Dissemination of research results is the key to improving food security. As the research project budgets are limited, the resources need to be used as efficiently as possible to bring the knowledge to the end-users. Therefore Luke and the FoodAfrica programme are mapping out possibilities for cooperation for maximal impact.
Last week directors and researchers from Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) met at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland. The aim of the meeting was to map out possibilities for cooperation in information dissemination in Africa.
FoodAfrica research results are getting ready for dissemination
The FoodAfrica programme coordinated by Luke strives for improving food security in West and East Africa by doing research and building local research capacity in the African partner countries. The programme started in 2012 and research has been done ever since in cooperation with Finnish, African and international research organisations. Results are starting to pile up and the primary activity in the remainder of the programme is to spread the gained knowledge to the end-users, in most cases local smallholders and decision makers
According to Executive Director of FARA, Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo the objectives of FoodAfrica are well aligned with the ones of FARA. Therefore the cooperation would be reasoned and could be very beneficial for both parties. FARA brings together all the major stakeholders in agricultural research and development in Africa, including the extension services. Thereby it can reach the local smallholders all over the continent. FARA has the required infrastructure in place in different regions of Africa for disseminating the research results which makes it easier to mainstream the outcomes for FoodAfrica.
Director of the FoodAfrica programme, Professor Hannu Korhonen from Luke sees the benefits of working with FARA.
– Current FoodAfrica partners have focused on carrying out scientific research and this co-operation has proved successful and has delivered appropriate and useful results for African smallholders and other stakeholders dealing with food and nutrition security. Also, the co-operation has strengthened both African and Finnish research capacity. In the follow-up phase of FoodAfrica specialized expertise is needed for transmitting our research results to the end-users in the African continent. For this purpose, FARA is considered as a relevant and capable partner.
Negotiations on cooperation between FoodAfrica and FARA will continue soon, Luke is already co-operating with FARA in the EU funded project PROIntensAfrica which aims at intensifying African agriculture through finding new initiatives for co-operation between European and African research organizations.Even wider co-operation between Luke and FARA would be possible, as Luke has a broad expertise on agricultural, forestry and fisheries development and research in Finland and in developing countries.