The 3rd Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD3) is a consultative process which aims to develop collective actions under outcome statements.
Here at the Global Event at Johannesburg, South Africa, the conference is divided into five themes: 1) Scaling up from research to impact; 2) showcasing results and demonstrating impact; 3) keeping science relevant and future focused; 4) sustaining the business of farming; and, 5) ensuring better rural futures.
I have the honor of being tasked as one of the catalysts for the roundtable discussions under theme 5. As a young person, it was my responsibility initially to propose a collective action that would revolve around the use of forward-thinking among young professionals. Basically, forward-thinking (a.k.a. foresight) is using the future (scenarios) to change the present to change the future.
Aside from the efforts for the youth, other collective actions were proposed: for the benefit of farmer organizations and rural development based on territories; working together with regional fora and Mediterranean rural communities; and balancing specialization and diversity to transform rural livelihoods sustainably.
As the day progressed, the stakeholders present at the session agreed to merge various topics, which resulted in two main groups: farmer organizations and regional fora. The youth were distributed between the two. As for me, I sat with the regional fora group.
Then came the meat of the session. Objectives, milestones, partners and resources – these were the things that needed to be laid down. The following hours were intense, which is just right because planning a mode of collective action entails a lot of hard work, needed for proper implementation in the future. The challenge of working with various stakeholders, no matter how much we want to be inclusive, starts even at the planning stages.
But the beauty of it all is when the stakeholders present begin to see common goals and shared interests. It is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That is where the roundtable discussion left off and will pick up again on Day 2 of GCARD3.
‘Better rural futures’ is a simple phrase with many underlying tasks. It can be ambitious, but without such ambitions there can be no efforts to address pressing issues. Issues such as the lack of foresight to effect positive change to the present and the future.
As a young person, it is my hope that young professionals will become pro-active using the concept of forward thinking, because we will be enabled to imagine future scenarios to change the present and thus, the future.
To know more about the concept of Foresight or Forward-thinking developed by the Global Forum for Agricultural Research through the initiative of Dr. Robin Bourgeois, click here.
Blogpost and photos by Jim Cano, #GCARD3 Social Reporter – jim.cano7(at)gmail.com
This post is part of the live coverage during the #GCARD3 Global Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, 5-8 April 2016. This post is written by one of our social reporters, and represents the author’s views only.
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