Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS)- Regional Meeting
Cairo (Egypt), Hybrid Event, 24/07/2023 - 25/07/2023
Rural Advisory Services (RAS) can play a key role in enhancing agriculture-based livelihoods, reducing rural poverty and food insecurity and empowering small-scale producers to claim their agency and role in inclusive rural transformation. Yet, small scale-farmers in the NENA region lack sufficient access to quality and comprehensive RAS. Underfunding, lack of dedicated policies and implementation capacities have affected the public sector’s capacity to provide farmers with a diversified and wide coverage support. Such support entails a broad range of market-oriented services, which are often provided by various actors operating in different sectors including the public and the private sector, non-government organizations and producer associations.
The above scenario was articulated in the regional study recently conducted by FAO on rural advisory services in Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon). The study highlighted gaps and entry points to inform policy and planning on making RAS more responsive to the diverse needs of different categories of small-scale farmers and marginal producers. Around 80 stakeholders from different countries of the NENA region and operating in different sectors came together in a regional consultation convened by FAO in June 2022 to discuss pathways for modernizing RAS in Arab countries. The consultation highlighted the need for stronger regional networking, collaboration and coordinated efforts on RAS, and considered to this end the establishment of a dedicated regional forum. Such forum, tentatively denominated Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) is envisaged.
The Regional Meeting
FAO Regional Office for the Near East is organizing in collaboration with IFAD, a regional meeting on the establishment of the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services. The meeting aims to discuss and reach consensus on AFRAS’ vision, mission and functions, and outline the steps involved towards its establishment. By presenting and reflecting on the draft roadmap furthered by the voluntary advisory group during the last months of 2022 and the first months of 2023, the meeting will specifically address the following aspects:
- Present the AFRAS, its proposed mission, vision and functions, and roadmap for its establishment.
- Discuss experiences of networking and multistakeholder platforms in the region as relevant to AFRAS.
- Define the scope of AFRAS, priority functions, and phased implementation.
- Explore suitable institutional and governance structure drawing on the examples of germane regional forums.
- Outline the technical and operational steps leading to the launch of AFRAS.
The meeting will also provide an opportunity to solicit the interests and options of potential hosting institutions.
Participants
The meeting will bring together designated government representatives from the NENA region who are concerned with and able to make decision on extension and rural advisory services, along with interested RAS stakeholders, members of the AFRAS voluntary advisory group, representatives of pertinent international and regional organizations as well as representatives of the Global Forum on Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), and individual RAS experts and champions concerned with rural advisory services and market-orientation in the region.
Format
The meeting will alternate technical presentations, open debates and group work. It will be held in Arabic, English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be available.