Constraints and opportunities for sustainable partnership between Universities, small-holder farming communities and development agencies: The case of the WATERCAP Project in Uganda
Abstract
221 words
Efforts were undertaken through the auspices of a collaborative project “Strengthening
Universities Capacities for Mitigating Climate Induced Change Water Vulnerability –
WATERCAP” to address a key challenge of water scarcity in dryland areas of Uganda. A
multisciplinary team engaged since 2009 has through implementation of this project observed
the constraints and opportunities that impede and or enhance functional partnership in an
inter and multi-disciplinary projects aimed at enhancing agricultural and community
development. Nonetheless, functional partnerships create networks and sustainable
innovation platforms that open opportunities for joint research and learning, community
involvement and dissemination of new technologies, knowledge and innovation to the endusers.
Sustainable partnerships also provide space for mentorship opportunities and bring
together different partners with unique mandates and values to address real life problems.
However, seemingly functional partnerships can also be constrained by failure to appreciate
mandates and value alignment of different partners and failure to pursue a common goal
among the actors. Partnerships are further constrained by poor communication and reporting
skills of project outcomes as well as inequity in the sharing of project resources and ownership
of project outcomes. Understanding the constraints and opportunities of partnerships between
universities and development agencies enabled the WATERCAP project to find appropriate
entry points to support the innovation platforms for enhancing the resilience of smallholder
farmers to climate change induced water vulnerability.
Subjects
1 categoryRelated papers
More in Working Document Series →- Detection, isolation and baseline characterization of indigenous PhlD+ fluorescent Pseudomonas species for the control of bean root rot and coffee wilt disease in Uganda
- Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement: A model Training and Research Hub for Next Generation of Plant Breeders for Africa
- Report on the implementation of the RUFORUM Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Enhancing crop productivity and household food security among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe
- Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for edible mushrooms: An evidence from a choice experiment study in Ghana