Project profile — Support to Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa - I

• South of Sahara, regional (100.00%)

• Agriculture: Agricultural research (31182) (100.00%)

• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Gender equality (significant objective)

This project aims to support the institutional capacity building and research activities of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD). The goal of this support is to contribute to the development and dissemination of innovative agricultural technologies and knowledge to local farmers and producers who are directly implicated in the region's agricultural production and food security. The main research areas that WECARD aims to explore include the following sectors: (1) livestock, fisheries and aquaculture; (2) staple crops; (3) non-staple crops; (4) natural resource management; (5) biotechnology and biosafety; (6) policy, markets, trade, institutions and socio-economics; (7) knowledge management; and (8) capacity strengthening. This component represents the first part of CIDA's contribution to the project, which is worth $10 million in total. The activities initiated in this component continue in component number A035187-005 (Support to Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa - II).

N/A

Results achieved as of December 2014, include: (1) Six agricultural technologies to improve crop yields have been implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, and Senegal. (2) Six strategies have been developed to improve productivity in the areas of animal husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture, and non-food crops in Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, and Chad. In addition, after supporting a 2-year change management process that has seen important reforms, overall management of CORAF's Secretariat and its governance structures and administration are now considered effective (Joint World Bank / Development Partners Review).

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities:
• Support to Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa - I - Monitoring
• Support to Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa - II
• Support to Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa - II - Monitoring