In 1987 a meeting was held between the directors of fifteen francophone agricultural research institutions of West and Central Africa and Madagascar and their colleagues from French agricultural research institutions namely, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the Office de recherche scientifique et technique d’Outre-Mer (ORSTOM) now the Development Research Institute (IRD). Together they formed the Conference of African and French leaders of agricultural research institutes (CORAF). The general objective of CORAF/WECARD is clear, precise, and pertinent: “to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of small-scale producers and promote the agribusiness sector”. For that reason, it puts the producers and end-users at the centre of research.
