Advocacy and Resource Mobilisation

Rationale

FARA’s Networking Support Function 1 responds to calls by CAADP and FAAP for increased and better harmonised investment in agricultural research and development (ARD) by national governments and regional and international development agencies/partners.  This is intended to establish an enabling environment to sustainably support broad-based agricultural productivity through improved competitiveness and markets.

Essential continuing functions

This Function serves as FARA’s knowledge centre on CAADP in general and Pillar IV in particular.  It informs the other NSFs and receives input from them in areas pertaining to their competencies. This Function has two interrelated responsibilities:Firstly it is responsible for advocacy and resource mobilisation on behalf of the Forum’s stakeholders and achieves this by serving as the knowledge centre on Africa’s advocacy and resource mobilisation goals, activities. Secondly it is responsible for the implementation of the Secretariat’s lead role in CAADP Pillar IV and achieves this by working closely with the Deputy Executive Director in her/his CAADP liaison role. It informs the other NSFs about CAADP processes and receives input from them in areas pertaining to their competencies.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of NSF 1 are:

• Advocacy for evidence-based pro-poor enabling agricultural and natural resources policies that aim to sustainably improve broad-based agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets
• Increased and better quality investment for sustainably improved broad-based agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets established
• The evolution and reform of national agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption systems to make them FAAP compliant and in particular in respect of  responsiveness to farmers, markets and gender equity accomplished.

NSF1 draws on the other NSFs to develop and implement evidence-based advocacy and resource mobilisation strategies that deliver increased and well harmonised investment in African ARD.  

The priority for ARD advocacy is to convince African governments that agricultural research is crucially important to economic development and food security and that they must invest more in it themselves, rather than placing too much reliance on donors. In 2002, African Heads of State meeting in Maputo agreed to invest 10% of their national budgets in agriculture. A mechanism to review progress towards this target has been put in place by the African Union and AU-NEPAD. Strategic efforts are now required to translate the 2002 agreement into action by all national governments and to encourage them to prioritise agriculture and agricultural research in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and other development policy instruments. To that end FARA’s M&E system will be interactively linked to the AU-NEPAD M&E.