Making SLARI a better institution for the 21 st Century Sierra Leone Role, expectations of a Research Scientist SLARI Retreat, October, 2015 J.B.A. Whyte Technical advisor - SLARI IITA Country Representative

Scientist A person who is engaged in systematic activity of applying scientific methods to acquire expert knowledge in a field of science. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science.

(Agricultural) Research Scientist  Devotes him/herself to doing agricultural related research  Knowledgeable in agricultural development issues  Global - UN’s Millennium Development Goals  Regional - AU’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)  Sub regional - ECOWAS’ Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP)  National - National Sustainable Agriculture Development Plan (NSADP)

Value Chain Focus -Production -Processing -Value Adding -Marketing

Value Chain Focus -Production -Processing -Value Adding -Marketing

SLARI’s strategic objective/purpose Objective: Enhance sustainable productivity, commercialization and competitiveness of the agricultural sector Purpose: Generate and promote innovative agricultural technologies and empower stakeholders

NARC purpose delivery  Appropriate product value chains technologies and innovations generated and promoted.  Appropriate markets and marketing strategies for enhancing product value chains developed and promoted.  Appropriate policy options for enhancing value chains facilitated and advocated.  Capacity for implementing value chains research strengthened.  Appropriate mechanisms for managing, sharing and up scaling knowledge, information and technologies established and operationalized.

National Agricultural Research for Development System  Ministries and allied Departments and Agencies  Provincial, District and Local authorities  Sierra Leone Chamber for Agribusiness Development  International and local NGOs, FBOs  National Farmers’ Associations  Private sector actors (input, output and financial institutions)  Value Chain Actors and Consumers  Agricultural Research Institutions, Universities, and allied institutions Multi sectorial, Multi institutional, Multi disciplinary, Consultative, Participatory Collaborative Partnerships

Economic Development Model

Consumers Producers Supply Demand Farmers Producers Business Associations Inputs and Technology Suppliers Buyers Assemblers Traders Transporters Storage Providers Intermediate Processors/ Handlers Value added Processors/Exporters /Importers Final Distributors/ Retailers Business Model

Competitiveness Model

Agricultural development domains: unique geographic areas with similar agro-ecological conditions (agricultural potential), population density, and distance to markets (market access) across a country or region. Agricultural potential Population Market access Low Medium High

Crop domains: gradients in potential for the production of a commodity when biophysical requirements for a crop are interpolated on socio- economic drivers for agricultural intensification and diversification Low Medium High

Framework of Value Chain Analysis Chain Governance Value Chain Actors Value Chain Performance (Financial) support services Infrastructure Research Extension (Inter) national policies and regulations External Chain Stakeholders Resources Added Value Distributed Benefits EFFECTIVENESS :  Quality  Targets EFFICIENCY:  Profitability  Lower Transaction costs IMPACT:  Food security  Income  Gender Equity  Distribution Value Added (i)  Access to market (ii) SUSTAINABILITY: Partnership Natural Resources Bio-diversity Input supply Production Processing International consumption Marketing and trade Local/national Consumption Export Capacity building

Drivers of growth o Science and technology o Markets and trade o Value chain stakeholders organizations o Human and institutional capacity o Infrastructure o Sound environmental management o Gender/Youth empowerment o Policy

Value Chain Focus -Production -Processing -Value Adding -Marketing

Infrastructural Innovation Technological Innovation Institutional Innovation IAR4D, Technology Generation and Innovation Innovation Platform Research Themes Productivity Market Policy Product Development Natural Resource management Nutrition Gender Socio-economic Benefits

Capacity building/ In-country training courses  Value chain and innovation platform concepts in IAR4D  Gender and nutrition in value chain development  GIS mapping  Database development  Statistical/biometric/socio economic analysis  Policy Analysis Matrix  Bankable proposal development  Monitoring, evaluation, ex-ante/ex-post impact analysis  Technical report writing for different audiences

Goal (impacts) Outcomes Outputs Activities Inputs * Long-term, widespread improvements in society * Intermediate effects of outputs on target areas and populations * Concrete products and services produced * Tasks personnel undertake to transform inputs into outputs * Financial, human and material resources

 “Impacting” Factors Infrastructures Human capital (education, information, and health) Technological changes Institutional changes Policy changes  “Impacted” outcomes Behavioral Outcomes (adoption, input demand, output supply, consumption demand) Efficiency outcomes (technical, allocative, economic, profit) Welfare and Equity Outcomes (Health and Nutrition, Poverty, Equity, Social welfare) Resource and Environmental outcomes (soil fertility and erosion, deforestation, Human health hazards)

Research for Development Identification of researchable issues Planning and design Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Impact assessment

Development and survival of value chain promoters (development organizations, etc.) supporters (consulting firms, trainers, technical advisors, financial services providers, business development services providers) actors (private sector firms driving the value chain) policy makers (ministries, departments and agencies) If key components of chain are ahead or behind schedule it is quite possible that the supply chain will fail

Partnerships - models of collaboration Ability to deliver tangible improvements in services or economic goods Enable needs expression Build dialogue with other groups and institutions which may offer complementary objectives and resources Inspire groups to work together in support of own (and mutual) development

Establishing partnerships Why a partnership is being established What each partner seeks to gain from such collaboration What it is likely to achieve Risk factor: lack the resources, incentives and structures to achieve long term sustainability

Effective functioning of partnership: needs analysis An estimation of the costs that each partner is able and willing to commit An audit of the skills which each partner brings, including overlapping or duplicated skills An outline plan for the strategic development of skills to meet the partnership’s evolving needs Realistic and workable objectives Definition of remit and input required from each member of the partnership Clear boundaries with robust and transparent governance structures and communication systems Conflict resolution Each partner’s ‘moving-on strategy’

Periodic evaluation and review of partnerships Monitor the performance of the partnership Inform and directly feed into the partnership process Create a learning and developmental system that supports rather than judge it

Types of partnerships Technical inputs: linkages with the national, sub-regional agricultural research organizations, Universities and Advanced Research Institutes – public goods Links with economic stakeholders will include producers, packers, processors, traders, distributors, retailers, and input, equipment and service suppliers – financial implication Services rendered by the non-economic stakeholders - national ministries, agencies and specialized institutions and the general public - request as needed

Adoption within a value chain system Markets, institutions, policy, technologies Improvement in structure, conduct and performance Farmer adoption of external inputs o integrate and adopt different types and levels of production factors based on their vulnerability, risk and asset o effectiveness, availability, prices, volumes required and the technical capacity to use them efficiently o effectiveness of supporting institutions, the quality of infrastructure and the performance of stakeholders within the given commodity chain o natural resources base, level of risk (rainfall, price variation), availability of cash or farm credit (to buy inputs), and market options for farm products.

Expectations  Government and the People of the Republic of Sierra Leone – Economic development  Ministries and allied Departments and Agencies – Food, nutrition and income security  Value Chain Actors and Consumers – Redress constraints along segments of value chain; Business development; Access to available, affordable, nutritious, quality, safe food  Agricultural research institutions, Universities, and allied institutions – Contribute to institutional missions  Research Scientists o Infrastructure – Laboratories, Fields, Housing o Finance o Personal development – Publications/Emoluments

Thank you