ACP CONFERENCE July Postere

Strengthening Human Resource Capacity to Foster
Agricultural and Rural Innovation in Eastern Africa
1
Kibwika, P., 1Batte, R., 2de Neergaard, A., 3Almekinders, C., 4Didier, P., 5Msuya, C., 6Udoto, M. and 7Adipala, E.
1
Makerere University, 2University of Copenhagen, 3Wageningen University, 4Agreenium, 5Sokoine University of Agriculture, 6Egerton University and 7RUFORUM
Background
The promise of the innovation systems approach
to development especially in the developing
countries compels the higher education institutions
to produce the relevant human resources with the
requisite competences and mindset to champion
innovations in various spheres of development.
For this reason, a PhD program in Agricultural and
Rural Innovation (ARI) was initiated by a
consortium of East African universities. Another
PhD in Agricultural Transformation by Innovation
(AgTraIn) is implemented by a consortium of
European universities. The two PhD programs
collaborate to learn together to strengthen
institutional capacities and to share experiences in
this new area of training. The partners in this
initiative include: Makerere University in Uganda,
Egerton University in Kenya, Sokoine University of
Agriculture in Tanzania, Wageningen University in
the Netherlands, University of Copenhagen in
Denmark, The Regional Universities Forum for
Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), and
the Consortium for French Higher Education and
Research in Agriculture (Agreenium). The initiative
has been supported by two successive grants from
the EDULINK Programme. First grant (2009-2012)
facilitated development of a Regional ARI PhD
programme and learning materials. The second
grant
(2013-2016)
supports
piloting
joint
implementation for institutional capacity building
and linking ARI with AgTraIn.
Type and Number of
Beneficiaries
Final beneficiaries
Smallholder farmers. So far 439 famers
in Uganda have been engaged through
field-based training for ARI & AgTraIn
PhD programs
ARI and AgTraIn students give feed back to the
community at the end of the field training course
ARI andAgTraIn Students with Staff take a photograph at the Equator near the field training site in Uganda, 2014
Project Objectives
♦ Facilitate mobility of students and staff for
institutional capacity strengthening of
partners;
♦ Experimenting online delivery of some ARI
modules to reduce the cost of mobility and
widen access;
♦ Establish national stakeholder platforms to
guide alignment of academic and national
development interests;
♦ Link ARI and AgTraIn PhD programs for
experience sharing and mutual learning
across Africa and Europe
Results
Achieved
♦ ARI PhD program jointly implemented by the
East African and European Partners
♦ The ARI and AgTraIn PhD programs in
agricultural innovations linked
♦ National stakeholder platforms established
in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
♦ Project Management system established
To be achieved
♦ Online delivery of ARI PhD program
▫ Development of online Instructional materials for
5 modules ongoing
▫ Framework for uploading e-content set-up on the
Makerere e-learning environment
▫ Computer labs to support e-learning setup at the
three partnering East African Universities
Areas for further strengthening
♦ Strengthening Research for Development
Capacity
▫ Deriving research issues from development
challenges
▫ Academic research supervision
▫ Functional partnerships with development agencies
Impacts
♦ Capacity for PhD training in three East African
universities enhanced
♦ Competence of ARI PhD graduates to facilitate
efficient agricultural value chains through
innovations
♦ Production and productivity of smallholder
farmers enhanced for improved food security
and income
European partner with farmers during the
reconnaissance survey
Intermediary beneficiaries
♦ 100 ARI & AgTraIn PhD students
(38.12% females) participated in the
joint training over the past 3 years
♦ 48 staff (13 European and 35 African)
participated in the joint delivery of PhD
programs.
Contribution To Overall EDULINK
Objectives
Academic
♦ A regional ARI PhD program linked with a
European based AgTraIn PhD program to
foster institutional capacity and networking
♦ Institutional collaboration between African and
European universities to enhance quality of
PhD training in Africa (joint module delivery &
review)
♦ Establishment of national stakeholder
platforms to ensure relevance of PhD training
to development priorities.
Management/Administration
♦ Equipment to facilitate online delivery of PhD
modules
♦ Experience for management of students and
staff mobilities and networks
Students in a focus group discussion with a
farmer during field based training
Conclusions
The project presents a model for capacity
strengthening and internationalisation of
PhD programs in African universities
through collaboration and networking.
Further, mainstreaming development in
academic programs is an ongoing
concern that this initiative has attempted
to address through establishment of
national stakeholder platforms.