PAEPARD supports ARD Diaspora

Dr Peter Jeranyama, presenting AAAPD 

28 September 2012. PAEPARD organised an expert meeting on the ARD Diaspora (back to back to an SLU conference on ARD) between the Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD) US chapter and the AAAPD European chapter at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet).


The purpose was to define a number of activities PAEPARD should organize in 2013, in order to include the Diaspora in agricultural research for development in the formulation of a possible new phase of PAEPARD.

Dr.LINLEY CHIWONA-KARLTUN was elected as interim chair of AAAPD-European chapter (video interview forthcoming). For the coming 6 months AAAPD-E will be hosted by the African Diaspora Policy Center (ADPC) based in The Hague.

Dr. Awil Mohamoud is the Founder
and Director of the African Diaspora
Policy Centre (ADPC). The
ADPC is an independent policy research
centre devoted to the study of migration
and development related issues
from the perspective of the diaspora.

• ADPC is already active since 7 years with Dutch Government funding and received in the past EC funding. 
• AAAPD US has already a database of 2000 members and the plan is to profile in the coming 6 months 200 Europe based African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora, based on the extensive contact lists of ADPC. (see African Diaspora Skills database of ADPC) 
• AAAPD US has secured 300,000 USD from the Gates Foundation, and with the extension to Europe additional funding could be lobbied for. 
• IICD will give support to AAAPD for automatic translation of the AAAPD website in European languages. 
• In the medium term AAAPD-E will be embedded in an agricultural research department. 
• This is already the case for the AAAPD-US (hosted by the Iowa State University, Agronomy Dept) 

The result of this meeting were:

• A log frame with activities to be undertaken in 2013 by PAEPARD. This will be submitted to the Management Team Meeting of PAEPARD for discussion and uptake in the PAEPARD revised work plan for 2013. 
• A discussion on a strategy which can support the advocacy activities of PAEPARD around the role of the ARD diaspora (among others to sensitize the European commission)

LINLEY CHIWONA-KARLTUN responds in an interview to the question "What will be the first activities of the European chapter of the Association African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD-E)"

Background documents of the Expert meeting: 

1. PAEPARD and the African Diaspora in the agricultural sector Note of 05/01/2011 of F. Stepman  
2. AAAPD by Peter Jeranyama  
3. TEAMPRO by Rachel Tocklu. Teampro encourages and promotes trade and Investments between African and European organization, including Agricultural Projects in East Africa
4. IFAD presentation. See also at Main remittances pages of IFAD and the FINANCING FACILITIES FOR REMITTANCES (FFR) publication that includes the Diasporas Investment in Agriculture Programme