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At the initiative of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), some thirty young researchers from National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in West Africa are in the midst of capacity building in meta-analysis and quantitative literature review in Lomé. This regional meeting, covering the period from October 29 to November 02, brought together researchers and teachers from countries benefiting from the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) and doctoral students from some fifteen West African countries.

During this training workshop, participants will be trained in the fundamental concepts of agricultural data management and analysis. By the end of the course, they will have mastered the tools and techniques needed to carry out metadata analyses. They will also learn how to communicate the results of their analyses in scientific articles.

"Over the course of the five days, we have planned four specific modules. We'll start with an introduction to the importance of metadata analysis, followed by the steps involved in producing metadata. Then we'll move on to the analysis of the data itself, before concluding with a reminder of the protocols for disseminating and capitalizing on the results obtained", said trainer Dr. Sissou ZAKARI, teacher-researcher in data analysis at the University of Parakou and lead trainer.

The aim of this training course is to enable participants to understand what metadata analysis is, and to master the tools needed to build a solid foundation. 

"Thanks to this training, participants will have an exportable database that they can use to write scientific articles and capitalize on the results for CORAF as well as for their NARS", added Dr. Sissou ZAKARI.

This training course in Lomé, initiated by CORAF, is a response to the needs expressed by its members in terms of capacity building on emerging themes and practices in the agricultural sector. 

"CORAF, through its 2018-2027 strategic plan, plans to strengthen the institutional and human capacities of its members, particularly national agricultural research systems, and in recent years one of the most frequent requests has been for young researchers to be trained in advanced statistical analysis. Meta-analysis is an integral part of this. We are here this morning to train CORAF researchers and scholarship students in the tools and methods needed to tackle metadata analysis", said Dr. Komla.said Dr. Komla Kyky GANYO, FSRP technical assistant at CORAF. 

Experts agree that meta-analysis of data has become an essential part of scientific research, particularly in the field of agriculture. It represents a quantitative assessment of knowledge on a given subject, and is thus an essential skill to acquire, over and above the classic skills of literature review. 

Officially opening the proceedings, Dr. Mariam MAIGA, Regional Gender and Social Development Advisor at CORAF's Executive Secretariat, also stressed the importance of this training for the management and performance of NARS. 

"It is crucial that the national centers of specialization set up by CORAF, at the forefront of integrated research for development in our sub-region, appropriate the tools and methods needed to properly process research results and guide the future directions of integrated research in the development of agricultural policies", she added. 

Indeed, the application of metadata analysis in the field of agriculture could facilitate the identification of data gaps and formulate new and robust research questions to be addressed to achieve food security. By combining the results of individual or national studies, meta-analysis produces summaries and conclusions that can be used to explain regional mechanisms or phenomena.

This training program, which brings together over thirty young researchers, is part of the implementation of the West African Regional Investment Program (FSRP), aimed at strengthening the resilience of the food system. 

The program focuses on three areas: digital advisory services for food crisis management, sustainability of agricultural production and market integration. The program supports countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo (Phase 1), as well as Ghana, Chad, Sierra Leone and Senegal (Phases 2 and 3), in improving risk management, food trade and production sustainability.