Overview of ANAFE and its Programme for Strengthening Africa’s Strategic Agricultural

Capacity for Impact on Development (SASACID)

Presentation for Sida, Nairobi, 11 October 2011

ANAFE View on TAE in Africa The enormous potential of the agriculture sector in Africa to drive

improved livelihoods and development (thus contributing to achievement in one way or another to most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)) is vastly underutilized today.

A major contributing factor to underutilized and untapped potential is that agricultural education in its current form is poorly targeted and structured to adequately respond to the challenges for achieving food security, eradicating malnutrition, alleviating poverty, preserving the environment and spurring development in rural Africa.

Vertical linkages of TAE to lower levels of education remains weak. It is time to invest in change, more specifically in the transformation

of TAE. Well-designed, well-targeted TAE can provide scientific expertise, technical innovations and training in strategic areas of education for rural people, industry and policy makers.

ANAFE View on TAE in Africa

It is important that TAE transformation in Africa be African-owned and African-implemented to ensure that results are sustainable.

African Heads of State have endorsed CAADP for the development of Agriculture , but TAE institutions are still not properly involved in CAADP processes

ANAFE, the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education, is an established network of 132 African institutions of higher learning across the continent that works actively to transform TAE

ANAFE Member Countries in 2011 (in

dark green)

What is ANAFE?Created in 1993 by 29 TAE institutions

In 2011: the network is made up of 132 Agricultural Colleges and Universities in 35 African countries

Mission Statement: “To improve the quality, relevance and application of tertiary agricultural education in Africa”

ANAFE relies on regionalized approach for decision making, planning, implementation, monitoring and control

ANAFE: A DECENTRALIZED GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION (INGO)

General Meeting of Members

ANAFEBoard

Small ExecutiveSecretariatECA-RAFT

SA-RAFT

Sahel-RAFT

AHT-RAFTNAFT

NAFT

NAFT

NAFT

NAFT

NAFT

NAFT

NAFTNAFT

The ANAFE Results Chain for Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) and Development

• Poverty in rural areas of Africa alleviatedLong-term Impact

• Good performance of the agriculture sector contributing significantly to growth, food security and increased income for small-holder farming households in rural areas of Africa

Medium-term Impact

• Improved capacity of African TAE institutions, and their faculty, staff and graduates to work with key agriculture and rural development (ARD) sector stakeholders to improve agricultural production, productivity, sustainability, and marketing mechanisms benefiting small-holder farming households in rural areas of Africa

Short-term impact

• Improved quality, relevance and application of tertiary agricultural education (TAE) in AfricaOutcome

ANAFE Strategy for Achieving its Stated Outcome and Impacts

The ANAFE 2008-2012 strategy focuses on improved quality, relevance and application of TAE.

The strategic approach to be followed calls for work on three fronts to simultaneously improve: (1) TAE in higher institutions of learning, (2) the context and links of TAE with rural and agri-business

development objectives, and (3) the relevance of TAE through applied research and development

(R&D) benefiting small-farmer households in rural areas.

“Strengthening Africa’s Strategic Agricultural Capacity for Impact on Development” (SASACID)

Has been prepared and presented to Africa Development Bank (ADB) and to Sida.

Endorsed by the AU Commission, Department of Rural Economy.

Responses from all parties have been positive. While SASACID will cover most of the external financing

requirements of ANAFE’s “Transforming Agricultural Education in Africa” Programme, ANAFE will seek and/or have other sources of funding/collaboration to linked to SASACID programme-related projects.

Why SASACID• TAE poorly articulated• Curricula still largely unsuitable and incoherent• The tools, methods and quality of teaching and learning are weak,

especially with respect to practicum• There is poor understanding of the integrative nature of land use

disciplines• The business and industrial development aspects are not well articulated

particularly in academic research• Local innovations and links with communities are very weak, at a time

when the population of jobless rural youth is growing• Women represent only 15-18 % of the student population• For countries emerging from civil strife, the capacity of their TAE

institutions has been greatly weakened

“Strengthening Africa’s Strategic Agricultural Capacity for Impact on Development” (SASACID): Projects

•Refocusing Agriculture Education Objectives and Improving CurriculaProject 1:

•Establishing the Capacity of Agricultural Scientists to Develop Relevant Learning Resources Based on African Knowledge and ExperiencesProject 2: •Building Capacity for Innovations Systems Approaches: Linking agricultural policy with research, education, industry and practice Project 3:•Strengthening Capacity for Agri-Business Education and Training, Particularly Strengthening the Interest and Capacity of Women and Youth to take up Agricultural CareersProject 4:

