Towards USAID re-engaging in supporting national agricultural research systems in the developing world

The U.S. Agency for International development (USAID)Bureau of Food Security (BFS) asked Weidemann Associates to help develop a strategy to strengthen National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in developing countries. As part of this process, a one-day Roundtable was held on March 5, 2013 that brought together some 30 specialists in agricultural research and agricultural research systems to discuss which USAID interventions would best strengthen NARS in developing countries… The paper identifies Issues from several perspectives: historical (chapter 1), economic and political (chapter 2), scientific (chapter 3), investment (chapter 4), organizational (chapter 5), and research approach (chapter 6), before considering the key questions regarding capacity development (chapter 7), with which some readers may prefer to begin. Conclusions from the paper and the Roundtable are presented in the concluding chapter 8. (Excerpt from Background)