STRENGTHENING CAPACITY FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (SCARDA)The DfID sponsored SCARDA initiative is having its Inaugural Workshop in Accra 30th April-2nd May 2008. The major output of the workshop will be a detailed consolidated SCARDA Activity and Learning Plan, endorsed by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, the Sub-Regional Organisations(SRO), the Focal Institutions(FI), and the Lead Service Providers(LSP). This plan will be implemented and monitored closely through a SCARDA monitoring and Evaluation Process throughout the duration of the Implementation Phase.
The Focal Institutions are:
- Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER), Mali
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana
- National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), The Gambia
- Centre de Recherches Agronomiques de Loudima (CRAL), Congo-Brazzaville
- University of Zambia – School of Agricultural Sciences
- Natural Resources Development College (NRDC), Zambia
- National University of Lesotho (NUL)
- Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Botswana
- Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA)
- Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR)
- Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU)
The Programme is structured into two main components:
- Strengthening competencies and capacity in agricultural research management.
- Strengthening the capacity for professional development (of agricultural scientists
and extension workers) in research and development.
The first component focuses on improving research management by equipping personnel involved in stewardship of research at all levels, with the needed skills through
continuous training, mentoring and short-term attachments to institutions where they can update or gain new special skills.
The second component aims to enhance the depth and breadth of skills needed for NARS to conduct quality research that will assure impact to end users. It also aims to generate empirical information on the relationship between increased investment in strengthening agricultural research capacity; and agricultural productivity and profitability.
