Agricultural Research in Africa: A Review of USAID Strategies and Experience

Excerpt from the Executive Summary: In a time of shrinking resources, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), other donors, and African governments recognize the need for clear investment priorities. It is therefore prudent to examine past investments in agricultural research in Africa. Agricultural Research in Africa: A Review of USAID Strategies and Experience summarizes USAID’s explicit or implicit agricultural investment “strategies” and the lessons learned from successive approaches. It also contrasts several cases where agricultural research was widely adopted and made a significant impact on national or regional production patterns with other cases where research was not successful. It identifies the major elements of successful and unsuccessful cases of technological adoption. Finally, it translates these lessons and patterns into recommendations for refocusing agricultural investment in Africa.