Food: Body Tasks African Countries On Research Funds

African countries south
of the Sahara will need to double investment in agricultural research and development to feed their population, researchers at the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have said.
A statement issued by IFPRI and made available  to The Tide in Abuja said the required double effort was necessary if ambitious UN and AU targets are to be achieved.
“It is critical that African countries invest more in agricultural research to ensure that they can feed their populations.
“Underinvestment, inadequate human resource capacity, poor research infrastructure, and a lack of coherent policies continue to constrain the quantity and quality of research outputs in many countries.’’
According to the statement, a very large number of senior researchers are approaching retirement.
It said female scientists remained under represented in agricultural research in spite of the fact that they are in a position to address the challenges facing African farmers, the majority of whom are female.
It also said donor dependency and funding volatility remained critical in many countries, adding that African governments and research agencies were limited in their choice of options to address the challenges.