Enhancing graduate training and agricultural research in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa: Lessons and new thrusts

This paper was commissioned by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), an association of 25 Universities engaged in natural resource management in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa to explore opportunities and modalities to enhance quality of graduate training and agricultural research in the region. It draws from experience of individual universities and recent trends in the region. The findings indicate that the university research mission has changed, and universities need explicitly to become integrated into the national and regional Research for Development communities, and of necessity, must closely network. Graduate training and research should continue to build on the competencies of individual scientists and universities, but these competencies should be harnessed to produce regional public goods, enhance economies of scale and scope and promote more efficient and effective utilisation of the region’s resources. The trend towards joint degree programmes, as under the Collaborative Masters in Agricultural Economics, and Networks of Specialisation as under RUFORUM, offer opportunity for quality training and enhancing collaboration instead of competition. Nevertheless, greater use needs to be made of specialised facilities/competencies in the region, such as aquaculture facilities at Bunda, University of Malawi, to train for the region. Whatsoever option is adopted, there should be flexibility and consideration given to special needs and mutual support. Through networking opportunities, universities in countries where political or economic conditions are unfavourable can be kept operating at the highest possible standard. These institutions will be ready for action once the situation returns to normality and will quickly be able to play their role in national recovery exercises. This strategy can also be refined and developed to help participating universities adapt to change and to expand their role within the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES).