Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is a continental organization focused on agricultural research for development, with headquarters in Ghana. It serves as a coordinating and advocacy platform for agricultural science, technology and innovation across Africa. The organization is described as the highest continental body for agricultural research for development and as the technical branch of the African Union Commission on agricultural science, technology and innovation. FARA emerged from efforts to bring greater coherence to Africa's fragmented agricultural research landscape. During the 1990s, African scientists and development donors argued that stronger agricultural research systems could contribute to poverty reduction and broader economic development. Research institutions and networks operated across national and subregional boundaries, but their work lacked a unified continental mechanism for coordination, representation and advocacy. FARA was created in response to that institutional gap. The organization was voted into existence in 1997 during the 17th Plenary of the Special Programme for African Agricultural Research at the World Bank. Its establishment involved subregional agricultural research organizations, including CORAF/WECARD, ASARECA and SADC-FANR. Rather than functioning as a conventional commercial brand, FARA operates as an institutional and knowledge-coordination platform. Its work centers on connecting research communities, supporting continental dialogue, and advocating for agricultural research and innovation as components of Africa's development agenda. FARA's role is therefore primarily network-based. It sits above or alongside national and subregional agricultural research structures, helping give continental visibility to shared priorities and facilitating cooperation among research organizations and other stakeholders. Its remit encompasses agricultural science, technology and innovation, while its broader development orientation links research activity to the needs of African agriculture and food systems. Governance is organized through three principal components: a General Assembly, a Board of Directors and a Secretariat. This structure combines membership-level oversight, strategic governance and day-to-day administration. The available reference material does not identify individual officeholders, detailed programs, financial figures or specific commercial products. FARA should consequently be understood as a nonprofit-oriented continental research coordination institution rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its public identity is associated with agricultural research leadership, advocacy, institutional collaboration and the strengthening of research-for-development capacity across Africa.

FARA was established against the background of concern among African scientists and international development donors that agricultural research on the continent was fragmented and insufficiently coordinated. During the 1990s, proponents argued that agricultural science and innovation could help address poverty and support wider development, but that national and subregional research bodies needed a stronger continental framework for cooperation and advocacy. The organization was voted into existence in 1997 at the 17th Plenary of the Special Programme for African Agricultural Research convened at the World Bank. The founding process involved subregional organizations including CORAF/WECARD, ASARECA and SADC-FANR. These organizations represented important parts of Africa's agricultural research infrastructure, and their participation gave FARA a continental rather than purely national or regional basis. FARA's institutional purpose has been to bring greater unity and visibility to agricultural research for development. It functions as a coordinating and advocacy body rather than as a research institute focused on a single crop, technology or national market. Its remit includes agricultural science, technology and innovation and places research within the broader context of African agricultural and socioeconomic development. The organization is headquartered in Ghana and is identified as the technical branch of the African Union Commission on agricultural science, technology and innovation. This relationship gives FARA a continental policy and technical role, while its network orientation enables engagement with research institutions and subregional agricultural organizations across Africa. Its governance is divided among a General Assembly, a Board of Directors and a Secretariat. The General Assembly provides the membership-level structure, the Board of Directors provides governance and oversight, and the Secretariat carries out the organization's administrative and operational functions. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of later programs, leadership appointments, funding arrangements or institutional reorganizations. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest on FARA's origins, mandate and governance framework rather than on subsequent operational milestones.

1. 1997FARA voted into existence

   FARA was approved during the 17th Plenary of the Special Programme for African Agricultural Research at the World Bank, with participation from subregional organizations including CORAF/WECARD, ASARECA and SADC-FANR.

   Source

A continental coordination and advocacy platform for agricultural research, science, technology and innovation serving Africa's agricultural development community.

1. Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
2. Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa official website