Institution Building - InterAcademy Council

More effective institutions in Africa are required to improve agricultural productivity and food security. As emphasized and explained in the first report from the InterAcademy Council, Inventing a better future: A strategy for building worldwide capacities in science and technology, 'science and engineering advance largely at 'centers of excellence' - physical locations where research and advanced training are carried out, often in collaboration with other centers, institutions, and individuals. Centers of excellence are the key to innovation, and their importance cannot be overestimated. For the science and technology capacities of developing countries to grow, therefore, they too should have centers of excellence - whether of local, national, regional, or international status. These centers of excellence do not necessarily have to be created de novo. The bolstering or reform of a country's most promising existing R&D programs can achieve the desired outcome. A key to promoting excellence is a merit-based allocation of resources based on rigorous review, both in deciding on new research projects and evaluating current programs. Given the relatively modest scientific capacity of most developing nations, such reviews should ideally include appropriate experts from other nations.'

Scientific and technological institutions in Africa are predominantly public, with the private sector playing a minimal role until now. The national agricultural research systems in Africa have been undergoing reforms to make them more responsive and effective. Institutional innovations designed to strengthen these systems currently are being explored.

The IAC Panel examined the current status of agricultural research and development institutions throughout Africa, and it has attempted to evaluate the various trends in their evolution and to diagnose the challenges they face. A number of strategies and priorities are desirable from the international level down to the local level. The IAC Panel noted that one of the greatest challenges is the need to make agricultural research more client oriented and client driven through the participation of farmers and other stakeholders, at the same time struggling with the realities that, among the poorest farmers - subsistence farmers, for example - such involvement is unlikely to come soon. However, all agricultural research institutions, whether based in universities or in independent centres, must develop close working relationships with farmers to create the feedback mechanisms that are essential for analyzing problems and finding appropriate solutions.

At the subregional level, Africa needs more effective agricultural research networking that defines a common research agenda, shares research tasks according to institutional comparative advantage and ensures efficient and equitable sharing of research results across participating countries. Where there are priority research gaps and/or where there would be major efficiency gains by grouping resources institutionally, African centres of agricultural research excellence should be created to address strategic continental, regional and sub-regional priorities. Wherever possible, these centres of agricultural research excellence should evolve from and build upon existing national agricultural research systems, international agricultural research centres and university programs, rather than creating another layer of institutions.

International agricultural research centres (IARCS) with headquarters and/or programs in Africa should retain their international identities, but operate in more collaborative and complementary modes with national agricultural research systems and universities in Africa, as well as in participatory partnerships with farmers, consumers and the private sector. They should immediately integrate their programs at the operational level in consortia within specific agro-ecological regions. In this manner, they will be more responsive to African priorities and ensure a critical mass of research personnel to exploit economies and synergies. Strategies to achieve such full institutional integration should be explored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) as a matter of priority. Agricultural extension services that link timely agricultural research directly to farmers is currently moribund in many African nations. Kenya, for example, has 12,000 extension agents, but no funds to buy petrol for motorbikes. There is a need for more research on the future of extension systems in Africa. The new International Service for National Agricultural Research Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) can be especially helpful in designing best practice options for the future.

The IAC Panel believes that Africa deserves a dramatic and sustained increase in the resources devoted to agricultural research and development. Higher salaries are needed for scientists. That said, however, good scientists value other aspects of their work in addition to competitive salaries. Social prestige and recognition, for example, and a working atmosphere in an institution that values merit and innovation are equally important. Above all, impact-oriented research organizations need visionary leaders to inspire and nurture their team to achieve great goals.

Nurturing good scientists through merit-based selection systems that create and maintain strong, quality institutions must become one of the highest priorities of governments, if they are to bring the benefits of modern science and technology to their farming and rural communities. Unless the above features are built into the design of a national agricultural research system, its impact will be low and it will neither attract nor retain gifted scientists.

The IAC Panel recommends the following actions for building impact-oriented research, knowledge and development institutions:

Near-term impact

Design and invest in national agricultural science systems that involve farmers in education, research and extension. In place of the outmoded linear and top-down research-extension-farmer framework that has failed in Africa, design new innovation, information, knowledge and education systems - with new information and communications technologies playing a central role. Start from the bottom up in developing rural knowledge-based systems using participatory models.
Encourage institutions to articulate science and technology strategies and policies. To maximize the benefits and achieve true food security, a coordinated strategy is needed that includes not only agriculture, but also health, education, and rural planning and development. There is a special need to recognize the key role of women's education and status in reducing child malnutrition - the most insidious form of malnutrition so prevalent in Africa.
Increase support for agricultural research and development. Africa's agricultural science community cannot flourish if it continues to depend upon foreign aid for approximately 40 percent of its budget. Governments as well as donor agencies must recognize that building impact-oriented institutions requires sustained and sizable increases in the support of agricultural research and development. To decrease the dependency on foreign aid, more investment is needed by Africa itself. Agricultural research funding in Africa should increase in real terms by at least 10 percent per year to 2015. This would double the agricultural research investment on average to at least 1.5 percent of agricultural GDP in African nations.

Intermediate-term impact

Cultivate African centres of agricultural research excellence. These centres (ACARE) should be designed to enable research on both continental and regional priorities as a complement to the national agricultural systems. By using modern communication technologies to network with other institutions with complementary skills and goals, each centre will become a virtual centre for particular research areas. Each would be African owned and governed, thereby providing a magnet for African scientists to remain at home, as they work to strengthen African national agricultural research systems. National academies of sciences in Africa and other nations (through the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues and the InterAcademy Council) should play a role in identifying suitable candidate research institutions that could become centres of agricultural research excellence.
Strengthen international agricultural research centres. International agricultural research centres with headquarters and programs in Africa should retain their international identities. They should, however, operate in more collaborative and complementary modes with national agricultural research institutes and universities, and in participatory partnerships with both farmers and consumers. The level of investment in the CGIAR African centre programs for research and capacity building should be increased by 5 per cent per year, to at least US$235 million by 2015.