19 Oct 2015

Organisation for Agricultural Research and International Cooperation (CIRAD) and Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at fostering agriculture development of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Signing the MoU was CIRAD managing director, Dr Michael Eddi and CCARDESA executive director,  Prof. Timothy Simalenga  in Gaborone recently..

Speaking at the event, Prof. Simalenga said their goal was to reduce in a sustainable way, the food insecurity and poverty in the region as planned in the SADC’s Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and its revised version, the Dar es Salaam declaration on food security and the comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP).

“The purpose of the MoU is to create a conducive framework that will facilitate concrete cooperation projects to be carried on by CIRAD and CCARDESA in the field of agricultural research for development in the SADC region, within the scope of the respective mandate of the two Organisations,” he said.

For her part, Dr Eddi said their mandate was to support public and private stakeholders in contributing to the economic development of these regions through research, experimentation as well as training and sharing of scientific and technical information.

“In cooperation with local or regional academic and research institutions as well as public or private institutions involved in the field of agricultural development, CIRAD initiates, develops and implements programmes and projects, related to food security, bio-diversity, rural and territorial development, natural resources management, food quality, forestry and livestock development including emerging diseases, or sustainable intensification of agricultural production,” she said.

She said CIRAD has already set up platforms for research and training in partnership with academic institutions within the SADC region, adding that the Ambassador of France to Botswana has stressed the importance of agriculture in the economic development of these countries, which meant that the challenges, including those linked to climate change, must be addressed urgently. Ends