Regional Researh Networks: Linking institutions to share scarce resouces and gain through collaboration

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d’agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

Presentation • Introduction on Regional
outlines Research Networks (RRN)
• Key products of RRN
• The case of Southern Africa
Root & tuber crops Research
network (SARRNET)
• Challenges and difficulties of
setting up/running RRN


Justification of a RRN
1. Complementarities and synergy

2. IAR4D efficiency

3. Information sharing

4. Efficient technologies dissemination in
homologue sites within the region

5. Collaboration with various partners

6. Efficient utilization of increasingly scarce
human & financial resources
3

Categories of • Based on
RRN’s
– Commodity (e.g. legumes,
R&T crops etc)
– Field of specialization (e.g.
breeding, Seed system,
policy etc)
– Eco-region and/or specific
development/research
priorities (Chinyanja
Triangle, disease/pest
control, etc)

• Achieve economies of scale
Key products of in research
RRN – Research involves high
(summarized from CGIAR
TAC: “Regional approach startup costs
to Research for the
CGIAR and its partners”) – Small/poor countries,
difficulties in achieving
these economies of scale
– A logical response is to
seek a regional division
and exchanging results, or
organizing research as a
regional network


Key products • Matching funds for under-
(ct’d)
investment on R4D at
national level
– Most African countries tend to
under-invest in agricultural
research
– Cooperation to plan investment
at the regional level is a logical
approach to reducing under-
investment in research.


Key products • Provide accountability and
(ct’d)
resilience to capture:
– A regional approach helps
create greater visibility and
accountability to the use of
funds
– More impartial external
audits can be used to track
use of funds and impact
achieved.


• At the regional level,
research priorities need to
Key products be established as part of a
(conclusion) shared comprehensive
development framework
• This framework needs to be
widely owned by
stakeholders in the region
• To achieve this, it has to be
developed through inclusive
consultations and dialogue
with regional stakeholders


SARRNET

DR Congo


SARRNET Objectives

Expand the utilisation of cassava and sweetpotato in
Southern Africa through :
 Development and promotion of improved
production systems (improved varieties, IPM
and crop and soil management practices)
 Exploration and development of new markets
and applications in close collaboration with
private sector partners
 Development of processing technologies that
fit the needs/capacity of rural and industrial
processors
 Providing technical support/training to
national partners


STRATEGY (cont’d)

R4D on commodity chain
approach
 Food
 Feed
 Raw industrial materials


Functional role
Coordination Unit - Lilongwe
Funds Sourcing & Disbursement
SARRNET Coordinator Day-to-day Project Management
(SARRNET Admin/Technical Staff) Germplasm & Information Exchange
Monitoring and Evaluation

Regional Advisory Committee
NARS, USAID, SADC
Approval of Work Plan
IITA, CIP, University, NGOs
Funding Allocation
Pvt Sector, Extension, Farmers

National Task Forces
NARS, University
Private Sector National Implementation
Farmers Associations, NGOs, etc.


SARRNET focal countries

 Under SACCAR leadership:
 4 main countries (Mlw, Tz, Zam & Moz); 4
aver. (Ang, S.A., South DRC & Zim); 4
weak (Nam, Bot, Swa & Les)
From 2004:
 Focus to Chinyanja Triangle (Parts of
Mlw, Moz & Zambia with Nyanja as
common language) and Angola – Donor
driven
 Survived SACCAR era by direct contact
IITA and USAID/SA

• Regional Germplasm
development strategy
Regional • Specific studies
Technology
Testing & • Post-graduate training
capacity • On-job training
building
• Exchange visits, scientific
workshops, annual
meetings
• Publication of ROOTS,
proceedings, journal
articles
• Etc.

Improved germplasm in SA region

16
14
Number of varieties
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

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ca
aw

bw
qu

bi
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ri

m
al

bi

Af

ba
An

Za
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am

m
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Zi
oz

So
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Regional • Best landraces cleaned in
benefits
RSA and distributed to
SARRNET countries

• Cassava TMS 60142 and
S/P SPN/O released in
more countries


Regional screening for SBSD in Mtwapa
(EARRNET and SARRNET)


Cassava and sweetpotato research
in Malawi successful program: Yields

20,000 2,500
2,000
Yield (Kg/ha)

Yield (Kg/ha)
15,000
1,500
10,000
1,000
5,000 500
0 0
83
85
87
89
91
93
95
97
99
01
03
05
07
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
Harvest year

Cassava S.potatoes Maize


Example of tech. Sharing:
cassava silage


Figure 1: Effect of cassava root and leaf silage on milk
production
18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4 Cass silage
Maize silage
2

0 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d’agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

Cyanogen levels in cassava
silage during preparation


Effect of
ensiling
method
on HCN
levels in
cassava
silage


Effect of feeding cassava silage on
quality of milk

• Milk from animal fed from cassava silage
had high butterfat content of 3.6% on
average as compared to the control that
had 3.2%

• Economic analysis indicated that every
Kwacha invested in cassava silage
brought a return of K49.20 ($0.55) as
opposed to K14.00 ($0.15) from the
investment in maize and grass silage

• Farmers can undertake silage
production commercial enterprise
especially using the plastic bags.
Commercial • Commercial farms could use the
production of plant density of 40,000 while
cassava silage smallholder farmers could use
22,200.
• Pit ensiling despite less profit
margin should be promoted more
than bag ensiling as it preserves CP
which is very important for dairy
production
• Motorized choppers should be
developed to easy the heavy
workload on manual chopping roots
and leaves


Cassava • Tested and validated from
silage Malawi
– Introduced to
• Tanzania
• Zimbabwe

– Cost in Malawi: US$20,000
– Cost in other countries for
validation: US$500


Example 2: • Model of linking farmers to
Pilot starch and markets
flour processing – Community ownership
plants
– Individual/private ownership
 Pilot Starch factory
 Tanzania
 Malawi
– Sustainability in Malawi on pvt
ownership


Cassava starch processing
at Masinda in Nkhotakota


Challenges and
difficulties of setting
up/running RRN


Commissioned studies Competitive grants
• Regional • Weak countries
approach/activities eliminated
• Team work • Segmented R4D activities
• Complementarities of at regional & national
activities btn weak & levels
strong NARS • Appropriation of funds by
• “Bias” on funds individual “grant winner”
allocation to NARS • “Good proposal writers”
(influential SC members, but “poor implementers”
laziness with funds
assurance)


• The regional groups
apparently tend to do a
Weak link with reasonable effort at bringing
policy makers the agricultural stakeholders
together,

• but they do not always
manage to forge institutional
linkages with policy planners
(Gvts & SADC-FANR) and the
political machinery that makes
decisions about development
and investments.

SADC-FANR vs.
Strong SRO for
• Absence of efficient
SARRNET SRO since SACCAR
closure
• Weak leadership in the
region
• No catalytic institution
for NARS, CG centers
etc.

• National pride on
Challenges shared and
(ct’d) complementarities
activities e.g.
breeding capacities
in each country
Namibia/Swaziland
vs. Malawi/Zambia
• Some NARS refusing
to share germplasm


SARRNET • Mainly by USAID/SA (high
FUNDING
risk for sustainability)
• SADC govts not investing
in the network but wish to
sustain it with external
donor funds
• Difficulties in funds
justification by some
NARS/univ.

Thanks


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