23 August 2024, Africa: CABI is working as part of the European Phytosanitary Research Coordination (Euphresco) network to help enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination for greater global food security.
By building on the foundations developed by the Euphresco network, the EUPHRESCO III project aims to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination for greater plant health around the world.
It will set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination through fit-for-purpose activities of multiple organizations that have a long history of coordinating plant health in their region.
In this project, which has a consortium of 35 partners, CABI is helping to guide national, regional and global research funding. It is using its African knowledge and expertise to develop a regional phytosanitary research agenda for Africa. CABI is the regional champion for Africa for the EUPHRESCO III project.
Enhance processes and mechanisms to facilitate international collaboration
The EUPHRESCO III project will enhance processes and mechanisms to facilitate international collaboration on common plant health research priorities, and to increase communication on national and regional plant health research activities.
It is hoped that increased collaboration and communication will result in better-coordinated actions among those who perform research and use research outputs to improve the plant health system.
Dr MaryLucy Oronje, CABI’s Senior Scientist, SPS, and Project Manager, said, “As a result of increased global trade and transport and climate change, the likelihood of pest introductions has grown. However, public resources and budgets to invest in research, including national phytosanitary research budgets, have typically declined.
“Combining resources to investigate challenges that countries share and develop solutions of mutual benefit can address some of the difficulties researchers and their funders face in strengthening plant health around the world.”
Global phytosanitary research strategic agenda
CABI, as a regional champion for Africa, will undertake surveys and collate phytosanitary research topics in Africa. CABI will also develop a regional phytosanitary strategic agenda for Africa and contribute to the global phytosanitary research strategic agenda.
Furthermore, CABI’s Global Agricultural Research Archive (GARA) will be used to disseminate Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) information, including content from journal articles, workshop and conference proceedings, success stories and case stories from joint projects, and research reports and publications.
CABI is currently developing survey tools. These tools will be used to collate phytosanitary research topics in Africa that will be used to build collaboration in the region and internationally. They will also be used to develop a regional phytosanitary strategic agenda for Africa and contribute to the global phytosanitary research strategic agenda.
Reinforcing plant health research across complementary memberships
Back in February 2022, CABI and Euphresco joined in partnership to share access to their respective networks with a view to facilitating international collaboration, reinforcing plant health research across complementary memberships.
The partnership gave both parties a global insight into what plant health issues are becoming increasingly problematic – particularly considering climate change – and how these can be mitigated by working together.
The Euphresco network was developed to play the role of a platform for international coordination of phytosanitary research and funding, aimed at reducing the fragmentation and minimizing duplication of national and regional research activities.
It covers more than 50 countries in 5 continents, and its secretariat is based at the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) in Paris, France.
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