Name

Name	Contact Information	Details
Mustapha El Bouhssini from Morocco.	ICARDA	I have been at ICARDA since May 1996. I am an entomologist working on integrated pest management (IPM) of cereal and food legume insect pests. We have had a very successful partnership with the University of Vermont, USA on IPM of Sunn pest. I am looking forward interacting with you during the next few weeks.
Dineshkumar P. Moghariya	Dinesh P. Moghariya A.K.R.S.P.(I), 9th Floor, Corporate House, Opp: Dinesh Hall, Ashram Road Ahmedabad -09 (Guj.) Phone: 91-79-66312451, 27540421	Presently working as a program specialist (Agriculture) with Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India), based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, which is affiliated to Aga Khan Development Network. I did my post graduation in agronomy from B.A. College of Agriculture, Anand (Gujarat) in 1990. My present work is to devise suitable agriculture package based projects, implementation and monitoring strategy, providing technical inputs to field implementing team, developing network with research and market agencies etc.. We are in the are of natural resource management and under that agriculture being one segment of project, we promote crop diversification, water management (Drip, Sprinkler), organic farming, collective marketing of agri. inputs and outputs, farmers training etc. through a network of extension volunteers. Though I am Gujarati but can better read, write, understand and talk English as my third language. I am always eager to know about new developments in agriculture weather technological, policy related or market related and try to pass on it to ultimate beneficiaries - farmers in rural India. Till date we don't have any collaboration with CSO-CGIAR projects. That’s why I am intended to learn about CSO - CGIAR collaborative partnership and future opportunity to work with for the benefits of farmers.
Tu Van Binh	Can Tho University (Vietnam)	Researcher and lecturer. I have 5 years of experience in Consultancy for provinces of the Mekong Delta (the south of Vietnam) about the likelihood improvement and poverty reduction. Currently, I am doing PhD. at Antwerp University, Belgium, with the topic of Fishery production and export in the Mekong Delta.
Abdon Awono	CIFOR	Specialised on marketing and farmer enterprise development. Our common dream is to see poor people improving their wellbeing through a better management of natural resources but thinking of the needs of future generations. It is a pleasure to exchange on this.
Tareke Berhe (Ph.D).	Sasakawa Global 2000	I am a Plant Breeder/Agronomist by training. Currently, I am engaged in Agricultural Development and have been working for an NGO known as Sasakawa Global 2000 for over 15 years. The last 10 years, I am involved with the promtion of rice production technology in Sub-Saharan Africa. MY CGIAR affiliation at the moment is with The AFRICA RICE CENTER (WARDA ). However, I have had the opportunities to have some association with CIMMYT, ICRISAT & IITA. My wishes and dreams are to see African Farmers get out of poverty and become food secure. I would be interested in innovative ways and discussions on issues that are relevant to this subject.
Jorge Coronel B.	INIAP Ecuador	Soy Ingeniero Agrónomo. Actualmente trabajo en el Proyecto Saraguro con grupos de agricultores(as) organizados de zonas marginales ayudándolos a mejorar su calidad de vida a través de mejorar su producción por unidad de superficie y en la difusión de estrategias para conservar el suelo y agua. Me gusta mucho hacer amigos, y compartir experiencias
Nachiket Mor.	ICICI Bank	The second largest bank in India and deeply engaged in the business of agricultural finance including micro-finance -- currently we have about 3 million micro-finance borrowers with about $600 million in loans outstanding. I have an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad in India and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania with a specialization in Finance from the Wharton School at Penn. I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank and also its Deputy Managing Director. The Centre for Development Finance at IFMR in Chennai (www.ifmr.ac.in/cdf) and the ICICI Agriculture Knowledge Forum at Hyderabad are two initiatives that are directly linked to Agriculture and rural development with which I and my bank are closely associated. I am also a Board member of CARE, USA and a new one at IFPRI in Washington DC. I want to try and understand how the resources of the CGIAR system can be better deployed for on-ground development work in rural India and in agriculture.
Luan Ahmetaj, from Tirana, Albania.	Albanian Association of Organic Horticulture - Bioplant Albania	I am graduated as Agronomist on June 1988. I am specialized on Land Management (post university studies) in Agricultural University of Tirana on July 1991 and I am graduated in IAM, Bari, Italy on Mediterranean Organic Agriculture, June 2001. I am trained from Department of Agriculture, USA on November 1999, also I am trained from FAO and ISTA on Electrophoresys, and PSR Methods on Seeds verification and GMO detection and in IAM Bari, Italy on international standards on organic Agriculture. I have a long experience on research, governmental, agro-environmental and civil society issues. Actually I am President of Albanian Association of Organic Horticulture - Bioplant Albania and I am member of American Society of Agronomy and Biology Engineers - ASABE. Bioplant Albania has for mission to develop the organic farming, to well manage the soil, biodiversity and others natural resources of the country. It is working with other organizations on preparing and implementing of some agro ecological alternatives, national strategies and programs on food security and environment protection in Albania. Our organization is member of some national and international networks and like to establish new partnership and relationship for developing joint programs and projects with on CSO - CGIAR Forum.
