial support from western donor agencies • Shifted from a supply-driven to a demand-driven concept of rural development, end-user-focused networks of collaboration • Partnering more with local stakeholders, collaborating with multinational companies and institutes in developed countries to conduct relevant research • CBN initiatives in Response to Changing Donor Priorities in 1990s (foreign aid decreased significantly while investment in private-sector agricultural research skyrocketed) • Collaborative crop research networks may become the new way of doing international agricultural research

  12. Discussion and Conclusion • The challenge to improve cassava production and market in Central Africa is huge • CBN is addressing the major socioeconomic and agronomic challenges by binding the scare resources and uniting the major stakeholders involved in cassava breeding, production, marketing and consumption worldwide • The mobilization of science and technology for development is highly compatible with a bottom-up and end-user-oriented approach to sustainable development

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