Institutionalising gender issues in agricultural technology development and transfer: The case of the kenya agricultural research institute
1994
Kooijman, M.(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi (Kenya). National Agricultural Research Laboratories) | Mbabu, A. N.(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi (Kenya). National Agricultural Research Laboratories)
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARl) is a Government Organisation under the Ministry of Research and Technology (MRT). The Institute carries out agricultural research with emphasis on developing farming technologies, which will increase farmers' production and income in a sustainable manner. KARl came into existence in 1979 after a merger of a number of research institutions in Kenya under various Ministries. It now consists of 23 research centres in the various agro-ecological zones and employs about 600 scientists of various disciplines and 5000 auxiliary staff. The Institute is currently supported by a variety of funding agencies in the National Agricultural Research Project (NARP). The NARP is now in its second phase (1994-1999). Despite the long history of successful research and release of good varieties and technology packages, the country continues to suffer food deficits of the main food crops such as maize, wheat and rice. Levels of technology adoption are low and farmers get about 50% or less of what should be possible to achieve. KARl recognises that farmers' needs are diverse and always changing, but that the users of technology have not always been taken into account sufficiently in the technology development process. This may explain in part the poor adoption of new technologies in certain regions (KARl, 1996). In the circumstances, KARl has engaged in serious efforts to incorporate extension and farmers in the process of technology development and dissemination. In the 1970's this was incorporated in the farming systems approach to research. During this time the main activities were diagnostic surveys, with little follow up. With time the approach evolved to the FSA-RET (Farming Systems Approach to Research, Extension and Training) which was adopted by KARl scientists in 1991, especially for the development and implementation of adaptive research programmes.
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