Aligning and Rationalizing Institutional Structures

From a policy and investment perspective, fundamental questions include whether the NARS is a viable institutional model for agricultural research for the next decade, what role it will serve, and what organizational options exist for research systems. The evolution from NARS to the agricultural knowledge and information system (AKIS) to the agricultural innovation system (AIS) reflects significant changes in the way the NARS is conceptualized. The session presents an ASTI analysis that reviews the particular challenges for agricultural research in the smaller countries in SSA. Regional approaches are then examined, from both a quantitative perspective and from an institutional perspective. The session then analyzes alternative institutional models for agricultural R&D and the implications for African NARS when managed within an AIS framework. This analysis will be complemented by an overview of the evolution of extension advisory services and the potential for private sector research.

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