Welcome to our last newsletter of the year under the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). This is also my first newsletter as the new Director of FTA and I really look forward to working with you all.

This newsletter is about partnerships. Partnerships are at the heart of FTA, they are key to achieving quality and breadth of research, and they are what enables the delivery of solutions and the impact of the program on the ground.

Before going into the next phase of FTA (2017-2022) in January, we asked our Flagship coordinators to take stock of partnerships and tell us about their experiences. My predecessor Robert Nasi and Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) will give us their view on partnerships at FTA. And we’re bringing in the perspective of our two new partners in the next phase: Tropenbos International and INBAR. Good news comes from a successful Global Landscapes Forum that ended with a very positive bang for everyone involved in sustainable land use.

There is so much that we can achieve by working well together. So let us build on a successful FTA phase 1 and put partnerships, more than ever, at the heart of FTA in phase 2.

cgiarforestsandtrees@cgiar.org

Scientists without borders

In the next phase, FTA researchers will have a “fantastic opportunity to work towards global goals”, says ICRAF’s Director General Tony Simons. In an interview on partnerships, the past and the future of FTA he showed his enthusiasm about being part of the largest research program on forests, trees and agroforestry, which he even described as “scientists without borders”. Read the full interview here. 
 

Building a strong partnership for forests, trees and agroforestry

Robert Nasi has been at the helm of FTA from 2011-2016 and witnessed how it became a mature research partnership. In his farewell blog, the previous FTA Director speaks of solidarity and problem-solving. Read more here.
 

CIRAD and FTA: Diversity, commitment and shared goals

Joining FTA was a natural choice for CIRAD, since many of their researchers had collaborated with CIFOR, ICRAF and Bioversity International for a long time. After six years, CIRAD’s Plinio Sist gives a positive assessment of the partnership. And he has a very clear priority for the next phase.

Influence flows both ways

Fergus Sinclair wants his research to make an impact on food security. This is why he works with the funding partners to develop a research agenda that meets their needs. The researchers suggest innovations to meet development challenges while the donors evaluate these ideas. Read the full blog on partnerships in livelihoods systems research.
 

How to reconcile conservation of trees with commercial use

Bioversity International is one of the six managing partners of FTA and during the first phase led research on forest and tree resources. At the recent Tropentag 2016, Coordinator Laura Snook and other researchers discussed the tricky issue of how to conserve trees when local people also need them for their livelihoods. Read about the discussion here.

Long-term partnerships benefit research on tree genetic resources

Ramni Jamnadass, Coordinator of research on tree genetic resources in the next phase of FTA, looks back at fruitful long-term relationships with research partners and the private sector. A lot depends on mutual expectations, she says, and it’s not at all about money. Read the blog here.

The best science is nothing without local voices

Meine van Noordwijk is adamant: Only with local partners can researchers make sure that the knowledge they produce is tune in with local issues. He wants research outputs to be understood at local level, and to be presented by local voices. But, of course, research on landscapes relies on very different partners to get the full picture. Read more here.

Partners must trust each other

Christopher Martius has known plenty of good partnerships during the first phase of FTA. And the really good ones have one thing in common, of that he is sure: They are all built on mutual trust. Read more about his thoughts on partnerships in climate change research here.

Alignment is key to make partnerships work

FTA has made progress in integrating its work on global value chains with the research on farmer systems and livelihoods that is led by ICRAF. These two research streams ideally complement each other, says Coordinator Pablo Pacheco. His main take-away after six years of partnerships: long-term alignment is the key to success. Read more on his views here.

Connecting with countries

Rene Boot looks forward to a fascinating challenge: More than 200 FTA scientists around the world need to get knowledge to where it is wanted. And his organization, Tropenbos International, can help them fill that gap. This is one of the reasons they will be joining FTA next year. Read more here.

Bringing in the right development expertise

Hans Friederich, Director General of INBAR, sees strong synergies between his work on bamboo and rattan and the goals of FTA. Read here why he is excited to bring his organization into the FTA partnership next year.
 

From Berlin to Marrakesh: Good news travelled fast

The future of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is secure: In Marrakesh, the German government announced that it will host the GLF in Bonn for the next four years. Now GLF partners can get to work on their idea of going really big. Read more about their plans here.

Inside a partnership in DR Congo

One of the successful academic partnerships under FTA is the collaboration with the University of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has dramatically increased the number of trained forest staff. Christian Amani, a former student from DRC who now works as a scientific adviser for CIFOR, has a lot to tell about the program.