CORAF

From 24 to 26 April 2025, Niamey hosted the annual regional planning meeting for the research activities and projects of the Regional Centre for Livestock Specialisation (CRS-EL). This strategic meeting was part of efforts to strengthen the centres of excellence and specialisation of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), with the support of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (PRSA/FSRP), funded by the World Bank.
CORAF, as the regional scientific coordination body, plays a central role in the operationalisation of the CRS-EL. Since the Center was set up in 2018, CORAF has provided ongoing technical and institutional support, fostering the emergence of a research network made up of eleven national centres in ten countries. Today, this regional structure enables expertise to be pooled and innovative solutions to be co-constructed to meet the many challenges facing the livestock sector in West Africa.
The meeting in Niamey enabled participants - government representatives, researchers, teacher-researchers, producer organisations and technical partners - to define the research priorities for the period 2025-2026. The aim was to design scientific interventions adapted to local realities, while meeting the expectations of producers and stakeholders in the livestock-meat-dairy value chain.
With livestock farming occupying a strategic position in the West African economy, the debates focused on the major research themes to be prioritised: genetic improvement, animal health, livestock feed, product processing, adding value to hides and skins, among others.
Professor Yayé Aissatou, Chair of CORAF's Scientific Committee, welcomed the progress made in structuring the CRS-EL. She emphasised the importance of strengthening the alignment between research activities and the needs of the field, stressing the need to involve end-users in the innovation process. In her view, CORAF's support through the PRSA/FSRP is crucial to ensuring regional coherence and the sustainability of interventions.
This meeting is part of a series of regional planning workshops organised under the FSRP, following those held in Mali and Chad in 2024. It will be followed by another session in Senegal in September 2025, demonstrating the regional momentum in research and development for resilient food systems.
All in all, this CRS-EL annual meeting is a major step towards consolidating the programme's achievements and promoting resilient, productive and sustainable livestock farming, in the interests of food security, job creation and economic development in West Africa.

As part of the activities relating to the sustainability and adaptation of the productive base of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), coordinated by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), a workshop to present the results of a study was held on 20 and 21 March 2025 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

This event was an opportunity to share the results of a mapping exercise of modern and innovative agricultural extension tools and approaches in West and Central Africa, in collaboration with the Rural Advisory Services Network in West and Central Africa (RESCAR-AOC).

Agricultural extension services play a central role in disseminating innovations and good farming practices. However, these services are often ineffective, limited in their geographical coverage and poorly adapted to the specific needs of farmers. In the face of growing climatic and economic challenges, the adoption of new technologies and farming practices is crucial to strengthening the resilience of farms. This study has helped to fill these gaps by identifying and disseminating the best extension approaches.

For two days, heads of extension services from FSRP member countries, researchers and experts in agricultural innovation, representatives of NGOs and civil society organisations and private sector players involved in the provision of agricultural services discussed the directory of tried and tested agricultural advisory tools and approaches: a detailed mapping of initiatives that have demonstrated a significant impact in different agro-ecological contexts.

The work enabled successful cases to be identified and best practices to be shared, with a view to highlighting successful experiences and encouraging their replicability.

Together, the stakeholders and partners have drawn up a roadmap for the modernisation of extension services, which will now have to incorporate digital tools and participatory approaches for more effective and accessible extension.

By encouraging dialogue and pooling expertise, this meeting laid the foundations for structuring a new dynamic in farm advisory services, based on modern methods and adapted to the realities of producers.

The initiative supported by CORAF and RESCAR-AOC should lead to a significant transformation of agricultural extension services. The integration of digital technologies, the training of extension agents in new approaches and the increased involvement of the private sector are all levers for guaranteeing wider and fairer access to agricultural advisory services.

On the initiative of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), some thirty young researchers from the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in West Africa were trained in meta-analysis in Lomé/Togo. This regional meeting, held from 29 October to 02 November 2024, brought together researchers and teachers from countries benefiting from the Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) and doctoral students sponsored by the said Programme, from some fifteen West African countries.

Participants were trained in the fundamental concepts of agricultural data management and analysis, with a view to mastering the tools and techniques that will enable them to carry out metadata analyses.

Thanks to this training, participants have an exportable database that they can use to write scientific articles and capitalise on the results for CORAF and their respective NARS.

This training course in Lomé/Togo initiated by CORAF is a response to the needs expressed by its members in terms of capacity building on emerging themes and practices in the agricultural sector.

Experts agree that meta-analysis of data has become an essential part of scientific research, particularly in the field of agriculture. It represents a quantitative assessment of knowledge on a given subject, making it an essential skill to acquire, over and above the traditional skills of literature review.

Indeed, the application of metadata analysis in the field of agriculture could facilitate the identification of data gaps and formulate new and robust research questions to be addressed to achieve food security. By combining the results of individual or national studies, meta-analysis produces summaries and conclusions that can be used to explain regional mechanisms or phenomena.

