THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN KENYA

1. THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN KENYA Dr. E. A. Mukisira Director KARI

2. PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS • Production and livelihood constraints • Technology and information needs • Demography, literacy, socio-economics • Lack of Innovative and participatory research • Poor policies and infrastructure

3. CONSTRAINTS TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND UP-SCALING • Inadequate community participation • High level of poverty • Cultural issues • Poor infrastructure • Marketing problems • Inappropriate mechanization

4. KARI’S CORE FUNCTIONS • Generating technologies, knowledge and information • Catalyzing and facilitating innovative processes • Creating and strengthening partnerships for impact • Conducting strategic, adaptive and applied research • In collaboration with partners, contribute to the production of regional and international public goods.

5. RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY NARIs • Strategic Research • Applied Research • Adaptive Research

6. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES • Aggressive programs of crop breeding for increased yields • Purposeful livestock breeding programme and management • Highly developed feeding systems for livestock. • Value addition technologies • Application of biotechnology

7. RELEASES OF CROP VARIETIES AND VACCINES/KITS

8. IMPROVED VARIETIES: IMPACT • Maize. Improved maize varieties and hybrids were widely adopted in the 1980’s, in a few countries, such as Kenya (80 percent), Malawi (30 percent), Tanzania (28 percent), Zambia (49 percent) and Zimbabwe (73 percent). • Cassava. Improved disease-resistant strains of cassava have been adopted, reaching more than half the cassava area in Nigeria • Rice. The New Rice for Africa-combining the high-yielding potential of Asian rice with the resistance of African rice to weeds, pests, diseases and water stress. • Beans. In eastern, central and southern Africa, nearly 10 million farmers, mostly women, are reportedly growing and consuming new bean varieties.

9. AREA PLANTED WITH IMPROVED VARIETIES.

10. NUMBER OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS INVOLVED IN VARIOUS CROP ENTERPRISES-THE CASE FOR KENYA

11. 20 YEARS OF MAIZE RESEARCH: WHAT DIVIDENDS?

12. 20 YEARS OF MAIZE RESEARCH: WHAT DIVIDENDS? contd…

13. CHALLENGES OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INITIATIVES • Weak outreach programs • Inadequate Human Resource capacity • Inadequate credit facilities • Ineffective Partners and partnerships • Inadequate attention to product value chain concept

14. TESTING NEW APPROACHES TO SCALING-UP OF TECHNOLOGIES; KARI’S EXPERIENCE • Adaptive Research • KARI-ATIRI • Other approaches include farmer field schools (FFS), farmer-researcher groups, PLAR • ICT based technology transfer approaches

15. FARMER EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATORY ADAPTIVE RESEARCH • Builds farmer confidence in technology. • Promotes technology ownership by farmers. • Promotes farmer capacity to demand new technologies and information. • Exposes farmers to diversity of technologies through exchange visits. • Promotes farmer to farmer extension.

16. BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES • Builds mutual confidence • Creates technology ownership • In-built dissemination • Farmer M&E and feedback • Diversity of technologies through exchange visits

17. AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY & INFORMATION RESPONSE INITIATIVE (ATIRI) • Concern about low impact of KARI technologies • Empowers farmers to demand tech. • Paradigm shift from “supply” to “demand” • Catalyses dissemination and adoption

18. ATIRI OBJECTIVES • Enhance farmers’ capacity to make technological and information demands from KARI • Strengthen KARI’s Capacity to meet these demands thro’ feedback into research • Improve partnerships for better delivery • To test new methods for rapid up-scaling

19. KENYA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY PROGRAMME (KAPP) • 12-year, 3-phases of 3, 4 and 5 years • Multi-sectoral, multi-institutional • Support to Policy & Institutional Reform • Support to National Agric. Res. System • Support to National Extension Reform • Support to Farmer Empowerment

20. KAPP-LESSONS LEARNT ON EXTENSION DELIVERY SERVICES • Adequate professionals for pluralistic extension services • Potential to develop a robust public-private partnerships for effective and efficient extension delivery service • Government could contract private individuals or institutions to deliver extension services

21. WAY FORWARD: TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT • Resource mobilization in the MTP (2008-2013) while pursuing Vision 2030 • Greater involvement of the private sector in supporting Agricultural Research • Balancing adaptive and strategic/basic research • Exploring new research areas- e.g.bio-fuels, climate change

22. WAY FORWARD: TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION Targeted Areas • Establishment of a science park operated by NARS/Private sector • Techno-shops/parks at NARIs

23. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER: POLICY CONSIDERATION • Formulation of an effective NARS Policy • Formulate an effective national Agriculture extension policy • Create an outreach unit to effectively establish partnership towards accelerated technology transfer • Create sustainable funding mechanisms for research and technology transfer

24. EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR DEMAND DRIVEN RESEARCH • Engage potential Donors to support priority demand driven research • Strengthen collaboration with the NARIs/Universities in-country and abroad • Strategic Partnerships for specific Projects

25. THANK YOU