The MDG summit

23 September 2010

Ten years ago, as the world's 'haves' celebrated the arrival of the new millennium, the international community set itself a series of ambitious anti-poverty targets, which came to be known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ten years on, the world's leaders met this week at the UN in New York to review progress. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the summit that although "real results" has been achieved "the clock is ticking, with much more to do."

Agriculture select committees - the way forward?

7 September 2010

My last update dealt with the issue of how regulatory processes can act as constraints to innovation in agriculture. This is perhaps symptomatic of a much broader problem - that agriculture is not given sufficient priority. This is surprising if we consider:

New rules for regulation

30 July 2010

Last week I was in Nairobi for our regular 6-monthly RIU team meeting. The RIU portfolio of experiments in putting research into use contains some real gems - innovative technological and institutional solutions to problems that are preventing smallholder farmers from enhancing their families' food security and increasing their incomes.

RIU Lessons mirror new UK Government thinking

2 July 2010

As you will probably be aware, following elections in May we have a new government in the UK. For the first time since the Second World War, the country is being led by a coalition government in which the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats share power.

Joined up thinking

2 June 2010

The RIU programme now consists of a diverse and exciting portfolio of 30 or so major research-into-use experiments. They have come about in different ways, as a result of different initiatives and priorities that have prevailed during RIU's 4-year lifespan. It is gratifying, however, that despite (or perhaps because of) their diverse origins, some common threads are emerging -see the emerging lessons from our Central Research Team. And, in addition, some of the separate projects are identifying promising synergies.

Impact at scale and lesson learning

17 May 2010

RIU’s twin objectives are to achieve impact at scale and in the process to generate lessons about putting agricultural research into use. After a lengthy gestation period, I am pleased to see that RIU is now delivering on both fronts - a fact recognized in the recently concluded independent annual review commissioned by our funder, DFID.

Best Bets – reflections on West Africa and emerging lessons

20 March 2010

We have just completed screening the proposals submitted for the West African round of our Best Bets programme – all 85 of them. The Best Bets initiative aims to put existing agricultural research findings into use at scale through partnerships in which the private sector plays a significant role. Ideally I want RIU to provide a one-off grant which will clear a ‘logjam’ to enabling a sustainable enterprise to be created or an existing one strengthened.

Partnership with AGRA

16 March 2010

I am pleased to report that plans for collaboration with AGRA have continued and RIU and AGRA will now jointly fund the forthcoming AWEPA (The Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa) African Parliamentary Support for Agriculture mission to Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.

StopStriga

1 March 2010

I was recently reminded why the RIU programme is so important. Keith Sones, who leads our excellent communication team, recently returned from a visit to western Kenya to check in with one of the projects funded under the RIU Best Bets initiative. On his return he wrote to his communications team as a reminder of why their work was important:

Caterpillars, comics and contexts

18 February 2010

An update on three Best Bets working on armyworm, sleeping sickness and communicating agricultural messages to young people.

The first few weeks of 2010 have been a busy time for RIU. The four Best Bets projects selected for funding late last year have now all passed due diligence and contracts have been issued. One of these is concerned with armyworm and combines community-based forecasting of an attack with control using a bio-pesticide.