Seminar on hot topics in agriculture

The purpose of this seminar was to provide all EC Delegation staff involved in the sector with a greater understanding of selected "hot" issues in agriculture development, and learn how to apply this understanding within the policy-making processes, using recent experiences.

After setting the scene in module one (multi-functionality of agriculture, role of the public sector in agriculture, etc.), five "hot" topics were addressed:

• Pastoralism: new approaches to pastoralism, challenges in the current context
• Agricultural growth and social protection: potential linkages between agricultural growth and social protection; how policies might be formulated to both support farmers to step out of poverty while also protecting the most vulnerable from slipping further back.
• Agriculture and climate change: The role of agriculture in mitigation of /adaptation to climate change
• Farmers organizations: recent evolution, roles in agriculture and rural development (service providers / lobbying and advocacy); support to FOs
• Climate change and agriculture.

This seminar gathered about thirty participants from EC delegations in Africa, Asia and Latin America Delegations, as well as external and EC speakers.

The seminar allowed for lively debates on current hot topics, many discussions and a sharing of experiences. Participants also discussed on new topics for the 2011 seminar : land, micro-finance, decentralisation and territorial development. They suggested that issues already been discussed should be addressed more deeply (e.g. farmers’ organisations).