Marc Cohen	Marc J. Cohen, Ph.D. Research Fellow Food Consumption and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute 2033 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006, USA Telephone: +202-862-5657 Fax: +202-467-4439 E-mail: m.j.cohen@cgiar.org Skypename: mjcifpri Web: http://www.ifpri.org/srstaff/cohenm.asp	I am a Research Fellow in the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division of IFPRI. I previously was Special Assistant to IFPRI's Director General and Secretary of IFPRI's Board of Trustees, and have had a lot of experience working with CSOs on behalf of IFPRI. Before joining IFPRI, I spent 15 years working for various NGOs, including eight years at Bread for the World (USA), an anti-hunger advocacy organization. I am a political scientist by training (we are a rare breed at CGIAR centers), and I am presently the interim leader of IFPRI's research program on policy processes in food security and nutrition. You can read more about our research at: http://www.ifpri.org/themes/grp25/grp25overview.htm Over the past four years, IFPRI is increasingly looking at the role of governance and policy processes in food security. My own research focuses on such topics as conflict and food security, the role of legislation and legal systems in food security, global humanitarian aid policy, post-crisis reconstruction, the right to adequate food, and community empowerment. I'm very excited about this Virtual Conversation and having a CSO Forum at this year's AGM, as I think there has been a real vacuum since the old NGO Committee "froze" its relations with the system. Of course, the centers continue to have relationships with individual CSOs at the project level and at other levels, but institutionally, at the system level, there has been a void. I look forward to hearing the views of other participants.
Soumah Malick	Assocation pour la Promotion Economique de Kindia (APEK agriculture).	Je suis agronome, technologue des semences et je forme les petits exploitants agricoles sur les techniques de production des semences en général et en particulier sur le système semencier communautaire, en vue du renforcement d'un système semencier durable. Les paysans encadrés par notre ONG APEK agriculture sont organisés en groupements de producteurs (plus de 400 groupements) et en unions de groupements de producteurs, qui sont actuellement au nombre de 5 avec un total de 13 000 agriculteurs membres. J'aimerai partager les expériences avec tous les participants à cette conversation virtuelle et échanger avec vous lors du forum de Washington. [rough translation by Simone] My name is Soumah Malick. I work for an NGO called "Association for the Economic Improvement of Kindia" (APEK agriculture). I am an agronomist, specialist in seed technologies, and I train small scale farmers in seed production, specifically on a community level. Our objective is to strengthen sustainable seed systems. The farmers that we deal with are organized in producer groups (more than 400 groups) and second order groups (a total of 5 with more than 13,000 members). I would like to share my experiences with you during this online event and face to face during the forum in Washington. Greetings from Guinée-Conakry Soumah Malick President APEK agriculture, Kindia, Guinée
Ogeli ole Makui a maasai from Kenya.	Wildlife Foundation and part time with ILRI	My earlier career was Civil Engineering but currently am a student at the University of Nairobi studying Sociology. I have a long working experience with community Wildlife and Natural resouce conservation in maasai land. I work with The Wildlife Foundation and part time with ILRI. With ILRI, I work as a Community Facilitator ie to pass Scientific Research information to the Maasai comminity in a language they understand, I also link pastoral comminity to policy makers and aid them to use the research information to make decisions based on scientific information from research. I also link ILRI to a Community based orgainisations in Kajiado for example, KILA- Kitengela Landowners Assocaition among many other partners. I love to empower my community through knowledge and education generated through scientific research. Through virtual conversation, I would like to create a network of friends and organizations that are geared torward alleviating poverty in rural communities by ecouraging participatory research and information sharing.
Loyce Kaitira, Tanzania	Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organization (TIP)	I am working with Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organization (TIP). This is an NGO facilitating rural agroenterprise development in Northern and Southern zones of Tanzania. I'll be delighted to share our experiences in this field and related ones.
Toure, Ali	WARDA A.TOURE@CGIAR.ORG	My name is Ali Touré A., I am an agricultural economist (Msc.). I have been working with the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) since 1996. Currently, I am a research assistant in the Rice Policy and Market Development unit. Prior to that, I have started as the research assistant to the RADORT project. RADORT stands for Research on Accelerated Diffusion of Rice Technologies in West Africa. I have also worked for the water management project. I am responsible for the development and management of the West Africa Rice Statistics Database and actively involved in the development and implementation of some multi-country policy studies with colleagues from national agricultural research and extension systems in countries like Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, and Nigeria. The West Africa Rice Trends are currently posted on WARDA website. The link to this is: http://www.warda.org/publications/Rice%20Trends.pdf. Other useful link is : http://www.warda.org/workshop/RicePolicy/. This is the link to the workshop on Rice policy and food security held in November 2005 in Cotonou (Benin). This is to say that, out this virtual conversation, I have high expectations with regards to best policy interventions for the promotion of the rice sector and also sharing some success stories.
Ing. Agr. Gonzalo Zorrilla de San Martín	Executive Director Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) Tel.: 572 445 0052/0093 Fax: 572 445 0094 Postal Box 6713 Cali, Colombia	My name is Gonzalo Zorrilla, currently Executive Director of Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR). I was born in Uruguay and graduated in Agronomy in 1981 form Uruguayan University. I took a MSc Degree in crop physiology from Iowa State University. I have been Rice Research Leader at INIA (National Institute for Agricultural Research – Uruguay) for many years, and more recently Director of INIA Treinta y Tres Regional Research Station. I moved to Cali, Colombia one year ago to take this position. FLAR is a public-private partnership to support a regional rice research program whose final goal is the development of the rice sector in Latin America, as a strategic tool for fighting poverty. Today we have fourteen member countries (México, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) and CIAT as a key partner. We expect to receive República Dominicana and Perú as new members in the next few months. Our partners in each Country are diverse, being Farmers Associations, Milling or Seed Industry, Public Research Institutions, all of then representing their rice sector and with strong commitment to invest in this joint-venture. Rice breeding and a transference program to improve crop management and increase rice farmer’s competitiveness are our main projects today. We are also starting a project on improving rice market tools. I was born and grew up in a farm and all my professional life has been working closely with framers, trying to offer them improved technologies that deliver authentic solutions for their problems. Being in a supra-national organization gives the idea that you are farther form production and farmer’s problems. My challenge at FLAR is feeling that we are still delivering good and sound results to them in a much broader scale.
Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani	Coordinator Young Professionals' Platform for Agricultural Research for Development (YPARD) Institute for Botany University of Hannover Herrenhaueser Strasse 2 30419 Hannover Germany Tele: +49-511-762-4045 Mobile: +49 (0) 176-209 82 467 Fax: +49-511-762- 19262 Alternate email: balamarch13@yahoo.com ramani.balasubramanian@googlemail.com www.ypard.org - Official website of YPARD	I would like to see the discussion the role of young professionals in agricultural research for development, rural innovation and more participation of young and women in S&T. YPARD - The Young Professionals? Platform for Agricultural Research for Development Slogan: Youth for growing development We need a more dynamic agricultural research for development (ARD) that is more interdisciplinary, more participatory, more responsive to community needs, more action-oriented and development driven. Our VISION is? Sustainable improved livelihoods worldwide through a dynamic agricultural research for development Our MISSION is? To serve as a global platform through which young professionals can express their ideas and realize their full potential towards a dynamic agricultural research for development. Young professionals need a voice and a platform where they can contribute to important discussions and decisions in ARD. The platform will serve as an instrument to empower young professionals, improve their capacities and broaden their opportunities by facilitating communication and exchange of information, knowledge, experience and expertise among the young as well as between the junior and the senior professionals. At YPARD we aim to 1. Promote agriculture among young people 2. Broaden opportunities for YPs to contribute to strategic ARD policy debates 3. Facilitate exchange of information and knowledge among YPs across disciplines, professions, age and regions 4. Facilitate access to resources and capacity building opportunities for YPs in ARD Our organization is supported by different stakeholder institutions including major funds coming from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Leibniz University Hannover (Germany) in establishing the coordination-unit of YPARD. YPARD is supported by (Alphabetical order): ? Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques - Côte d'Ivoire ? Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) ? European forum on Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD) ? Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) ? International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) ? Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ? Italian Youth Forum on Agriculture ? Leibniz University of Hannover ? LINEAS ? Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences ? Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) ? Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) ? Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU ? United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) ? Wageningen University and Research Centre
Jonas KEMAJOU SYAPZE	l'OPED (Organisation pour l'Environnement et le Développement Durable), une ONG basée au Cameroun, Afrique Centrale	Mon nom est Jonas KEMAJOU SYAPZE, Je travaille pour le compte de l'OPED (Organisation pour l'Environnement et le Développement Durable), une ONG basée au Cameroun, Afrique Centrale. Je suis spécialisé en développement et en management des projets. J'enseigne les cours sur ''les techniques d'animation, l'introduction à l'éducation des adultes et la Gestion du cycle de projet au Centre Régional d'Enseignement Spécialisé en Agriculture (CRESA-Forêt-Bois) de l'Université de Dshang. J'ai une expérience de 15 ans dans le domaine du développement rural et la gestion forestière participative. Notre organisation travaille depuis plus de 5 ans avec WorldFish Center (membre du CGIAR) dans l'organisation et l'accompagnement des pêcheurs à Kribi (zone cotière). Je suis très heureux de participer à cette conversion. Au delà des différents axes de discussion, mon intérêt porterait davantage sur l'utilisation des résultats des travaux de recherche pour induire le développement. Recherche et développement, quels liens? quelles approches?... [rough translation by Simone] My name is Jonas KEMAJOU SYAPZE, I am working for OPED (Organization for environmental and sustainable development), a Cameroon based NGO in central Africa. I am specialized in project development and management. I am teaching at the regional center of specialized education in agriculture (CRESA-Forêt-Bois) of Dshang University. I am giving an courses on adult education and On the management of project cycles. I have 15 years of experience in the field of rural development and participatory forest management. Our organization has been working for 5 years with the Worldfish CG center in organizing and accompanying fishers from the Kribi cost-zone. I am very happy to participate in this conversation. Beyond the different discussion focuses, my interest lies more in the use of the research work in order to induce development. Research and development: what are the linkages? What are possible approaches?
Chiedozie Egesi	National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, PMB 7006, Umuahia, Nigeria. Email: cegesi@yahoo.com	My name is Chiedozie Egesi and I work with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Nigeria. I was trained as a breeder at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria during my PhD studies. I am currently the principal cassava breeder of the institute and by implication for the country since NRCRI holds the national mandate for genetic improvement of the crop. I am currently doing a few months fellowship at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia courtesy of the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP). I work with a group of Nigerian universities and farmers’ groups in jointly evaluating newly developed cultivars of cassava in a bid to improve the crop’s productivity under the auspices of the Root and Tuber Expansion Programme of Nigeria. Every year, the partnership meets to decide on cassava varieties to be recommended for official release. In the last 10 years we have released over 20 improved cassava varieties; no wonder the country has remained the world’s largest producer of the crop. However, in the last 3 years, the partnership understood the importance of incorporating modern biotechnology tools into our selection procedures and therefore had to expand the partnership by joining forces with the GCP and CIAT. We have started seeing results as varieties from this new initiative are already nearing the terminal end of the release process and this we believe will positively impact the farmers who depend on the crop for their income. This however was started by training of several researchers in our group by the GCP on how to use these new tools in breeding. The interesting thing is that within a short time we can effectively deliver to the farmer varieties with a higher probability to succeed for their own assessment and eventual adoption. I see this CSO-CGIAR innovation marketplace as the partnership of all the partnerships participating. Therefore one can only expect to see the combination of the strengths of these partners as we share information in this Virtual Conservation. Our insights shall be better sharpened as we learn from one another. I am glad to be participating in this and look forward to meeting you all at Washington in December. Hopefully I will go back to my country with a lot of friends and ideas about different approaches to make my partnership work better and to ultimately help uplift the livelihoods of a number of cassava growing communities in Nigeria. Remember, you have only one life to live! Live it wisely 'cos you have an account to make of it!
