Project Documents

From the time the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) was founded 20 years ago, its role has been facilitation, coordination, capacity development and mobilisation of financial and other resources for the sub-region agricultural research and development. However, throughout implementation of its first operational plan (2009 - 2013) under its strategic plan 2008 - 2018, ASARECA and its national agricultural research system (NARS) stakeholders have been under mounting pressure to achieve greater impact with its research and development effort. Such impact can only be realised through greater efficiency and effectiveness not only of the generation but also of the delivery and utilisation of the research outputs. The strong commitment of ASARECA to improving the delivery, utilisation and impact of science and technology in order to bring about agricultural transformation in the sub-region is evident in its mission. The Association has responded to these concerns in various ways. Among the responses is a study ASARECA conducted in the sub-region to understand the causes of the low adoption, scaling up and impact of proven technologies and innovations. The study provided insights into the root factors that contribute to low adoption and came up with recommendations for improvement. In its second operational plan (2014 - 2018), ASARECA is focusing more of its interventions in research and development on scaling up. This strategy draws on the insights from the findings of the study on causes of low adoption and borrows experiences and lessons from other regions to provide a holistic way to spur technology uptake and scaling up in ways that will trigger agricultural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa.

Maize will continue to play a very important role in the livelihoods of most of the population in East and Central Africa (ECA) to meet households needs for food, feed and income. The development and release of quality protein maize (QPM) varieties, which contain high levels of protein has meant that it can be a substitute for the more costly sources of protein for human food such as meat and for fishmeal or artificial lysine used in the production of feeds for poultry and pig enterprises. The handbook was developed by NARS institutions in Kenya, Tanzania, DR. Congo, Uganda in partnership with the Knowledge Management and Upscaling Programme of ASARECA while promoting scaling out of the QPM technologies in these countries under a project known as Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa (DONATA). This handbook is a comprehensive one-stop source of information on how QPM is grown using recommended practices to achieve genetic potential of the varieties. It also contains management options for economically important diseases and insect pests, post-harvest handling and utilization. The practices documented in this manual are based on practical experience of researchers in the region who worked with farmers to identify common problems in production of QPM and to validate the improved practices presented in it.  These can be applied to  other types of maize and areas within the region that broadly fall within the same mega-maize environment.

Summary: Gender issues in agricultural research occasion dynamic sets of opportunities and constraints that influence research effectiveness. The project Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) was implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania to increase farm-level food security and productivity, in the context of climate risk and change. ASARECA led the gender mainstreaming activities in SIMLESA by conducting capacity building and supporting instrumentation, data management and dissemination.