ASTI data is being used to inform, support, and justify agricultural system reform in a number of countries in Africa south of the Sahara, according to recent interviews with focal points.
In Swaziland, ASTI data was used to lobby members of parliament to transform the national agricultural research system to a semi-autonomous board. A reform bill is currently under discussion with the agricultural portfolio committee, after which it will go for debate in Parliament, then to the King for approval. If approved, it would allow external funding, attract more qualified staff, encourage merit-based promotion and ultimately facilitate better research delivery.
In Kenya, ASTI data helped justify the need for the merger of several institutions (KARI, TRFK, CRF and KESREF) to form a more efficient Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), part of a reform of agricultural research in the country.
In Nigeria, ASTI data has had a role in efforts to transform the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) to a management council, currently under debate in Parliament.
ASTI is proud that its data and findings are playing an important role in the current movement to reform, transform, and streamline national agricultural research systems across the continent.