Santiago Perry	Director Ejecutivo de la Corporación para el Desarrollo Participativo y Sostenible de los Pequeños Agricultores (Corporación PBA) sperry@corporacionpba.org	Mi nombre es Santiago Perry, Director Ejecutivo de la Corporación para el Desarrollo Participativo y Sostenible de los Pequeños Agricultores (Corporación PBA). El objetivo de la Corporación es contribuir al mejoramiento del nivel y la calidad de vida de los pequeños agricultores, a través del fomento de procesos de innovación participativa tendientes a lograr el desarrollo sostenible de las comunidades rurales. Estos procesos incluyen componentes de investigación participativa en agricultura sostenible, de fortalecimiento organizacional y empoderamiento y de desarrollo empresarial de los pequeños agricultores para su vinculación a cadenas productivas dinámicas. En este momento la Corporación PBA trabaja con aproximadamente 100 organizaciones de pequeños agricultores en la Costa Atlántica y en la Zona Andina en Colombia, y recientemente con otras organizaciones de productores en Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia y Venezuela a través del Consorcio Andino de Innovación Participativa que lidera. La Corporación PBA trabaja con una amplia red de aliados como el CIAT, CORPOICA, el Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y algunas Universidades, entre otros. Para más información sobre nuestros proyectos y aliados pueden visitar nuestra página Web www.corporacionpba.org. Nos parece muy importante poder concretar trabajos conjuntos con centros del CGIAR en procesos de innovación participativa, y aprender del trabajo y experiencias de otros centros de investigación, ONG’s, organizaciones de productores y demás personas que participarán en la reunión. [rough translation by Simone] My name is Santiago Perry, Executive Director of PBA (Association for the participatory and sustainable development of small-scale farmers). The goal of our association is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of small-scale farmers by supporting participatory innovation processes that aim to achieve sustainable development of rural communities. This includes participatory research on sustainable agriculture, the strengthening of organizations, and empowerment of small-scale farmers in agroenterprise development to connect them to dynamic production chains. We are currently working with a hundred organizations of small-scale farmers of the Atlantic Cost and the Andean Zone in Colombia. Recently we started to work with producer organizations in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela through the Andean Consortium on participatory innovation. Corporación PBA Works with a large network of partners such as CIAT, CORPOICA, the Fund for Environmental Action, and some universities, among others. Please see our Web site for further information: www.corporacionpba.org. It is very important for us to achieve collaboration on processes related to participatory innovation with CG centers, and to learn from the experiences of other research centers, NGOs, farmer organizations and all those who participate in the event.
Suhaila Rahman	Research Associate Plant Biotechnology lab Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Dhaka. Bangladesh Email: rahmansuhaila@yahoo.com	My name is Suhaila Rahman. I am from Bangladesh. I am working as a Research Associate in a Plant Biotechnology lab which is a part of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka. I have graduated and post graduated from Biochemistry, University of Dhaka. And now I work in the field of Biotechnology. I am working in the ‘Generation Challenge Program’ (GCP) funded project with the collaboration of DU and IRRI: “Revitalizing Marginal Lands: Discovery of Genes for Tolerance of Saline and Phosphorus-Deficient soils to Enhance and Sustain Productivity”. I work on rice and I am looking for salt tolerant rice. We have a very good collaboration with IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) and BRRI (Bangladesh Rice Research Institute). I also worked in the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) funded Rice Biotechnology Project and the PETRRA (Poverty Elimination through Rice Research Assistance) funded project. High salinity is one of the most important factors that limit the productivity of major crop plants, including rice. Current estimates show that 20% of highly productive irrigated land is affected by salinity. In Bangladesh, about 1 million hectares in the coastal area, out of a total cultivable area of 9 million hectares is affected by salinity, which is more profound during the dry season. Right now I am working as a Visiting Research Scholar in the University of California, Davis, USA. Generation Challenge Program (GCP) has awarded me this fellowship to conduct a part of my research work here, UC Davis. The expected outcome of this project would be the production of saline tolerant boro rice, which will have a major impact in the livelihood of farmers whose land remains fallow in the boro season. I think we can share a lot information through this Virtual Conservation. It is a very good way of communication and sharing our thoughts. I am looking forward to hear more from you.
