Reforming NARS
FAO supports its Members to reform their NARS in response to many challenges and emerging issues they face. For example, a 4-year European Union-funded programme called REAFOR helped the Democratic Republic of the Congo breathe new life into its agricultural and forestry research system, partnering with organizations such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). As another example, in 2019, FAO gave technical support to the Government of the Gambia to update and support the formulation of a strategic plan for the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) to provide a roadmap for agricultural research in the Gambia. In 2020, FAO initiated technical support to the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to formulate the roadmap and monitoring mechanism for research, technology and innovation (RTI) to support implementation of their food security strategies.