National Agricultural Research System Policy 2012

Abstract

The policy objectives are: improving agricultural research policy framework; harmonizing and providing direction to national research for sustainable development; strengthening the legal, institutional and regulatory framework; coordinated planning, development and sharing of human resources and physical assets; coordinated planning, development and management of knowledge, information and communication technology; increased focus on outreach and technology dissemination and targeted partnership development framework. The goal of this new legal, institutional and regulatory framework is to improve the synergies and complementarities among the various players operating along the research–development continuum. This reform process focuses also on rationalizing and consolidating existing publicly funded institutions. Using the programmatic approach as the organizing principle, the NARS policy proposes the establishment of six new semi-autonomous institutes organized along commodities and value chain lines (food crops, livestock, forestry and environment, fisheries, horticulture and industrial crops); three new semi-autonomous institutes dedicated to arid and rangelands, water resources management, and biotechnology; and a genetic resources centre