The Davié agricultural technology park in Togo, run by the Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA), opened its doors to Togo's agricultural producers and livestock breeders on Wednesday 11 September 2024. This open day, organised in partnership with CORAF as part of the FSRP and iREACH projects, enabled participants to discover the latest technological advances developed to improve agricultural and livestock production systems.

Agricultural technology parks, set up in 9 West and Central African countries by CORAF, are dynamic platforms that bring agricultural innovations closer to producers. At Davié, a number of technologies were highlighted, including short-cycle climate-smart seeds, technologies for aquaculture, rabbit, pig and poultry farming, agronomic practices and agri-food processing solutions.

This technology park plays a key role in bringing researchers and farmers together, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Research results, tested on different varieties and soil conditions, are presented to farmers in a practical environment where they can evaluate and adopt these technologies for their own farms.

In addition to this open day, regular visits are planned for potential users of the technologies and innovations on display. ITRA, with the support of CORAF, is working in partnership with the region's universities and agricultural schools to help improve the training of tomorrow's agricultural players, while at the same time boosting the widespread adoption of agricultural technologies.

It should be noted that the Davié agricultural technology park initiative began in 2023 with technical and financial support from the FSRP and iREACH projects coordinated by CORAF.

Several other agricultural technology parks are being set up in Togo to bring producers closer to the technologies and innovations available, so that they can incorporate them into their production systems. Thanks to the agricultural technology parks, Togolese producers have concrete tools at their disposal to improve productivity and respond to current climatic and economic challenges.

In the face of climate challenges, strategic crops such as rice must adapt to ensure the resilience of agricultural production systems. With this in mind, CORAF, in partnership with the Bioversity International Alliance and CIAT, through the AICCRA (Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research in Africa) AfricaRice project, and the West African Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), organised a regional workshop from 26 to 28 August 2024 in Cotonou/Benin to discuss innovations and technologies capable of strengthening the resilience of rice-growing systems in West and Central Africa.

Dr Elliot Dossou-Yovo, AICCRA Mali Coordinator, presented the various proven technologies available to the participants, in particular the Country Coordinators, rice specialists and agricultural advisors from the FSRP implementation countries, stressing the need to create effective mechanisms for their large-scale adoption. Several of the climate-smart technologies and innovations identified have demonstrated their potential to optimise production while taking climate constraints into account. Examples include RiceAdvice, Smart-Valleys, alternative wetting and drying (AWD), the integrated rice-fish system, Pay as you go and climate-resilient rice varieties. These innovations are crucial to improving the resilience of farming systems, boosting productivity and guaranteeing food and nutritional security for millions of people in the region.

"In the rice value chain, several technologies, innovations and research knowledge have been developed and deployed in the countries. These innovations need to be scaled up in order to reach and have a positive impact on the final beneficiaries, i.e. family farms", said Dr. Angelo DJIHINTO, representing INRAB at the opening of the workshop.

"General awareness of climate change has led to the development of a number of climate-smart approaches and technologies, which unfortunately remain unknown to the general public, particularly in the agricultural sector. Their widespread adoption is vital for the resilience of our food systems," emphasised Dr Komla Kyky Ganyo, CORAF's FSRP technical assistant.

For Dr Alcade Segnon, researcher at the Bioversity International and CIAT Alliance and West Africa scientific manager for the AICCRA project, "it is essential to disseminate these technologies on a large scale for the benefit of African producers".  

Funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Bioversity International Alliance and CIAT, the AICCRA project aims to promote the adoption and use of climate-smart agricultural technologies and innovations, as well as climate information services. In West Africa, the aim is to ensure that these technologies and innovations can be taken to scale through multi-stakeholder partnerships. The World Bank-funded West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (WAFRSP), which is being implemented in 9 countries, is seen as an ideal channel for this large-scale dissemination of technologies in the rice value chain. This workshop aims to inform FSRP stakeholders about these available technologies and to define actions for their adoption in the region.

At the end of the presentations, the participants identified key activities, recommendations for PRSP implementing countries and the best strategies for disseminating these technologies to farmers, with particular emphasis on family farms, which account for a large proportion of rice production in the region.

"We were very interested in the Smart-Valley technology because it requires the mobilisation of the entire community, especially women. On our return to Mali, we will be raising awareness among the stakeholders so that we can implement this innovation in Mali", said Sory Ibrahim Konaté from the FSRP Mali team.

The workshop also produced a clear roadmap for the use and scaling-up of climate-smart technologies in the rice value chain. This roadmap includes concrete actions to strengthen the adoption of technologies in FSRP implementing countries.

