KARI
spearheads revitalisation of the cotton industry in
Kenya
RM
Opondo, Fibre Research Centre, Kibos
Successful performance of the cotton industry requires
that sectors responsible for the growing, marketing,
processing, manufacturing, research and extension
be integrated to complement each other. In Kenya,
sectors responsible for some of these activities operate
in isolation. This has impacted negatively on the
growth of the industry.
Throughout the history of cotton production in Kenya,
research has played the important role of importing
and developing new cultivars, developing suitable
husbandry practices, studying and recommending fertiliser
use, studying pest and disease problems and recommending
control measures. Cotton research has also played
the role of co-ordinating other participants in the
industry.
Before independence, all cotton lint was exported
to Britain, as one of the colonial policies. However,
after independence, the Kenya Government organised
the installation of large textile mills for processing
the lint produced locally. A portion of the high
quality lint continued to be exported until production
decreased to a level that could be handled by
the local mills.
Lint production has gone through seasonal fluctuation
with the number of bales produced increasing to
a peak of 70,000 in 1984. Since then production
decreased to 20,000 bales in mid 1990s', but is
increasing following greater emphasis on revitalisation
of production.
Cotton is an important crop in poverty reduction
as it is a major cash crop in the regions where
other crops perform poorly.
Since 1997, four workshops have been held to discuss
revitalisation of the cotton sub-sector. The 1st
was held in Machakos in 1997 to discuss general
aspects of the problem. The 2nd was held in May
1998 in Nakuru, and was attended by cotton farmers,
ginners, textile millers, co-operative organisations,
relevant Government ministries and KARI, which
organised and hosted the workshop.
The output of the 1998 workshop was a set of recommendations
on cotton growth, research, extension, seed production,
cotton marketing, ginning, and reorganisation
of the industry under a new Act of Parliament
on cotton. The proposed Act is intended to bring
major changes in the industry. It recommends the
creation of an apex organisation to be known as
the Cotton Development Authority, and at the same
time dissolve the Cotton Board of Kenya.
The membership of the proposed authority will have
a majority of cotton stakeholders and a minority
of Government representatives. Thus, the proposed
authority will allow stakeholders to control the
functions of the industry, having freed it from
total control by Government ministries. The workshop
also proposed the creation of a Cotton Research
Foundation to conduct research on all aspects
of cotton. To fund the proposed foundation, the
meeting proposed that the stakeholders create
a fund to support research. The proposal gives
the stakeholders the responsibility to fund all
functions of cotton research.
The meeting noted that gin owners had created and
registered the Kenya Cotton Ginners Association
to enable them to harmonise and control their
activities in the industry. The Textile Manufacturers'
Association of Kenya had been formed earlier.
The third stakeholders` workshop was held in Nakuru
in December 2000. It was chaired by Prof. Migot
Adhola, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development, and attended by delegates
representing all stakeholders in the cotton industry.
The purpose of the meeting was to review the policy
paper based on the recommendations of the 1998
workshop. The policy paper was prepared by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The workshop made a refined recommendation to
the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture to
facilitate the drafting of a bill to be tabled
in the House. Such a bill is required to contain
all the recommendations of the committee.
The fourth workshop was on cotton development, and
was held at KARI Headquarters in January 2001.
It was organised and funded by KARI, and chaired
by Mr. Ernest Mungai, the Managing Director of
the Cotton Board of Kenya. This was a meeting
of cotton stakeholders convened to study the various
proposals at the three previous workshops and
to draw medium-term action plans on the recommendations.
The meeting gave stakeholders the opportunity
to state and list a set of actions and the centres
responsible for the proposed action to be taken
within a time frame. The stakeholders visited
the cotton research centre at Mwea, the Mwea Cotton
Ginnery, and a farm with cotton.
The workshop recommended that:
A contract to grow seed will include establishing
a higher price for the seed crop. Zoning of farmers
contracted by ginners to grow seed will be necessary.
The Kenya Cotton Growers Association, KCGA, now being
formed, will discuss
and decide on proposals with KARI to grow certified
see
KARI, the Cotton Board of Kenya, and the KCGA
will decide on the pricing of basic seed produced
by KARI.
