Tanzania: Ministry to create agency on agricultural research ...

Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Prof Jumanne Maghembe

The government has said that it is at an advanced stage of creating a Tanzania Agricultural Research Agency in order to streamline agricultural research departments to be more efficient and responsive to its clients.

This was revealed yesterday in Dar es Salaam by Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives Prof. Jumanne Maghembe.

Prof. Maghembe was opening a workshop on Sustainable Intensification of Cereal-based Farming System in Eastern and Southern Africa, organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

He said the agency would also build a strong technology transfer division with the aim of disseminating technologies to farmers.

?This will not only conduct research on farm demonstrations but also deal with continuous training of extension agents and farmers in order to increase the adoption of new ideas in farming,? Prof. Maghembe said.

He faulted the current national research systems, saying they were not doing justice to small farmers whom the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research was often intended to serve.

The CGIAR institutes should serve their clients more efficiently; they should continue the tradition of undertaking strategic research but at the same time build international capacities for applied research and delivery of technology to farming communities, he said.

He said however said that the government was aware of the many challenges modernizing agriculture was facing as it moved in the implementation of Kilimo Kwanza, but it also recognized the role of research in the generation of technologies and new ideas to address the challenges.

He mentioned some of the challenges as low productivity, changing environmental conditions and climate change, pests and diseases and rationalizing policies.

International and local agriculture experts, policymakers and donors are meeting in Dar es Salaam for four days to discus ways of increasing Tanzania?s food production capacity in the face of a changing climate and shrinking arable land among others.

IITA Director General Dr. Nteranya Sanginga said the stakeholders would deliberate on and identify priority areas for a five-year research initiative to be implemented in the country.

Sanginga said the stakeholders? meeting would ensure that the project would complement and strengthen similar efforts by the Tanzanian government and other development partners and agencies in the country.

By Lydia Shekighenda, The Guardian

Do you have a story or an article to publish? Please email us to submit@in2eastafrica.net.

Source: http://in2eastafrica.net/tanzania-ministry-to-create-agency-on-agricultural-research/

yahoo sports halloween costumes steven jackson steven jackson iheartradio iheartradio rosh hashanah recipes