April 2013: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP-FTA) has released its 2012 CRP Performance Monitoring Report.

The report highlights several achievements from 2012, CRP-FTA’s first full year of implementation, including: reaching 72 per cent of its research outputs, with an additional 27 per cent in progress; selecting four priority ‘sentinel landscapes;’ completing its monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment (MEIA) strategy; launching its gender strategy; and launching a competitive internal budget allocation process to stimulate cross-theme synergies.

The report features two success stories from 2012. In Cameroon, a CRP-FTA impact study discovered that rural resource centers (RRCs) increased local awareness of agroforestry options and increased the planting of high value trees. In Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal, a CRP-FTA impact study found that farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) resulted in increased tree cover and improved farmer income. The study found “a positive effect of trees on crop yield across the Sahel,” although the impact depended on crop type, location and trees species. In addition to these impact study findings, the report highlights how CRP-FTA “brings science to the policy table,” such as through Forest Day Six, which was held on the sidelines of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting. Over 700 participants, including 241 official climate negotiators, attended Forest Day and 82 per cent of participants said the event was “important” or “very important” in informing UNFCCC discussions.

The report includes chapters on: key messages; impact pathway and intermediate development outcomes; progress along the impact pathway; gender research achievements; partnerships building; capacity building; risk management; lessons learned; and the CRP financial report. The report highlights progress and outcomes under each of CRP-FTA’s themes: production systems and markets; conservation and development; landscape management; climate change adaptation and mitigation; trade and investment; and cross-cutting themes, including sentinel landscapes and gender. [Publication: CRP Performance Monitoring Report 2012]