Our story

In 2021, FAO embarked on a comprehensive initiative to advance extension and rural advisory services (RAS) in Near East and North Africa region, with a strategic focus on fostering market orientation and inclusive rural transformation. This endevour comprised a series of studies and consultations conducted at national and regional levels. The outcomes of these endevours as revealed in the regional study underlined the critical need for enhancing regional networking and coordination on extension and RAS across the region. This recommendation was further emphasized during a regional consultation held in 2022 to explore pathways for advancing RAS from a policy and programming perspective at regional and country level. In response to these insights, the idea of establishing the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) emerged, envisioned to work in affiliation with the Global Forum on Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), aligning with existing regional fora for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Following the above recommendation, FAO, in collaboration with IFAD and with the support of a voluntary group of advisors developed a roadmap towards the establishment of AFRAS. 

In July 2023, FAO and IFAD, in collaboration with GFRAS, organized the AFRAS foundational meeting in Cairo engaging 80 participants, including policy makers RAS champions and experts from the region. The gathering achieved consensus on AFRAS’ vision, mission and functions, marking the inception of its institutional identity as a regional network of GFRAS. Subsequently, AFRAS’ institutional set up has been outlined, encompassinga technical advisory committee for strategic guidance, a secretariat, a network of officially nominated focal points, and dynamic AFARS community. 

AND, here we are: AFRAS was officially launched on February 8, 2024, as a pivotal side event of the Senior Officers Meeting of the 37th Near East Regional Conference (NERC), which is the highest governance body for FAO in the region.