Implementing human and institutional capacity development with agricultural higher education institutions: The genesis of iAGRI

The Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI) is a long-term investment in agricultural higher education and research capacity in Tanzania funded by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative. The main goal of the iAGRI project was to improve food security and agricultural productivity in Tanzania by strengthening the training and collaborative research capacities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MALF). The need for the project was identified by the Government of Tanzania and USAID who recognized that the agricultural training, research, and outreach capacity of SUA to boost food production and reduce food insecurity was lacking. The project was designed to address these gaps by focusing on multiple dimensions of capacity building including human resource development (long term degree training), collaborative research, institutional capacity development and improved linkages with other universities in the USA and in the Global South. The experience of The Ohio State University, partner US universities, and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in implementing earlier institutional development projects around the world and in East Africa informed the early design and approaches used to implement and address these capacity development components. Long-term degree training of Tanzania post-graduates occurred in the United States, at RUFORUM affiliated institutions in East and Southern Africa, and in India. Following the former collaborative research support program (CRSP) model, thematic collaborative research programs were launched in Tanzania that engaged scientists from partner universities in the U.S. with research scientists from SUA and MALF. Former projects that established enhanced linkages between agricultural higher education institutions (AHEI) and the private sector were implemented through new and innovative programmatic approaches such as the Innovation Portfolio. Through the course of project implementation, it became apparent that to improve institutional capacity there was a need to focus on organizational change and improved linkages with external stakeholders including the private sector, in tandem with human resource development to improve the administrative culture and working environment and transform SUA into a 21st century university. The leadership and change management initiative represented a unique departure from past capacity programs and as a major contribution of the iAGRI project to agricultural higher education institution capacity development initiatives.