Student training is at the heart of the capacity building policy of CORAF, the leader in agricultural research in West and Central Africa. With this in mind, student scientific days were organised in Togo from 22 to 26 April 2024 to share the results of doctoral and master's theses with CORAF's Scientific and Technical Committee (STC).

This initiative was part of the food systems resilience programme, which aims to support national centres of specialisation in building up a critical mass of researchers in order to conduct high-quality research and ensure the next generation of researchers.

For example, in 2023, CORAF launched a call for applications for study grants, which led to the selection of 10 candidates for doctoral grants on subjects of interest in the West African sub-region. The selection was based on the region's priorities, taking into account the constraints of the main agricultural value chains in the region. The results of their work will help to find solutions to the challenges identified.

The meeting in Lomé was an opportunity for CORAF's Scientific and Technical Committee to analyse and provide better guidance to the scholarship holders on their research work. These scholarship students from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Chad and Togo will be better supported, guided and oriented so that at the end of their research, the sub-region can have practical agricultural solutions that will eventually be easily passed on to users.

In practical terms, during the work in Lomé, each student and his or her supervisor presented their work project, how they intend to go about it, what the methods are to achieve it, what results will be generated and together we will analyse it in depth to ensure that each student leaves with the right guidance to ensure that his or her work is useful. 

As part of the West African Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), CORAF recently concluded a series of regional training workshops aimed at strengthening the skills of stakeholders in national agricultural research systems (NARS) in biotechnology and bioinformatics. These workshops, the latest of which took place at the end of 2023 at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Cheikh Anta Diop University (FST/UCAD) in Dakar, brought together a variety of players, including researchers, students and engineers from Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo.

These participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and develop practical skills in key scientific areas, particularly biotechnology and bioinformatics. These regional training courses are part of the strategy of CORAF and the FSRP project to strengthen the skills of researchers and stakeholders in national agricultural research systems.

With a total commitment of 50 participants for the two training courses, CORAF succeeded in reaching its target. This holistic approach aims to equip the region with the skills needed to meet the challenges of agriculture and food in an innovative and sustainable way.

The training modules covered crucial subjects such as the basic concepts and application of biotechnological methods and tools in agriculture, modern methods for diagnosing plant and animal diseases, and tools for the genetic improvement of crops and animals. In addition, sessions were devoted to the analysis of sequencing data and the use of genetic databases. Participants thus acquired in-depth knowledge of the use of modern methods in agricultural research, enhancing their ability to contribute to more resilient food systems.

Through this training, CORAF is renewing its commitment to strengthening the capacities of national agricultural research systems (NARS) in West and Central Africa and to creating a community of researchers better equipped to face the current challenges in the agricultural sector

25 experts in monitoring-evaluation and communication from Benin, Burkina-Faso, Mali, Ghana, Chad, Togo, Senegal and Sierra-Leone have been given a better understanding of how to contribute to the valorisation of agricultural technologies from research centres in order to reduce food insecurity in West and Central Africa.

The training, organised by CORAF in Dakar, provided participants with an in-depth understanding of the valorisation of Agricultural Technology Parks (ATPs), logical frameworks, performance indicators and digital data collection tools. The workshop also included practical training in strategic communication, photography, writing success stories and engaging the media to raise the profile of ATPs.

In order to measure the impact of PTAs effectively, key performance indicators have been defined, along with an agreed reporting template. These indicators include the number of technologies demonstrated in the ATP, the number of individual and farmer visits to the ATPs, and the number of public-private partnerships created. These data are crucial for assessing the effectiveness of ATPs and guiding future decisions.

CORAF and its partners are working to ensure that innovations are effectively scaled up to create employment opportunities for young people and transform the agricultural industry in the region.

The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) intends to strengthen the leadership of Innovation Platforms (IPs) in countries and at the regional network level. This approach, which CORAF has tested in several countries as part of projects to disseminate the results of agricultural research, strengthens collaboration between government organisations, NGOs, private companies, universities and local farmers.

As part of the implementation of the West African food system resilience programme (PRSA/FSRP), CORAF intends to contribute to the inclusion of innovation platforms in training programmes and curricula in West Africa.

To this end, a study has been commissioned to examine the feasibility of this vision. From 3 to 5 April 2024 in Ouagadougou, stakeholders and partners in the agricultural world were invited to report on the results of this study with a view to moving on to the stage of developing training curricula to be implemented in agricultural training institutions and centres.

Agricultural innovation platforms in West Africa have emerged as essential catalysts for the region's agricultural development.

These are physical hubs or centres where farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers and other players in the agricultural sector meet to share ideas, access training and resources, and develop innovative solutions.  IPs support agricultural start-ups by providing space, mentoring, training, funding and other resources to develop their ideas and products.

Innovation Platforms play a crucial role in promoting innovation, productivity and sustainability in West Africa's agricultural sector, helping farmers to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of a rapidly changing environment.