Promoting the dynamics of researchers' networks

The Project contributes to strengthening the networking of research institutions within one country and between countries of West and central Africa. The strengthening is contemplated through better exploitation of scientific and technical knowledges at local and regional levels, by relying on existing research teams which are operating in cotton production regions of the participating countries. These research teams, whilst focussing on cotton issues,are also involved directly or indirectly on foodcrop production issues. These teams are nevertheless weakly staffed, scattered and isolated, both in geographic and thematic terms.

The Project injects an organisational innovation to improve the performance, competences and visibility of these research teams. It contributes to four general objectives:

1. improvement of the contribution of research organisations to the design of agricultural and research policies, notably for the development of foodcrop and diversification productions;
2. development of the scientific partnership between research organisations of ACP countries
3. strengthening the capabilities and performances of the socio-economic research in the concerned countries
4. consolidation of the sustainability of the development of cotton production zones in Africa through consideration of various productions of the cropping systems

In order to to reach the mentioned general goals, the specific objective of the Project is to facilitate the synergy of existing research teams operating in cotton zones of the participating African countries. The Project will set up and develop an active, receptive and performing network of African research, as well as specific tools for it soperation, about the topic of foodcrop productions, marketing and diversfication production.

This network is called AFOMDnet, deriving from the name in French "Réseau d'Analyse sur les Facteurs d'Offres vivrières, de mise en marché et de diversification"