Partnerships for agricultural innovation in

Africa

AAUNSeptember 4 2017

Mellissa Wood, GM Global

• Global challenges – complex, multi-dimensional and requiring systemic change • food & nutrition security needs of 9.7 billion people - gap• resource constraints – including water, fertilizer, land, energy• climate change impacts • food loss and waste • social and environmental sustainability • changing patterns of consumption

• Agricultural innovations need to move beyond research to have impact

• Require systemic change

• Not simple – partnerships are key

Crosscutting challenges

ACIAR’s new Strategy -drivers

• Ministerial Direction (emphasised by successive DFAT Secretaries)

➢ Profile, Gender, Climate, working with DFAT/InnovationX

• Position ACIAR for growth - as a pivotal, highly skilled institution at the intersection of Australia’s innovation system and its diplomatic outreach

• Drive research investments that improve our ability to tackle cross-sectoral challenges (like nutrition and human health, climate change, water and energy security, and empowering women and girls)

• Improve alignment with and inform DFAT’s development policy and aid investments

• Create more opportunities for strategic research investment, tapping into the best of Australian science

• Catalyse co-investment from development partners in initiatives able to be taken to scale

• Build science capability strategically in Australia and our partner countries

PROPOSED 10-YEAR STRATEGY AT A GLANCE

1. High-Level Objectives

2. 3 distinctive Research Partnership Models:

• bilateral country partnerships;

• multilateral research collaborations

• co-investment with development partners

3. Reallocating resources to create more capacity for Co-investment with development partners (and Outreach)

4. Radical overhaul of PR & Communications into a new Outreach program

5. Refreshed Capacity Building program

6. More sophisticated portfolio-level Monitoring and Evaluation

New ACIAR objectives

ACIAR brokers and invests in research partnerships to build the knowledge base on which developing countries can progress crucial development objectives:

• Improving food security and reducing poverty among smallholder farmers and rural communities

• Managing natural resources and producing food more sustainably, adapting to climate variability and mitigating climate change

• Enhancing human nutrition and reducing risks to human health

In supporting these development objectives, we will ensure that our research programs pay particular attention to improving:

• Gender equity and empowerment of women and girls

• More inclusive agrifood market chains, engaging the private sector where possible

• Scientific and policy capability within our partner countries

Research alliance

Cultivate Africa’s Future (CultiAF)

• Three year CA$15 million partnership

• African NARIs as project leaders

• Youth entrepreneur & gender focus

1. Innovative applied research – post harvest loss, nutrition and food security

2. Identify innovations and business models for scaling-up

3. Support and underpin national and regional policies and programs

• 8 projects across 5 countries

• 32 partners

• 11 universities

• 9 public institutions

• 5 International Non-governmental Organisations

• 1 local Non-Governmental Organisation

• 6 Private Sector Organisations

CultiAF1 - Program Overview

CultiAF Project locations

Developing innovations and capacity building

• Improved capacity of multi-partner and multi-country project teams to conduct high quality research

• 24 innovations tested with over 25,000 smallholder producers

• Women's empowerment – e.g. Uganda, 1,418 women now have opportunities for accessing credit through 118 Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLA)

• 44 Masters scientists (52% women) trained in key areas of nutrition, economics, insect science, gender, social science and food science

• Over 25,000 (54% women) smallholder farmers and fish processors trained in innovation use, gender and marketing

• 130 Youth entrepreneurs trained

Key Results

Insect farming

• Developing the scientific basis for insect based feeds

• Understanding perceptions to use

• Private sector engagement

• Using insects in poultry and fish feed

=> reduces the protein cost of feed by up to 37%

=>potential to create 43,000 jobs especially for youth and save USD 5.9M annually

=> frees up soy for human consumption

• Standards for inclusion of insect in animal feed approved in Kenya and Uganda

• Transformational solution

Increasing production & profitability

Pre-cooked beans

• Important source of protein • Growing middle class and changing food diets

• Potential markets for beans: 30M people in East Africa

Product development • 12 bean varieties selected for precooked bean products that cook in

10-15 minutes (compared to 3 hours for non-precooked beans)

• 2 products types-Pre-cooked beans and Pop-beans

• Packaging research under way

Private sector involvement• Lasting Solutions—2 production lines

• Business models for getting the products to markets and consumers

Increasing reach and participation• 18,000 farmers engaged

• Consumer studies show low income households will increase bean consumption by three meals a week with the new products

Improving nutrition

• 10 years

• 1st 5 years $20 mill competitive call

• Builds on results and lessons from phase 1

• Signed July 2017 and launch end of 2017

• Leverage comparative advantages

Key Focus Areas

I. Reduced post harvest loss

II. Improving nutrition

III. Climate resilient agricultural systems & sustainable use of water

IV. Women and Youth to promote meaningful participation as producers, leaders and influencers

CultiAF phase 2

mellissa.wood@aciar.gov.au

www.aciar.gov.au

@wood_mellissa