The cost of seed inspection by the Kenya Plant Health
Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is to be agreed
on by KARI and seed growers.
Cotton research in Kenya, conducted mainly by KARI,
has developed enough technologies grow cotton
and produce up to 5 tonnes of seed cotton per
hectare. The recently released cultivar, KSA81M,
has increased the yield potential from 1500 to
2500 kg/ha, while another new cultivar, HART89M,
promises similar yield potential. Higher yields
have been achieved in newly developed hybrid varieties
that have the potential for 3000 to 4800 kg seed
cotton per hectare, and percent lint ranging between
36 and 42% compared with 32 to 34% in old cultivars.
This adds 6 bales per 100 that the ginner will
produce. All the new varieties are resistant to
bacterial blight
KARI signs Memorandum of Understanding with KEFRI
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
recorded yet another milestone with the signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) on 27
March 2001. Signing the MoU on behalf of their
organisations were Dr RM Kiome, Director KARI
and Dr P Konuche, Director KEFRI. The event took
place at the KARI Headquarters conference hall
and was witnessed by high ranking officials from
the two institutes.
KARI and KEFRI have been working closely since 1986
and have jointly come up with solutions to problems
facing farmers in the country such as:
Declining soil fertility
Increasing fuel-wood crisis
Inadequate fodder production.
The aim of the MoU therefore is to establish a general
framework for cooperation and linkage between research
and development through mutually agreed research projects
in agro-forestry. The main objectives are to:
encourage joint participation in collaborative
research in agroforestry;
enhance exchange of information;
strengthen capacity of research and management
of trees in farmlands;
exchange and share expertise; and
support the publication of the East African
Agricultural and Forestry Journal.
Increased co-operation between the two institutes
will address the issue of declining soil fertility
especially on small-scale farms and seek sustainable
low input systems of land use; seek ways of raising
production of meat and dairy products in the face
of increased pressure on pastureland by rising
demand for cultivated land and address the ever
rising demand for wood-fuel.
It is recognised that there is considerable indigenous
knowledge on many agroforestry systems and multipurpose
trees among the farming populations. Research approaches
that help to identify, disseminate and build upon
this indigenous knowledge will therefore be promoted.
Working with farmers as collaborators will not only
reduce the technology transfer period but will also
allow for the use and exchange of ideas from all the
stakeholders in the research and development process.
KARI hosts workshop on assessing and managing
milk-borne health risks for the benefit of consumers
in Kenya
Joseph Methu, KARI
The liberalisation of milk marketing in 1992 has
led to many changes, including increased private
sector participation through a large number of
market agents who collect, transport, process
and distribute milk. A debate on milk safety has
been going on since liberalisation started. It
is against this background that a workshop whose
theme was Ensuring good quality milk in a liberalised
market was held at KARI Headquarters on 14 February
2001. The workshop was sponsored by the Smallholder
Dairy Project (SDP) and was attended by officers
from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MoARD), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
(KARI) and the International Livestock Research
Institute (ILRI). The 85 participants represented
a wide spectrum of stakeholders and key players
from all over the country. They represented MoARD,
KARI, ILRI, Ministry of Health, Kenya Dairy Board,
Kenya Bureau of Standards, universities, private
sector players (various members of the Kenya Dairy
Processors' Association, Tetra Pak, small-scale
milk traders) and NGOs.
Dr EA Mukisira, KARI Assistant Director, Animal Production,
gave introductory remarks on behalf of Dr JS Wafula,
Deputy Director, Research and Technology KARI,
that focused on the importance of the smallholder
dairy sub-sector and the nutritional value of
good quality milk. Mr HG Muriuki, AD-Animal Production,
MoARD and the Manager of SDP gave a short presentation
on the background of SDP. Dr A Omore, a KARI epidemiologist
attached to the SDP, presented a summary of the
study results. Dr S Staal, agricultural economist,
ILRI, gave a summary of policy issues related
to milk marketing and public health.
The main objectives of the workshop were to:
Present the findings of the SDP study on
health risks in marketed milk to stakeholders
in the dairy sub-sector;
Review recommendations for reducing health
risks and improving milk quality;
Develop and agree on a plan of action;
Agree on the roles of different institutions
in the action plan.
