Establishing a European – West African Sorghum research network to foster sorghum value chain innovations

At the European / International levels the ES²RC will :
initiate the federation of a European – West African research group (SorgNet) with an increased visibility for the European and international funding agencies,
• Highlight the benefits of European-West African partnerships to tackle the common challenges these regions have and will have to face, and recognize the relevance of the activities developed in West Africa,
• Contribute to intensify the links between West African researchers and Europeans ones in order to engage the last ones in the challenges West Africa has currently, and will have, to face,
• Increase the visibility of the Agropolis sorghum research community as a key player of European and international sorghum research.

At the Agropolis level, this conference will allow to reinforce the links between the different research groups and scientists. These links already exist but they can clearly be strengthened. The beneficial effects will not only arise from the conference by itself but also through the preparation process that will require strong interactions between the different Agropolis groups.

This satellite conference will also provide a clear framework to review the results of the European sorghum groups since 2004, when Berenji and Dalhberg published their article entitled “Perspectives of sorghum in Europe”. This satellite conference in synergy with the SorghumID global conference will also allow to build up a prospective analysis of the key challenges that Europe and West Africa will have to face in the next decades. This “challenges list” will be accompanied by a critical analysis of the current possibilities of the European – West African Sorghum research community to tackle these (availability / deficiencies in terms of skills, tools…).