Agriculture Science Agenda for Africa
Teagasc was represented on the international panel of experts which prepared an Agriculture Science Agenda for Africa in 2013 and will maintain an involvement as the Agenda is implemented.
The Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A) refers to the science, technology, extension, innovations, policy and social learning Africa needs to apply in order to meet its evolving agricultural development goals. The Agenda identifies the key strategic issues that will impact on science and agriculture and presents a suite of high-level actions/options for increasing and deepening the contributions of science to the development of agriculture in Africa at the local, national, regional and Pan-African levels. The Agenda’s perspective encompasses the breadth of science, the meaningful engagements between disciplines and the effective transfer of the outcomes of science to end users that are necessary to unlock the potential of agriculture in Africa.
The Science Agenda is fundamentally about the strategic investments in science, technology and innovation that are needed to contribute effectively to productivity, equitable development and sustainable productive environments. The principal investments will continue to be in the research and development efforts focused on target populations, themes and production environments. Moreover, the SAAA takes a multi-sector approach to development and is informed by relevant developments in other sectors beyond agriculture, so as to leverage agricultural S&T even more effectively.
Furthermore, the Agenda informs a balanced growth of agricultural education and advisory services so that the potential for productivity gains can be realized at both the field and laboratory levels. In the same vein, the Agenda embraces policy research: technical problems are often not resolved because inappropriate policy reduces the incentives for a solution.