Conference Highlights Role of Knowledge, Innovation for Growth, Poverty Reduction

from All Africa

By Menase Kifle
Addis Abeba

Knowledge and innovation must be integrated in developing countries' agricultural growth and poverty reduction strategies, an international conference being held in Addis Ababa underscored on Monday.

The conference being held under the theme: "Advancing agriculture in developing countries through knowledge and innovation" will deliberate up on ways of strengthening and improving the use of knowledge and innovation in agriculture to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable and broad based rural development and agricultural growth.

In his opening speech to the conference, Joachim Von Braun, Director General of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said that facilitation of sustainable productivity growth in agriculture through the implementation of knowledge and innovation was the appropriate response for challenges such as surging food and energy prices, strong demand and climate change.

During the three decades between 1974-2005 food prices declined by 75 %. In the three years since 2005 however food prices have risen by 75% and the price hikes affect nearly every food commodity, IFPRI newsletter said citing the Economist international magazine.

Innovative technology transfer approaches and strategies to enhance the impact of agricultural research on livelihoods in Ethiopia were discussed on the opening day of the conference.

State Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) the country; agricultural development was hampered by the failure on the part of previous regimes to create a favorable environment to promote economic growth and address climatic change to counter changing situation through knowledge and innovation.

He said that in order to change the image of the country and lift Ethiopia to the level of middle income countries, the present government has made several innovative policy reforms and organizational changes.

"Ethiopia is highly committed to improve the agricultural sector by modernizing, commercializing and consequently making the sector highly productive and profitable through maintaining proper balance between restoration and utilization of the natural resources and promoting successful technologies innovation," he said in his key note address read out by Dr Solomon Asefa, Director of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.

Policy makers, development practitioners, private agro processors, experts, researchers, head of farmer organizations, and various actors are attending the three-day conference.