The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) is a regional policy research and advocacy network, based in Pretoria (Republic of South Africa) whose operations are informed by regional food security policy frameworks and processes in Africa. FANRPAN was formed in 1997 in response to a call in 1994 by Agriculture Ministers from the Eastern and Southern Africa region for independent evidence to inform agricultural policy harmonization at regional level. FANRPAN members include government ministries responsible for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR); policy research institutions; private sector national umbrella organizations; national farmers' organizations; and civil society organizations that are organized into national nodes in different countries.

KIPPRA with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and in partnership with FANRPAN is commissioning the establishment of a database of stakeholders in policy research and advocacy in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) sector from private, public and civil society sectors. The established database will represent activities or programmes of these organizations both in print and electronic form. The database will cater for differing computer literacy skills of all targeted stakeholders.

The project will input into the Rockefeller Foundation’s “Building Climate Change Resilience Initiative”, whose mission is to build climate change resilience that equips communities with the ability to plan for, survive, recover from, and even thrive in changing climatic conditions. The project will also contribute to Africa-wide programmes implemented by the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), that is Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), in partnership with the Member States, African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) that is currently chaired by South Africa, and the African Union Commission (AUC).

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of agriculture research centres to mainstream climate change into their programmes, to forestall the possibility that climate variability could undermine agriculture development in Africa, and to bridge the divide between climate science and agriculture science. The project’s objectives are:

• Regional Scientific Networking: To link climate science research with relevant agriculture research in the region and internationally;
• Science-Policy Interface: To link national researchers with policymakers, the private sector, civil society and representatives of regional agriculture and climate change programmes; and,
• Knowledge Management and Communications: To collate, package and disseminate agriculture and climate policy briefs outputs, and news for use by key stakeholders.
  

For more information contact Dr John Omiti (Principal Analyst, KIPPRA) on jmomiti@kippra.or.ke or Joshua Laichena (Policy Analyst, KIPPRA) on jlaichena@kippra.or.ke