Thoughts on governance and future orientation of Agricultural Research in Ethiopia

Abstract

Agriculture needs to be more efficient and productive to provide more food and feed with less environmental damage to which agricultural research has a lot to offer by designing a broader research agenda. This calls for overhauling the research system towards creating a seamless coordination mechanism, assigning adequate work force, and improving physical and financial capacities. As a federated country and for its diverse agro-ecologies and socio-economic settings, decentralized research system is feasible option for Ethiopia. This, however, needs a strong coordination mechanism, lest the research institutions tend to fragment into a number of isolated entities. To this end, the National Agricultural Research Council needs to re-define NARS entities, differentiate their roles, and ensure effective coordination through creating avant-garde Centers of Excellences. The country’s future research needs to embrace modern biosciences, and alongside of technology adaptation it should generate technologies and ensure technology security, and subsequently technology export. In terms of funding, research in its own right should receive a core budgetary allocation from the federal parliamentary appropriation while competitive funding scheme is also important. A well-planned staff development and succession plan is essential to strengthen the research work force. Besides, re-hiring out-gone researchers, and seconding researchers to veteran scientists at national and international research excellence centers would be helpful. Staff motivation and commitment is also vital. Staff recruitment modality needs to change as well. All in all, the country’s agricultural research system needs to be reinforced to help sustaining productivity, food security, competitiveness and profitability of the agricultural sector.