The first joint SPAAR/FARA Plenary was held from April 12-14, 2000 in Conakry, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Guinea. The Plenary took place at the end of the African Agricultural Week, which drew a little over one hundred participants representing the various components of the SPAAR Coalition.
At the beginning of the week, three workshops were held, enabling participants to discuss important issues relating to the future of agricultural research in Africa, such as: a) soil fertility and agricultural intensification, b) sustainable financing of research, extension institutions and programs, c) the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and its impact on agricultural research and development.