The key message from the presentations was that though
most of the agents are small-scale they play an
important role in the marketing of milk by linking
the majority of producers and consumers cost effectively,
besides generating income for themselves. There
is concern however that the current regulatory
environment is not supportive of milk marketing
activities and this impacts negatively on producers
and consumers. The study proposes ways of reducing
milk-borne public health risks without impeding
the efficient marketing of milk.
After the presentations, participants formed 3 working
groups to review the recommendations for reducing
health risks and improving milk quality. The review
covered:
Milk disposal and consumption
Milk collection and bulking
Milk production.
Each group identified recommendations, interventions,
plans of action, and institutional roles for implementation
and financing. These were discussed in a plenary which
authorised the MoARD to take the lead in appointing
a representative committee to follow up the issues
and report at a follow-up stakeholder' meeting to
be held in about an year.
Agricultural
Research Fund Awards KES 102 millionto Scientists
Adapted by Sitawa Ogutu and Mwangi Mwariri, KARI Headquarters
The Agricultural Research Fund (ARF) awarded a total
of KES 102 million to scientists from Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI), the Kenya Trypanosomiasis
Research Institute (KETRI), the University of
Nairobi and the private sector to conduct research
in various disciplines. The landmark ceremony,
presided over by the Minister for Agriculture
and Rural Development, Hon. Chris Obure, took
place on Wednesday 28 March 2001 at KARI Headquarters.
In his speech, the Minister said Kenya should develop
superior technologies to address the per capita farmland
and water
scarcity, urging Kenyans to practise integrated water
and soil management to enhance food production.
In his remarks, KARI Director Dr Romano Kiome
said KARI would continue to focus on plant and
animal biotechnology and stressed that it is important
to produce plant varieties that do not require
chemical use as a way of protecting the environment.
Dr Kiome added that inadequate research funds
were a major hindrance to agricultural development
in Africa.
The ARF was established in 1986 as a discrete entity
within KARI to provide a mechanism through which individual
scientists and those from private and public institutions
can complement efforts by KARI in agricultural research.
The need to involve the larger scientific community
in agricultural research and development was identified
during the reorganisation and rationalisation of Kenya’s
agricultural research system in 1986. The fund has
to date given 152 grants out of a total of 849 proposals
received. Major donors include the World Bank, the
Department for International Development (DFID) and
the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID).
Forty-two grants were awarded during the ceremony.
According to a published catalogue, beneficiaries
of the competitive research grants will include
National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC)-Kitale
for:
screening of effective botanical pesticides for
pest control in the North Rift
research on sweet potato production for the North
Rift region
University of Nairobi:
the development of sisal decorticate for smallholder
farmers in an integrated sisal and dairy farming
system in arid lands of Kenya
evaluation of leguminous shrubs as a supplement
feed to boost milk production of recently introduced
dairy goat
National Dryland Farming Research Centre (NDFRC)-Katumani
for research on increased production of beans
and pigeon peas in semi-arid eastern Kenya
National Veterinary Research Centre (NVRC)-Muguga
for the development of rapid antigen and antibody
detection tests for Rift Valley Fever
Agricultural sector consultants to carry out
analysis of fertiliser delivery and the farm-level
use in a liberalised market
Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (KETRI)
for assessment of the impact of animal trypanosomiasis
on the dairy sub-sector.
Ministers
visit community development project
GM Kamau, KARI Headquarters
On 24 February 2001, the Minister for Agriculture
and Rural Development (MoARD), Hon Chris Obure and
the Minister in Office of the President, Hon William
ole Ntimama visited Mosiro Development Project in
Narok District. Accompanying the ministers were the
Director of Agriculture, the Director KARI, the Israeli
Ambassador to Kenya and his agricultural advisor and
officials from KARI and MoARD. Mosiro is in Narok
North Constituency, about 60 km south of the Mai Mahiu
junction on the Nairobi-Naivasha road. It is a 40-km
dusty and rocky ride from the Ntulele shopping centre.
The 1st stop was at the site of the proposed Mosiro
Irrigation Project on the Ewaso Nyiro River. This
project was started in 1996 but is yet to be completed.
The ministers called concerned parties to get together
and plan for completion of the project. The KARI Director
highlighted the benefits of the drip irrigation system.
