• Using networks

Using networks

African agriculture is characterised by a high degree of social, market and environmental diversity which calls for innovations that are adapted to specific contexts. However, there are opportunities for collaboration and task sharing to make best use of the limited resources due to the fact that social and ecological circumstances extend well beyond national boundaries. This report, commissioned by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), reviews past and ongoing multi-country agricultural programmes and projects in Africa with the aim of enabling lessons to be learnt about what works and what does not work well in promoting agricultural innovation.

The report looks specifically at four sub-regional organisations (SROs):

• The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA)
• Conseil Ouest et Centrale Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles/West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD)
• The North Africa Sub-Regional Organisation (NASRO)
• The Southern African Development Community Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate (SADC-FANR)

It is argued that while each new approach promised greater impact in improving and securing livelihoods, there is little hard evidence that each new approach did in fact profit from earlier lessons. Although each had its advantages, the report asserts that the expected benefits from the successful planning, the combination of resources, the building of greater critical mass and the ability to test the successful approach under contrasting political, social, economic, technical and environmental circumstances have not materialised.

To this end, a number of recommendations are given. These include:

• the relationship between the SROs, existing research centres with sub-regional mandates and sub-regional economic communities should be strengthened
• if multi-country natural resource management programmes and projects are to generate outcomes and impact, FARA and the SROs should seek longer-term funding
• poverty reduction should be the goal of multi-country agricultural and natural resourse programmes and projects
• a stronger involvement of policy makers, especially at the local level, at the problem definition and priority setting stage, in addition to stronger partnerships between regional economic communities (RECs), national governments, local government officials and donors
• in all matters relating to the projects, scientists and their institutions must be transparent and accountable
• there should be a shift of emphasis from the farmer to the consumer as end user or ultimate beneficiary of agricultural and natural resource management research projects
  

• Full text of document
• Publisher details
• Send to a friend