The document discusses the need to build agricultural capacity in Africa through higher education. It outlines challenges like limited funding for post-graduate training and an aging population of agricultural scientists. The RUFORUM model aims to address these challenges by training graduate students through regional universities and research partnerships. Some successes include over 600 graduates trained and technologies deployed. Opportunities for partnerships between RUFORUM universities and Australian universities are proposed to further scale programs and research addressing smallholder farmer needs.

1. The Case for Capacity Building: Towards
Agricultural Development in Africa
Australian FARA Consultation
10th February 2012
Presented By Nodumo Dhlamini

2. Presentation Outline
1. The Case for HE in Agriculture: Current capacities
2. Major agricultural education initiatives
(achievements and challenges).
3. Brief Background on RUFORUM; The RUFORUM
Model; Some Success Stories
4. Opportunities & Take Home Messages

3. African AgricultureFigure 1.45: Value added of agriculture (% of
GDP)
• Agricultural 25
Value Addition of Agric (%GDP)
Production in absolute 20
terms increasing
15
• But cannot keep pace
10
with population and
export demand 5
• Value addition of 0
agriculture going 1990 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
down
Sub-Saharan Africa Northern Africa All Africa
Source: UNECA, 2010

4. The Case for HE in Agriculture in
Africa:
• Agricultural Development hampered by limited capacity -
Limited funding to support post-graduate training in
African universities.
• Ageing Agricultural Scientists
• Mandate from African Heads of States to implement
CAADP as a concerted and comprehensive strategy for
achieving Vision for African Agriculture.
• FARA coordinating implementation of pillar 4: research,
extension and training. Still numbers sub-optimal
(capacity) – further collaboration and scaling up of
existing models needed to address research, extension,
training mismatch

5. Political Commitment
CHEA - 2010
 Renewed emphasis by African governments on
restoring the quality of higher education in agriculture.
 Call to support local and international partnerships
which address critical capacity needs for sustainable
agricultural development.
 Call to increased investments in higher education in
agriculture in Africa and to be included as an integral
agricultural development investment in CAADP

6. The Hypothesis
• Achieving rapid agricultural productivity growth is
essential to raising overall economic growth and
meeting the MDGs
• The welfare of smallholder farmers throughout much
of Africa remains linked to agriculture.
• Food Security achievable through support for
smallholder driven research
• Broad but practical training of post-graduate students
is key
• Capacity for responsive research and training
of high performing graduates is critical

7. RUFORUM
 Established in 2004;
Formerly a Rockefeller
Funded Project which
was called FORUM
(1992-2003)
 29 Member Universities
in 17 countries
 Secretariat based at
Makerere University,
Kampala Uganda

8. RUFORUM Strategic Goals
 Train a critical mass of Masters and PhD graduates,
 Develop collaborative research and training
 Participation and voice of women
 Adaptive capacities of universities
 Use of technology to support learning & knowledge
management
 New approaches to teaching and research within
universities
 A dynamic regional platform for policy advocacy,
coordination, and resource mobilization

9. The RUFORUM Model
 Responding to the capacity deficiencies in human and
institutional capacity for agricultural development as
identified in many studies
 Uses Networks of Specialization
 Owned and managed by Africans;
 Derives its agenda largely from the continent wide
policy frameworks especially CAADP and the PRSPs
of the member States and Governments
 Allows for joint action by the member universities.
 Provides a wide array of training opportunities for
stakeholders,

10. The RUFORUM Model: Achievements
• Over 600 graduates trained since 1992
• A number of technologies & research outputs
generated and deployed
• University capacities strengthened (innovative
training; influence to policy and TAE)

11. End-User Driven Collaborative Agricultural
Research for Food & Nutrition Security
 Community Action Research Projects – Bunda
Fisheries CARP
 Competitive Graduate Research Grants – Over 130
CG’S awarded since 2004

12. Development of Innovation and R&D
Capacity
• Highlight some initiatives
• Current capacity for research: numbers needed
• Gaps

13. Education & Training Programs
• RUFORUM uses three approaches: the MSc/M.Phil
and PhD programmes, attachments and short
targeted courses for professional and skill
development
• Five regional doctorate training programs
• Two other regional doctorate training programs to
be launched
• Three regional masters level training programs

14. TEAM Africa Opportunity
• Through TAE Networks leadership:
 Mechanism for improving tertiary agricultural
education in Africa has been set up - TEAM Africa
(Tertiary Education for Agriculture Mechanism )
 Includes RUFORUM, ANAFE, and FARA and
participation by a number of partners including
NPCA, Development Partners, higher education
associations from outside Africa including APLU,
AGRINATURA and others.

15. Our Proposal
• Linking the RUFORUM Network of Specialization to
Australian Universities
• Support to scaling up Community Based Research
(CARPs) and Competitive Grants to address
smallholder farmer needs
• Strengthening platforms for joint learning
• Support to the TEAM Africa Initiative

16. Take Home Messages
• We welcome the Australian International Food
Security Centre Initiative
• We are already working with strategic partners such
as ANAFE, FARA and various development partners
• RUFORUM provides a platform for universities to
innovate on agricultural post-graduate training and
research targeting small holder farmers
• We have a model that has been tried and tested: we
need wider networks to help us scale up our efforts