The group saw a healthy crop of maize on one of the
farms grown with the technical advice from KARI Scientists.
There were 100 similar plots scattered all over Mosiro.
Next was a demonstration on oxen ploughing—a
technology recently introduced by KARI in Mosiro and
which the local women have become quite adept at.
This was followed by a display of dryland seeds multiplied
with technical support from the National Dryland Farming
Research Centre-Katumani through the KARI Seed Unit.
Progenies from the National Animal Production Research
Centre and Sahiwal Cattle Improvement Project, Naivasha,
were also displayed. The collaborating farmer praised
the performance of the progenies, emphasising that
the animals had a very high rate of growth and were
very marketable. Milk production was also higher than
that of the local breeds. Widespread adoption is likely
to have significant effects on the quality of the
cattle herds in this area. The group also visited
a posho mill provided to Mosiro Women Group by ARAMAT,
a local NGO. The Minister for Agriculture and Rural
Development officially handed the posho mill to the
group amidst song and dance. The final project to
be visited was a demonstration of the small-scale
bucket irrigation unit at Mosiro primary school. The
headmaster described the technology as suitable for
the area and gave a moving account of how the school
was growing enough vegetables for the students and
even had a surplus for sale. The ministers addressed
the gathering of the Mosiro community at the end of
the occasion.
Meeting
information needs of KARI scientists
In an effort to meet the ever increasing needs of
information by scientists, the Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI), became a member of the
Crop Protection Compendium Development Consortium
in July 2000, and received copies of the Compendium
at a recent meeting of CABI member countries held
at ICRAF, Kenya. In February 2001, the Library and
Information Services Unit of the institute's Information
and Documentation Services Division visited a number
of KARI centres to sensitise and train scientists
and library staff on the use of the newly acquired
Crop Protection Compendium (CPC) database. The centres
visited were the National Agricultural Research Centre-Muguga,
the Regional Research Centre-Embu, the National Fibre
Research Centre Mwea-Tebere, the National Potato Research
Centre-Tigoni, the National Plant Breeding Research
Centre-Njoro, the National Pyrethrum Research Centre-Molo,
and the Regional Research Centre-Perkerra. The 2nd
training phase will cover centres not reached during
1st phase.
Research scientists including centre directors and
senior library staff attended the demonstrations.
They were particularly impressed by the thorough
compilation and all agreed that the compendium
was very useful and user friendly. However, some
expressed concern that some areas, for instance
Water hyacinth, were not adequately covered. Though
pyrethrum is not covered in the compendium, participants
at National Pyrethrum Research Centre Molo concurred
that the compendium was useful.
Researchers observed that the installation of the
compendium was timely and that it would support
their research work.
The compendium has been compiled by CABI on behalf
of international development consortia, including
Kenya, which is represented by KARI.
The CPC database includes detailed information (text,
literature references, maps, illustrations and
photographs) on more than 1560 important pests
and their natural enemies, and data on more than
180 crops from 150 countries. At the heart of
the compendium is a relational database system,
containing names of 10,000 pests, beneficial organisms,
crop plants and countries, which allows the derivation
of host and geographical ranges of any organism.
The compendium is beneficial to pathologists, entomologists,
and researchers in other fields. The Compendium
provides a simple tool for pest diagnosis by narrowing
down through country, crop and symptom. There
are several illustrated diagnostic and taxonomic
keys. The open architecture of the system allows
easy links to external systems and databases,
and to the Internet, enabling users to link to
their own electronic information resources. Users
may also add their own notes. Full text of key
background documents is available. There are economic
and statistical databases, quarantine aids, a
glossary and a fully flexible soft-linking system
allowing logical connections to be made from any
piece of text.
The Agricultural Technologies and Information
Response Initiative (ATIRI)
GM Kamau, Co-ordinator, ATIRI
To achieve and sustain growth in the Agricultural
sector, there is need for effective dissemination
of research technologies and information, and
for catalysing adoption of these technologies.
It is with this in mind that the Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute established the Agricultural
Technology and Information Response Initiative
(ATIRI) whose main purpose is to catalyse the
dissemination process by instituting a paradigm
shift from the 'supply model' to a 'demand model'.
