Transformation of Agricultural Research Systems in Africa : Lessons from Kenya

On no other continent is the need for agricultural research greater than it is in Africa. Nowhere are the complexities of producing well- adapted agricultural technologies more binding, yet the basic institutions supporting agriculture are some of the weakest in the developing world. In Africa, the challenge of increasing food supply to keep pace with population growth and rising urban demand, of producing the agricultural technologies that will fuel that process, and of designing the basic institutions that will create and deliver these technologies, remains largely unfulfilled. Transformation of Agricultural Research Systems in Africa: Lessons from Kenya analyzes Kenya’s experiences in transforming its Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) over time. Kenya was chosen because it is the third largest agricultural research system in sub-Saharan Africa, and it has been reorganized to make it more efficient in serving the needs of small- scale farms in national, regional, and global markets. The authors are highly seasoned professionals with years of experience in crafting institutional innovations. This case study can be used to draw implications for other research systems in sub-Saharan Africa.