Steering Committee Meeting of EFARD

12th – 13th June 2012. Brussels. Steering Committee Meeting of EFARD (the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development). EFARD’s strategic objectives are to encourage dialogue between European ARD stakeholder groups promoting awareness, innovative approaches, and partnerships in order to build a more efficient and impact focused ARD; to support global ARD initiatives within the framework of GFAR and the GCARD process; and to to promote inter-regional partnerships and collaborative ARD activities for joint research initiatives, capacity strengthening and greater impact, particularly in developing countries.

The 3 major agenda points were the role of ARD in Horizon 2020, the EFARD communication strategy and the contribution of EFARD to the GCARD 2 conference in Uruguay (October 2012).

• In order to continue with efforts to ensure ARD is more prominent in the awareness of policy makers and funders, the EFARD Steering Committee decided that more efforts are needed on Horizon 2020 (the successor of FP7). A letter will be addressed by EFARD to Paolo De Castro, Chairman of the Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament on food security. 
• In order to implement the GFAR’s agricultural information and communication management programme which sets out to enhance stakeholders’ access to agricultural knowledge, a desk study was led by CIRAD. The objective of this study was 1) To review and map the major European information and communication system: portals and websites dealing with Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D); 2) To provide some suggestions on how to integrate European agricultural information resources into the existing global agricultural information and communication management systems. 
•  The EFARD lead activities in support of GCARD Road Map are Foresight; the role of the ARI’s; Capacity Strengthening and coordination with CSOs and NGOs. 

Participants:Alessandra Giuliani (SFIAR, Switzerland, Vice Chair) Arno Maatman (ICRA) Observer Catherine Guichard (COLEACP, France, Chair) Christian Hoste (AGREENIUM/ France) Codrin Paveliuc-Olariu (YPARD – Europe representative) Caroline Sidi (ACF, France) substitute for Myriam Ait-Aissa Didier Pillot (AGRINATURA) David Radcliffe (EC/DEVCO; Executive Secretary) Frédéric Lapeyrie (CRAI, France) Francois Stepman (European Co-manager, PAEPARD) Observer George Rothschild (UK Forum) Judith Francis (CTA, Netherlands) Observer Jennie van der Mheen (WUR, Netherlands) Nicoliene Oudwater (ETC) substitute for Ann Waters-Bayer Paolo Sarfatti (AGRINATURA/ IAO, Italy) Philippe Petithuguenin (EC, DG RTD, representing EIARD) Sander van Opstal (ERA-ARD representative) Observer Wim Andriesse (WUR, Netherlands) Alex Percy-Smith (Consultant to Secretariat) Francoise de Chevigny (ICRA), VAN OPSTAL, Sander Senior Officer, Directorate for Knowledge, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Ede, The Netherlands

Related: EFARD Joint meeting with EIARD 
As a new point at the end of the EFARD SC meeting and at the beginning of the 54th EIARD Working Group meeting a joint session was held with the following agenda:

• Presentations of EIARD and of EFARD 
• Discussion on linkages (incl. governance and communication) 
• GCARD 2 preparation and participation 
• Bi-continental platforms with Africa (PAEPARD), ASIA and Latin America: PAEPARD presentation on re-thinking funding mechanisms for multi stakeholder ARD consortia
• Participation of ARIs in the CGIAR CRPs 

Participants:

• EFARD Steering Committee (see above)
• KALDERS, Joseph NCP WG Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, DGOS, Brussels, Belgium 
• THEVENOUX, Philippe European Commission, DG DEVCO, Brussels, Belgium 
• PETITHUGUENIN, Philippe ExSec European Commission, DG Research, Brussels, Belgium
• RADCLIFFE, David European Commission, DG Development, Brussels, Belgium 
• LAPEYRIE, Frederic NCP Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, Paris France 
• FLOOD, Frank Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Limerick, Ireland 
• VAN GILST, Daniel M Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Oslo, Norway 
• CHIVERTON, Philip NCP Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden 
• THOENNISSEN, Carmen NCP WG Senior Advisor, CGIAR, Global Program Food Security, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Berne, Switzerland 
• TOLLERVEY, Alan NCP Agriculture Team Leader, Research and Evidence Division DFID,  London, UK
• Wofgang Kasten Germany, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Eschborn, Germany
• HAUG Ruth, Norway 
• DOBAO Maria Teresa, Spain