For a long time, technologies have been supplied
to the farmers irrespective of their priorities,
leading to low adoption or modification of the
technologies, leading to sub-optimal returns and
eventual rejection or dis-adoption by the users.
Hence another objective of the initiative is to
monitor feedback based on the farmers' reaction
to the technologies. This feedback will be considered
for adaptive and strategic research and hence
will improve the KARI capacity to respond to farmers'
needs.
It is not possible for KARI to single-handedly serve
all the farmers in the country. In order to ensure
wider coverage, the initiative aims to strengthen
partner organisations such as Community Based
Organisations (CBOs) and Non-governmental Organisations
(NGOs) to better serve their clients through training.
This is another objective of the initiative.
Monitoring and evaluation of the initiative and sharing
of lessons learnt is a major concern of ATIRI. The
initiative encourages all centres involved to pay
special attention to this area in view of the many
past experiences that have gone undocumented.
The initiative operates through 2 committees - the
Regional Steering Committee (RSC), and the National
Steering Committee (NSC). The RSC secretariat
is constituted at the research centre level and
is composed of representatives from NGOs, CBOs,
the private sector, the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development, and centre directors. This
committee receives and forwards project proposals
to the NSC once approved. The NSC secretariat
is made up of representatives from NGOs, the private
sector, MoARD and the Director KARI. The committee
approves proposals for funding upon ensuring that
they follow the ATIRI guidelines or refers them
to the respective centres. Sustainability of the
activities after ATIRI is a major concern and
is a key criterion for approval of the projects.
Empowerment of the farmers is also an important
aspect of the initiative and a proposal has to
clearly show how this will be achieved. Nine pilot
centres— Embu, Njoro, Naivasha, Kisii, Kakamega,
Kitale, Katumani, Mtwapa and Lanet—are involved.
So far 62 proposals have been approved for funding
and are at various stages of implementation. Technologies
can be sourced from any KARI centre and backstopping
services are factored into all the proposals.
It is hoped that as implementation continues,
useful lessons that will improve and ensure that
impact at farm level is achieved and maintained
will be learnt.
For more details, contact:
The Director KARI, e-mail:
DIRECTOR@kari.org or atiri@kari.org
HORTFAIR Kenya 2001
GN Gachini,NARL and KI Muchukuri,
NPRC, Tigoni
The Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya
(FPEAK), through the HORTFAIR 2001 exhibition
held at Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi, 1-3 March
2001, brought together stakeholders in the Kenya
Horticultural Industry. The exhibition served
as a forum for the fresh produce industry to devise
strategies to effectively compete in the global
market. Exhibitors included seed companies, agro-chemical
companies, farmers, and agricultural service providers.
The theme of the exhibition was "bridge the
gap", indicating the effort being made to
promote understanding among the stakeholders.
KARI was represented by the National Agricultural
Research Laboratories (NARL), Kabete, and the
National Horticultural Research Centre (NHRC),
Thika. Alongside other research activities, the
2 centres also provide services to horticultural
farmers.
Farming today, especially of the high value crops,
is no longer a gamble. Apart from having superior
planting materials and the right agronomic packages,
all farm operations must be right for high quality
yield to be
realised. Farming for production of fresh vegetables
and fruits for the export market contributes immensely
to foreign earnings and improvement in the livelihoods
of Kenyans. This is in line with the KARI mission
of sustainable improvement of the livelihood of
Kenyan citizens by increasing agricultural productivity,
postharvest value of agricultural and livestock
products and environmental conservation. The National
Horticultural Research Centre (NHRC), Thika conducts
research on vegetables, fruits, beans, flowers
and macadamia that focuses on varietal introductions,
development and improvement, crop management,
socioeconomics, postharvest technology and biotechnology.
After developing a new variety, or a new agronomic
package improvement of a variety, the variety
or package is released to farmers.
Research activities at NARL-Kabete are geared towards
maintenance of soil fertility, fertiliser use
and efficiency, and amelioration of soil-based
factors that affect crop production. When the
right breed/variety has been developed or improved,
the right agronomic practices have to be used.
NARL has a long history of soil and plant tissue
testing for recommending crop-specific mineral
fertilisers and manures. Recommendations are based
on practical research carried out on farmers'
fields and also analytical results. Advice in
water suitability for irrigation is also offered.