Sylvain MAPATANO	Sylvain MAPATANO Coordinateur de la Plate-forme Diobass au Kivu 219, Av. P.E. Lumumba Ibanda/Bukavu B.P. 1914 Bukavu Tél: 00 243 (0) 81 521 75 72 mapatano_s@yahoo.fr	Mon nom est Sylvain MAPATANO, de nationalité Congolaise ( République Démocratique du Congo). Je suis ingénieur agronome, avec certaines formations et stages post-universitaires, tel le programme organisé par l’ICRA/Montpellier ( France) sur la recherche agricole orientée vers le développement (IAR4D). Je travaille depuis 18 ans maintenant dans le renforcement du mouvement associatif au sein de la société civile congolaise, mais aussi comme personne ressource dans certains pays africains. Je fais parti également du comité de pilotage du Consortium des ONG Sub Saharienne travaillant avec les institutions de recherche, récemment constitué à Entebbe en juin 2005, lors de l'assemblée générale de FARA. La plate-forme Diobass au Kivu que j’ai le plaisir de coordonner depuis 10 ans, est un espace d'échange et de formation ouverte à différentes couches sociales( organisations paysannes à la base, Centres de recherche, universitaires, acteurs publics, …). Un accent particulier est porté sur la valorisation des pratiques et savoirs locaux suivant une démarche de recherche-action participative autour des problèmes techniques et sociaux des milieux ruraux et périurbains. Ce forum nous offre une bonne opportunité d'échange avec d'autres acteurs. [rough translation by Simone] My name is Sylvain MAPATANO, Congolese national (Democratic Republic of Congo). I am an agronomist, with some additional post-university capacity building, like the ICRA/Montpellier program on agricultural research for development (IAR4D). For the last 18 years I have been working to strengthen the associative movement within the Congolese civil society. I also have been a resource person for some other African countries. I am part of the steering committee of the Sub-Saharan Consortium of the NGOs who work with research institutions a consortium that was recently created, in June 2005 in Entebbe, during the FARA general meeting. The Kivu Diobass platform that I have had the pleasure to coordinate for the last 10 years is a space for sharing and training, which is open to different levels of users, like grassroots farmer organizations, research institutions, universities, public actors,... A specific aim is to value indigenous knowledge and practices through participatory action-research processes around technical and social issues in rural and peri-urban livelihoods. This forum gives us the opportunity for sharing with other actors.
Marcellin Kobongo	Programme actuel "PRAPE" (Programme de Relance Agricole dans la Province de l'Equateur) mpkobongo@yahoo.fr	Je m'appelle Marcellin Kobongo. Je suis Ingénieur Agronome de formation. Etudes exécutées à l'ISEA Mondongo en RDC et terminées à Liège en Belgique depuis 1980. Je suis marié. Pendant près de 20 ans, après la fin de mes études, j'ai oeuvré à proximité des paysans, plus spécialement dans le secteur de production végétale (produits vivriers). Notre apport consistait essentiellement aux conseils techniques, à l'approvisionnement de ces derniers en outils et intrants agricoles et en semences amélioriées. Nous assurions aussi la commercialisation des produits. Pour ce faire, une partie de nos activités consistait à amenager les routes de desserte agricole, les dépôts de stockage et l'habitat paysan. Dans notre experience, nous avions enregistré d'énormes difficultés dont : la transformation et conservation des produits, la maîtrise des prix sur le marché (à cause notamment de la forte inflation) et l'amélioration sensible du revenu du paysan. Dans le Programme actuel "PRAPE" (Programme de Relance Agricole dans la Province de l'Equateur), nous nous attelons aux aspects du développement du paysan. Ces aspects couvrent : la structuration et capacitation des paysans ; l'approvisionnement en outils et intrants agricoles ; l'approvisionnement en semences améliorées des principales cultures (riz nerica, maïs, arachide et manioc) ; la commercialisation des produits agricoles issus de ces cultures ; l'aménagement des voies de communication (routes et voies fluviales) ; l'aménagement des écoles, des centres de santé et des puits d'eau. Ce Programme est financé par le FIDA, le FBS (Fonds Belge de Survie) et le Gouvernement Congolais pour une durée de 5 ans. Nous sommes à notre première année. J'ose croire que ces quelques informations vous ont, certes, permis d'avoir une idée sur ma personne. Je vous remercie. [rough translation by Simone] My name is Marcellin Kobongo. I am an agronomist by training. I studied at the ISEA, Mondongo (RDC), and I finished my studies in Belgium where I live since 1980. I am married. For almost 20 years, after the end of my studies, I worked closely with farmers, specifically in te field of food production. Our input was mainly focused on technical advice, delivering of tools and improved seeds. We were also in charge of the commercialization of the products. Thatfore one part of our activities was to build and improve roads, storage capacity, and rural housing. In our experience we encountered lots of difficulties, i.e. in the field of product transformation and production, the handling of market prices (due mainly to inflation problems), and the significant improvement of farmers’ income. In our current program "PRAPE" we focus on farmer development, which includes: Organizing and training the farmers Providing tools and input Providing improved nerica rice, maize, ground nuts, and cassava seeds or planting material. Commercializing of products based on those crops Improvement and construction of communications infrastructure (roads and on water) Improvement and construction of schools, health centers, and wells This 5-year program is financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Belgium Survival Fund FBS and the Congolese Government. We are in our first year of implementation. I hope that this introduction gave you some useful insights.