SASACID Projects (contd)•Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Agriculture, Including Agrochemicals, Biosafety and Climate Change

Project 5:

•Strengthening Methods for Teaching and Learning and Enhancing Agricultural Information and Knowledge Management

Project 6:

Counterpart contributions to both ANAFE in total and SASACID in particular are in the form of in-kind contributions by ANAFE institutions (e.g. faculty time, facilities, local transport, per diems sometimes, etc.). About 20 percent of total Budget

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida

Done by Independants Consultants: • Prof Ulf Magnusson from SLU, Sweden• Prof Amon Z. Mattee from Sokoine University

of Agriculture

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida

General Assessment:1. SASACID Proposal targets one of the most

important elements for poverty alleviation, hunger reduction and economic development in Africa: Building African human capacity within the field of agriculture

2. SASACID aligns with the Swedish refocusing on poverty and hunger eradication

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)What was appreciated within SASACID:1. SASACID is a huge commitment with high

ambitions for Africa2. SASACID wants to use holistic and comprehensive

approaches3. Importance given to the Regional approach with

initiatives coming from member institutions4. Clear inter-connectiveness and synergies of the

projects

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)General Recommendations:1. SASACID should also work on gender issues and strengthen

interventions aiming to get more women in more senior positions2. Use the regional approach for peer pressure3. Include Agribusiness elements in curricula and develop good links with

the private sector4. Develop links to other disciplines (Not Forestry and Agroforestry alone)

within Research and Extension5. Refine the programme during the initial phase to achieve optimal

effectiveness6. Involve Leaders from national members, policy makers and other

stakeholders in regional meetings and activities would strengthen linkages and boost their interest for TAE.

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)Recommendations for Implementation:1. RAFTs should be more proactive, take care of synergies,

boost regional cooperation and use peer pressure (RAFTs Chairs will make presentations).

2. Need for a result –based Management framework based on sharpened log frame and indicators (will be presented by James and Andy)

3. Need for the ANAFE Secretariat to have a strong, professional and transparent mechanism for accounting of funding (presentation on accounting by Josephine)

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)Recommendations for Implementation:1. Make better use of the potential synergy at

regional levels and the peer pressure generated through cross institutions’ comparisons

2. Develop the element of climate change and biosecurity

3. Make the log frame sharper, particularly the “means of verification of outputs”.

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)Recommendations for Implementation:1. Best process is for SASACID to work with a pilot list of

members in each region, and implement all the projects with them.

2. Continue to work with short courses and workshops on annual basis to include maximum number of institutions.

3. Continue to use curriculum assessment and development as a working tool, and include agribusiness, involvement of women/gender perspective, climate change as cross cutting issues in all assessments ad development

External Appraisal of SASACID by Sida (Cont.)Recommendations for Implementation:1. Establish a process to select 2 – 3 (4) pilot institutions

per regions (similar to that when selecting regional Focal institutions); Criteria for selection include top level management with clear institutional and political support; be already engaged in at least 2 to 3 activities linked to the SASACID projects.

2. Pilot institutions should report to the General Assembly about their experiences and progress within SASACID

3. Sida will commissioned an independent mid term review of SASACID in 2013

SASACID Funded Activities

• See document with budget

Partnerships ANAFE officially selected as a key implementer of TAE under

CAADP Pillar IV. Key Member of TEAM Africa. ANAFE works with others on important major education and

capacity-building initiatives in Africa: Partners with African TAE organizations (AAU, AVU, RUFORUM, CAMES, CRUFAOCI,REESAO, etc.), African SROs (ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD, SADC), Political Organizations ( AUC, NEPAD, FARA, ACTS, FANRPAN, AFF, CTA) national Research Institutes (KARI, INRAN, INERA), CGIAR Centres (ICRAF, Bioversity International, ICRISAT, AWARD, etc.) UN Agencies (FAO, UNEP, World Bank, etc,), Northern partners (SLU, AGRINATURA, APLU, Nebraska University, Montpellier SupAgro, Danish Universities, Finish Universities, NORAD, etc.)

CONCLUSION The funds allocated by Sida for the Preparatory Phase of

SASACID allowed ANAFE to get RAFTs and member institutions ready for the full implementation of SASACID.

The Preparatory Phase has built an enormous hope and enthusiasm within the member institutions.

Various aspects of the SASACID projects were funded by various funding sources such as DFID through the Association of African Universities (MRCI 1,2), DANIDA through FARA (UniBRAIN), UNEP and FAO (Climate Change).

This support from Sida will allow the implementation to take place and bring new donors and partners on board.