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The third Global Forum on Agricultural
Research (GFAR) Triennial Conference concluded in New
Delhi on Saturday, the 11th November 2006 with
a call to all stakeholders of Agricultural Research for
Development (ARD) to advocate for a fuller recognition of
the central role of sustainable agricultural production in
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
increased investment in innovations and stronger
South-South, North-South and Noth-North collaborations. A
declaration was issued at the end of the three-day global
conference in which over 400 policy makers, agricultural
scientists, and representatives from civil society
organizations, farmers and private sector from more than
80 countries participated.
The Conference drew attention that
agriculture, because of increasing need for farmers to
participate in markets and that natural resources needed
to practice agriculture have to be conserved more
effectively, is becoming more knowledge intensive. Farmers
need access to new information knowledge, skills and
technology to survive and improve their quality of life.
While recognizing that the Millennium Development Goals
may not be reached by the time targeted for them,
agricultural research has to accelerate its contribution
to reach them as soon as possible.
The Conference discussed the need to
balance farm incomes with food security, how to blend
local knowledge with universal scientific knowledge and
reorientation of agricultural education. The need to shift
for agricultural research systems to broader innovation
systems for agriculture was strongly expressed at the
Conference. The issue of supporting agricultural research
and innovation, especially funding which is declining, was
also one of the critical issues discussed. Several
stakeholders such as farmers and civil society
organizations called for agricultural research to be
demand led and expressed that it should be evaluated by
its outcomes and not outputs.
The issue of bio-fuels was also discussed
at length with special emphasis on its implications on
global food security. The Conference had discussions on
how information and communications technology can
contribute to small farmers in participating in markets.
Farmers and market intermediaries now will need to be more
information management literate. New strategies are now
needed for this literacy.
The conference had all agriculture research
development stakeholders’ participation. The farmer
representation strongly indicated that they are best to
express their own needs and do not need other
representatives to express their needs in research. The
donors supporting agricultural research for development
also stressed the need to reengineer agricultural research
systems so that they meet the urgent needs of small scale
farmers.
The Conference released a GFAR 2006
Triennial Conference Declaration emphasizing that the
targets set under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
may not be reached and has called for far greater
involvement of all stakeholders to agriculture to support
and give new direction to agricultural research for
development.
Full
text of GFAR 2006 Conference Delhi Declaration
Related
Conference resources
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