Mary C. Shetto	Research Fellow, Soil-Water Management Research Group, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3003, Morogoro, Tanzania. email: maryshetto@yahoo.com	My name is Mary Christine Shetto, a researcher and a member of the Soil-Water Management Research Group at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. Professionally I am an Agriculturalists, trained in Management of Agricultural Knowledge Systems (MSC) at the Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. For over 15 years, I have been working as a liaison person in fostering and strengthening Research-Extension-Farmer-Linkages. As a facilitator, I am responsible in supporting fellow researchers to disseminate research findings to end users. Specifically, I am involved in developing capacity of researchers to promote research products through communication and knowledge management. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD, to come up with more innovative strategies for scaling-up and uptake promotion of research outputs from the natural resource management. The Soil-Water Management Research Group (SWMRG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives in Tanzania (where I am currently employed) are conducting research in “Rainwater Harvesting and Management” in order to improve farmers livelihood in Semi-Arid Areas. Rainwater is a scarce natural resource in semi arid areas that needs to be effectively managed if agriculture is to contribute in poverty reduction. Therefore, as a Group, our vision is “to efficiently convert rainwater into soil-water and then effectively utilized to yield optimal social-economic and environmental benefits”. The Mission is “to provide leadership in all aspects of rainwater management in by developing, testing and promoting appropriate and socio-economically viable management systems for optimizing the capture and utilization of rainwater to provide soil-water required for economic and environmental functions, through research, training, outreach and advocacy”. The Group is a member of Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa, working closely with its Soil and Water Management Research Network. The Group is also a member of the Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network (SEARNET). We have been working closely and received support from various organisation, including the Natural Resources Systems Programme (NRSP) of DfID, UK. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA); WATERNET and currently working with Challenge Programme for Water and Food (CPWF) were I learned about CSO_CGIAR Forum. I’m very pleased to join this virtual conversation and looking forward to share knowledge and learn more from my colleagues. I believe there is a lot of knowledge that we can share and put it in action to help our poor farmers get out of poverty.
Nathan Russell	Communications Specialist CGIAR Secretariat nrussell@worldbank.org	My name is Nathan Russell, and I belong to the Communications Team in the CGIAR Secretariat, where I have been working since March of this year. One of my responsibilities in recent months has been to help organize various aspects of the CSO-CGIAR Forum. So, I'm especially excited about the prospect of getting to know others who are taking part in this initiative and of meeting all of you at AGM06. I'm definitely one of the old-timers around the CGIAR, having worked at three Centers (IITA, CIMMYT and CIAT) for a total of about 23 years before joining the Secretariat. I have tried not to be old-fashioned, though, and am keenly interested in novel approaches to communication that can enhance research for development. For example, over a period of about 7 years at CIAT, I worked with local NGOs and universities in Colombia and most recently in Bolivia to explore the role of both new and conventional information and communications technologies, or ICTs, in making information about development opportunities more widely available in rural communities. Over the past couple of years, I have also become interested in knowledge sharing, or KS, as an approach for enhancing participation in key decisions about research for development in the CGIAR. Though skeptical about this approach at first, I came to see that it has great promise for enhancing the relationships on which effective teamwork and fruitful collaboration depend. I know that many colleagues in CSOs and some in the CGIAR are interested in these topics as well. So, in the coming weeks, I look forward to finding out who you are, what experiences you have had, and how you see the future of new ICTs and KS for development.
Arun Kumar Joshi	Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India joshi_vns@yahoo.co.in	I am Arun Kumar Joshi from India. I am working at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India since 1985. Our agricultural research and network is guided by the policies framed by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), N. Delhi. My interest area is wheat genetics and breeding. I am also associated with participatory research with small and marginal farmers in rice-wheat cropping system area of the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains. This work so far has involved promotion of RCTs, appropriate varieties, quality seed production, crop diversification, IPM etc and creation of linkages with farmers and other stake holders. We have had a long and satisfying partnership with CIMMYT, Mexico and also with its Asia office, Kathmandu. We have also worked/working with RWC, New Delhi; IFPRI, USA; CAZS (UoB, UK) and DFID (UK) in reaching out to farmers. I am looking forward to learn from the valuable experiences of this grand group that can be employed for the cause of farmers of south Asia. I also wish to submit my request to you all to keep me in your mailing list to keep me aware of your creative activities.
Margaret A. Mukulo	MSc. Food Science Project manager, Rural Outreach Program P. O. Box 29086-00625 NAIROBI, KENYA. Tel/ Fax: +254-20-2737989 Website: www.ajfand.net, www.ropnet.org Email: achitsap@yahoo.com	I am Margaret Achitsa Mukulo, a holder of MSc. in Food Science and technology. I am working with Rural Outreach Program, an NGO whose motto is 'Eradication of poverty through sharing', and working with the rural communities in western Kenya. The Organizations deals with groups whose membership is mainly women. It is involved in matters concerning water and sanitation, nutrition and health economic empowerment and gender issues. Under health- there is a component of HIV/AIDS linked to all the projects. My area is to do with food security, gender issues and women economic empowerment, since this is a marginalized group in our area of operation- although all the projects in the organization link to each other. One of the project, (mother project) is production and sell of African leafy vegetables, which have been proven to have several phytochemicals that boost the immune system and are encouraged to be taken by HIV/AIDS patients. The product is also on high demand after a realization of their benefits esp. in towns and therefore , a business opportunity for those who have land to grow, and also businessmen and women. I am involved in quality and quantity production and marketing of the same together with women. All the work is normally done in collaboration with other NGOs, the government and the communities.
