The following organization showed interest in creating a network for the genomic management of the RGA

For the South

• ILRI,CIRDES, INRA (Algérie), ISRA (Sénégal), IRAD (Cameroun), CORPOICA (Colombie), Université Fédérale de Viçosa (Brésil), Université d’Abobo Adjamé (Côte d’Ivoire), Faculté des sciences et techniques (Nouakchott-Mauritanie), Université d’Abomey-Calavi (Bénin), Université polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), Institut de l’Environnement et de recherches agricoles (Burkina Faso).

For the North

• CIRAD, INRA (GA et PHASE), Université de Liège (Belgique) andUniversité de Nottingham (UK), ENSA-Toulouse, SupAgro Montpellier and the FAO.

Other institutions may join the group.

Our analysis shows that Africa was represented by many partners and that contacts from Latin America (coming from the SAPT2010 Congress(Sustainable Animal Production for Tropics,   held in Guadeloupe) were consolidated. However no Asian francophone parnter has been contacted for the moment.

Most domestic animal species were presented

• from tilapia, the rabbit, camel, poultry, dairy and beef cattle, pigs and most small ruminant species.

Shared Knowledge throughout the meeting was fruitful

By different testimonies, a talk by an expert and discussions around posters, a presentation of the RGA and breeding systems in the tropics was made. The new tools in genomics were presented by experts in the field having an experience with specialized breeds. Finallys, during workshops, the potential benefits for a sustainable management of animal genetic resources in the tropics was discussed. This exchange was necessary so that we all use the same vocabulary in the future.

The discussions showed a shared interest to collaborate

For scientists from the South, with today's economics, international collaboration is one of the ways that can ensure that their studies will be able to be carried forth in the future through financing and biotechnology platforms. Scientists from the North are interested in the genetic diversity of the South (for example in answer to questions on adaptation of farming systems and breeds to global warming and to anticipate global changes). They are discovering the reality of the multifunctional farming systems of the South. We reaffirmed that the development of animal production in the tropics should be based on genetic diversity (well-characterized) of local breeds while considering the multifunctionalities of farming systems in the South. Thus, the obtention of phenotypes is a priority in order to evaluate the aptitude of local breeds and to use them in genetic improvement schemes or cross-breeding.

Scientific question are already emerging

Like the necessity of a genomic study on the diversity of local African and Latin American caprine populations; in the same way the characterization of poulty on the scale of the African continent needs to be set up, considering the richness of local populations and the poor knowledge of these breeds. The importance of developing informative microarrays of non European cattle was raised. Concerning genomic selection sensu-stricto, socio-economic studies are necessary in order to evaluate the importance that may have for breeders to invest in this type of selection and build it with them.

Short term activities will help make the scientific network for the RGA in the tropics sustainable

which associates the main actors of the subject (CIRAD, CIRDES, CORAF, FAO, ILRI, INRA, PNUE, Universities and National Agricultural Research Systems).

The objectives of this network are amongst others :

• to disseminate information relative to genomic management of RGA,
• to inform on calls-for-projects pertaining to RGA studies,
• to help put scientists interested in collaborations on a subject in contact with others, leading to the creation of real financed projects. d

The next meeting was SAPT2 in August 2013 in Nantes within the framework of the EAAP annual meeting.