Our Strategy
In 2029, ASARECA launched a ten-year ASARECA Strategy and Results Framework (A-SRF) for the period 2019-2028.
The 10-year Strategy is operationalized through two Medium Term Operational Plans (MTOPs) each covering a period of five years. The MTOP I covering the period 2019- 2023 is already under implementation.
ASARECA’s refreshed Mandate
ASARECA has strategically repositioned to perform a higher level convening, coordination, facilitative, advocacy, partnership brokerage, communicative and catalytic role to maximize economies of scale, reduce duplication and misalignment of resources in the sub-region’s Agriculture Research for Development (AR4D). This is aimed at improving effectiveness and efficiency, leading to significant improvement in the delivery of inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation and development.
To deliver on this role, ASARECA is now repositioned as the regional “Go to Service Provider of Choice for AR4D coordination, convening, partnership brokerage, process facilitation, and communication products and services.”
These services are designed to deliver specific priority inclusive development outcomes and impact in the ECA sub region. ASARECA will achieve this by supporting the attainment of economies of scale in the conduct of priority regional research and by significantly reducing duplication and misalignment of efforts and resources.
This driving Value Proposition has been designed to enable ASARECA add value and contribute significantly to accelerated sustainable agricultural transformation and growth for shared prosperity and improved food and nutrition security of the ECA people.
In this regard, therefore, the mandate of the repositioned ASARECA is:
- Identifying regional research priorities and opportunities through credible, authentic and participatory on-going strategic visioning processes.
- Commissioning, brokering and managing strategic research partnerships to address identified regional priorities in the most effective, efficient and synergetic ways.
- Nurturing pathways for on-time delivery, spill-over and scaling-up of regional agricultural research results to deliver agricultural outcomes and impact.
- Mobilizing, allocating and managing regional AR4D investments to support generation of regional agricultural research public goods and services.
- Monitoring and evaluating returns on AR4D investment and packaging lessons and best practices to inform decision making processes and action.
- Supporting the formulation and harmonization of policies and regulatory frameworks to create enabling environment for agricultural transformation.
- Enhancing effective management and exchange of agricultural knowledge, information and learning to NARS and other stakeholders to inform AR4D processes and enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Thematic Interventions
ASARECA has committed to focus on four thematic areas that are well aligned to the major ongoing regional and continental initiatives. The four thematic areas are:
Transformative Capacity Strengthening and Integration: This thematic area focuses on strengthening and integration of different types of AR4D capacities and competencies at systemic, organizational and individual levels to support and contribute significantly to the attainment of inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation in the ECA member States.
Agricultural Transformation Technologies and Innovations: This thematic area focuses on supporting and coordinating the development and adaptation of technologies and innovations to address priority regional agricultural transformation challenges; development of approaches, methods, tools and pathways for enhancing uptake and widespread utilization of technologies, innovations and management practices; enhancing scaling up of priority integrated regional agricultural value chains; and supporting development of private sector-driven agribusinesses and entrepreneurship.
Enabling Policy Environment, Functional Markets and Transformative Institutions: This thematic area focuses on advocacy for creation of enabling policy environment, establishment of functional and structured regional markets, and strengthening of regional institutions.
Knowledge and Information Management: This thematic area focuses on improving management and access to reliable and up-to-date data, information and knowledge to inform agricultural transformation decision-making processes and action in the ECA sub region. This will be done through establishing and managing a regional technology and information clearing house; regional databases, system models and decision support tools; and functional platforms for communicating and exchanging knowledge and information.
Strategic Alignment to continental and regional discourse
In implementing its new mandate, ASARECA is well aligned to the major national, regional, continental and global frameworks that include the:
National Agricultural and Food Security Investment Plans by supporting implementation of the National Agricultural and Food Security Investment Plans (NAFSIPs) to achieve sustainable agricultural transformation and inclusive growth.
CAADP 10-year Results Framework by supporting implementation of the CAADP 10-year Results Framework and the complementary African Union Malabo Declaration on accelerated African agricultural growth and transformation (A3GT).
Continental frameworks and programmes by working closely with FARA and other regional and continental initiatives to support the implementation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA); the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A); the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme; the African Agricultural Research Programme (AARP); and the framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (SAMA).
Global frameworks and initiatives by working with other relevant regional, continental and global initiatives such as: the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the SDG 2 that seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030; the Feed the Future Strategy; the CGAIR Centres; and programmes and projects implemented by the International Agricultural Research Centres and Advanced Research Institutes.
Regional Economic Communities (RECs) by providing technical support to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); the East African Community (EAC); and the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD); the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and in the implementation of the relevant agricultural sector strategies and policies.