Emily Nwankwo	Director, Corporate Services World Agroforestry Centre United Nations Avenue, Gigiri P O Box 30677-00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-20) 722400 (gen); 7224141(dir) Via USA: 1 650 833 6645 Email: e.nwankwo@cgiar.org Internet: http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org	Dear Nathan, Thank you for this introduction. Indeed there are many opportunities in sharing research for development information with rural communities that we all serve. Two avenues that I find inadequately or not explored at all are the use of local and community media in the locations that we work. Today there is a host of local journalist, freelance and as well as those attached to local media houses with the expertise of community media production and interaction. I have used local media in Tanzania to produce a video (where the Centre could retain the copyright or share it) that could be shown to the local communities or could be tailored to, say, a farmer to farmer intervention in any local language. Such videos could then be shared across the CG for Centres whose work could benefit from the content rather than create as many documentaries as there are Centres for the same subject matter. Perhaps there is need to explore more the use of what is available on the ground in conjunction with what CG Centres have in place for their communication efforts. This would be a good topic to explore in the forum at the AGM.
Khabibjon Kushiev	Gulistan State University (GSU) kushiev@mail.ru	My name is Khabibjon Kushiev. I have been working for 16 years at Gulistan State University (GSU). I am chief of the Department of General Biology and Head of Regional Research Center, created this year at the GSU. I am biologist and ecologist by training and for 10 years doing research of salt tolerant crops and effect of salinity to biologic development of plants. We are carrying out a joint Project named Bright Spots in cooperation with CG Centers, IWMI, ICARDA, IPGRI, and ICBA. I am looking forward to meeting you all and for opportunities to cooperate in future and share lessons learnt.
Janibek Kamilov	Director, WUA Japalak	I am Janibek Kamilov a director of Water Users Association named Japalak. Our WUA was established in 2002 along the Integrated Water Resources Management in Ferghana Valley Project carried out by IWMI in conjunction with Scientific Information Center of Interstate Commission for Water Coordination in Aral Sea Basin (Central Asia). We - water users/farmers - established working partnership with IWMI's experts to carry out the Social Mobilization and Institutional Development activities, which had main objective of encouraging farmer driven and bottom up institutions like our WUA to manage and distribute our water fairly among 5,000 water users. The challenge ahead of us was to mobilize all the water users for collective action and take part in governing the WUA, which had 2,000 ha of land. We have come with innovative solutions like establishing effective Water User Groups along the tertiary and lower outlets, which found a cure for the problems with water allocation and conflicts among farmers. Now, the institutional support, which gave fruitful results, currently being shared with other communities through informal farmer networks. So, now, our WUA became a benchmark for imrpoved water management in our region.
Jagdeesh Puppala	Chief Executive Foundation for Ecological Security, India jagdeesh@fes.org.in	I am Jagdeesh Puppala from Foundation for Ecological Security, India - a Non Government and Not for Profit Organisation working in several parts of India on issues concerning forests, water, local governance and rural livelihoods. Please visit us at www.fes.org. In for further details of the activities our Foundation. I have twenty years of work experience and I consider myself fortunate to have stayed with the same organisation all the while. I am presently the Chief Executive of the Foundation. I am graduate in Agriculture sciences followed by a Post graduation in Rural Management (both from India). Later on I had also done Post graduation on Forestry for Rural Development from ITC, The Netherlands. Though not in an academic sense, professionally I engage on issues concerning a) the study of common property regimes and appropriate governing institutions b) forest conservation and rural livelihoods c) Land degradation and dryland ecosystems d) political economy of forests and dependent people e) Land use planning. We collaborate with several organisations and World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI Tata India Programme) are of particular relevance to this forum. And our interests lie in intertwining the strengths of both science and popular practice and in nurturing healthy relationships towards that end.
Iván Rodríguez	Leader Agropyme-Swisscontact/SDC Honduras www.swisscontact.org	Les escribe Iván Rodríguez, Jefe del Programa Agropyme, financiado por COSUDE (SDC) y ejecutado por Swisscontact en Honduras, Centro América. El objetivo de nuestro programa es mejorar la competitividad de pequeñas y medianas empresas agrícolas (SMEs) en los subsectores de vegetales, frutas y apicultura. Trabajamos con un enfoque de cadena de valor desde el 2002, focalizando el apoyo en segmentos menos favorecidos. Hemos apoyado a una mejora promedio del ingreso neto anual de USD 1,225 en 868 empresarios (26% mujeres) y la calidad de empleo en aproximadamente 3,500 empleados. Mantenemos estrecha relación con Cadenas de Supermercados, Agroindustrias, dependencias del Gobierno, otros Programas de Desarrollo, Asociaciones Empresariales y Centros de Investigación. Participamos en la Alianza de Aprendizaje para el Desarrollo Agroempresarial Rural liderada por CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical) que es una plataforma de mejora continua basada en las mejores prácticas y lecciones aprendidas de los socios de la Alianza. [rouge translation by Simone] Dear all, I am Iván Rodríguez, leader of the Agropyme Program of COSUDE (SDC) which is executed by Swisscontact in Honduras, Central America. Our program aims to improve competitiveness of small and medium size agroenterprises (SMEs in Spanish) in the sector of vegetables, fruits, and beekeeping. We are working with a high value supply chain focus since 2002, and supporting specifically the less favored segments. We achieved an improvement in the average annual net income of USD 1.225 in 868 agroenterprises (26% women) and the job quality of more or less 3.500 employees. We maintain strong relationships with supermarket chains, agro industries, and governmental dependencies, other development programs, business associations, and research centers. We participate in the CIAT-led Learning Alliances Project which is a platform of constant knowledge sharing on best practices, and lessons learned among the alliance partners.