At the HORTFAIR 2001, NARL exhibited the bucket drip
irrigation kit which elicited a lot of interest from
farmers who wanted to know how to acquire and set
up the system on their farms. KARI was able to market
some of the services it provides and also assess impact
from clients who have used the services. However,
many farmers who visited the KARI stand were not aware
of the existence of the soil and plant tissue advisory
service at NARL or other KARI stations. There is need
therefore to carry out extensive promotion of services
KARI provides for the benefit of the users.
KARI
cedes the National Sugar Research Centre-Kibos to
KESREF
On the 20th of January 2001 the Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI) handed over the National
Sugar Research Centre, Kibos, to the Kenya Sugar
Research Foundation (KESREF). The ceremony took
place at NSRC-Kibos and was presided over by the
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development,
Mr Chris Obure. In attendance also were the Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Professor Shem Migot-Adhola, Members of the KARI
Board of Management, Boards of Directors of the
Kenya Sugar Authority (KSA) and KESREF, the Chairmen,
the Kenya Sugar Millers Association (KESMA) and
the Kenya Sugar Growers Association (KESGA) and
other guests.
This was the culmination of a process initiated in
1994 when the KARI Board of Management and commissioned
a study to review the status of the National Sugar
Research Programme. The review team produced a
report titled Review of National Sugar Research
Programme in February 1995. As a result of the
report - and in anticipation of the enactment
of the Sugar Act and creation of the proposed
sugar research foundation, an inter-ministerial
committee was formed in 1995 to study the report,
recommend a basis for the successful launching
of the proposed KESREF, transfer of assets, working
levels, financial arrangements and measures to
ensure on-going research activities were not interrupted
and that revamped research programme were on course.
The inter-ministerial
committee's report, which contained proposals and
general recommendations for the establishment
of KESREF, was presented to KSA and KARI Boards
of Management in 1998 for adoption. A research
co-ordinator was engaged by KSA in February 1998
to develop a research programme and set terms
for staff recruitment. KARI and KSA have worked
together at the NSRC-Kibos in matters of staff
and equipment for sugar technology research activities.
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between KARI and KSA in 1997 had further strengthened
these ties. KARI will be represented on the Board
of Directors of KESREF.
In his remarks, the minister observed that the rapidly
decreasing area of arable land in Kenya, coupled
with the rising population pressure, necessitated
adoption of farming strategies that increase yields
per unit land area. He was therefore challenging
the sugar researchers to find ways of improving
the current yield of 43 tonnes of cane per hectare
to the potential possible level of 85 tonnes per
hectare within the coming few seasons.
He further said that with the just launched East
African Community, Kenya should quickly exploit its
strategic position to export sugar and sugar technologies
in the region. There was also the envisaged increase
in the sugar export quota to the European Union, which
should spur production to contribute further to the
national economy.
The minister acknowledged that national sugar research
programmes were handled mainly by KARI before the
formation of KESREF. The KARI research efforts had
generated a number of useful technologies, many of
which had already been adopted by farmers. He advised
KESREF to implement programmes already started by
KARI to their logical conclusions while at the same
time opening up new ground in the manifold facets
of strategic and applied research. KESREF should,
with relevant stakeholders, chart a road-map for the
sugar industry to show how it intended to conduct
business and what it planned to achieve its objectives,
so that Kenyans could see and enjoy the fruits of
the new institution. He added that close links should
be maintained with more established institutionslike
KARI for synergy and acquisition of experience, noting
that an MoU to facilitate such collaboration was already
in place. He further urged KESREF to establish a strong
dissemination department as a link with extension
services and primary users of technologies, notably
millers and growers, to ensure information exchange
between the end users and researchers.
Update
on the Eastern Africa Question and Answer Service
(QAS)
Mwangi
Mwariri, KARI Headquarters
The Eastern Africa Question and Answer Service (QAS)
was launched as a pilot project in Kampala in
August 1999. It is hosted by Agricultural Research
Information Service (ARIS), a unit of the National
Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda.
