Annual Report 2012 - African Agricultural Technology Foundation

2 AATF Annual Report 2012
Mission – what we do for Africa’s farmers
To access, develop, adapt and deliver appropriate agricultural technologies
for sustainable use by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),
through innovative partnerships and effective stewardship along the
entire value chain.
Core values – what keeps us strong
The Foundation strives to uphold three enduring core values: Integrity,
Dedication and Accessibility. These values guide the decisions, actions
and relationships as AATF works towards fulfilling its mission.
Our strategy
The AATF strategic re-positioning is that of a Centre of Excellence in
agricultural technology access, development and deployment. The niche
is the innovative response to challenges of low productivity in SSA
agriculture. This is anchored on three strategic goals:
l access to appropriate agricultural technologies;
l develop and adapt technologies; and
l deploy and commercialise technologies for impact.
Our roots
The model for the AATF resulted from two years of consultations by the
Rockefeller Foundation and the Meridian Institute with several African,
North American and European stakeholders.
The sessions, referred to as the ‘Biotechnology Dialogues’, were held
to determine ways to close the growing gap between the agricultural
science controlled by developed countries and the needs of smallholder
farmers in the developing regions of SSA. The involvement of stakeholders
in these deliberations was ensured through a Design Advisory Committee
(DAC), comprising representatives from African National Agricultural
Research Systems, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research centres, African seed and biotech companies, the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development, crop science corporations
and donor organisations. The DAC served as the architect of AATF,
defining the major underlying principles and an operational model
for the Foundation in addressing food security and poverty reduction
challenges. The Committee also elucidated the core rationale for AATF
and its fundamental principles, mission and business model.
Deploying agricultural technologies for farmers