Kim Meulenbroeks	Deputy Executive Secretary of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) K.Meulenbroeks@tnw.tudelft.nl	Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Kim Meulenbroeks and I’m the deputy Executive Secretary of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI). I have a masters in Biotechnology from Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands). The Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) offers public researchers a forum through which they are informed about and can participate in relevant international negotiations, such as Meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOPs). A primary goal of participating in such meetings is to inform the negotiators about the objectives and progress of the ongoing public research in modern biotechnology and about the concerns of the public research sector regarding the potential impact of certain provisions on public research in modern biotechnology. I’m hoping to strengthen collaboration between PRRI and the CGIAR support centres in preparing for participation in the 9^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP9) and the 4^th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP4).
Or Thy	Prolinnova Secretary in Cambodia Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) cedacnetwork@online.com.kh	I am Or Thy, a Prolinnova Secretary in Cambodia, and working with Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC). CEDAC envision a Cambodian Society where small farming households enjoy good living conditions and strong mutual cooperation, with the right and power to their own destiny, as well as playing an important role in supplying healthy food for the whole society. Our works focus on building capacity of small farmers, partnership, in ecologically-oriented agriculture and natural resources management as well as civil society organization and networking. Through the online forum, I expect to share and learn about food sovereignty and small farmer empowerment. Thank you very much for your kind cooperation.
Telesforo J Caminsi	Project coordinator of a Farm Project of Virlanie Foundation Incorporated kenoses01@yahoo.com	Im Mr. Telesforo J Caminsi, a social worker by profession, currently working as project coordinator of a Farm Project of Virlanie Foundation Incorporated. VFI is a non-stock non profit organization working for the cause of the disadvantage children in the Philippines. We are among the partners of INIBAP- international network for the improvement of Banana and Plaintain. Of which the partnership are anchored on the three prime obejctives such as to assist Virlanie in the training of former street children in the basics of sustainable farming and banana production, to enable the Virlanie farm to be more food secure by producing their own bananas, supply other Virlanie homes in Manila and generate income through the sale of excess produce; and to demonstrate a workable model for sustainable banana production to local farmers and rehabilitate banana production.With our vision of empowering children for their better future, Virlanie foundation take an alternative approach though organic farming, training the former street children to develop skills and knowledge beneficial for their independent living. More power and see you in the forum want to know more about what we do, pls visit www.virlanie.org
Oliver Oliveros	Coordinator of the DURAS Project oliveros@agropolis.fr	I am Oliver Oliveros and I am working as Coordinator of the DURAS Project. DURAS, short for Promotion of Sustainable Development in Agricultural Research Systems in the South, is a joint initiative of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and Agropolis International and is being supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project aims to contribute to strengthening the involvement and enhancing the scientific potential of southern stakeholders in ARD by supporting the facilitation role of the GFAR Secretariat and by implementing a Competitive Grants mechanism. Further information about the project can be accessed through www.duras-project.net Here’s looking forward to an interesting virtual conversation with you all. Je suis Oliver Oliveros et je travail actuellement en tant que le coordinateur du projet DURAS. DURAS, Promotion du developpement durable dans le systeme de recherché agricole du Sud, est un intiative cojointe du GFAR le Forum Mondial de la Recherche Agricole (GFAR) et Agropolis International. Le projet est financé par le ministère français des Affaires étrangères. Le projet vise à contribuer à renforcer l'engagement et à augmenter le potentiel scientifique des acteurs de la Recherche Agricole pour le Développement des pays du Sud en soutenant le rôle de facilitation du secrétariat de GFAR et en mettant en application un mécanisme de fonds competetif. Plusieurs renseignments sur le projet peuvent être consultées par notre site web : www.duras-project.net.
Angeline Ndo Engolo Evina (Mrs).	Member of Parliament and the Education Committee in Cameroon	My name is Angeline Ndo Engolo Evina (Mrs). I am a Member of Parliament and the Education Committee in Cameroon. I am also active in various parliamentary working groups (environmental caucus, female parliamentarians caucus, people and development caucus) and several inter-parliamentary groups (CPA, FAAPPD, etc). As a Member of Parliament, I am involved in many friendly local associations where I support the civil society organizations in my constituency in their fight against poverty, such as women's associations (encouraging their empowerment), etc.) and cocoa producers association. My participation to this marketplace is a wonderful occasion for the Campo-Ma'an Model Forest Initiative where I am the first Vice-President in charge of international relations. Though initiated in the early 90's in Canada and spread out in the world over the past 16 years or so, this is a new initiative in Cameroon (and Africa). The idea in short is to have all stakeholders acting in a forest (Campo-Ma'an covers 770,000 ha) coming together with a common vision, aiming at managing sustainable their forest in the safeguard of everybody's interests. Group actors include agro-industries, line administrations, local communities (rural women, pygmies, hunters, etc), councils, etc. My background experience is a 15 years career in a multinational in Cameroon where I finished my career as Human Resources Manager on my early retirement in 2002.
Diran Makinde	Veterinary physiologist at the University of Venda, South Africa makinde@mweb.co.za	I am Diran Makinde, a veterinary physiologist at the University of Venda, South Africa. I am the current President of AfricaBio, a biotechnology stakeholders' association that promotes the safe, ethical and responsible application of biotechnology and its products in Africa. I am looking forward to our interactions on issues related to agriculture and how, with proper technology transfer, improve the quality of life of our farmers and the entire populace.