Agricultural research centers (ARCs) working on development initiatives in Zambia have been urged to shift their focus from upstream R&D and into scaling out the myriad of mature technologies developed by them if these are to have concrete benefits and impact on smallholder farmers across the country.
The appeal was aired by the Honorable Mulenga Chilese, Permanent Secretary (PS) of Zambia’s Eastern Province, as he keynoted the opening of the 3-day Annual Review and Planning Meeting of the Zambia Feed-the-Future Research and Development (FTF R&D) Program held at the Protea Hotel in Chipata on 17 September 2014. After the opening, the PS accompanied the meeting delegates on a tour of the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute’s (ZARI) Msekera Station, also in Chipata.
“I think enough has been done on the R&D side – now is high time for us to scale out these technologies so that they start making tangible and positive impact on the lives of our smallholder farmers,” Mr Chilese emphasized.
“Although the country has seen positive economic growth these past years, these have not really translated to concrete benefits to the people, especially our farmers,” the PS added. “A lot of things could have been done better – and this where you, researchers, come in. You have the gift of foresight – of ‘seeing the future’ way ahead of others and developing solutions now in anticipation of tomorrow’s challenges.”
“My challenge to you, therefore, is this: get these technologies into the h ands of each and every farmer in Zambia,” the PS said. “So how do we do this? We need to address some of the lacking essential linkages in the dissemination of research results and information, we need to partner more closely with the private sector, and we need to work better with marketing agencies and extension services.”
“We also need to properly integrate research results into national planning. For example, this program meeting could have been held before the national annual budget hearing so that your activities could have been integrated into the national government’s workplan,” he added.
Harry Ngoma, USAID Activity Manager for the FTF R&D Program, reiterated the sentiments of the PS. He said that so far “the program has made significant strides in its R&D efforts, and at this point we already have a clear picture of what technologies are working and how they are working.”
“USAID is very excited that the technologies from this program are already starting to bear fruit. What follows for this year is to make economic analyses and risk profiles of these technologies. Of course, we would also come up with very clear strategies for scaling up and scaling out to impact thous ands of farmers not only in this province but across Zambia,” he added.
“I share the sentiments of the PS – we need to share data, information, and knowledge about these technologies that would hopefully lead to policy recommendations that support an enabling environment for enhancing the productivity of smallholder farmers and improving their lives.”
At Msekera, PS Chilese and the meeting delegates toured the station’s research facilities, visiting the Soils Lab, Aflatoxin Lab, and an exhibition by the different project components of the FTF R&D program.
The Zambia FTF R&D Program, which started in 2011, is a 4-year program implemented through collaboration of IITA, CIMMYT, ICRISAT, CIP and Harvest Plus, ZARI, Zambian universities, private sector, and other stakeholders. The program seeks to build the capacity of Zambia’s national agriculture research institutes, to raise farm productivity, to help enhance nutrition, and promote adoption of improved varieties and low-cost technologies for farmers.
The program has six component projects: Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems; Improving Groundnut Farmer Incomes and Nutrition through Innovation and Technology Enhancement; Mitigating Cassava Disease Threats for Improved Cassava Production; Dissemination of Pro-Vitamin A Maize; Aflatoxin Mitigation in Maize and Groundnut; and Effective Use of Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato.
For more details, please contact: Jeffrey T. Oliver, j.oliver@cgiar.org
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The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research for development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
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