The project initially covered Ethiopia, Kenya
and Uganda. Tanzania joined towards the end of
2000. The partners agreed to call the project
Agricultural Information for Development of Eastern
Africa (AGRIDEA). A meeting to review achievements
during the AGRIDEA pilot phase (1999-2000) and,
on the basis of the lessons learnt, develop a
strategy for the next phase of the QAS was held
in Kampala, from 26 to 28 February 2001. KARI
is the national focal point of QAS in Kenya and
was represented by Mr Mwangi Mwariri, head of
Publications Unit KARI and national co-ordinator,
QAS.
The purpose of the QAS is to:
enhance access to agricultural technologies and
information;
improve networking;
develop partnerships; and
create a forum for accessing funding;
The service also aims to develop regional mechanisms
to provide information on the following priority
themes:
Promotion of market-led development
Intensification and optimisation of production
Environmental protection and natural resource
management
Strengthening national research systems
Mobilisation of the civil society.
Beneficiaries and partners are all stakeholders of
the National Agricultural Systems in Kenya, Ethiopia,
Uganda and Tanzania. These include relevant government
organisations, NGOs in the agricultural and the
rural development sector; farmers, farmers' organisations,
trade and commercial bodies.
During the pilot phase, most of the requests from
the national nodes of Kenya and Ethiopia had been
successfully handled by ARIS, even exceeding project
targets. Although a key objective of the service
was to promote regional networking, the meeting
resolved to encourage setting up of national networks,
which would in turn promote and strengthen the
regional service.
The QAS aims to identify users' information needs
and respond to information requests by searching,
collecting, analysing, interpreting and validating
information. KARI is well positioned to handle requests
through the following sources:
The many databases available at the Database Centre,
notably KARD, CABI abstracts, TROPAG, AGRICOLA, CPC,
AGRIS
Libraries
Inter-library loaning
Internet access
Journals
Subject specialists
The Crop Protection Compendium has been aquired and
is already in use at several KARI centres. The
Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL)
will also be acquired soon. A Crop Varieties Database
(CROVAD) is also being developed and will be in
use soon.
Readers are therefore encouraged to take advantage
of this service to access information that would otherwise
be difficult or impossible get. Fill the attached
request form (make photocopies for more questions)
and send to:
The Head, Publications Unit
Information and Documentation Service KARI Headquarters
PO Box 57811 Nairobi
E-mail resource.centre@kari.org
Question and Answer Service
INFORMATION REQUEST FORM
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural
Co-operation (CTA) has for years provided a Question
and Answer Service (QAS) for the agricultural
sector in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
countries. It has now decentralised this service.
For the Eastern African region, the Agricultural
Research Information Service (ARIS), - a unit
of the National Agricultural Research Organisation
(NARO), Uganda is the regional focal point where
the service has been running since July 1999 while
KARI is the focal point in Kenya.
State
your question and submit to the address given at the
end of the form__
Please
specify any limitations or preferences (years, geographical
boundaries etc) if any _________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Please
provide key words / terms / phrases, relevant to your
request
______________________________________________________________________
Your request is usually processed promptly. Should
you need the information sooner, please indicate
urgency.
Urgent
Not so urgent Date request submitted: ______________
Please return this form to:
The Head, Publications Unit
Information and Documentation Service KARI HQ,
PO Box 57811, Nairobi, Kenya
E-mail: Resource.Centre@kari.org
We at the Highlighter wish to remind you that this
is your newsletter. To keep KARI staff informed
of activities across the breadth of KARI, we need
information from you. Send us your stories –
field days that have taken place; Visitors to
your centre; workshops, conferences and seminars;
training. And of course, breakthroughs in research
and coming activities.
For those
at headquarters on the LAN, those at centres on the
email and other readers, you can now read The highlighter
on (www.kari.org).
Editorial
team
Mwangi Mwariri, JK Sitawa Ogutu, JA Ayemba and JO
Mugah Layout and design
Irene Kimani Photographs
Tom Mwangi
The Highlighter
is a newsletter mainly for KARI staff. Communication
from interested parties in response to this
newsletter
or communications for subsequent issues are welcome.
These should be sent to:
Publications Unit
KARI Headquarters
PO Box 57811, Nairobi Tel: (02) 583301-20, ext.
2338/2340/2341
Fax: (02) 583344
Email: Resource.Centre@kari.org
Website: www.kari.org