Berhane Kiflewahid
Programme Officer
International Development Research Centre
PO Box 62084, Nairobi, Kenya
Mr Chairman, Honourable Minister, ladies and gentlemen.
I am grateful for this opportunity to present a brief overview of the role of the International Development Research Centre in livestock development in sub-Saharan Africa
The mission of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is to contribute to development through research and research-supporting activities. The Centre aims to assist in promoting the indigenously determined social and economic advancement of the developing regions of the world, with particular focus on the poorest people of those regions.
Within this mission, IDRC has two principal objectives: first, to support research which is directly relevant to Third World development and which has demonstrable links to the basic needs of the poor; and second, to assist developing countries to build and strengthen indigenous research and research-supporting capacity, at the national, but also at the regional, level, and mainly in terms of human resources. A strong national research capability is essential if the problems confronting development are to be adequately addressed.
IDRC addresses these objectives by focusing its activities in six main areas: agriculture, food and nutrition sciences; communications; earth and engineering sciences; health sciences; information sciences; and social sciences. IDRC also funds training in all these areas.
Agriculture, food and nutrition
The mission of IDRC's Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Sciences (AFNS) Division is to ensure access for the individual to food and other basic necessities through the sustainable use of renewable resources. The Division strives to achieve stable and sustainable increases in productivity while maintaining environmental integrity, and to increase income and employment opportunities.
The Division's budget is allocated to support research by scientists working in their own countries and national institutions. Support is also given to research by international and regional organisations if they are closely linked to research activities at the national level through networks such as the African Research Network for Agricultural Byproducts (ARNAB) and the Pasture Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (PANESA), both coordinated by the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA).
The Division also gives high priority to disseminating research results and training research staff in developing countries. On average, 2-5% of project funds are allocated to dissemination of research results through publications and workshops. Most AFNS projects contain a specific training component which, on average, accounts for 10% of the project budget. Several young African scientists have been trained at postgraduate level through this support. For example, three animal scientists from Botswana's Animal Production Research Unit (APRU) have undertaken postgraduate training at Guelph, Canada. IRDC hopes that this small contribution is strengthening APRU's research capacity.
The AFNS Division's support to research is organised under six programmes and two units:
· Animal Production Systems Programme
· Crop Production Systems Programme
· Fisheries Programme
· Forestry Programme
· Post-Production Systems Programme
· Agricultural Economics Programme
· Environment and Sustainable Resources Management Unit
· Nutrition Unit
Of these, the Animal Production Systems (APS) Programme is of most relevance to this workshop. APS Programme activities focus on research into large and small ruminants, non-ruminants and animal feed resources, with emphasis on pasture and forage improvement and byproduct utilisation. Priority is given to research on cattle because of their large numbers in developing countries and their importance as sources of milk, meat and draught power, but the Programme is expanding its support to the small-ruminant sector as sheep and goats are also very important in African pastoral systems and thrive in areas that are not suitable for cattle, such as the very arid regions and tsetse-infested areas. APS Programme support is also provided to research on rabbits, pigs and poultry, which are vital to other farmers in many smallholder systems.
Globally, the strategy and priorities for research support are based on the farming system practiced in the ecological zones identified, as well as on the potential for impact and use of research results by the beneficiaries. For example, major APS Programme research support in East and Southern Africa is targeted on the following zones:
· highly populated, high potential, high rainfall highland areas
· subhumid zones in coastal and hinterland areas
· semi-arid areas where livestock are the major source of food and cash income.
In sub-Saharan Africa the major constraint on livestock production is feeding. Animals subsist mainly on natural pastures which provide abundant grazing during the rainy season, but quickly mature and dry up with the onset of the dry season. It is estimated that in smallholder production systems in sub-Saharan Africa, up to 60% of available feed resources come from crop residues. However, their nutritive value is not adequate to sustain reasonable animal production. A great deal of research on animal feed resources is therefore needed if livestock production in the region is to be improved.
Supporting collaboration through networks
For the past six years IDRC has been collaborating with ILCA in the organisation and activities of PANESA and ARNAB. The networks have been successful in bringing together national and international efforts for research on the production and utilisation of feed resources on small-scale farms. We hope that the impact of these networks has not ended at the scientist level, but has also reached the farmers.
In March 1990, the steering committees of PANESA and ARNAB, and of the West and Central Africa Forage Network (WECAFNET), recommended a merger of the three networks into one African Feeds Research Network. The rationale for the merger was the recognition of the complementarily of their objectives and of the need for collaborative research by national scientists to ensure the effective use of available feed resources. Thus the general objective of the unified feed resources network is to support and strengthen the capabilities of national agricultural research scientists and institutions to conduct research with forages, crop residues and agro-industrial byproducts as the basis for the development of sustainable animal production systems. Specifically, the network aims to:
· promote collaborative research among participating institutions
· promote exchange of information among animal scientists
· train African scientists in applied research techniques
Links will be maintained with at least 10 other "centre" supported projects in the region and other networks in Latin America.
IDRC will contribute CAD$ 817 280 to the unified network's collaborative research programmes over the next three years (1991-93). This is a reflection of IDRC's commitment to African scientists.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Minister, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for giving me your attention.
