Capacity strengthening needs to pervade almost all agricultural research and development activities. FARA’s assessment of the capacities of NARS has revealed weaknesses in science and research management related to agricultural research. These weaknesses are aggravated by lack of recruitment under structural adjustment programmes, which has resulted in a situation in which many senior staff are about to retire without adequately prepared replacements being available [1]. Critical losses of human capital have also occurred as a result of emigration and HIV/AIS. If this is not addressed urgently, the investments and reforms envisaged by CAADP and FAAP will be constrained by a lack of capacity. The capacity of agricultural research institutes has been undermined by under-funding and rigid employment conditions aggravated by under-recruitment due to structural adjustment programmes. The lack of adequate planning for succession has resulted in what the International Foundation for Science (IFS) has identified as a missing generation of African scientists – as an aging cadre of senior scientists is rapidly approaching retirement without properly prepared replacements being available. The situation is aggravated by inadequacies in the training of graduates wishing to take up careers in agricultural research.African governments have done well in increasing the number of universities providing training in agriculture and natural resources and in increasing the number of places available in existing universities. However this has not been matched by increases in funding or staff recruitment, to the extent that even staff leaving to take up more rewarding employment elsewhere are not being replaced. This has limited research and led to falling academic standards, poor employment prospects for graduates, and a perception among African students that an agricultural career is a last resort rather than a preferred option. Redressing this is imperative for the success and sustainability of CAADP. From a continental perspective, significant and abiding advantages result from addressing capacity strengthening. Because the approaches and techniques used are not unique to the sub-regions, and the demand is so great relative to the available resources, every effort must be taken to avoid wasteful duplication and to ensure that discoveries and best practices are shared quickly across the continent.
NSF 4 helps African agricultural research, training and development organisations and agencies to strengthen their capacity to implement their mandates. It strengthens the human and institutional capacity of functioning national and regional institutions and aims to ensure that such work is sustained by also strengthening Africa’s capacity to build capacity. NSF 4 focuses on institutional capacity (i.e. formal and informal rules and norms) as well as on the development of human capacity (a broad base of stakeholders and partners). Agricultural research and advisory services require immediate strengthening if they are to perform effectively. This is being achieved by addressing capacity weaknesses based on thorough institutional analyses of capacity weaknesses of ARD institutions and how to address them. The capacity strengthening also includes other actors in the value chains involved with the innovations being promoted by the institutions involved in capacity strengthening. The capacity strengthening services are provided by African and non-African capacity strengthening institutions. It is also essential to establish employment conditions and policies that encourage African scientists and entrepreneurs to remain in Africa and that enable them to not only give of their best but also to capture the best that the rest of the world has to offer. This will accelerate African agricultural development and the achievement of food security, poverty alleviation and wealth creation.
To avoid these capacity deficiencies recurring NSF4 is also promoting strengthening of Africa’s capacity to build capacity in agriculture and natural resources. The quality and relevance of agricultural education at the tertiary level urgently needs to be raised (i) to encompass crosscutting issues pertinent to the goal of achieving sustainable and profitable agriculture and (ii) to develop new cadres of professionals capable of assuming key roles in national, regional and international agricultural science, extension activities, business, and policy forums. The specific objective is to strengthen the capacity of African universities in order to build the capacity that Africa requires for endogenously-driven innovation systems that will make African agriculture increasingly knowledge-based and rooted in sustainable natural resource management. The quality of tertiary agricultural education will be raised by improving curricula, course content, approaches to teaching and learning, and postgraduate training.
Capacity to support sustainable improvements in broad-based agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets in Africa established.
NSF 4 has two time-bound projects:
[1] Ståhl, M. and Hall, R., 2003. Is there a Missing Generation of Scientists in Africa? Presentation at FARA Plenary, 18 – 19 May 2003, International Foundation for Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden, pp 44
