Call for proposals launched by Africa-Brazil

The Agricultural Innovation MKTPlace is an international initiative supported by different donors aiming to link brazilian and african and LAC experts and institutions to develop cooperative projects.

The Innovation MKTPlace is composed of three basic pillars:

1. A policy dialogue between the main authorities from Africa, LAC and Brazil supporting institutions focused on the development of a mutually agreed framework for collaboration
2. A forum for presentation and discussion of research for development ideas, including proposal selection, that would be competitively supported.
3. Support and implementation of joint agricultural research for development projects.

The latest call is open up to 28 February 2013. The ceiling of funds is 80,000 USD. The consortium MUST involve a Brazilian research scientist.

World Bank urges Africa-Brazil partnership in agricultural development

5 June 2012. The World Bank organised a video conference for some African countries including Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia to present experience of the Brazilian corporations in agriculture, social protection, vocational and technical training.



The conference papers were presented from Washington DC in US to participants in their respective countries. Brazilian technology is said to be easily adaptable to many African countries because of geophysical similarities in soil and climate. Andre Nepomuceno Dusi, Structuring Projects Coordinator of Brazilian EMBRAPA pledged the Brazilian government's commitment to help develop the agricultural capacity of African countries, especially those in the Sub-Saharan region.

14 June. This half-day seminar organized by the WB Africa Region aims at presenting Brazilian cooperation experiences in the areas of agriculture, social protection and vocational training.

Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist – Africa Region. The World Bank



Related: 
“Bridging the Atlantic, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. South-South Partnering for Growth” is the title of a recent report produced jointly by the Capacity Development and Partnership Unit of the Africa Region at the World Bank (WB) and the Brazilian Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA). As the report points out, Brazil and Africa are natural partners with strong historic and cultural links. Complementing these links, Brazilian technology seems to be easily adaptable to many African nations because of geophysical similarities in soil and climate. Brazil’s recent successes on the social and economic fronts have attracted attention from many African countries. They have requested Brazilian cooperation in areas such as tropical agriculture, tropical health, vocational training, energy and social protection among others.

The role of South-South Cooperation in Agricultural Development in Africa - opportunities and challenges

17 May 2012. Brasília. The Role of South-South Cooperation in Agricultural Development in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges 2012. 

Both China and Brazil are becoming increasingly important players in agricultural development in Africa, whether through technical assistance or trade and commercial investments in land and agriculture. In the longer term, these new players may reshape the way agricultural development is thought about, financed and implemented across Africa. 


The implications of these new patterns of South-South cooperation have been discussed at a meeting in Brasilia on 17/05 organised by the Future Agricultures Consortium in collaboration with the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with support from Articulação Sul, the International Cooperation Centre in Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Professor Li Xiaoyun and Professor Qi Gubo of the Chinese Agricultural University in Beijing offered their perspectives based on the findings of their recently-published book, Agricultural Development in China: A Comparative Analysis. 

Focusing on China's experience of supporting agricultural development in Africa, they argued that China has made massive strides in achieving food security and poverty reduction, feeding 20 per cent of the world's population with only 8 per cent of the world's arable land. Lessons from this experience are potentially important for Africa, they said. China has experience of labour intensive agriculture supported by locally developed appropriate technologies. China's 'green revolution', they pointed out, was home-grown and based on long-term public investment in research, agricultural education and infrastructure, and was not reliant on market led development.

Panel 1: Brazilian cooperation for development: new paradigm for agricultural development in Africa? 

Setting Brazilian agricultural development cooperation in its geopolitical and policy context – what are the attributes of the Brazilian model and what challenges is it facing? Reflecting on lessons from different agricultural development models in Brazil and their implications for cooperation with Africa – how to get the blend right?

Panel 2: Agriculture, climate change and a green economy in Africa: what role for South-South?

Focusing on the opportunities and challenges for African agriculture [in the context of the Rio+20 and post-Durban agendas on sustainability], inclusive green growth and climate change mitigation – climate smart agriculture and the socioenvironmental lesson-learning process from Brazilian agricultural development. What lessons exist from including rural women for example? How can we do better rather than simply produce more?

Panel 3: Brazil and China in Africa: similarities and differences in South-South exchange 

Identifying contrasts and commonalities in Brazilian and Chinese approaches for agricultural development cooperation with Africa, and potential for future exchange – what might Brazil and China do together?

Related
guardian.co.uk, 10 May 2012. Chinese food security may be motivating investments in Africa Future need to import more food a possible influence in China's engagement with African agriculture, claims study.

AFR-Brazil Ag Innovation Marketplace - third call for proposals

The Marketplace aims to benefit primarily smallholder producers. The objective of this initiative is to enhance agricultural innovation for development on the African continent through the establishment and strengthening of partnerships between African and Brazilian organizations.

The Marketplace focus on agricultural innovation thus potentially engaging the full range of actors involved in the generation of agricultural knowledge (research, academia, extension, private sector, NGOs, producers, policy makers.

This initiative lead to the generation of concrete and productive partnerships between agricultural research and development organizations in Africa and Brazil, initially through Embrapa, supporting smallholders. Ultimately, it will support the development of a mutually agreed framework for sustainable Africa-Brazil collaborations. The Marketplace will open a new source of expertise to Africa to identify and target pro-poor, smallholder-based projects utilizing Brazilian innovation research.

Key dates
Dec 12th 2011 - Feb 29th 2012 - Call for pre-proposals
Mar 01st 2012 - Mar 12th 2012 - Pre-proposal evaluation and selection
Mar 12th 2012 - Mar 15th 2012 - Announcement and invitation of selected pre-proposals for submission of full proposals
Mar 15th 2012 - Apr 09th 2012 - Submission of full proposals
Apr 09th 2012 - Apr 16th 2012 - Full proposal evaluation and selection