André F. van Rooyen
Acting Country Representative - Ethiopia; Innovation systems for the Drylands International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
André F. van Rooyen is Principal Scientist specializing in agricultural innovation systems in the research program on Innovation Systems for Drylands (ISD), at ICRISAT, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He holds a PhD from the University of Kwa-Zulu, Natal, South Africa. Uses complex adaptive systems (CAS) characteristics to analyze system functionality and explore opportunities to improve and develop more diverse and integrated agricultural systems. Working in both dryland and irrigation systems where cereal crops, legumes and livestock complement each another, utilizes Innovation Platforms, working with a diverse range of value chain players, to increase on-farm production and improved market integration. Work is based on the hypotheses that integrated agricultural systems, linked to functional markets, increase land, labor and water productivity, resulting in increased system efficiency and environmental sustainability, while providing routes out of poverty for small scale farmers.
Partners Organizations
The conference debates and results will contribute to achieving the objectives of the thematic areas – “Groundwater in a Changing Environment” and “Education Key to Water Security” – of the 8th phase of the UNESCO IHP programme on “Water Security: Responses to Local, Regional, and Global Challenges.
