Tackling rural poverty, together

Context of the meeting

For the past twelve years the Neuchâtel Initiative (NI) has provided a forum for discussion of the reform and development of agricultural advisory services. NI has worked with a major (but not exclusive) focus on Africa. The affiliates of NI have primarily been donors and other Northern-based actors working in development cooperation. Over the years this group has brought together a range of concepts and approaches for analysing and promoting pro-poor, market oriented advisory service reform and development. Considering the success of this dynamic process, NI decided during its last meeting (27 - 29th of November 2007, in Montpellier) to explore the opportunities for this process to continue, but with leadership and direction coming from Africa, specifically through initiatives related to Pillar Four of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Meeting rationale and objectives

During 2008 NI proposes to consult with existing advisory service related actors and networks in Africa regarding their interests in pursuing such a process with support from the original NI group. In particular, NI proposes to enter into a dialogue with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) - the lead institution responsible for taking forward CAADP's Pillar Four - and a selected group of existing African organisations working at continental or regional level to jointly consider how to revitalise, expand and reform the performance of agricultural advisory services.

The general objectives of the meeting are:

• Elaborate the framework, concrete steps and budget for the consultation process in Africa
• Establish draft ToRs for the consultations process
• Discuss and agree on the next NI meeting (for finalising the consultation process and presenting the proposal to FARA, GDPRD, and other interested organisations and networks).