9th GFRAS Annual Meeting

Addressing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities: Developing Effective Partnerships in RAS

The Annual Meeting is the central instrument of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services. It seeks to foster exchange on rural advisory services (RAS) between stakeholders and across regions and to discuss the strategic directions and functioning of GFRAS and its regional and national fora. The GFRAS Annual Meeting provides a space for learnings and exchanges around topics relevant to RAS and contributes to providing a voice for RAS in global policy dialogues. The 9th edition of the meeting was co-organised with the Rural Development Administration (RDA), the Asia-Pacific Islands Rural Advisory Network Services (APIRAS), and the Rural Innovation Centre for Knowledge and Investment (RICKI).

Objectives

1. to identify and define good practices, best-fit approaches and strategies to develop, strengthen, and maintain effective partnerships in RAS, with a particular focus on smart technologies, financing, and collaboration across stakeholders;1. to identify and define good practices, best-fit approaches and strategies to develop, strengthen, and maintain effective partnerships in RAS, with a particular focus on smart technologies, financing, and collaboration across stakeholders;

2. to identify and define ways to build the capacities needed at different levels and by different stakeholders (policy, research, education, extension, farmers) to develop, strengthen, and maintain effective partnerships in RAS;

3. to identify and define the roles and capacities needed by GFRAS and its regional RAS networks to play an important and meaningful role in developing, strengthening and maintaining effective partnerships.

Documents

9th GAM Report, 9th GAM Final Report, 2018
- Full Meeting Report

9th GAM Partnerships Input, Kristin Davis, 2018
- Kristin Davis, Opening

 

Meeting Structure

The 9th GFRAS Annual Meeting officially opened on the Tuesday 23 October 2018 with a formal ceremony and a cultural exhibition organized by RDA. The agenda of the meeting then respected the following structure:The 9th GFRAS Annual Meeting officially opened on the Tuesday 23 October 2018 with a formal ceremony and a cultural exhibition organized by RDA. The agenda of the meeting then respected the following structure:

Tuesday 23 October: Collaborative Keynote on the current context of partnerships in RAS; Policy Dialogue on the state of policy in supporting partnerships; Shift & Share; 3 Parallel Sessions

Wednesday 24 October: Introduction to Korean RAS before heading to Field Trips

Thursday 25 October: Role of RAS in strengthening partnerships; Regional network meetings; Reflective session and next steps; Closing and reading of the Jeonju Declaration.

Throughout the meeting, a variety of approaches towards exchanges and learnings were used, including plenary sessions, group work, panel discussions, shift and share sessions, parallel workshops and poster exhibitions.

This year’s edition of the GFRAS Annual Meeting set a new record by hosting 152 participants coming from 56 countries, representing the 17 regional networks and sub-regional networks. More than a third of these participants were women (55) and 48 participants were younger than 40 years old. A variety of sectors, with the public sector being the major one, were also represented.