Conference Objectives

Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africa’s Future

5-7 December 2011

R&D Context in Africa

• Increases in smallholder productivity central to agricultural growth

• Productivity remains low • Rainfed farming systems are

heterogeneous and complex• Persistent underinvestment in R&D• “Small country” problem complicates

NARI financing and organization

Central Question of the Conference

How to finance, capacitate, and organize agricultural research in Africa to sustainably increase growth in smallholder productivity over the coming decade

Session I: Why do African governments underinvest in

R&D

What is the contribution of research to agricultural growth

What are the finances available for research and is donor coordination necessary to increase effectiveness

Session II: Human Resource Development and R&D

• What are trends in human resources in African NARI’s and agricultural faculties

• How will the next generation of agricultural scientists be trained

Session III: Measuring and Improving Effectiveness of R&D

Systems

Designing M&E systems and implementing results frameworks

Recent initiatives in impact assessment

Session IV: Aligning and Rationalizing R&D Structures

• Small country problem and increasing polarization in NARI capacity

• Evolving role of sub-regional structures• Linkages to global capacities• Implications of agricultural innovation

systems for agricultural R&D

Synthesis

Combining these four elements, what is the vision for agricultural research in Africa over the next decade and what are the implications for evolving institutional arrangements, including CAADP